Fort Duncan
Encyclopedia
Fort Duncan was a U.S. Army post, set up to protect the first U.S. settlement on the Rio Grande
near the current town of Eagle Pass, Texas
.
Fort Duncan was established on March 27, 1849, when Captain Sidney Burbank
occupied the site with companies A, B, and F of the First United States Infantry. On November 14, 1849, the post was named Fort Duncan, after James Duncan
, a hero of the Mexican-American War. The post consisted of a storehouse, two magazines, four officers' quarters, and a stone hospital, in addition to quarters for enlisted men. Construction was done half by the troops and half by hired workers. There was ample stone but no timber for building, and the men suffered from exposure. Company C, 1st Regiment of Artillery, asked permission to construct quarters at its own expense. During the 1850s, Fort Duncan provided merchants and traders protection from border frontier outlaws and Native Americans
. The fort also served as a post for scouting Native Americans.
Fort Duncan became involved in the Callahan expedition of 1855, when James H. Callahan led an effort to repel attacks of Lipan Apaches and to capture runaway slave
s. Callahan seized and set Piedras Negras
on fire, and the commanders at the fort ultimately refused to help him recross the Rio Grande into the United States. Secretary of War John B. Floyd
ordered the post abandoned in May 1859. Robert E. Lee
ordered the fort regarrisoned in March 1860. With the outbreak of the American Civil War
the post was again abandoned when the Federal troops evacuated on March 20, 1861. It was also an important customs point for Confederate
cotton and munitions trade with Mexico.
Federal troops reoccupied Fort Duncan on March 23, 1868. During the 1870s, the Seminole Indians became members of the command and were used as guides in the area. Buffalo soldier
s were also stationed at Fort Duncan, including George B. Jackson
, later a businessman in San Angelo
called "the wealthiest black man in Texas" during the second half of the 19th century.
The post was abandoned once again in 1883. From 1890 to 1916, when disturbances in Mexico took national guard units to the river, the fort had a skeleton caretaking detachment. Troop activity continued throughout World War I, when the fort served as a training facility, but by 1920 only a small detail remained.
In 1933, the City of Eagle Pass began maintaining the old fort as a public park. The city formally acquired the property in 1935 and converted it into Fort Duncan Park. In 1942 the mayor offered the fort to the military for use during World War II. The government used the Fort Duncan Country Club as an officers' club and the swimming pool for commissioned personnel stationed at Eagle Pass Army Air Field. The site was listed in the National Register of Historic Places
in 1971. Seven of the original buildings still stand today. In the early 1980s, the Fort Duncan Country Club caught fire and only the outer walls remain.
The Commander's Headquarters building has been converted into the Fort Duncan Museum, with exhibits of local and fort history and artifacts.
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...
near the current town of Eagle Pass, Texas
Eagle Pass, Texas
Eagle Pass is a city in and the county seat of Maverick County The population was 27,183 as of the 2010 census.Eagle Pass borders the city of Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico, which is to the southwest and across the Rio Grande. The Eagle Pass-Piedras Negras Metropolitan Area is one of six...
.
Fort Duncan was established on March 27, 1849, when Captain Sidney Burbank
Sidney Burbank
Sidney Burbank served as an officer in the regular army before and during the American Civil War. For a time he led a brigade in the Army of the Potomac.-Pre War:...
occupied the site with companies A, B, and F of the First United States Infantry. On November 14, 1849, the post was named Fort Duncan, after James Duncan
James Duncan
James, Jim or Jimmy Duncan may refer to:*James Duncan , American politician from Pennsylvania*James H. Duncan , American politician from Massachusetts...
, a hero of the Mexican-American War. The post consisted of a storehouse, two magazines, four officers' quarters, and a stone hospital, in addition to quarters for enlisted men. Construction was done half by the troops and half by hired workers. There was ample stone but no timber for building, and the men suffered from exposure. Company C, 1st Regiment of Artillery, asked permission to construct quarters at its own expense. During the 1850s, Fort Duncan provided merchants and traders protection from border frontier outlaws and Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
. The fort also served as a post for scouting Native Americans.
Fort Duncan became involved in the Callahan expedition of 1855, when James H. Callahan led an effort to repel attacks of Lipan Apaches and to capture runaway slave
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
s. Callahan seized and set Piedras Negras
Piedras Negras, Coahuila
-Natural Resources:This region generates a large amount of the national production of coal, one of the most economically important non-metallic minerals in the state.-Tourism:Piedras Negras' main tourist attractions are:...
on fire, and the commanders at the fort ultimately refused to help him recross the Rio Grande into the United States. Secretary of War John B. Floyd
John B. Floyd
John Buchanan Floyd was the 31st Governor of Virginia, U.S. Secretary of War, and the Confederate general in the American Civil War who lost the crucial Battle of Fort Donelson.-Early life:...
ordered the post abandoned in May 1859. Robert E. Lee
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....
ordered the fort regarrisoned in March 1860. With the outbreak of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
the post was again abandoned when the Federal troops evacuated on March 20, 1861. It was also an important customs point for Confederate
Confederate States of America
The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...
cotton and munitions trade with Mexico.
Federal troops reoccupied Fort Duncan on March 23, 1868. During the 1870s, the Seminole Indians became members of the command and were used as guides in the area. Buffalo soldier
Buffalo Soldier
Buffalo Soldiers originally were members of the U.S. 10th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army, formed on September 21, 1866 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas....
s were also stationed at Fort Duncan, including George B. Jackson
George B. Jackson
George B. Jackson was a businessman, sheep rancher, and Republican politician from San Angelo who was believed to have been the wealthiest African American in Texas during the second half of the 19th century.-Background:...
, later a businessman in San Angelo
San Angelo, Texas
San Angelo is a city in the state of Texas. Located in West Central Texas it is the county seat of Tom Green County. As of 2010 according to the United States Census Bureau, the city had a total population of 93,200...
called "the wealthiest black man in Texas" during the second half of the 19th century.
The post was abandoned once again in 1883. From 1890 to 1916, when disturbances in Mexico took national guard units to the river, the fort had a skeleton caretaking detachment. Troop activity continued throughout World War I, when the fort served as a training facility, but by 1920 only a small detail remained.
In 1933, the City of Eagle Pass began maintaining the old fort as a public park. The city formally acquired the property in 1935 and converted it into Fort Duncan Park. In 1942 the mayor offered the fort to the military for use during World War II. The government used the Fort Duncan Country Club as an officers' club and the swimming pool for commissioned personnel stationed at Eagle Pass Army Air Field. The site was listed in the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1971. Seven of the original buildings still stand today. In the early 1980s, the Fort Duncan Country Club caught fire and only the outer walls remain.
The Commander's Headquarters building has been converted into the Fort Duncan Museum, with exhibits of local and fort history and artifacts.