Valverde by Jennifer Bohnhoff (a Preview and a Fundraiser)

Today we're looking at a bit of local history. While most books, movies, lesson plans, and enthusiasts focus on the Civil War as it was fought in the eastern United States; the war also extended into the western territories. In February 1862, over 5500 Union and Confederate troops fought near Fort Craig - not far from Socorro, New Mexico - in what became known as the Battle of Valverde.

Teacher, author, and New Mexico native Jennifer Bohnhoff is seeking to shine some light on this neglected part of Civil War history and to make the Civil War more relevant to the students of New Mexico with her upcoming historical novel, Valverde. This book features two young men - Jemmy Martin, a Texan in the Confederate Army, and Raul Atencio, a New Mexican who must side with the Union Army - who are swept together by the events of the war.

In order to fund the cover art and the marketing of the novel, Bohnhoff is running a Kickstarter campaign with a modest goal of $1000. She's very nearly halfway there. Rewards for contributing to the campaign include a (electronic or hard, depending on the level of contribution) copy of the book for yourself or for a low income New Mexican student.

The images used in this post are from The New York Public Library. As it is quite difficult to find relevant public domain images of New Mexico, I've chosen images from other locations and tried to avoid any with too much foliage.