There used to be a roadside marker at Glorieta Pass that gave a brief account of the fighting there in March 1862 and concluded with the bold statement, "The battle saved the West for the Union." This book offers a careful reassessment of that claim and of the significance of this military engagement.

Over 135 years have passed since Union and Confederate troops fired on each other at Glorieta. By placing the Civil War in New Mexico in historical perspective, this book shows how the Battle of Glorieta Pass was more a tragedy than a triumph. All battles - indeed all wars - have some elements of futility and needless suffering, but the authors conclude that Glorieta seems to have had more than its share.

The outcome of the New Mexico campaign had already been decided; thus Glorieta Pass might best be viewed as a bloody epilogue to a star-crossed campaign.