My introduction to the presence of the Civil War in the Far West was the movie Massacre at Fort Holman (1972), a spaghetti western—and not-so-subtle knockoff of The Dirty Dozen (1967)—starring James Coburn and Telly Savalas that I watched whenever I found it on cable television as a kid. Set in New Mexico Territory, the film follows Coburn, who plays a disgraced Union colonel on a mission to retake the fictional Fort Holman, a formidable desert bastion that he had previously—and mysteriously—surrendered without a shot fired to Rebel forces led by Savalas, a Confederate officer. Before the mission can begin, Coburn first has to convince his superior officer of its value. Capturing Holman, he argues, would allow Union forces to retake Santa Fe from the Confederates, who could then be pushed south along the Rio Grande into Texas and beyond. Coburn’s superior is impressed with the colonel’s bold plan. “It could decide the outcome of the war,” he muses.

The remainder of the movie—which devolves into a simple revenge flick marked by massive explosions and so-bad-it’s-almost-good acting—has nothing more to say about the Civil War in the Far West. But it did spur me to read up on the subject—one that I discovered was, regrettably, almost entirely absent from the Civil War history books on my shelves.

In the decades since, as Gary Gallagher notes in this issue’s cover story, “How the West Wasn’t Won” (page 32), the war in the Far West, and in particular Brigadier General Henry H. Sibley’s failed attempt in 1862 to drive Union forces from New Mexico Territory, has received increased attention from historians. Some of them see Sibley’s campaign as evidence of Confederate interest in creating a western empire. Gallagher considers their arguments and gives his own take. Want to share your thoughts about this or other articles in the issue? Send your emails to [email protected].