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military stores, especially because so many of his own supplies had been destroyed, but finally agreed
after Moore guaranteed that he would not lose his train. Grant’sreluctancewasunderstandablebe- cause on April 3 Secretary of War Cameron had revoked his supply contract to the Arizona and southern New Mexico forts. Before Grant received the news, Texas troops confiscated a supply train of his between Port Lavaca and San Antonio that was
97 valued at $140,000.
The post sutler at Fort Buchanan, Ammi M. White,
was faced with a dilemma.
deered the available transportation, and lawless desperadoes vowed that they would seize White’s stores as soon as the military left. Moore took all the military stores he could in the 40 or more wagons he had assembled and on July 23 put Fort Buchanan to the torch. Reports differ with respect to who set another fire, but White’s goods, except for six wagonloads that he was able destroyedwiththerest. WhiteremainedatTucson andwouldbearrestedbyCaptainHunterinMarch 1862 for accumulating foodstuffs at the Pima Vil- lages in anticipation of the arrival of Union forces
98
from California.
As Moore was evacuating the Territory he was
made aware of Albert Sidney Johnston’s party of Confederate sympathizers making their way from California to the South via Cooke’s Spring and El Paso,buthecoulddonothingaboutit. Mooredid, however, send an express rider to Major Lynde at Fort Fillmore regarding this. He indicated that if Lynde saw fit he should detain them, but that in view of the fact that all the officers in the group had awaited the acceptance of their resignations, and being preoccupied with abandonment of the Ter-
99
ritory, he could take no personal action at the time. Moore left the burning Fort Buchanan with the intention of joining Lynde at Fort Fillmore. The progress of the train was not as swift as he had hoped because by the time the train reached the San Simon River 60 men were on the sick report. Moore halted there for three days enabling enough of the men to recover so he could move on. When the column got closer to Cooke’s Spring, Moore sent an express rider, Virgil Massie, to Fort Fillmore to communi- cate the column’s progress to Lynde. At Ojo la Vaca Moore’s scouts discovered a party of approximately 20 Confederates, dispatched to observe Moore’s progress,campedinavalleynearby. TheUnion
troops gave chase but were unable to overtake the Confederates. 100
Baylor, at Fort Bliss, was unaware that the Union, after consolidating troops from Forts McLane, Breckenridge, and Buchanan at Fort Fillmore, planned to also abandon that post and move upriver to Fort Craig. He mistakenly attributed this build- up of forces at Fort Fillmore as a prelude to an offensive and decided to strike first before he was
101 further outnumbered.
By July 24 Baylor was prepared to attack Fort Fillmore. As he moved into position one of his pickets deserted and warned the fort, thereby precluding any possibility of surprise. Lynde withdrew the two companies garrisoning Santo Tomas and left only a detachment of seven men. Baylor swept them up, along with the stores warehoused there, but released the men, thus fur- nishing Lynde additional information about the
102 Confederate’s position and strength.
BaylormovedtoMesilla,occupiedthetown,and awaiteddevelopments. Lyndesentapproximately 380 men under his Adjutant, Edward R. Brooks, against the Confederates and demanded their sur- render, which Major Waller and P. T. Herbert refused. The subsequent Federal attack stalled and turned into a retreat. Lynde decided to abandon Fort Fillmore and, fearing that Baylor’s forces would cut off any retreat up the Rio Grande toward Fort Craig 100 miles to the north, elected to cross the Organ Mountains to Fort Stanton, more than half again as far and over much more difficult terrain.
The abandonment of Fort Fillmore, in the early morning hours of July 26, 1861, was a lesser debacle for the Union than the First Battle of Bull Run, fought five days earlier, but only because of the number of troops involved and the fact that no one was killed. Lynde attempted to destroy the stores left at the Fort but failed. The organization of the retreat was a failure, and the execution of the plan even worse. Before nightfall, Baylor had captured Lynde’s entire command, weapons, supplies, and transportation. The abandonment of Fort Fillmore created a domino effect, and Fort Stanton was also
104
evacuated within a short time.
Not only had Lynde capitulated to an inferior
force; his failure cost him his military career and reputation and deprived the Union of men that could have helped defeat the Confederates at Val- verde.Inaddition,hesuppliedBaylor’stroopswith
Moore had comman-
to have removed, were
Chapter 5
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