The Battle of Picacho Pass

My title selection sounds like it should go with an Audie Murphy western rather than a blog post (guess I spent too many Saturdays watching "40 Guns to Apache Pass" when I could have been doing something else, eh?). It is, however, the location of the western-most, or at least one of the western-most, cavalry engagements of the Civil War.

On April 15, 1862, 12 members of Company A, 1st California Cavalry, under the command of Lt. James Barrett, attacked a force of 10 Arizona Confederates. Barrett and George Johnson were killed during the fight, and another soldier, William S. Leonard, died a day later from wounds suffered in the battle.Three other Californians--James Botsford, Peter Glenn and William C. Tobin--were wounded in the fight. Botsford was able to return to duty, but Glenn and Tobin were discharged for disability on Jan. 6, 1863.

The Californians retreated 40 miles to the Pima villages, where they constructed Fort Barrett, which was named for the late lieutenant. Col. James Carleton, commander of the California forces, ordered that until the end of the war, Johnson's and Leonard's names should be answered with "He died for his country!" at morning roll call.

Each March, Picacho Peak State Park hosts a re-enactment of the battle. I had an opportunity to stop and see the park for myself during a Christmas driving trip I took in 1996.

Confederate heritage organizations and the Southern Pacific Railroad are responsible for most of the historic markers at Picacho Peak State Park in Arizona.