The Battle of Albuquerque
Date: April 8-9, 1862
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico Territory
On March 28th, the third and final day of the Battle of Glorieta Pass, the Union forces of Colonel John P. Slough were engaged in a brutal fight with the Confederate forces of Lieutenant Colonel William R. Scurry at Pidgeon's Ranch. Meanwhile, Union Lieutenant Colonel Manuel Antonio Chaves and the New Mexico Volunteers had discovered the supply train for the entire Confederate Army of New Mexico at Johnson's Ranch, and Chaves ordered all the horses, livestock, wagons, and vast stocks of supplies therein destroyed and burned, thus crippling the Confederate invasion of the New Mexico Territory. After assessing their dire situation, the Confederates left Glorieta Pass, but though the Confederates were in full retreat, they still occupied Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and various other towns in the New Mexico Territory (USA).
Union Lieutenant Colonel Manuel Antonio Chaves & Union Colonel John P. Slough
Albuquerque was where General Henry Hopkins Sibley, the head of the Confederate Army of New Mexico, established his headquarters shortly before sending Scurry's force to Glorieta Pass. By now, the news of the devastating Confederate defeat had reached Sibley, and after Scurry's force returned, Sibley began making preparations for the long journey back to Confederate Texas.
Confederate General Henry Hopkins Sibley & Confederate Lieutenant Colonel William R. Scurry
On April 8th, the Union forces of Colonel Edward R. Canby arrived from Fort Craig to the outskirts of Albuquerque. After establishing a perimeter, Canby began an artillery bombardment of the town for two days. As the Confederates settled in for a siege, word of the battle reached Confederate Colonel Tom Green's forces occupying Santa Fe, who quickly gathered his forces, withdrew from Santa Fe, and hastily marched southwest towards Albuquerque to aid Sibley.
Union Colonel Edward R. Canby & Confederate Colonel Tom Green
On April 9th, a civilian from Albuquerque met with Canby to implore him to halt the artillery:
Sibley had ordered that no civilian could take cover or seek shelter during the bombardment.
Canby halted the bombardment, and with the news of a large Confederate force arriving from Santa Fe, Canby withdrew from the outskirts of Albuquerque that night. The Confederates withdrew from Albuquerque to Peralta and Los Lunas on April 12th leaving behind their sick and wounded, as well as burying eight mountain howitzer cannons in a cornfield by the Albuquerque Old Town Plaza.
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