Bloody Valverde: A Civil War Battle on the Rio Grande, February 21, 1862

10. A Pyrrhic Victory

10 A Pyrrhic Victory 5:00-5:30 P.M., February 21,1862, On the West Bank of the Rio Grande, Heading for Fort Craig THE SCENE ON THE WEST BANK WAS NOT A PRETTY ONE FOR COLONEL Canby. Although Selden's battalion had managed to cross the river and form a skirmish line at the middle ford, the rest of the Federal army appeared badly disorganized. Some of the terrifiedmen from Hubbell's, Mortimore's, and Plympton's commands, together with about 130 "unenthused"men from Pino's regiment, had simply skedaddled. Many of the defendersof the battery who had crossed the river were wounded, some seriously.Over thirty percent of the infantry and cavalry supporting the battery (including Wingate's and Lord's commands), 293 men, were killed, wounded, or missing. Company F of the Seventh Infantry had taken an astounding 71 percent casualties;McRae'sbattery suffered 53percent casualties;Hubbell's and Mortimore'sVolunteershad endured about 55percent and 48percent casualties,respectively;and Dodd's Coloradans had suffered a 56 percent rate.1 Companies were separated and daylight was fading. Thus, a worried and dispirited Canby instructed Lord to form the First Cavalry as a rear guard for his withdrawal, and the force, joining with Duncan's troops from the lower ford, headed back to Fort Craig. As the first of Scurry's men prepared to cross the river in pursuit of the Federals,Scurryhimself, flush with victory,galloped back to Green, who was following the Texas advance. Scurry requested permission to continue the pursuit. Green reacted with caution. He knew that Raguet had been sorely tested on the left and was no doubt aware that Canby 97 was withdrawing from that part of the field essentially unscathed. The Confederates had been stretched nearly to their limit as they overwhelmed the battery, and their temporary numerical advantage would disappear when the two arms of Canby's Federal army reunited on the west bank. Furthermore, Colonel Greenwas acutely aware that his serious lack ofhorses would severelyimpede a successful pursuit of Canby's troops, both in terms of cavalrysupport and artillery movement.2 Before the two officers could arrive at a consensus, however, the point became moot as a group of jubilant Texans arrived, escorting a small group of Union officers riding under a white flag. The Union officers greeted their Confederate counterparts cordially and requested a two-day truce. They noted the lateness of the hour and the prospect of another NewMexico winter night and suggested that both sides should attend to their wounded and dead.3 Green agreed,and as quicklyas the word could be passed, the stretcher bearers and surgeons from both sides once again mingled on the battlefield, attending to their grisly chores. The decision not to pursue Canby's retreating soldiers wasnot universally acclaimed by the Texans. Captain William Alexander of Company H of the Fourth Texas wrote: In my humble opinion the battle ofValverde ought to have settled the question of the conquest of N. M. by 7 o'clock of the same night.We could have taken Ft. Craig with[out] losing one man more than we lost at Valverde. The enemy were totally routed and scattered and all we had to do was to push on and the fort was ours.As it was, we were ordered to stop just as we had them in a good run.4 In what was perceived by the Texans as a violation of the "rules of the truce," some of the Union troops apparently used the cease-fire to recover some of the small arms and flags that littered the field and also jury-rigged a recovery scheme for Hall's damaged howitzer, which was stuck in the river.5 Hungry, thirsty,and cold, the Texanstook advantage of Green's caution . They slaked their thirst and that of their surviving animals and scavenged on the west side of the battlefield for small arms, ammunition , cast-off overcoats, and Union haversacksfilledwith provisions.6 One of the men, Private Thomas Benton Collins of the Fifth Texas, ran to the river to get a drink. Ashe sank down by the water, he heard a 98 BLOODY VALVERDE plaintive, "Please don't shoot me anymore!" Looking down, he saw a wounded Union soldier, barely able to keep his head above the water. Dropping his own gun, he waded into the cold river and pulled the man to safety...