WE LEAD
War History Book Penned by
Regents Professor Thompson
Some 10 years in creation,TAMIU Regents Professor
of History Dr. Jerry Thompson has opened a new chapter
on Civil War history.
Dr. Thompson’s
A Civil War History of the New
Mexico Volunteers and Militia
(University of New Mexico
Press, 2015), is at 939 pages a hefty confirmation of his
commitment to the Civil War in New MexicoTerritory.
“In 1861, the Civil War began there with Confederate
invasion and occupation of the Mesilla Valley. Small
villages and towns faced raids from Navajos and Apaches.
Department of New Mexico Commander, Colonel Edward
Canby and Governor Henry Connelly recruited what
became the First and Second New MexicoVolunteer
Infantry. I seek to tell their story, that of a third regiment of
Mounted Infantry and fourth regiment companies for the
first time,” Dr.Thompson explained.
His 10-year odyssey to publication required a level of
investigation rarely considered by most scholars today.
“I looked at service records and archival sources few
earlier scholars have seen. It was exhausting work…but I
believe my thoroughness provides a goldmine for historians
today and tomorrow,” he observed.
Thompson, one of the country’s leading Civil War
historians, especially its Southwest Campaign, is the author
or editor of more than 24 books, including
Texas and
New Mexico on the Eve of the Civil War: The Mansfield and
Johnston Inspections, 1859–1861
(UNM Press), among
others.
For more about the book, visit the UNM Press at
“It was exhausting work...but I believe my thoroughness
provides a goldmine for historians today and tomorrow.”
Dr. Thompson
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