GLORIETA PASS
P. G. Nagle
"This engrossing debut...evokes memorable protagonists, vivid landscapes and high suspense, not only in the gut-wrenching action but also in the relationships between her characters."
—Publishers Weekly
"Glorieta Pass is a crackling good story with its climax in the Civil War battle of Glorieta Pass, often called the 'Gettysburg of the West.' Through the protagonists and the narrative the author provides a vivid portrait of the Southwest frontier in the first year of the Civil War."
—James M. McPherson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Battle Cry of Freedom
A STUNNING DEBUT PUBLISHED TO COINCIDE WITH THE HISTORICAL RE-ENACTMENT OF THE BATTLE OF GLORIETA PASS
In her debut novel, GLORIETA PASS (Forge Books; May 14, 1999; $25.95), P.G. Nagle tells a profoundly affecting tale of the Civil War most people don't know about—the New Mexico Campaign waged in the Southwest territories of the United States.
Called the "Gettysburg of the West," the Battle of Glorieta Pass marked a turning point in the New Mexico Campaign. Drawing upon actual diaries and other historical documents from the period, Nagle creates an unforgettable novel set against the chaos of battle. GLORIETA PASS is the moving story of four people whose lives are inextricably caught up in events that will change a nation and forever alter their own destinies: an illiterate Colorado miner who captains a volunteer Union company; a young Texan who becomes a quartermaster in the Confederate Army; a Union lieutenant from a wealthy family who bears a terrible secret; and a young lady in the care of her uncle, who arrives in the Territory at the worst possible time.
With sharply observed scenes of human interaction, electrifying depictions of battles, moments of terrible clarity and exalting acts of human courage and compassion, P.G. Nagle creates a richly textured tapestry of our nation's wrenching cataclysm of self-destruction.
P.G. Nagle was born less than fifty miles from Glorieta Pass and currently resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She is currently working The Guns of Valverde, the sequel to GLORIETA PASS.
Additional Praise for P.G. Nagle and Glorieta Pass
"Based on a great deal of research, P.G. Nagle tells the little-known story of the Civil War in the Far West in such a manner that the reader is both informed and caught up in the rough-edged lives and frontier environment that shaped that bitter campaign between Union regulars and volunteers and Confederate Texans in New Mexico Territory of 1862."
—Don E. Alberts, Ph.D., author of
The Battle of Glorieta: Union Victory in the West and Rebels on the Rio Grande
"Strong characters you can't help but like, a feel for both the times and the terrain of the old Southwest and plenty of action—P.G. Nagle has written a bell-ringer!"
—David Nevin, author of 1812
"I thought I was pretty well informed about the Civil War. But Glorieta Pass is a surprise from beginning to end. Not only is the history startling, the story is told by some of the most engaging characters I've encountered in a long time."
—Thomas Fleming, author of The Officers' Wives
"Glorieta Pass by P.G. Nagle is a vivid portrait of love and war, filled with strong feeling and complex characters. This is a novel that satisfies on every level, and leaves the reader with a true sense of time and place. I'm certain we'll see much more from P.G. Nagle, a talented young writer with a keen eye for dimension and detail."
—Earl Murray, author of The River at Sundown
GLORIETA PASS
By P.G. Nagle
A Forge Book
ISBN: 0-312-86548-1
$25.95/448 pages
Publication date: May 14, 1999