Fort Quitman
| Fort Quitman | |
|---|---|
| Ghost Town | |
 Fort Quitman
|
|
| Coordinates: 31°03′45″N 105°35′02″W / 31.06250°N 105.58389°WCoordinates: 31°03′45″N 105°35′02″W / 31.06250°N 105.58389°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Hudspeth |
| U.S. Army Fort | September 28, 1858 |
| Elevation | 3,458 ft (1,054 m) |
| Time zone | Mountain (MST) (UTC-7) |
| • Summer (DST) | MDT (UTC-6) |
| GNIS feature ID | 1379791 |
Fort Quitman was a United States Army installation on the Rio Grande in Texas, south of present-day Sierra Blanca, 20 miles southeast of McNary in southern Hudspeth County. The fort, now a ghost town, was named for Mississippi Governor John A. Quitman, who served as a major general under Zachary Taylor during the Mexican-American War.
In 1963, Recorded Historic Texas Landmark number 2007 was placed at the county courthouse, honoring Fort Quitman.
Fort Quitman was established on September 28, 1858, by units of the 8th Infantry Regiment. The first troops were under the command of Captain Arthur T. Lee and included 86 officers and men. Their mission was to protect the San Antonio-El Paso Road. It was a station on the route of the mail coaches of the San Antonio-San Diego Mail Line and later the Butterfield Overland Mail.
By 1860 the garrison had been reduced to one officer Second Lieutenant Zenas Bliss (who would retire from the Army in 1897 as a brigadier general) and 20 men. On the outbreak of the American Civil War, Texas joined the Confederacy. Lieutenant Bliss and his men were ordered to march to San Antonio with other troops evacuating West Texas garrisons. They believed they would be put on ships and sent to the North, but instead were captured and held as prisoners of war. Bliss was later exchanged and rose to the rank of colonel of volunteers. His promotion to general grade was probably hindered by his having been a prisoner of war. Confederate Texas troops under Brigadier General Henry Hopkins Sibley passed through the post on their way to the New Mexico Campaign in December 1861. The remnants of his army also passed by the post after their defeat. There is no evidence that Confederate troops ever permanently garrisoned the fort. The fort was inspected by troops from the California Column looking for any evidence of further Confederate activity or stragglers in 1863, but did not see any need to garrison the post.
...
Wikipedia