San Augustin Spring, formerly also known as San Augustine Springs, is a
spring
Spring(s) may refer to:
Common uses
* Spring (season), a season of the year
* Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy
* Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water
* Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a ...
in the
Organ Mountains
The Organ Mountains (also known as La Sierra de los Órganos) are a rugged mountain range in southern New Mexico in the Southwestern United States. Organ Mountains–Desert Peaks National Monument was declared a national monument on May 21, 2014 ...
in
Doña Ana County, New Mexico
Doña Ana County is located in the southern part of the State of New Mexico, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 219,561, which makes it the second-most populated county in New Mexico. Its county seat is Las Cruces, th ...
. It lies on the east side of
San Augustin Pass at an elevation of 5627 feet / 1715 meters, 14.7 miles east northeast of
Las Cruces, New Mexico
Las Cruces (; "the crosses") is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New Mexico and the seat of Doña Ana County. As of the 2020 census the population was 111,385. Las Cruces is the largest city in both Doña Ana County and southern New ...
.
History
During the early
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
this spring was the site of a humiliating surrender of
Union Army
During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...
forces. Following his defeat July 25, 1861, at the
First Battle of Mesilla
The First Battle of Mesilla, was fought on July 25, 1861 at Mesilla in New Mexico Territory, in present-day Doña Ana County, New Mexico.
It was an engagement between Confederate and Union forces during the American Civil War. The battle resul ...
, and under threat by Lt. Col.
John R. Baylor
John R. Baylor (born John Robert Baylor; July 27, 1822 – February 6, 1894) was a US Indian agent, publisher and editor, politician, and a senior officer of the Confederate States Army.[Fort Fillmore
Fort Fillmore, located at 32°13′30″N 106°42′52″W, was a United States military fortification established by Colonel Edwin Vose Sumner in September 1851 near Mesilla in what is now New Mexico, primarily for the purpose of protecting sett ...]
on July 26, Federal Major
Isaac Lynde
Isaac; grc, Ἰσαάκ, Isaák; ar, إسحٰق/إسحاق, Isḥāq; am, ይስሐቅ is one of the three patriarchs of the Israelites and an important figure in the Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. He was th ...
decided to abandon the fort and retreat northeast to
Fort Stanton
Fort Stanton was a United States Army fort near Lincoln, New Mexico.
Army Fort
It was built in 1855 by the 1st Dragoon and the 3rd and 8th Infantry Regiments to serve as a base of military operations against the Mescalero Apaches. Numerous cam ...
through San Augustin Pass in the Organ Mountains. During the pursuit the following day, the Confederates captured hundreds of straggling Federals overcome by the July heat and lack of water. Lynde's dehydrated command, was reduced to 200-300 men by the time it was overtaken by the Confederates. Major Lynde asked for terms and Baylor demanded unconditional surrender, to which Lynde agreed and made his surrender at San Augustine Springs on July 27.
[ Robert Nicholson Scott, Henry Martyn Lazelle, George Breckenridge Davis, Leslie J. Perry, Joseph William Kirkley, Frederick Crayton Ainsworth, John Sheldon Moodey, The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, SERIES I, VOLUME IV, United States. War Dept, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1882]
/ref>
References
{{coord, 32, 25, 28, N, 106, 33, 53, W, display=title
Springs of New Mexico
Bodies of water of Doña Ana County, New Mexico