The Civil War in Apache Land, Sergeant George Hand's Diary, Neil B. Carmony (Editor). Diary of a sergeant in the California Volunteers, including a description of the California Column's long journey west across the Sonoran Desert.

Colorado Volunteers in New Mexico, 1862, by Ovando J. Hollister. Amazon does not list this title, which was last printed in 1962 by Lakewood Press. It is well worth the effort of finding a copy in a library or through a used book store. Originally published as History of the First Colorado Volunteers in 1862 by Hollister, a member of the regiment, it is part memoir, part diary and charmingly written. Hollister later claimed to be embarrassed by the work because of certain exaggerations he had made in writing it, but it still stands as his most enduring work and a colorful look at the experiences of a Union soldier in the Battle of Glorieta Pass.

I Married a Soldier by Lydia Lane. Out of print but worth requesting a search. Lane describes her adventures "following the drum," traveling with her army husband to the difficult New Mexico Territory. A charming account.

Rebels on the Rio Grande: The Civil War Journals of A.B. Peticolas, Don E. Alberts (Editor). Paperback (June 1, 1994). Peticolas, a sergeant in the 4th Texas Mounted Volunteers, writes an insightful account of the New Mexico Campaign. The first volume of his diary was lost, and this account picks up with the second, which starts with a vivid description of the Battle of Valverde. Augmented by sketches from Peticolas's journal and excellent supplementary material by the editor, this is an intriguing personal look into the Confederate invasion of New Mexico.

Westward the Texans: The Civil War Journal of Private William Randolph Howell, Jerry D. Thompson (Editor). Out of print but worth requesting a search. Howell's journal covers some of the same ground as Peticolas's, but with enough difference to be of interest. Letters home add a personal touch to this young man's adventures in the harsh Southwest.