Army of New Mexico

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Army of New Mexico

The Army of New Mexico, also called the Sibley Brigade, was a small Confederate field army in the Civil War. It operated in Confederate Arizona and the New Mexico Territory during the New Mexico Campaign in 1861–1862 before being sent to Louisiana. Its goal was to take the forts still held by the Union in Arizona, invade the New Mexico Territory, and reach Colorado and California mines to fund the Confederacy. The plan relied on quick victories and fighting away from the main Confederate effort.

Formation and troops
Brigadier General Henry Hopkins Sibley formed the army in the summer of 1861, recruiting mainly from eastern Texas. He hoped to use local militia, but found them unreliable and started recruiting from scratch. Two mounted regiments were formed first—the 4th and 5th Mounted Rifles—each with a battery of howitzers. A third regiment, the 7th Mounted Rifles, was added to garrison the territory. Soldiers provided their own weapons, horses, and blankets; supplies from the government were scarce, so weapons varied widely.

The army trained in San Antonio and then moved to Fort Bliss near El Paso, Texas, and later to Fort Thorn in New Mexico. It began operating in the territory in mid-February 1862 against Fort Craig.

Campaign and battles
Sibley’s forces moved north to attack the Union garrison at Fort Craig. He first tried to lure the Federals into the open and then to cut their supply lines. Union commander Colonel E. R. S. Canby pressed the Confederates and Canby’s prediction of a fight near Valverde Ford came true.

In the Battle of Valverde Ford (February 21, 1862), Sibley briefly handed command to Colonel Thomas Green. The battle ended with a Confederate setback: Green’s troops broke the Union left, but Canby did not surrender, and the Confederates could not overrun the fort. The Confederates then decided to keep moving north into New Mexico, abandoning some supplies and taking heavy losses of horses and forage.

Sibley’s army then captured Albuquerque (March 2) and Santa Fe (March 13) but could not seize the Union stores there. With scarce foraging and limited supplies, the Confederates lived off the land, which worsened relations with locals.

At Apache Canyon and in the march toward Santa Fe, Union forces under Col. John P. Slough and others pressed the Confederates. The main clash came at Glorieta Pass (March 28, 1862). The Confederates fought the Union force marching from Fort Union but a Union detachment slipped around them and burned the Confederates’ wagon train, destroying most of their supplies. After learning of the Union victory, Canby advanced to surround Sibley.

Retreat and aftermath
Short on ammunition, food, and forage, Sibley retreated to Albuquerque with fewer than 2,000 men by April 8. The retreat continued for strategic reasons, and the only major battle during the withdrawal was a small clash at Peralta (April 15), where Canby tried to cut off the Confederates. Sibley’s forces held a defensive line in adobe houses, but a sandstorm forced a retreat, and eight cannons and many wounded soldiers were left behind.

A final rear guard was left at Fort Thorn but also pulled back in July as Union forces advanced from California. The campaign cost the Confederates about 1,000 men, many of whom were missing or captured.

Afterward
The army was sent east to Louisiana, where it fought in several skirmishes and battles, including the Red River Campaign. Sibley was relieved of command for drunkenness and reassigned to directing supply trains. The cannons captured at Valverde were turned into the Valverde Battery, manned by volunteers from the 5th Texas.

Organization and strength
The Army of New Mexico was about 2,500 men strong, organized into three mounted regiments with additional units as the campaign progressed. Its key commander was Henry H. Sibley, with notable action by Col. Thomas Green and Lt. Col. William R. Scurry during the campaign.