The Battle of Picacho Pass

We spent Saturday afternoon tasting wine down in Elgin, about an hour’s drive from Tombstone.  Three of the wineries are spaced closely together on the same road, so we went to those: Callaghan Vineyards, Kief-Joshua, and Canelo Hills.  All of the wines tasted fine to us, but then again we have unsophisticated palates.  It was interesting to see the the scraggly vines struggling to grow in high desert.  While the scenery was pretty in its own way, I don’t think anyone would mistake this place for Napa, do you?

We spent the night at a campground near Parker Canyon Lake.  The lake is stocked with all kinds of fish (trout, bass, sunfish, catfish) and there’s a marina for boat rentals.  It was pleasant and quiet, and a nice getaway from the gunshots of Tombstone (and the cannon blasts that were to come).

Early on Sunday, we arrived at Picacho Peak state park, where luckily we’d reserved a campsite ahead of time because they were completely booked up due to the Civil War re-enactment taking place that weekend.  We could easily see and hear the cavalry and cannon demonstrations from our campsite, but we decided to walk over and check it out firsthand.  They had roped off the battlefield with ominous signs reading “Battlefield – Keep Out”.  At least a thousand spectators sat roasting in the Arizona sun to watch the ensuing battle.  Note the big RV in the background (not ours!).  That’s how close the campground was to the battle site.

 

Back when we lived on the boat, we had gone to a re-enactment at the Boone Hall plantation in South Carolina, so I was excited to see how this one compared.  Plus, this year happens to be the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Picacho Pass, the western-most battle of the Civil War.  Every year, on the second weekend in March the troops gather to stage a re-enactment for their own (and the public’s) enjoyment.  The original battle actually took place on April 15th but somebody decided that by that time of year it’s too hot in Arizona.  So they do it in March instead.  See how happy they look to be marching around in wool uniforms in 80 degrees?

The Picacho Pass battle wasn’t a very big one, though – more like a skirmish.  Twelve Union cavalry troopers had a run-in with about ten Confederate soldiers.  The details are sketchy, but the conflict ended with three confirmed deaths on the Union side, among them the commander Lt. Barrett, who is buried near the railroad tracks that now run alongside Interstate 10.  Three other Union soldiers (and possibly two Confederates – the details are sketchy) were wounded.  The actual battle only lasted an hour; the re-enactment of it takes even less time than that.

But even though it was a very minor battle as far as history goes, there are still hundreds of would-be re-enactors out West who want to participate.  The photo below shows the tent village where they all camp out and live “authentically” for the three-day event.  Some enterprising folks have set up shops near the encampment so they can sell you a cold mug of sarsaparilla or cream soda to keep you cool.  You can also buy replica civil war-era gear and clothing so you can dress up and say things like “Oh my stars” and “Fiddle-dee-dee” with a southern accent.  It’s like a Renaissance Fair for Civil War buffs.

There were only about 25 people involved in the Picacho battle and yet there are hundreds of re-enactors who want to shoot at things, so they also stage a couple of bigger battles even though they took place elsewhere.  These are the crowd-pleasers because they involve marching regiments, cannons, and horses.  And they allow the re-enactors to show off their acting skills.  There was lots of “You better run, you yeller-bellied yank!” and the like.  Some of the death scenes were highly entertaining.  This Oscar-worthy confederate kept “waking up” and dying all over again.  Bravo!