 The first capital was at Fort Whipple, followed by Prescott, in the northern Union-controlled area.At the start of the Civil War, the New Mexico territorial governor was Abraham Rencher; although a Democrat from North Carolina, he refused to support secession, and called out the territorial militia to counteract the Confederate invasion of July 1861.That month he was replaced by Henry Connelly, a native of New Mexico who would serve as governor for the remainder of the war.