I'm here at White Sands NM, and they have a small museum on base. Its mostly missles and high tech history, but in a little corning I saw a glass case. Inside the glass case was a very weathered Belgian musket, Civil War era; a bayonet, and sword (looks like a War of 1812 cavalry saber- highly curved and long heavy blade). The note on these items stated they were found on White Sands property back in the 1890s, along with about fifteen other muskets and military items buried in the sand up in the San Andres Mountains. They didn't know who buried them, but spectulated either Union or Confederate forces. The exact location of this find was lost when the men who discovered them lost the location. They claimed there were much more items up there to be recovered. I believe they were put there by Sibley's men during the offensive of 61. There are the stories of buried Civil War artillery and ordnance being found all over this area. One story of a found Confederate cannon, on display in El Paso, was stolen by Poncho Villa's men during the Mexican Revolution of the 1910-20s, and was used in the war. The government of El Paso demanded its return, and it was hand delivered across the Rio Grande River bridge.

To think what's still up in those mountians....

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David Upton