New Mexico in the Civil War

New Mexico

New Mexico, Military Records

New Mexico in the Civil War

Arizona and New Mexico Territories 1863

Introduction

During the Civil War, the New Mexico Territory included New Mexico, Arizona, and the southern tip of Nevada. Arizona became its own territory in 1863 during the war. In 1861, Federal troops went east, which left white civilians unprotected from Indian attacks.

The southern part of the New Mexico Territory, which was the Gadsen Purchase, sided with the Confederacy, while the northern section was Union.  New Mexico supplied 26 Union military units.

The Wikipedia article, New Mexico in the American Civil War, has more information about New Mexico's activities during the war.

Union New Mexico Military Units

• 1st Regiment, New Mexico Cavalry (Union)
  Organized May 31, 1862, by consolidation of the 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th Regiments of New Mexico Infantry.
  Regiment mustered out September 30, 1866.
  

• 1st Regiment, New Mexico Infantry (Union)
  "Compendium of the War of the Rebellion" by Frederick H. Dyer contains no history for this unit.
  

• 1st Regiment, New Mexico Infantry (Old) (Union)
  Organized at Fort Union and Santa Fe, New Mexico, July 1 to August 13, 1861.
  Consolidated with 2nd Infantry, to form 1st New Mexico Cavalry May 31, 1862.
  

• 1st Regiment, New Mexico Infantry (New) (Union)
  Organized at October 1, 1863.
  Mustered out November 7, 1866.
  

• 1st Regiment, New Mexico Militia Infantry (3 months, 1861) (Union)
  Organized in New Mexico at large November, 1861.
  Mustered out February, 1862.
  

• 1st Regiment, New Mexico Infantry Militia (Union)
  Organized in New Mexico at large November, 1861.
  Mustered out February, 1862.
  

• 2nd Regiment, New Mexico Infantry (Union)
  Ordered at Santa Fe, New Mexico,July and August, 1861.
  Consolidated with 1st New Mexico Infantry to form 1st New Mexico Cavalry May 31, 1862.
  

• 3rd Regiment, New Mexico Mounted Infantry (Union)
  Organized at Fort Union and Albuquerque, New Mexico, August 30-October 10, 1861.
  Duty in Central, Northern and Santa Fe Districts until May. Mustered out May 31, 1862.
  

• 4th Regiment, New Mexico Infantry (Union)
  Organized at Fort Union, New Mexico, September, 1861.
  Duty in Central, Northern and Santa Fe Districts until May. Mustered out May 31, 1862.
  

• 5th Regiment, New Mexico Infantry (Union)
  Organized at Albuquerque, New Mexico,November, 1861.
  Duty in Central, Northern and Santa Fe Districts until May, 1862.
  Mustered out May 31, 1862.
  

• Battalion, New Mexico Volunteers (Union)
  Organized from 1st Cavalry August 31,1866.
  Duty in the Department of New Mexico and Arizona until November, 1867. Mustered out November 23, 1867.
  

• Duran's Company, New Mexico Militia (Union)
  "Compendium of the War of the Rebellion" by Frederick H. Dyer contains no history for this unit.
  

• Gonzales' Independent Company, New Mexico Militia (Union)
  Organized at Fort Craig, New Mexico, November 23, 1861, for the defence of New Mexico.
  Mustered out February 28, 1862.
  

• Graydon's Independent Company, New Mexico Mounted Volunteers (3 months, 1861-62) (Union)
  Organized at Fort Craig, New Mexico, February 9, 1862.
  Action at Albuqurque April 8. Mustered out April 29, 1862.
  

• Hubbell's Independent Company, New Mexico Mounted Volunteers (3 months, 1861) (Union)
  "Compendium of the War of the Rebellion" by Frederick H. Dyer contains no history for this unit.
  

• Mink's Independent Company, New Mexico Mounted Volunteers (3 months, 1861) (Union)
  "Compendium of the War of the Rebellion" by Frederick H. Dyer contains no history for this unit.
  

• New Mexico Mounted Infantry (Union)
  "Compendium of the War of the Rebellion" by Frederick H. Dyer contains no history for this unit.
  

• New Mexico Mounted Volunteers (Union)
  "Compendium of the War of the Rebellion" by Frederick H. Dyer contains no history for this unit.
  

• Ortiz y Alarid's Independent Company, New Mexico Infantry (3 months, 1861-62) (Union)
  "Compendium of the War of the Rebellion" by Frederick H. Dyer contains no history for this unit.
  

• Perea's Battalion, New Mexico Militia Infantry (Union)
  Organized at large November and December, 1861, for the defence of New Mexico.
  Mustered out February 28, 1862.
  

• Perea's Independent Company, New Mexico Volunteers (60 days, 1862) (Union)
  "Compendium of the War of the Rebellion" by Frederick H. Dyer contains no history for this unit.
  

• Romero's Independent Company A, New Mexico Militia Infantry (3 months, 1861-62) (Union)
  "Compendium of the War of the Rebellion" by Frederick H. Dyer contains no history for this unit.
  

• Sena's Company A, 1st New Mexico Militia (2 months, 1862) (Union)
  "Compendium of the War of the Rebellion" by Frederick H. Dyer contains no history for this unit.
  

• Simpson's Independent Company, New Mexico Mounted Spies and Guides (Union)
  "Compendium of the War of the Rebellion" by Frederick H. Dyer contains no history for this unit.
  

• Tafolla's Independent Company, New Mexico Militia (3 months, 1861-62) (Union)
  Organized at Fort Craig, New Mexico, November 20, 1861, for the defense of New Mexico.
  Mustered out February 28, 1862.
  

• Vigil's Independent Company, New Mexico Mounted Volunteers (Union)
  "Compendium of the War of the Rebellion" by Frederick H. Dyer contains no history for this unit.
  

Records and Resources

Union

The Family History Library and the National Archives have an index to service records of Union soldiers who served in units from New Mexico (Family History Library films 821883-86), the service records (Family History Library films 471538-83), and the federal indexes to pensioners. The actual pension records are only available at the National Archives.

Service Records

• The Compiled Service Records ($) (Fold3.com) of volunteer Union soldiers who served in organizations from the Territory of New Mexico are available online. In the future, these records will be made available at no charge through the National Archives web site. The service records are also available at no charge at National Archives research rooms. The compiled service records consist of an envelope containing card abstracts taken from muster rolls, returns, pay vouchers, and other records. Service records may provide rank, unit, date of enlistment, length of service, age, place of birth, and date of death. For more information see Union Service Records.
  

• 1861-1865 - New Mexico Civil War Service Records of Union Soldiers, 1861-1865 at FamilySearch — index

• New Mexico, Civil War Service Records on Union Soldiers - FamilySearch Historical Records describes the collection with a link to the database.

Pension Records

Civil War Pension Index Cards - An Index to Pension Applications of veterans who served in the US Army between 1861-1917 is available on FamilySearch. Each card gives the soldier’s name, application and certificate numbers, state of enlistment, and might include rank and death information. The majority of the records are of Civil War veterans, but the collection also includes records for veterans of the Spanish-American War, the Philippine Insurrection, the Indian Wars, and World War I. For more information see Union Pension Records.

1890 Census

1890 Census Veterans Schedules - The "Special Schedules of the Eleventh Census (1890) Enumerating Union Veterans and Widows of Union Veterans of the Civil War" (NARA M123) film 338203 are available online for the state of New Mexico. The schedules list Union veterans and their widows living in New Mexico in 1890. A published index is available (Family History Library book 978.9 X22jv 1890). For more information on the 1890 Veterans Schedules see Union Census Records.

Confederate

Service Records

Compiled Service Records - The Compiled Service Records ($) (Fold3.com) of Confederate soldiers who served in organizations from the Territory of Arizona (included southern half of present day New Mexico) are available online. In the future, these records will be made available at no charge through the National Archives web site. The compiled service records consist of an envelope containing card abstracts taken from muster rolls, returns, pay vouchers, and other records. Service records may provide rank, unit, date of enlistment, length of service, age, place of birth, and date of death. For more information see Confederate Service Records.

Grand Army of the Republic (GAR)

Grand Army of the Republic founded in 1866 - 1956, was the largest veteran’s organization in the country after the Civil War. It was a fraternal organization members were veterans of the Union Army, US Navy, Marines and Revenue Cutler Service who served in the American Civil War. The group supported voting rights for black veterans, and lobbied the U.S. Congress to establish veterans' pensions. In 1890 the membership was 490,000.

In 1888 there were 10 posts and 302 members in the state of New Mexico

GAR Posts in the State of New Mexico

The FamilySearch Catalog list records of the New Mexico Grand Army of the Republic