This is John R. Baylor, a politician and military leader for the Confederate forces during the American Civil War. In 1861 he brought his troops from Texas into New Mexico to threaten Union forces near Las Cruces. Although they were outnumbered 500 Union soldiers to 200 Confederates, Baylor’s men were victorious.
The path towards the Union forces went through a canyon now named after Baylor, (see second image) and the Confederate officer discovered to his advantage that the opposing side had dumped a great deal of their water supply and replaced it with medicinal whiskey from Fort Filmore. In the July heat, the dehydrated and drunk Union troops surrendered without engaging in battle.
Baylor’s career was noted for his violence. After his victory in New Mexico, the officer pronounced himself the first Governor of the Arizona Territory. However, the Confederate President Jefferson Davis removed Baylor from his post after he commanded that the Apache Indians in his lands be exterminated. He ordered that his men should gather the tribes on the pretense of negotiating peace, and then “when you get them together kill all grown Indians and take the children prisoners and sell them to defray the expense of killing the adult Indians.”
Source(s): Wikipedia and summitpost.org, “Baylor Pass Trailhead.”
