Picacho Peak battle

[rochha]

Hello there,

Anyone have any or know where I can find any information about the battle durring the civil war that took place here. This place is located between phoenix and tucson.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

Rochha

 

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[boomer]

Web Sites

Go to the bottom of page, has several web sites plus books on the subject. boomer

History and information about Picacho, Arizona
A description of Picacho, Arizona. Origin of its name and bibliography of webpages, books, and manuscripts on the place. ... http:// www. commerce. state. az. us/ pdf/ commasst/ comm/ picacho. pdf ... Battle of Picacho Peak. http://www.wtj.com/articles/picacho/ ...
jeff.scott.tripod.com/picacho.html

 

[Buck]

Just a Quick note we still have reinactments there you would have to ask the park rangers when it was Buck

 

[rochha]

Picacho Peak

Boomer,Buck

Thanks for the information, does anyone of you know if any mines were ever found in that area? Spanish Mines I mean. There appears to be Spanish Markers in that area.

Again, Thanks

Rochha

 

[Buck]

there is a small hill with a tunnel close by never been there myself might not hurt to check it out

 

[rochha]

Tunnel

Buck,

I could tell there was something there as I drive by, there are definately spanish markers all over that area.

Thanks again for the info



Rochha

 

[Buck]

was there last fri on my way to tucson did not stop there was a banner there telling about the up-coming reinactment lots of traffic on I-10 hope to get back this month please keep me posted thanks Buck

 

[Highmountain]

Not a major battle, but it has the distinction of being the westernmost one of the Civil War, I think. The rebel troops were commanded by Jack Swilling (later founder of Phoenix), and if my memory serves me right he was captured. But after Hunter abandoned Tucson, Swilling ended up at Pinos Altos for a while, then accompanied the Joseph Reddeford Walker party back into AZ in March or April of '63, maybe? He wasn't one of the 12 members of the Hunter force that made it back to Mesilla, in any case.

Swilling was the shaker and mover who lured Mangus Colorado into captivity, leading to his death at the hands of the California Column troops in March, '63. He's Jacob Snively's partner, on and off, throughout the latter years of Snively's life. Evidently Swilling was among those who gave Snively's corpse the initial burial a few days after he was killed by Apaches at Vulture Gulch in, what? '71?. 7 years later Swilling went back for Snively's body and reburied it at Gillette, Az. That project led to Swillings own death in prison, by a circuitous route. A whole story in and of itself.

Not that all that tells much more about the battle you asked about. Fact is I've never found much documentation about the battle, though I'll like to read the military reports. I'd guess they're probably stored in California... the battle took place before the Column arrived on the Rio Grande. The military correspondence after that time ended up in the US Archives, but prior to Carlton's assuming command in NM the correspondence went back to CA, thinks I, and is probably stored in the CA State Archives.

 

[rochha]

Picacho Peak Battle

Jack,

Thanks for the informative reply, you seem to know what you are talking about.

There are Spanish markers all over the Peak itself which makes me wonder what kind of spanish activity happened over that way.

Again thanks alot,

Rochha

 

[Highmountain]

Not a problem, Rochha. Your post just happened to get into an area and time I've spent a lot of time researching. Snively's inseparable from the Lost Adams Diggings and Swilling's inseparable from Snively. Hunter and his force (after Tucson) and the California Column, as well as the Walker Party all happened to be at the right place at the right time to get a lot of attention from me over the years.

Incidently, the Civil War period events for AZ and NM are outlined in detail in the southwest historical chronology, post 1860 page of my website.

Best to you,
Jack

 

[rochha]

Web Site

Jack,

Just took a little visit to your website, nice layout. I must say I think I am going to buy one of your books about the lost Adams Diggings. Looks like very interesting reading.

Rochha

 

[Highmountain]

Thanks Rochha. I hope you enjoy it. If you can't get it at your friendly local bookstore you can buy it on Amazon or directly from the website. If you want a signed copy you'll need to buy it from the website, though, and let me know how you want it to read.

Best to you,
Jack

 

[Highmountain]

You asked. Here's the link for the 1864 Military map of the Department of New Mexico and Arizona: http://www.wnpa.org/Merchant2/merch...ode=WNPAS&Product_Code=F3450&Category_Code=PM

Jack

 

[Siegfried Schlagrule]

I'm no expert on Arizona history but this book about Sibley's Brigade in New Mexico may cross over into the area you are interested in. "Rebels on the Rio Grande. The Civil War Journal of A.B. Peticolas" edited by Don E. Alberts Albuquerque: Merit Press, 1993 Sibley's Texas Brigade fought at Glorietta and Valverde. Surely some of those Confederates were also at Picacho as the battles were fought during the retreat most likely or on the way to Arizona. As I recall there was only one expedition. If interested send me a private message and I'll tell you who is selling this book on their current list. Exanimo, SS

 

[Gork]

Not a major battle, but it has the distinction of being the westernmost one of the Civil War, I think. The rebel troops were commanded by Jack Swilling (later founder of Phoenix), and if my memory serves me right he was captured. But after Hunter abandoned Tucson, Swilling ended up at Pinos Altos for a while, then accompanied the Joseph Reddeford Walker party back into AZ in March or April of '63, maybe? He wasn't one of the 12 members of the Hunter force that made it back to Mesilla, in any case.

Swilling was the shaker and mover who lured Mangus Colorado into captivity, leading to his death at the hands of the California Column troops in March, '63. He's Jacob Snively's partner, on and off, throughout the latter years of Snively's life. Evidently Swilling was among those who gave Snively's corpse the initial burial a few days after he was killed by Apaches at Vulture Gulch in, what? '71?. 7 years later Swilling went back for Snively's body and reburied it at Gillette, Az. That project led to Swillings own death in prison, by a circuitous route. A whole story in and of itself.

Not that all that tells much more about the battle you asked about. Fact is I've never found much documentation about the battle, though I'll like to read the military reports. I'd guess they're probably stored in California... the battle took place before the Column arrived on the Rio Grande. The military correspondence after that time ended up in the US Archives, but prior to Carlton's assuming command in NM the correspondence went back to CA, thinks I, and is probably stored in the CA State Archives.

The Confederate and Union engagement at Picacho Pass on April 15, 1862, was technically not a battle but a skirmish. A Confederate patrol bumped into a Union patrol and they fired some shots at each other. Three Union soldiers were killed and no Confederates were killed. The Union soldiers were Lieutenant Barrett, and Privates Johnson and Leonard. They were temporarily buried next to the trail exactly one mile north of Butterfield's abandoned Picacho Stage Station. Fort Barrett was named after the Lieutenant. Fort Barrett was established in 1862 by General Carleton at Ammi White's mile at Casa Blanca near the Pima villages. The battle took place near these graves. The trail parallels the railroad tracks a short distance to the east. The area of the stage station and the nearby battle has been flooded many times and each time a new layer of mud covered the area obliterating any evidence of the station and battle.
To be technical, the farthest West engagement in Arizona was near the abandoned Butterfield Stanwix Stage Station about eighty miles from the Colorado River. It is best for any researcher to access original historical references. The best is The War of the Rebellion, A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, Vol. L, Government Printing Office, Washington, 1897 (two books). But a good first hand account of this engagement was in the Sacramento Daily Union, April 29, 1862. The article stated: "A letter from Colorado City, April 4th, says rebel scouts have been seen withing forty miles of the Colorado River. About four hundred Federal troops were at Stanwix Ranch. The pickets exchanged shots a few days before withing two miles of the Federal camp. One Federal was wounded. The rebels fled, firing Government storage as they went. Our cavalry pursued, without overtaking them." You will note that the site of Stanwix Stage Station and everything for a great distance has been covered by many feet of sand from the shifting basin of the Gila River.
A lot of this is outlined in my recently published book The Butterfield Trail and Overland Mail Company in Arizona, 1858-1861. Although the book is about Butterfield in Arizona, I gave a lot of references concerning the California Column as they reported much detail about the trail and what happened to the abandoned stage stations.