In 1862, the entire 7th Cavalry Regiment under Col.William Steele was in Brig. Gen. Henry Hopkins Sibley's so-called Arizona Brigade. After the retreat from the disasterous New Mexico campaign, about 300 of Sibley's Brigade marched back to San Antonio and about 500 were captured by the federals at Fort Bliss near Franklin (El Paso) TX.The Confederate prisoners were marched to a federal prison at Alton,Ill. Many Confederate prisoners died along the way and died after arriving at the prison.

See the movie "The Good,The Bad and The Ugly." The movie has many inaccuricies such as the train carrying the prisoners but it is still interesting to watch. In 1862, there were no trains between Fort Bliss and St. Louis or Alton, Ill.