C.S. Arizona: Fort Union 1851-1891
The Story of Fort Union is the story of three forts.
Lt. Col. Edwin Sumner, the commanding officer for the New Mexico Territory, wanted to move his headquarters out of Santa Fe. Sumner despised Santa Fe with its mud huts and brothels and wanted to move his men to someplace more wholesome. I suspect his men rather liked in living Santa Fe for precisely the reasons Sumner hated it, but rank hath its privileges and so he ordered the construction of a new fort far away from the den of vice that was Santa Fe.
This is a picture of San Jose, Santa Fe would have looked something like this to Lt. Col. Sumner.
Sumner decided to reorganize the entire western fort system. He consolidated the small scattered detachments that had caricaturized the western army up till then into larger posts and moved them out of the towns and villages closer to the tribes they were supposed to be guarding. His own post moved north of Las Vegas, MN and took the territorial supply dump with it.
The first Fort Union was constructed in the lee of the bluffs where it would catch the afternoon shade. The mission of the first fort was to protect a large section of the Santa Fe Trail and to provide overland travels a place to rest up and restock before continuing on in their journey. As mentioned, it also served as the main supply center for the western army. Given its mission and its enemies, various tribes adept at hit and run warfare, its location in the shade of the bluffs made sense.
The ruts of the old Santa Fe Trail.
The post Commander who over saw the construction of the new fort was an officer named Sibley. When the South succeeded Sibley was one of the officers that deserted the army and joined the Confederacy. This was to have a great impact on the morale of the fort later on.
These ruins mark the site of the first fort. Note its position in the lee and shade of the bluffs. This picture is looking west from the position of the second fort.
From the bluffs the Confederate could have blown the firdt fort to kingdom come.
The exodus of officers from the army had a significant impact on the Civil War. 313 regular army officers joined the southern army of that group 184 were West Pointers, 182 of which became Confederate Generals. Most of these were serving in the Far West when the war broke out, their names included Albert Sidney Johnston, William Loring, George Crittenden, James Longstreet, Richard Ewell, Caldmus Wilcox, Carter Stevenson, and the afore mentioned Sibley.
The Civil War came up the Rio Grande River to New Mexico from Texas, and at its head was Confederate General Henry Hopkins Sibley. Sibley had big plans for the West, first he wanted to protect and fortify the new Confederate State of Arizona; second, he wanted to capture Fort Craig and get its supplies, it would also serve as a link in his own supply lines; thirdly, he wanted to arouse an insurrection among the Anglos in the New Mexico Territory; Fourthly, he wanted to capture Fort Union and its valuable collection of supplies. Lastly, he wanted to capture Colorado, turn the Mormons in Utah into Confederates, capture Nevada, California Northern Mexico, and turn Los Angeles into a major Confederate sea port with a rail line running to San Antonio. Big plans and he came startlingly close to pulling the last part off.
After leaving Baylor the new Governor of Arizona Sibley moved north up the Rio Grande toward Fort Craig. There were only three forts Sibley needed to concern himself with: Craig, a major supply hub; Yuma a prison over on the Colorado River; and Fort Union with enough supplies to keep his men in the field for months. Sibley failed to take Fort Craig and he left it and its commander Col. Canby, his brother and law, figuring it was isolated and occupied Albuquerque. Next, Sibley occupied Santa Fe, chasing the territorial government off to Las Vegas, NM.
Sibley’s men rested up in Santa Fe, probably visiting the same bars and brothels Sumner’s men had before made them leave town. Word came to Sibley that the forces at Fort Union were badly demoralized and would surrender with a fight if his army appeared at its gates. Once his forces were ready Sibley sent them on ahead to take Las Vegas and Fort Union while he rested up and sampled the delights of Santa Fe himself.
With all of the defections among the officer core Canby had become to ranking officer in the territory. Understanding what Sibley was up to Canby had sent out word to Washington that he needed help. The Union had taken his warnings to heart. Canby was an able officer secure in Fort Craig and his post sat on Sibley’s supply lines. Furthermore a large column of men left Los Angeles, gathered up more troops at Yuma and moved on the Confederate forces at Tucson. Another column of volunteers had left Colorado force marched to Fort Union, gathered up the troopers there and was moving toward Santa Fe. The two columns ran into each other at Glorieta Pass on March 26, 1862. A third column of men was forming up in Kansas but would not arrive in time to impact events.
The fort itself had not sat idle either. From the moment it got word of the Confederate invasion, the troops had gone to work constructing a new fort, the second Fort Union. It was and eight pointed star with packed earth banks well away from the bluffs. Sitting on a small hill the fort had excellent fields of fire and multiple layers of protection.
Arial view of the second fort outlines. You can see the wheel ruts of the old trail cutting diagonally across the upper right hand portion of the picture.
The second fort is the rough ground mid picture before to ruins of the third fort.
The walls have have pretty much melted back into the ditches.
I think it’s questionable whether or not Sibley men could have taken it. We’ll never know because the Confederates lost at Glorieta Pass. This precipitated a total collapse of the Confederate invasion you can read about their retreat on the Peralta page.
After the Confederate menace passed the shoddy construction of the second Fort Union began to show. The whole thing began to melt in the rain and the men refused to live in it, preferring to sleep in tents outside the walls. Seeing their point, the new Union commander Brig. Gen. James Carlton ordered a new fort built and construction was begun on a third Fort Union nearby the second. This last one was a proper fort with all the comforts of home. Canby was not forgotten in all of this and was promoted and sent east where he made a name for himself fighting in the Western Theater of the Civil War.
The third fort.
In the far west the Civil War was always about supplies.
The jail.