On February 21, 1862, Confederate troops from Texas under General H.H. Sibley engaged the Union Army troops under Colonel R.S. Canby. The Tejanos won the Battle of Valverde, fought upstream from Ft. Craig at the Valverde Crossing. Subsequently they advanced north, easily capturing Albuquerque and Santa Fe, before engaging more Union troops at the Battle of Apache Canyon on March 26. Two days later, the Battle of Glorieta was fought; the Confederates lost afterwhich they beat a hasty retreat south.
Sorry to say that no measureable improvements have occurred with my gear since last fall. But at Socorro the beautiful scene of white army tents pitched on the Bosque's leaf-littered floor really got me thinking about what it might take to make a weekend of it. In discussing my homemade Baker tent idea, Ken Dusenberry of the Artillery Co. of N.M. said that he might know of one for sale (at a reasonable price), so perhaps my plans will change in that area.
Since Ken's name came up, I'll take a moment to publicly express my appreciation to him for many kindnesses extended to me in the little more than a year since we first met. Though wearing the stripes of a humble artillery corporal, Ken is the epitome of a 19th century gentleman. Ever genteel and cordial, he is friendly and outgoing and seems to have an endless capacity to suffer fools (like me) in relative silence (and with a kindly smile on his face).One of Ken's interests is the social customs of the Victorian Era, especially dancing. I experienced this first hand at the Military Ball held at the Ft. Stanton event last fall where Ken served as dancemaster. He reprised his role at Socorro's Fandango (a less formal event) this past weekend. I fear that whenever an event includes a social dance with Ken as the dancemaster, I will have to talk the wife into accompanying me (she's a bit of a reluctant reenactor).
Ken and I share another interest; trains.
