Glimpses of the Past April 19 2012 Private Robert Morris Peck

Date: April 1, 2012
Contact: Lorenzo Vigil, 505-425-8025

Release Date: April 5, 2012

Contact:          Lorenzo Vigil, 505-425-8025

 Glimpses of the Past April 19, 2012 "Private Robert Morris Peck"

 Las Vegas, NM: Fort Union National Monument announces its monthly Glimpses of the Past presentation, "Private Robert Morris Peck" as part of our Civil War 150^th Anniversary Series to be held at the CCHP/Santa Fe Trail Interpretive Center, 116 Bridge Street, in Las Vegas, Thursday, April 19, 2012, at 7:00PM. When the United States seized control of the Southwest Territory after the Mexican-American War, U.S. troops by thousands poured onto the frontier to protect and control the newly acquired land. One of these soldiers, Private Robert Morris Peck, recorded numerous and colorful observations of the land and its people in numerous letters, diary entries, and journals. In 1901, Peck published his memoirs of his life in the Southwest which painted the rich cultures of the Territory and how the military forever changed the landscape. Join Dr. Leo E. Oliva as he portrays Private Robert Morris Peck in first person persona and hear in Peck's own words the thoughts of one of the United States' first soldiers stationed in the Southwest.

 Dr. Leo E. Oliva is a retired professor of history and is widely regarded as one of the most premier experts and speakers about the Santa Fe Trail and the history of the United States military in the Southwest. His numerous and widely acclaimed publications include "Fort Union and the Frontier Army in the Southwest",and "Soldiers on the Santa Fe Trail", along with numerous books on Kansas, its communities and frontier forts.

 The "Glimpses of the Past series are free in partnership with the Citizens Committee for Historic Preservation. For more information, contact Fort Union National Monument at [phone].