New Mexico Territory During the Civil War: Wallen and Evans Inspection Reports, 1862-1863
After the Battle of Valverde in 1862 and the retreat of the Confederate Army of New Mexico to Central Texas, the Union Army’s service in New Mexico could almost be summed up by the old saying: “Those also serve who only stand and wait.” Not quite, because there were still marauding Indians to chase and a couple of Indian campaigns to conduct before the Civil War was over. But the various California, Colorado and New Mexico Volunteer regiments called to arms to defeat the Confederate Army would occupy forts in a military backwater while the major campaigns of the Civil War were conducted elsewhere. However, whether on campaign or in garrison, things must be done properly. The army established inspectors general to examine army posts, personnel, animals, equipment and paperwork to ensure that all were being maintained properly and in accordance with regulations. To do this in the Department of New Mexico, the Commanding General, Maj. Gen. James Henry Carleton, assigned Maj. Henry Davis Wallen, 7th U.S. Infantry, and Capt. Andrew Wallace Evans, 6th U.S. Cavalry, as acting inspectors general to travel to the various army posts within the department to inspect and report their findings. This volume contains those reports. Dr. Jerry D. Thompson, an authority on the Civil War in the Southwest and the history of the 19th century Southwest, has done an outstanding job editing those reports and explaining contemporaneous events. The introduction includes a brief synopsis of Confederate Maj. Gen. Henry Hopkins Sibley’s New Mexico Campaign and the battles of Glorieta and Valverde. It then introduces Major Wallen and Captain Evans, both Southerners who stayed with the old flag, providing their backgrounds and military biographies. Thompson identifies and gives short biographies of the many minor historical characters and army posts mentioned in the reports. He concludes the volume with what later happened to Wallen and Evans during and after the war. Despite numerous entreaties and recommendations, Wallen never did take part in the major Eastern Civil War campaigns. But Evans did; he commanded the 1st Maryland Cavalry during the Siege of Petersburg and at Appomattox. The book has several excellent maps, but it could use several more. A map of West Texas showing the military posts mentioned as well as possible Confederate Army invasion routes from Texas into New Mexico would have been helpful. A map of the Arizona Territory would have helped pinpoint places mentioned in the text. In addition, an explanation of some of the inspection items, such as the “Company Descriptive List,” would also have been informative. New Mexico Territory During the Civil War is informative and is recommended, especially for those interested in the Civil War in the Southwest and in the Frontier Army and New Mexico territorial history. Reviewer: Joseph A. Derie Joseph A. Derie is a VMI graduate and a long time Civil War buff and military book reviewer. A retired Coast Guard officer and licensed officer of the Merchant Marine, he is a Certified Marine Investigator and marine surveyor. |
Photographs, illustrations, maps, notes, bibliography, index, 302 pp, 2008. University of New Mexico Press,