Early 20th Century Propaganda

You’ll rarely (if ever) find a monument to the American Confederates who died in Civil War battles in the far West. The most famous battle here is the (1862) Battle of La Glorieta Pass near the Colorado-New Mexico border during which the Union forces stopped a Confederate invasion of Colorado. Notably, the Union forces were led by the Indian-murderer John Chivington who also probably committed war crimes against the Confederates, and later butchered women and children at the infamous Sand Creek Massacre.

During a recent trip to New Mexico, I noticed this monument in the center of old town Santa Fe:

santefe monument2a.jpg

It reads:
“To the heroes of the federal army who fell at the battles of Apache canyon and La Glorieta Pass fought with th rebels…” [I’ve attempted to mess with the contrast to make it legible.]

On the other side of the monument is an inscription to the “heroes” who killed Indian women and children in the region as well: sante_fe monument2a.jpg

It reads:
“To the heroes who have fallen in various battles with _____ Indians in the territory of New Mexico.

In an ironic twist, the word “savage” has been since scratched off, which I’m sure makes up for everything.

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2:12 pm on February 15, 2009