Canby Strikes Back
Canby,
still unaware of the decisive victory at Glorieta Pass, had decided to finally
leave the safety of Fort Craig and go after Sibley. He had an army of 1,210
men. Though this was smaller than the Sibley Brigade, he likely expected to
link up with the force at Fort Union. The rest of the men at Fort Craig stayed behind
under the command of Kit Carson. Canby planned to strike at Albuquerque, but
was delayed by the same weather and supply conditions that dogged the Sibley
Brigade. Of course he soon learned of what had happened up north and could only
have had his confidence in victory raised.[1] For
his part Sibley initially planned to continue his strivings for a Confederate
empire in the west, only now he would have to assume a defensive posture while
waiting for more support from Texas. He took up a position on the Manzano
Mountains from which he could launch a future strike. This position was
oriented towards the northeast. To him Slough’s Coloradans were the biggest
threat. Slough himself was not planning to move further into New Mexico. He had
been shaken by his experience at Pigeon’s Ranch. Despite the destruction of the
Texan supply train, Slough had been hard-pressed and almost entrapped several
times in the battle. Sibley’s movement left Albuquerque and his supply depot
exposed from the south. When he learned that Canby was driving north at him, he
realized this new danger and rushed south to save his supplies from the
Federals.[2]
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| Louisa Canby |
One such base of supply was in Santa Fe. Louisa Canby, wife of Edward Canby, had been left there when the Texans took over. In the aftermath of Glorieta Pass she took pity on the ragged, wounded Texans and took action. She grabbed several wagons, had cots created in them, and sent them towards Glorieta Pass to recover the wounded still stuck there. One Confederate fondly remembered, “Mrs. Canby won the hearts of all our boys through her kindness to our sick and wounded.” She spent hours every day visiting the wounded, “bringing them delicacies and cheering their drooping spirits with kind words.” She even revealed hidden caches of blankets belonging to the US government, an action which aroused some disgust from Santa Fe’s Unionists. Overall, however, she came out of the campaign with a sterling reputation for kindness and charity.[3] Less fortunate were the Texan wounded down south in Socorro. These recovering survivors of Valverde had not received any fresh supplies and were starving to death. With Canby heading north, Kit Carson found himself in charge of the situation. Carson agreed to rescue the Texans at Socorro with food and other supplies if they in turn surrendered themselves on terms of parole. The agreement was finalized and 10 days’ rations were delivered. However, over 30 Texans refused to surrender even for this bountiful gift and struggled north to unite with Sibley.[4]
