Fort Clark
Fort Clark (1852-1946) - Originally established as Fort Riley on 20 Jun 1852 by Major Joseph H. LaMotte, 1st U.S. Infantry, and named after the Commander of the 1st U.S. Infantry. The fort was renamed Fort Clark on 15 Jul 1852 for Major John B. Clark. Active through World War I and World War II. The fort was closed in 1946.
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Fort Clark 1874 Commanding Officers Quarters. -
Fort Clark 1932 Barracks. -
Fort Clark 1892 Commissary Building.
History
Fort Clark's original purpose was to guard the Mexican border and the San Antonio-El Paso Road against hostile Indian attacks. Colonel Mansfield in his inspection report in 1853 said that Fort Clark was "544 miles without settlement of any description after leaving El Paso" and recommended that three forts be built in between.
U.S. Civil War
On 19 Mar 1861, after Texas seceded from the Union, the federal troops at Fort Clark surrendered the fort to the Provisional Army of Texas. Confederate forces occupied the fort until August 1862. After the war, the fort was again under federal control and was regarrisoned in 1866.
| Assumed | Relieved | Rank | Name | Cullum | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1873-10 | 1875-02 | Lt. Col. | Hatch, John P. | 1247 | |
| 1879-12-05 | 1880-12-06 | Col. | Stanley, David S. | 1544 | |
| 1880-10-06 | 1882-05-03 | Lt. Col. | Sweitzer, N. Bowman | 1602 | |
| 1889-10 | 1894-07 | Col. | Lazelle, Henry M. | 1706 | |
| 1899-04 | 1900-01 | Capt. | Cornish, Lester W. | 2915 | |
| 1901-07 | 1902-01 | Maj. | Kendall, Henry F. | 2758 | |
| 1910-03-15 | 1911-06-08 | Maj. | Muir, Charles H. | 3065 | |
| Dates are formatted in yyyy-mm-dd to sort correctly. The Cullum Number is the graduation order from the United States Military Academy by year and class rank and links to a page for the officer on the website version of the Cullum Register. Listings without a Cullum Number indicate that the person was not a graduate of the United States Military Academy. | |||||
Current Status
Must See! Now a large, gated private community with a manned access gate. Visitors are welcomed. Essential to any visit is the "Historic District Walking Tour" brochure, The post is preserved with old and more recent structures and barracks repurposed and now a part of the Fort Clark Historic District. The Old Fort Clark Guardhouse Museum is maintained by the Fort Clark Historical Society but only open on weekends. Most of the WWII temporary buildings are gone.
Context
Location:
Just southwest of Brackettville, Kinney County, Texas.
Lat: 29.305° Long: -100.422° Elevation: 1'
Bing, Google,
OldMapsOnline,
USGS, OHM
See Also:
Sources:
- Frazer, Robert W., Forts of the West, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman OK, 1965, ISBN 0-8061-1250-6, page 146.
- Hart, Herbert M., Tour Guide to Old Western Forts, Pruett Publishing Co., Boulder CO, 1980, ISBN 0-87108-568-2, page 156.
- Frazer, Robert W. (editor), Mansfield on the conditions of The Western Forts, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman OK, 1963, ISBN 0-8061-1083-X, page 29.
Links:
- North American Forts - Fort Clark
- Texas Handbook - Fort Clark
- Fort Clark Website
- Wikipedia - Fort Clark
- Old Guardhouse Museum
- Fort Clark Historic District
Related:
1st U.S. Infantry, 3rd Texas Volunteer Infantry, Camp Del Rio, David S. Stanley, Fort Clark, Fort Duncan, Fort Hudson, Fort Inge, Fort Riley, Forts of the West, Mansfield on the conditions of The Western Forts, San Antonio to El Paso Roads, Tour Guide to Old Western Forts, World War I, J.E.B. Stuart,