CONFEDERATE CAMPAIGNS OF THE SOUTHWEST by Ted Fisher While in
the past I have primarily written about the Confederate Navy, a
recent trip to the South- west in which I visited Mesilla, Forts
Fillmore, Craig and Union as well as Glorietta Pass intrigued me
regarding this little known Civil War theater of operations.
Since my return, I have given you bits of the total picture, now
this is an attempt to tie those pieces together into a formal
presentation for your enjoyment. Some critical factors regarding
these campaigns and the Federal responses: Three adversaries
were involved, each bent on destroying the other two-
Confederates, Federals and Apaches. Secondly, the availability
of water in this arid land determined the course of each
Confederate campaign and the Federal response, and the Rio
Grande Valley became a highway for invasions and retreats
because of it's proximity to the river. Each of the forts
mentioned above is located near large sources of water. Where
water holes had to be depended upon, such a