Col. John P. Slough, “Gilpin’s Pet Lambs,” and the Union Victory at Glorieta Pass
The Confederate Army of New Mexico, its ranks filled with 2,500 Texans, swept into New Mexico Territory in January 1862, intent on claiming the American southwest for the rebel cause. The invasion’s possibilities seemed endless: arms from captured Federal forts, ore from the Colorado gold fields, perhaps even Pacific Ocean ports for the blockaded Confederacy. But in northern New Mexico Territory, a Federal force largely composed of Colorado Volunteers stopped the Texans’ advance at the battle of Glorieta Pass. Commanding the Coloradans was an inexperienced and unpopular officer, Col. John P. Slough, whose ill-conceived battle plan almost led to Union disaster. Shortly after the battle, Slough abruptly resigned his command, claiming that he feared for his life from his own men. Richard Miller, the author of John P. Slough: The Forgotten Civil War General (University of New Mexico Press, 2021), will tell the story of Colonel Slough, his struggles to discipline the hard-drinking and at times mutinous Colorado Volunteers, and their miraculous victory over the Confederate Army of New Mexico at Glorieta Pass.

Mr. Richard L. Miller
Richard Miller earned a B.A. in history from Carleton College and an M.A. in history from Princeton University. Although he spent his career in healthcare management and consulting, he returned to reading and writing history upon his retirement in 2014. He is a past president of the Puget Sound Civil War Roundtable and is a frequent presenter to Civil War roundtables and other history groups. He lives in Seattle with his wife Karin.