In 1862, a Confederate victory in New Mexico launched a bold campaign to seize the Southwest
Confederate forces secured a bloody victory at the Battle of Valverde in 1862, launching an ambitious attempt to conquer the American West and seize the gold fields of Colorado and California.
The Confederate Army of New Mexico sought to expand the Civil War to the Pacific Coast by winning the Battle of Valverde on February 21, 1862. Led by General Henry Sibley, the Texan forces defeated Union defenders along the Rio Grande.
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