McWhiney, Grady2019-10-112019-10-1119921992https://repository.tcu.edu/handle/116099117/33608This work examines the intellectual imperative of imperialism in the ante-bellum South and in Texas, and presents the attempt to establish a Confederate empire after secession. While never a formal directive by the Confederate government, ambitious men sought to expand the national borders to the Pacific Ocean, a feat that would have benefited the South greatly. This is the story of the dreamers and schemers, the colonels and the privates, who made their vain sacrifices in order to fulfill this vision. The scope of this work carries the reader through a general discussion of American imperialism, the sectionalization of manifest destiny, and its implications for a seceding South. Filibustering, the Knights of the Golden Circle, and the evolution of Texan imperialism are also discussed. This work then follows the events surrounding the capture of Federal posts in Texas in February through April of 1861, and John Robert Baylor's campaigns in southern New Mexico, which the inhabitants referred to as "Arizona." The work continues as Henry H. Sibley raises his army to conquer the west, only to be defeated in New Mexico Territory. The work concludes with a cursory examination with the rest of Baylor's, Sibley's, and their command's careers through the course of the Civil War. Dozens of diaries, memoirs, and letters written by participants carry the narrative, and describe in detail the day to day action of the Civil War in the American Southwest. Where possible, the men tell their own story.vii, 428 leaves : illustrations, mapsFormat: PrintengUnited States--History--Civil War, 1861-1865Southwest, Old--History--Civil War, 1861-1865Texas--History--Civil War, 1861-1865United States--Territorial expansionConfederate States of America--Territorial expansionTextMain Stacks: AS38 .F7459 (Regular Loan)Special Collections: AS38 .F7459 (Non-Circulating)