Colorado in the American Civil War Colorado in the American Civil War The Colorado Territory was formally created in 1861 shortly before the bombardment of Fort Sumter sparked the American Civil War. Although sentiments were somewhat divided in the early days of the war, Colorado was only marginally a pro-Union territory (four statehood attempts were thwarted, largely by Confederate sympathizers in July 1862, February 1863, February 1864, and January 1866). Colorado was strategically important to both the Union and Confederacy because of the gold and silver mines there as both sides wanted to use the mineral wealth to help finance the war. The New Mexico Campaign
Cavalry in the American Civil War Cavalry in the American Civil War Cavalry in the American Civil War was a branch of army service in a process of transition for the union. It suffered from emerging technology threats, difficult logistics, and sometimes misguided or inept commanders. Nevertheless, it played important roles in many Civil War campaigns and earned its place alongside the infantry and artillery combat arms. There were four types of mounted forces prevalent in the Civil War. At the time of the Civil War, the cavalry had five major missions, in rough priority: This represented a change from previous eras, in which offensive action