VOLUME 11 NUMBER 4 FALL 2006 |
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DIVISION AND CAMP OFFICERS OF THE ARIZONA DIVISION
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SECOND BATTLE OF PICACHO PASS IN PROGRESS: On 15 April 1862, a Yankee patrol attacked a Confederate picket line protecting the Butterfield Stage Road running northwest from Tucson at a lonely spot in the desert called Picacho Pass. The Confederates put up a spirited resistance and killed or wounded half of the Union force while losing only three captured of their own. The Confederate victory in this small skirmish was strategically significant in that it caused the Union California Column to delay it’s full-scale invasion of Arizona for over a month and probably saved the Confederate Army of New Mexico...which was, at the time, retreating back to it’s bases in Texas...from being intercepted and destroyed in the mountains west of the Rio Grande by the California Column during late April or early May 1862. Thus the battle, although fought by miniscule numbers of men...ten Confederates vs. twelve Yankees...is important to the history of the Confederacy and the Confederate Territory of Arizona.
Now, 144 years later, a second Battle of Picacho Pass is raging. The Union Pacific Railroad wants to build a huge freight yard on state-owned land three miles to the east of Arizona's Picacho Peak State Park. The rail yard would be built on or very near land that is dotted with remains from ancient Hohokam Indian villages. It also lies very near the historic site of the 1862 Battle of Picacho Pass. While the land within the park isn't directly threatened, this huge industrial complex in a rural part of the state will be devastating. Diesel fumes from the rail yard will likely kill off the saguaro and world-famous wild flowers in the area, noise will drive off wildlife, ground water will be polluted, and the rail yard itself will also spoil the view of the battlefield itself, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Further, Lt. James Barrett, one of the Federal casualties in the battle, was buried where he fell. His grave is in the railroad right of way and the Union Pacific is aware of this fact. The grave was discovered some years ago by a railroad maintenance crew. It is unmarked to protect is from "vandalism" according to a statement issued by the railroad at the time of the discovery. While Lt. Barrett may be a Yankee, his grave...a grave of an American solider...is threatened with destruction.
Please visit the following sites for further information.
—www.savethepeak.org This is a grass roots organization formed to fight this development. —For the news story about the threat, visit azstarnet.com. The article is entitled "Picacho Peak Rail Yard Stirs Worries." Letters to the Editor can be emailed to letters@azstarnet.com or mailed to the Arizona Daily Star, P.O. Box 26807, Tucson, AZ 85726-6807.
Below are some points of contact to whom letters, phone calls, emails can be sent to register your disapproval.
Lionel D. Ruiz Pinal County Board of Supervisors P.O. Box 827 Florence, Arizona 85232 Phone: 520-866-7830 Fax: 520-487-2245 e-Mail: Lionel.Ruiz@co.pinal.az.us
Sandie Smith Pinal County Board of Supervisors P.O. Box 827 Florence, Arizona 85232 Phone: 520-866-6104 Fax: 520-866-6107 e-Mail:Sandie.Smith@co.pinal.az.us
David Snider Pinal County Board of Supervisors P.O. Box 827 Florence, Arizona 85232 Phone: 520-866-7401 Fax: 520-836-3876 e-Mail:David.Snider@co.pinal.az.us
David Kuhl, Director Pinal County Planning & Development Services P.O. Box 2973 Florence, AZ 85232 Phone: 520-866-6442 Fax: 520-866-6530 e-Mail: Planning@co.pinal.az.us
Mark Winkleman State Land Commissioner Arizona State Land Department 1616 W. Adams Phoenix, Arizona 85007 Phone: 602-542-4621
Ron Ruziska, Director Southern Arizona Office Arizona State Land Department 177 N. Church Ave, Suite 1100 Tucson, Arizona 85701 Phone: 520-209-4250
Rebecca Rios, Senator Arizona Senate 1700 W. Washington, #315 Phoenix, Arizona 85007 Phone: 602-926-5685 Fax: 602-417-3167 e-Mail: rrios@azleg.gov
Cherly Chase, Representative Arizona House of Representatives 1700 W. Washington, #129 Phoenix, Arizona 85007 Phone: 602-926-5030 Fax: 602-417-3123 e-Mail: cchase@azleg.gov
Pete Rios, Representative Arizona House of Representatives 1700 W. Washington, #322 Phoenix, Arizona 85007 Phone: 602-926-5761 Fax: 602-417-3023 e-Mail: prios@azleg.gov
The Honorable Janet Napolitano Governor of Arizona 1700 West Washington Phoenix, Arizona 85007 Phone: 602-542-4331 Toll Free: 1-800-253-0883 Fax: 602-542-1381
The Pinal County Board of Supervisors recently voted in favor of the proposal. But it cannot go through unless the State of Arizona agrees to sell the land. So this "train" can still be "derailed," so to speak.
The Arizona Division has joined the Save The Peak organization in this fight. The Civil War Preservation Trust has also agreed to help as well. Please let the Pinal Board of Supervisors and especially the listed Arizona State officials know how we feel about desecrating battlefields and graves.
PATRIOT’S SQUARE PARK FLAG ISSUE: On, September 28, 2006, the City of Phoenix Parks and Recreation Board held, as part of it's regular public meeting, a hearing on the future status of Patriot's Square Park in downtown Phoenix, Arizona, including the status of the flag display in said park. As readers of this newsletter may recall, the display, which included a Confederate First National Flag, was removed in the autumn of 2005 after someone "inquired" (i.e. complained) about it to the City of Phoenix Parks Department.
As part of this meeting, Commander Robert Perkins of Camp 1525 delivered, on behalf of the S.C.V., a statement calling on the Parks and Recreation Board to restore the display of historic flags at Patriot’s Square Park. a call for support from other organizations interested in preserving Arizona's War between the States history...including the other S.C.V. Camps of the Arizona Division, the various Chapters of the U.D.C. here in Arizona, the Sons of Union Veterans, and the Arizona Civil War Council...Commander Perkins was alone at this meeting. No representatives of any other organization attended, nor did any of them forward statements of support which could be read on their behalf by Commander Perkins.Needless to say, the presentation of one lone S.C.V. member made very little impression on the Board.
In addition, it appears that there are bigger issues being considered by the Board which will make unlikely any action on the issue of the flag display. Apparently, there is a development scheme being considered by the Phoenix City Council which would involve a complete redesign of the park, including possibly the total removal of any flag display from the park. One of the issues being debated is whether or not the park should remain a public park, or whether it should be "privatized" and given over to developers. All of the other 29 speakers who spoke on the issue of Patriot's Square Park were concerned with this issue, not with the flag display. to say, our little speech on the flag display was pretty much ignored in the midst of all this other discussion.
There will apparently be other hearings during the next several months in which this redevelopment/redesign project will be discussed. According to what was stated at the meeting, public input will be sought as to the form a possible redesign of the park will take. We have been informed that at one of these meetings, policy regarding flag displays in the park will be discussed. It is possible that we may have an opportunity there by influencing the new design to include a historic flag display. But one thing is for sure...nothing positive will happen if only one guy goes to these meetings to speak on the issue. If there had been 10 or 20 speakers there to argue in favor of restoring the display today, it is guaranteed that would have made a big impression on the Board and would likely have convinced them that this was an issue that a significant number of people found important. As it was, we appeared to be of no more importance than a fly would be to a herd of elephants.
Of course, we weren't helped by the fact that the City of Phoenix chose not to inform us of the place and time of the meeting until the last minute. So to some degree, it might be understandable that there were no other representatives there speaking on behalf of restoring the display. Why no written statements of support were transmitted which could have been submitted to the board on the behalf of the other organizations simply defies explanation. It is hard to see this as anything other than an unconscionable failure on the part of the other interested organizations in Arizona, and one we hope will not be repeated.
Some Clipart used on this page is courtesy of
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Copyright 2006 by the Arizona Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans. All rights reserved. Last Updated on 3 December 2006. Questions or comments about this site? Contact the Editor by
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