Colo., N.M., Texas National Guards to commemorate Civil War Battle

  • Published
  • By Army National Guard Lt. Col. Jamison Herrera
  • Colo. National Guard Public Affairs
The Colorado and New Mexico National Guards will perform a memorial ceremony to honor the fallen Soldiers of the Civil War battle of Glorieta Pass March 28.

A ceremony will begin at 9 a.m. at Santa Fe National Cemetery in Santa Fe, N.M.

The event is free and open to the public.

March 28 marks the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Glorieta Pass, during which a Union force comprising Colorado and New Mexico Guardsmen, along with a smaller number of federal Soldiers, defeated Confederate forces in what some historians have called the "Gettysburg of the West."

Pre-ceremony music will be performed starting at 8:30 a.m.

The Colorado Army National Guard's 101st Army Band will perform and invocations will be given by the state Chaplain of the Colorado National Guard and the archdiocese of Santa Fe. Historians and authors will be on hand to give accounts of the battle.

Adjutants general from Texas, New Mexico and Colorado will attend.

A funeral procession will follow the remarks, while a wreath laying and an
F-16 flyover will help commemorate the fallen Americans who perished between in the 1862 battle.

In the afternoon, the Colorado National Guard will hold a commemoration ceremony at the Kozlowski's Ranch location of the Pecos National Historical Park.

This event will also feature the Colorado Army National Guard's 101st Army band, and remarks will be given by the state adjutants general. The afternoon event will begin at 1:30 p.m. and is scheduled to conclude at 2:30 p.m.