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Welcome to the Hidden History of Texas. This is Episode 46 – Frontier Forts 1850 – 1856Frontier Forts 1850 – 1856 –  I’m your host and guide Hank Wilson. And as always, brought to you by Ashby Navis and Tennyson Media Publishers, producers of  a comprehensive catalog of  audiobooks and high-quality games, productivity, and mental health apps. Visit AshbyNavis.com for more information.

Following the death of Maj. Gen. George Mercer Brooke in 1851, his successor, Brevet Maj. Gen. Persifor F. Smith, added Forts Ewell and Merrill in South Texas. Pushing the military line further west, Smith authorized construction of Forts Clark, Terrett, Mason July 6, 1851, McKavett March 1852, Chadbourne, Phantom Hill November 14, 1851, and Belknap June 24, 1851. To help plug gaps in the northwest, Camp Cooper was erected in 1856. A double line of forts now protected Texas’ southern and western frontiers. Let’s take a look at four of these forts, and I’m going to start with Fort Belknap.

Fort Belknap was established at the site of what is now Newcastle in Young County Texas. Newcastle is located in what is known as North Central Texas and is very near the headwaters of the Brazos River. In June of 1851, Brigadier General William Belknap established the fort in the area because there was adequate water.

The fort was what is known as a four-company post, there were members of the 2^nd  unit of the U.S. Dragoons, the 7^th U.S. Infantry, the 2^nd U.S. Calvary, and the 6^th U.S. Calvary. Fort Belknap was the northern anchor of the central Texas chain of forts which had been established to protect the Texas frontier from the Red River to the Rio Grande. It had no defensive walls or works and the troops that inhabited it were used to pursue raiding bands from the various tribes that inhabited the area. At times, troops from the fort trailed into Kansas to do battle with their enemies. One of the results of the fort’s presence, was the creation  of a centralized hub of roads that made travel throughout the region easier, including the Butterfield Overland Mail route from St. Louis to San Francisco. At the start of the civil war, troops were moved and union troops finally returned in April of 1867. It was finally abandoned for good in September of 1867. In the 1970s the citizens restored and rebuilt some of the buildings and today it is open to visitors.  One other frontier fort that was opened in 1851and did not receive the same care and consideration from latter generations, was Fort Mason.

Fort Mason was established in July of 1851 in Mason Texas. Mason is one of the most picturesque towns in perhaps the most picturesque regions of the  State. It’s about 60 miles from where I currently live and while the town itself is well worth a visit, the remains of the fort, not so much. There’s only one  building left and it’s very disappointing if you’re interested in Texas history. Fort Martin Scott in Fredericksburg or Fort Croghan in Burnet are both much more informative and easier to visit. Anyway, Fort Mason was established in 1851 atop a hill that offered the soldiers an expansive view of the land around. Maj. Hamilton W. Merrill and companies A and B of the Second Dragoons were the first solders to occupy the fort. There is no clear record of who the  post was named after, and it appears that it most likely was named either for Lt. George T. Mason, who was killed at Brownsville during the Mexican War, or for Gen. Richard Barnes Mason, who died only a year before the fort was established. The fort was occupied on and off until 1861 at which time it was taken over by secessionist forces of Texas. A couple of notable officers who served at Fort Mason when it was in Union hands was Robert E. Lee and John Bell Hood. After the civil war the union took  control of the fort and was finally abandoned in 1869.  One fort that was never officially a fort is known locally as  Phantom Hill which was established on November 14, 1851.

Lt. Col. John J. Abercrombie arrived at the Clear Fork of the Brazos in the area of present-day Jones County with five companies of the Fifth Infantry. This was not  where he had been ordered to build a fort. His orders called for him to build a second fort (after Fort Belknap) on Pecan Bayou, at a site that in what is now Coleman County. However, Smith, who was unfamiliar with the area, took it upon himself to change the locale to the Clear Fork close to its junction with Elm Creek. While he thought it was the best place, in reality it wasn’t.

Other then Smith’s personal whim,  there was no reason for this decision in fact, it affected the post’s future. There was no adequate water supply and no nearby timbers.  One of the officers, Lt. Clinton W. Lear, did write to his wife that while the valley was indeed beautiful and abundant with game, he felt that it was never intended “for White man to occupy such a barren waste.” Due to its poor location and shortage of anything that could be used to help build a suitable frontier fort, it was only occupied until 1854. In fact, Fort Phantom Hill was never officially named; military records usually refer to it as the “Post on the Clear Fork of the Brazos.”

About 150 miles west of Austin sits Menard, Texas. Now for those of you not from Texas or familiar with it, that’s really just a day trip. In fact, since it’s only 99 miles from my house to Menard, it’s a trip I’ve made  several times. Menard is the home of Fort McKavett, well the fort is actually another 22 miles from Menard so…anyway, Fort McKavett is one of the best maintained of the old frontier forts you’re going to find. It’s well worth the visit. The camp was originally founded as Camp San Saba (there was another  San Saba in McCollough County which is now Brady and there is a city called San Saba, but anyway…)the camp occupied a little  over 2,370 acres and sat close to the right bank of the San Saba River. Initially there were several infantry companies stationed whose primary purpose was to help protect settlers from raids by the Comanche. The army abandoned the post in 1859 but in 1868 after the civil war it was reoccupied and given  the name Fort McKavett. It is recognized that the name was chosen to honor of Capt. Henry McKavett, who was killed in the battle of Monterrey in 1846. There has been extensive work done at the site and it’s a great place for a walking tour and to visit the museum and bookstore. As I said it’s a great day trip.

The frontier forts were an idea that looked good on paper. The Army laid out the posts in areas where theoretically there would be easy access to water, forage, and construction materials. The troops handled the construction themselves, so the costs of construction was minimal. Since the tribes very, very rarely  attacked the forts, there was no need for the types of walls you see in the movies. If  you get a chance to visit the forts, I think you’ll find them an interesting stop.

So that’s going to do it for this episode. Next episode I’ll talk about something that might make folks a tad uncomfortable and that’s what was the relationship between the Mexicans who lived in Texas and the newly arrived “Americans” who wanted land? Hint, it wasn’t always pretty.

Please subscribe to the podcast, I’m back and I’ll keep posting new episodes, sometimes though life gets in the way which is why there’s been a gap between episodes. If you want more information on Texas History, visit the website of the Texas State Historical Association. I also have four audiobooks on the Hidden History of Texas, The Spanish Bump Into Texas 1530s to 1820s,  Here Come The Anglos 1820s to 1830s, Years of Revolution 1830 to 1836. And, my latest A Failing Republic Becomes a State 1836-1850. You can find the books pretty much wherever you download or listen to audiobooks. Just do a search for the Hidden History of Texas by Hank Wilson and they’ll pop right up. Or visit my website https://arctx.org. By the way if you like audiobooks, visit my publisher’s website there’s an incredible selection of audiobooks there. In addition to mine you’ll find the classics, horror, science fiction, mental-health, and much more. Check it out visit https://ashbynavis.com

Thanks for listening y’all