"Westernmost Battle of the Civil War"
Tucson, AZ
June 19, 2009
While campaigning in the Southwest, Your Correpondent discovered this little known battlefield, the Battle of Picacho Pass, that marked Westernmost point of hostilities during the Civil War. Determined to wrest the Arizona Territory from the Union and clear a path to Southern California, the Confederate Army launched an invasion of the Southwest that resulted in the occupation of cities such as Albequerque, Sante Fe, and even Tucson. Few easterners are aware of this theater of the War and how the Southwest nearly wound up as part of the Confederacy. Annual reenactments are held on the actual battlefield in March and given this totally alien & hostile environment compared to our region... the rattlesnakes, scorpions, and Cacti, we should all tip our forage caps & slouch hats to those that commemorate this battle.
