For decades before the Civil War, Southern writers and warriors had been urging the occupation and development of the American Southwest. When the rift between North and South had been finalized in secession, the Confederacy moved to extend their traditions to the west–a long-sought goal that had been frustrated by northern states. It was a common sentiment among Southerners and especially Texans that Mexico must be rescued from indolent inhabitants and granted the benefits of American civilization. Blood and Treasure , written in a readable narrative style that belies the rigorous research behind it, tells the story of the Confederacy's ambitious plan to extend a Confederate empire across the continent. Led by Lieutenant Colonel John R. Baylor, later a governor of Arizona, and General H. H. Sibley, Texan soldiers trekked from San Antonio to Fort Bliss in El Paso, then north along the Rio Grande to Santa Fe. Fighting both Apaches and Federal troops, the half-trained, undisciplined army met success at the Battle of Val Verde and defeat at the Battle of Apache Canyon. Finally, the Texans won the Battle of Glorieta Pass, only to lose their supply train--and eventually the campaign. Pursued and dispirited, the Confederates abandoned their dream of empire and retreated to El Paso and San Antonio. Frazier has made use of previously untapped primary sources, allowing him to present new interpretations of the famous Civil War battles in the Southwest. Using narratives of veterans of the campaign and official Confederate and Union documents, the author explains how this seemingly far-fetched fantasy of building a Confederate empire was an essential part of the Confederate strategy. Military historians will be challenged to modify traditional views of Confederate imperial ambitions. Generalists will be drawn into the fascinating saga of the soldiers' fears, despair, and struggles to survive. "Frazier convincingly demonstrates that Union commander Edward R. S. Canby deserves more respect than he sometimes gets from historians for his part in driving Confederate armies out of New Mexico and Arizona. He also shows how Confederate General Henry Hopkins Sibley and Confederate Colonel John Robert Baylor--the two expansionist dreamers most responsible for the Confederacy's southwestern initiatives--had personal flaws which sabotaged the very territorial gains which they accomplished. His manuscript is sensitive to Confederate relations with Hispanics, and integrates Confederate campaigns against Apache tribes into his Civil War story. Many readers will appreciate Frazier's meticulous descriptions of camp life, soldiering in the arid Southwest, the battles of Val Verde, Apache Canyon, Glorieta and Peralta, and especially the backgrounds, motives, and personalities of the officers and soldiers involved in the Confederate campaigns for empire. One could not ask for a more engaging treatment from the Confederate perspective of the Civil War in the Southwest.”--Robert E. May, author of The Southern Dream of a Caribbean Empire, 1854-1861 -- Robert E. May, author of The Southern Dream of a Caribbean Empi Blood and Treasure tells the fascinating story of the Confederacy's ambitious plan to conquer the Southwestern territories of New Mexico and Arizona. Led by Lieutenant Colonel, and later Arizona governor, John R. Baylor and General H. H. Sibley, Texan soldiers trekked from San Antonio to Fort Bliss in El Paso, then northward up the Rio Grande, to Santa Fe. Fighting both Apaches and Federal troops, the half-trained, undisciplined army met success at the Battle of Val Verde and defeat at the Battle of Apache Canyon. Finally, the Texans won the Battle of Glorieta Pass, only to lose their supply train - and eventually the campaign. Pursued and demoralized, the Confederates abandoned their dream of empire and began a dispirited journey back to El Paso and San Antonio. Using narratives of veterans of the campaign and official Confederate and Union documents, the author explains how this seemingly far-fetched fantasy of building a Confederate empire was an essential part of the Confederate strategy. Military historians will be challenged to modify traditional views of Confederate imperial ambitions. Generalists will be drawn into the fascinating saga of the soldiers' fears, despair, and struggles to survive. DONALD S. FRAZIER is professor of history at McMurry University in Abilene, Texas, and author of Blood and Treasure: Confederate Empire in the Southwest , published by Texas A&M University Press. His other works include Cottonclads: The Battle of Galveston and the Defense of the Texas Coast , an edited work; The U.S. and Mexico at War: Nineteenth Century Expansionism and Conflict , and Frontier Texas: History of a Borderland 1780-1880 and The Texas You Expect: The Story of the Buffalo Gap Historic Village , works he co-authored. Used Book in Good Condition