Following the Mexican-American War, Kit Carson returned home and attempted to start a ranch. The former Mountain Man had been out west with the Pathfinder – John C. Fremont – for several years as they tried to conquer California. This was followed by a series of transcontinental trips that saw Kit ferrying dispatches overland from the west coast to Washington D.C. and then back again. For the next decade, Kit would serve three stints as an Indian Agent while continuing to work his land and guide for the Army: his days of being gone for years at a time seemingly over, especially after a nasty fall with his horse that resulted in serious injuries. Ah, but duty called yet again. When the Civil War reached New Mexico, Carson enlisted with the Union Army. He’d face off with the Confederates at the Battle of Valverde before setting his sights on the Jicarilla and Mescalero Apache.

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