Texas (admitted to the Union on December 29, 1845)
Fort McKavett
Before Fort McKavett, Texas, was established, a civilian community had grown up about a mile north of where the post would be built.
Shortly after the fort was established on March 14, 1852 by the U. S. War Department, it was renamed Fort McKavett. Though the troops were involved in a few minor skirmishes, in the posts’ early years, life was relatively routine for most of the time, with the troops escorting travelers, maintaining the post, patrolling the area, and loading supplies to be sent to other posts.
After the Civil War, the fort was re-garrisoned to fight in the Indian Wars in April 1868, and nearby “Scabtown” also grew again, though this time, it took on the fort’s name. This time, with the Indian threat gone, the civilians in the town of Fort McKavett stayed on, some of whom occupied the Fort McKavett buildings.
Today, the Fort McKavett State Historic Park is one of the best-preserved and most intact examples of a Texas Indian Wars military post ("Fort McKavett––Prettiest Fort in Texas," Legends of America).
Fort Griffin
Originally called Camp Wilson, this post it was later named for Charles Griffin, a former Civil War Union general who had commanded, as de facto military governor, the Department of Texas during the early years of Reconstruction.
Although considerable time was spent building and maintaining the fort, the majority of the time was spent defending and patrolling the frontier.
The fort served as a starting point for many expeditions headed westward, and for a time, it had a substantial settled community that had been built around it, catering to passing wagon trains and military personnel who sought saloons for entertainment during their free or off-duty hours.
J. B. Irvine, commanding Company A, Twenty-Second Infantry lowered the flag for the last time and marched to Fort Clark on 31 May, 1879.
Two famous names associated with the town of Fort Griffin are those of civilians: Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. As "Wyatt Earp," Wikipedia, explains:
In October 1877 outlaw Dave Rudabaugh robbed a Santa Fe Railroad construction camp and fled south. Earp was given a temporary commission as deputy U.S. Marshal and left Dodge City, following Rudabaugh over 400 miles (640 km) through Fort Clark, Texas, where the newspaper reported his presence on January 22, 1878, and then on to Fort Griffin, Texas.
In Fort Griffin, located between the military fort bearing the same name and the Clear Fork of the Brazos River, he went to the Bee Hive Saloon. It was the largest in town and owned by John Shanssey, whom Earp had known since he was 21. Shanssey told Earp that Rudabaugh had passed through town earlier in the week, but did not know where he was headed. Shanssey suggested that Earp ask gambler Doc Holliday, who played cards with Rudabaugh. Doc told Earp that Rudabaugh was headed back into Kansas.
For Griffin makes a cameo appearance in The Gunfight at the O. K. Corral (1957) starring Burt Lancaster as Wyatt Earp and Kirk Douglas as Doc Holliday, directed by John Sturgis.
Fort Lancaster
Built in 1846, when the California Gold Rush was in full swing and prospectors and others were traveling West, Fort Lancaster recalls the "American colonization of Texas and the West, [the use] of militarized camels, the Confederacy, and Buffalo Soldiers fighting Indigenous tribes" ("Fort Lancaster State Historic Site Offers a Glimpse of Turbulent Times on the West Texas Frontier," Texas Highways).
As the article further observes,
Not long after, the fort was attacked in what’s known as the Battle of Fort Lancaster. The Texas Historical Commission describes the battle as the only instance of Native Americans directly attacking a U.S. Army fort in Texas.
On Dec. 26, 1867, a force of hundreds of Lipan Apaches, Kickapoos, Mexicans, and disgruntled ex-Confederates raided the fort. “I have the honor to report that my camp was attacked from three directions by upwards of nine hundred Indians, Mexicans and White renegades about 4 ‘0’ clock P.M. yesterday,” wrote commander of the fort Captain William Frohock in a letter to Lieutenant John S. Loud at Fort Stockton. The soldiers of the 9th Cavalry eventually repelled the attack, killing 20 of the attackers and suffering three losses.
As the Texas Highways article further explains, before this assault, the fort had also taken part in the U.S. Army’s "project to test feasibility of using camels imported from the Middle East and North Africa as pack animals on the American frontier." and the post is remembered for its valiant U.S. 9th Cavalry’s Company K—a unit of Buffalo Soldiers. "six all-black regiments (consolidated to four shortly after) to help rebuild the country after the Civil War and to fight on the Western frontier during the "Indian Wars."
Their nickname, "Buffalo Soldiers," was conferred upon them by the Native American braves they fought, as descriptive of "American Plains Indians who fought against these soldiers referred to the black cavalry troops as "buffalo soldiers" because of their dark, curly hair, which resembled a buffalo's coat and because of their fierce nature of fighting("Buffalo Soldiers," National Park Service).
Fort Concho
Fort Concho (1867-89) was one of a series of posts guarding the Texas frontier during the post-Civil War era.
It was built at the center of the line, at the confluence of the North and South Concho Rivers, where a number of east-west trails converged to avoid the Staked Plains to the north and a semidesert area to the south.
The fort's administration building; nine sets of officers' quarters; the restored chapel, which also served as a schoolhouse; two reconstructed barracks; and the powder magazine have been salvaged and restored ("Survey of Historic Sites and Buildings: Fort Conch, Texas, " National Park Service).
Fort Davis
Described as "one of the best remaining examples of a U.S. Army" frontier post, Fort Davis, "established in 1854 on the San Antonio–El Paso Road through west Texas, . . . was strategically placed to protect emigrants, mail coaches, and freight wagons, and played a key role in controlling activities during the Comanche and Mescalero war trails" ("Fort Davis, Fort Davis.com").
As "Fort Davis," Wikipedia, indicates, the fort was "established in 1854 on the San Antonio–El Paso Road through west Texas, it was named after Jefferson Davis, who was then the Secretary of War under President Franklin Pierce. It was reestablished in 1867 following the civil war."
Jolene Brand played the legendary Indian Annie, who saved Fort Davis from an Apache attack in the episode "Indian Annie" of the syndicated anthology series Death Valley Days (1930-1945), hosted at the time by Stanley Andrews. Other hosts of the show were Ronald Regan, Robert Taylor, Dale Robertson.
Fort Chadbourne
Fort Chadbourne, built in Texas in 1852, served four purposes: its used during the Civil War, its service as a Butterfield Overland Mail station, its protection of settlers, and its management of regional Indian affairs. ("Fort Chadbourne, Texas,"
Historic Forts).
Fort Inglish
Fort Inglish wasn't much to look at when it was built in 1837, but the 16-foot-long blockhouse "topped with a 24-foot-long "overhanging story" provided settlers with protection from Native Americans' attacks, which occurred frequently "on the western edge of the Red River frontier."
The fort was also unusual in that it was a private fortification, built by Bailey Inglish, who'd moved to a Clear Lake settlement on the western bank of the Red River, originally hailing from Warren County, Kentucky ("Fort Inglish: A Historical Refuge in Early Texas," Texas State Historical Association).
A historical marker provides details about the fort he constructed:
[Inglish, a] former sheriff [and the ] . . . train of settlers traveling by oxcart to [whom he led to the area] built a log stockade and blockhouse with gun ports for use in community defense. In a typical fight (1841), the Indians were repulsed, but caught two young boys hunting cows near the fort. (The boys returned later.)
Called Bois D'arc in 1840 the town was renamed (1843) to honor Texas Wat for Independence hero, Col. James Butler Bonham (1807-1836) ("Bailey Inglish: Founder of Bonham, Texas," Texas State Historical Association).
Fort Sam Houston
Unlike many of frontier forts that were built by the U. S. Army, Fort Sam Houston was built by the winning bidder on a contract, the Edward Braden Construction Company, whose representative offered to build the post for $83,900 ($2.48 million in 2024). The U. S. government had allotted $100,000 for the post's construction on a 93-acre lot deeded by the city of San Antonio, Texas.
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The Pershing House, Fort Sam Houston, Texas
Constructed during the 1870s, the fort included a watchtower and a water tank, and, in 1880, officers' quarters were added; between 1885 and 1893, another 60 buildings were constructed, including the Band House and a hospital, the Sam Houston House.
The fort continues to serve the Army's needs today. Notable persons associated with the post's history include John J. Pershing, Walter Kreuger, Johnathan Mayhew Wainwright IV, and Dwight D. Eisenhower. ("Fort Sam Houston," Wikipedia).
Fort Worth
Fort Worth was one of seven other military posts established during 1848-1849, its purpose the protection of "settlers of Texas along the western frontier." The famous cowtown that followed, located along the Chisholm Trail, was incorporated in 1874 ("Fort Worth, Wikipedia) and is the setting for the 1954 Western film Fort Worth, starring Randolph Scott and Phyllis Thaxter (Fort Worth (film), Wikipedia).
Fort Bliss
Today, Fort Bliss, near El Paso, Texas, thrives as "a cornerstone of modern [U. S .] military infrastructure." Home of the 1st Armored Division, the fort also provides "housing, hospitals, and recreational areas" and provides " extensive anti-aircraft ranges and training areas" used for "large-scale training exercises" on its 1.2 million acres" in Texas and New Mexico ("Fort Bliss (Texas)," Historic Forts).
Established as the Post of EL Paso at Magoffisville on January 11, 1854, the fortification was later renamed as Fort Bliss, to protect against the Apaches. On March 321, 1861, David E, Twiggs, the Commander of the Department of Texas, ordered that Fort Bliss be surrendered to the Confederacy, and Companies B, E, F, H, I, and K were captured by Confederate troops and held as prisoners of war until February 25, 1863. The Confederates abandoned the fort without a fight when, in 1862, a federal column of 2,250 soldiers marched against the fort, reclaiming it for the Union. ("Fort Bliss," Wikipedia)
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