The Battle of Glorieta: Union Victory in the West (Texas A&m University Military History Series , No 61) [Hardcover]

Don E. Alberts (Author), Donald S. Frazier (Foreword)

Editorial Reviews

Review

According to Mr. Alberts, the battle of Glorieta Pass, which in 1862 rolled for several days along a cranky, narrow loop of the Santa Fe Trail, was more significant than most historians acknowledge. He makes a convincing, and very well written, argument to support that opinion. It was an intricate battle, excitingly described by Mr. Alberts, who includes lively details, good maps, and much quotation. As usual in Civil War histories, the quotations are vivid, and prove that the people of that time, some of whom never got beyond grade school, had an enviable control of language and true power of expression. -- The Atlantic Monthly, Phoebe-Lou Adams

About the Author

Don E. Alberts, a professional historian working in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, has published three books and many articles on military and Civil War history. A former professor and retired chief historian for Kirtland Air Force Base, he served as consulting historian to the 1987 archaeological dig that recovered the remains of Civil War soldiers killed in the Battle of Glorieta.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Texas A&M University Press; 1st edition (June 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 089096825X
• ISBN-13: 978-0890968253
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,264,078 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Victory of the Pikes Peakers, March 23, 2007

By 

Mark Longstroth (Kalamazoo, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: The Battle of Glorieta: Union Victory in the West (Williams-Ford Texas A&M University Military History Series) (Paperback)

I really enjoyed Alberts' well researched account of the climactic battle that doomed Southern ambitions in New Mexico and Confederate ambitions in the West. The book is well written and easy to read. Alberts is very familiar with the battlefields and uses maps to show troop positions and movements in the battles in Glorieta Pass. The book includes a good introduction of the campaign and troop movements to the area as well as the aftermath and southern retreat to Southern New Mexico. An Order of Battle and extensive end notes are helpfull and he even gives brief accounts of the fates of the major players in the campaign.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Big "Small" Battle, June 18, 2010

By 

Fife and Drummer "Fife" (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Battle of Glorieta: Union Victory in the West (Williams-Ford Texas A&M University Military History Series) (Paperback)

Well-written story of the 1862 campaign in New Mexico, with emphasis the battle of Glorieta Pass. Excellent tactical maps in sufficient numbers. Nice Texas A&M edition. Small Union and Confederate armies operating in a wilderness at the end of very tenuous logistical communications. John Chivington, later a villain at Sand Creek, performs honorably here, and is instrumental in the Union victory. Author makes a convincing case that Glorieta was the "Gettysburg of the West". A "small" battle compared to Chickamauga or Antietam, but not if you were in it!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Scholarly Source for Battle, December 6, 2010

By 

Jason Coffey "The truth is out there." (Las Vegas, Nevada United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Battle of Glorieta: Union Victory in the West (Williams-Ford Texas A&M University Military History Series) (Paperback)

This book comes highly recommended by my friends in the New Mexico Civil War Commemerative Congresss who worked with Don Alberts on some of his research and field work in the 1980's and the preservation of the battlefield in the 1990's.

I think that this is a more detailed and percise book than the John Taylor version, but it lacks much of the pizzaz for a new or cursory reader on the subject. For where I am today on the matter, I found it to be more benificial as Don Alberts takes the time to analyise some of the more finite details of the battles. Don Alberts spends a good deal of time addressing the personalities of the Colorado Officers for instance, and itemizing some of the issues there. He also goes into a good discussion on the Confederate retreat, and Col. Canaby's wife's role in the Army hospital. I think that his afterward is more informative in this case as well.