Blue and Gray on the Border ― The Rio Grande Valley Civil War Trail

Most general histories of the Civil War pay scant attention to the many important military events that took place in the Lower Rio Grande Valley along the Texas-Mexico border. It was here, for example, that many of the South’s cotton exports, all-important to its funding for the war effort, were shuttled across the Rio Grande into Mexico for shipment to markets across the Atlantic. It was here that the Union blockade was felt perhaps most keenly. And it was here where longstanding cross-border rivalries and shifting political fortunes on both sides of the river made for a constant undercurrent of intrigue. And yet, most accounts of this long and bloody conflict give short shrift to the complexities of the ethnic tensions, political maneuvering, and international diplomacy that vividly colored the Civil War in this region.

Now, Christopher L. Miller, Russell K. Skowronek, and Roseann Bacha-Garza have woven together the history and archaeology of the Lower Rio Grande Valley into a densely illustrated travel guide featuring important historical and military sites of the Civil War period. Blue and Gray on the Border integrates the sites, colorful personalities, cross-border conflicts, and intriguing historical vignettes that outline the story of the Civil War along the Texas-Mexico border. This resource-packed book will aid heritage travelers, students, and history buffs in their discovery of the rich history of the Civil War in the Rio Grande Valley.

CHRISTOPHER L. MILLER, professor of history at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, is associate director of the Community Historical Archaeology Project with Schools (CHAPS). He is the author of Prophetic Worlds: Indians and Whites on the Columbia Plateau and resides in Edinburg, Texas. RUSSELL K. SKOWRONEK, professor of history and anthropology at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, is the founding director of the Community Historical Archaeology Project with Schools (CHAPS) program. He is the author of X Marks the Spot: The Archaeology of Piracy and HMS Fowey Lost . . . and Found! He resides in McAllen, Texas. ROSEANN BACHA-GARZA serves as program manager for the Community Historical Archaeology Project with Schools (CHAPS) program at University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. She is coeditor of The Native American Peoples of South Texas. She resides in McAllen, Texas.