Transcript Civil War in CO

1861-1865
During the spring of 1861,
almost the whole army was in the
West to protect it from Indians
 Most of the garrisons out west
quickly depleted and headed to
their home states to serve in the
Confederacy and Union
 Terrified that the South would take
over Washington D.C., the Union
orders back every soldier it can
and leaves the West defenseless
 Nathan Coriel, the first man who
attempted to volunteer for the
Union Army in the Civil War, was
from Denver
Military
Forts
There were only two
forts in the territory at that
time.
One in the San Luis
Valley  the old Spanish
Fort Garland.
Along the Arkansas River
east of Pueblo, was Fort
Wise.
Fort Wise was originally a
trading post.
It was named after the Governor of
Virginia (Henry Wise)
In hopes that he would stay with
the Union.
When Virginia joined the
South, they renamed it Fort
Lyon, after the first Union
General killed in the war.
 During the gold rush
thousand of people came to
the area
 By 1860 the government
counted 34,277 people living
in the area
 The area was made up of
four different territories so
the US leaders used the lines
of latitude and longitude to
cerate the new territory
 People called the new
territory Colorado
 Red cliffs and reddish water of the
Colorado River
Colorado officially
becomes a territory in 1861
and William Gilpin is
appointed its first governor
He was from Kansas but had the
backing of President Lincoln.
There were some
Confederate sentiments.
However, most early Coloradoans
came from Northern and Midwestern
states and sided with the North.
The main threat to
Colorado came from the
Confederate state of Texas.
Gilpin was convinced that
the Confederate threat to his
territory was imminent.
Gilpin issued $375,000 in
I.O.U.’s from the Federal
government to supply and
pay the 1st Colorado
Regiment.
Gilpin never received permission
from President Lincoln to do so….
New Mexico was largely split
between Northern and Southern
Sympathizers.
In February 1862, Texas
Confederate General Henry Hopkins
Sibley took command of the Army of
New Mexico.
His initial orders were to take the territory then
seize the Gold Fields of Colorado and the Ports of
California.
Seeking access to Colorado’s rich
goldfields, Texas troops were already
advancing through New Mexico by
March 1862.
To prevent rebel Texans from
invading Colorado, Gov. Gilpin raises
the 1st Regiment of Colorado
Volunteers
Nicknamed “Gilpin’s Pet Lambs,” the
1st Regiment was anything but.
They had a well-earned reputation for hard
drinking and excessive celebrating
Fought March 26-28 1864
The Army of New Mexico marched
North towards the Colorado Border in
an effort to seize the valuable Gold
Fields for the Confederacy.
John P Slough and the 1st Colorado
Infantry met the Confederates at
Glorietta in Northern New Mexico and
stopped them cold.
When war broke out the
Methodist minister was offered a
commission as a military
chaplain.
Chivington declined the
“praying duty” for a “Shootin
duty.”
Gained fame when he cut off
the Confederate supply line and
turned the tide of the battle for
the Union.
Returned to Colorado as a hero
and with political aspirations.
Glorietta Pass
High water mark for Confederates in the
West
Intended to serve as a knockout blow for
Union in West.
Union turned the Confederates back
South and they never came close to that
point again.
Gettysburg
High water mark for Confederates in the
East
Intended to serve as a knockout blow
for the Union in the East.
Union turned the Confederates back
South and they never came close to that
point again.
When Lincoln found out about
Gilpin’s unauthorized I.O.U.’s he was
livid.
He responded by removing Gilpin
from office.
He then placed Illinois politician John
Evans as Colorado Territory’s new
Governor.
Evans was popular because of his
toughness on Indians.