We had just arrived in Albuquerque for the annual “cousins” trip and we were discussing what we planned on doing on our five day stay in Santa Fe and Northern New Mexico. Shopping seemed to be high on the list for the ladies. But my wife,Kathy, had a whole list of museums to visit as well. Then there were the side trips to the Pecos National Historical Park, Taos and Bandelier National Monument. I casually mentioned that I would like to see the Glorieta Pass Battlefield. After all I had read Don Frazier’s Pate Award Winning Book – Blood and Treasure. And this was the pivotal battle of the 1862 campaign of Texas troops under Brigadier General Henry Hopkins Sibley and the end to the Confederacy’s quest for a Southwestern empire. Unfortunately, Kathy and my children gave up on trying to stay interested in Civil War Battlefields many years ago. So the prospect of a trip through a New Mexico battlefield was not high on her list. But Cousin David Nancrede and Cousin-in-Law Tom Mehaffey earned my eternal gratitude by saying that they would both like to go.
The next day we spent the afternoon at Pecos National Park and saw the ancient Indian Pueblo and the Spanish era mission remains. However, I was fortunate to meet Park volunteer, Jean Higgins, who along with her husband, Rich Higgins, were instrumental in creating the Glorieta Pass Battlefield Trail. She gave us the maps and brochures on the battle as well as the code to the lock on the gate that controls access to the Trail.
So two afternoons later David, Tom and I made the drive back to Pecos for our Civil War Battlefield tour while the ladies shopped in Santa Fe. Thankfully, the combination to the lock worked and we were on our way on the trail. It is an unpaved but well maintained trail of 2.25 miles and is described as “moderately strenuous.” The elevation change is 500 feet and the brochure says it takes about 1.5 hours.
The area is heavily wooded today. At the time of the battle the area was devoid of underbrush and had only a few trees. So like many Civil War battlefields one has to use imagination to visualize exactly how the battle took place. However, the trail is well laid out and it gives you a good idea of the terrain and the distances involved in the fighting. In short, it is well worth the trip.