General Pershing

3rd Infantry

Lt. G.W. Smith

Buffalo Soldiers Camp

Col. Hatch

Soldier

Capt. Boyd

Military Cowboy

Capt. Carroll

Lt. Gatewood

Fort Stanton:  The Military Years, 1855-1896

Fort Stanton was established on the Bonito River in 1855 to protect area settlers and settlements including the village of Las Placitas near contemporary Lincoln.  The Fort was named for Captain Henry Stanton who was killed near the site of the future garrison on January 19, 1855 during a pursuit of Mescalero Apaches suspected of stealing sheep from a nearby rancher.  The construction of the garrison took several years to complete as infantry, dragoons, and volunteers were often called away to action while structural work took place.  The isolation of southern New Mexico combined with a lack of roads connecting supply lines further hampered construction, and therein created a need to work closely with the local population to supply food, labor and materials to soldiers.  The relationship between Fort Stanton and nearby settlers was set in motion early on, and increased in scope and importance over the next 41 years. 

            The mission of the Fort changed substantially from its opening in 1855 to its closure in 1896.  Initially tasked to protect settlers and property, and to enforce treaties with nearby native tribes that were intended to establish peace and ownership of land.  The military mission of Fort Stanton evolved with both local need, national policy, and growing settlement within the region.  Following the creation of the Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation in 1873, responsibilities at Fort Stanton included the distribution of food and supplies to the Mescalero people, while protecting both settlers and Indians from raiding parties on both sides as well outside bandits and rustlers.  Continued punitive actions against the Apache tribes led to the eventual removal of all native tribes to reservations across the West.  Outbreaks of violence between settlers over political and business issues brought military intervention as well, especially during the Lincoln County War where Colonel Nathan Dudley ordered the occupation of Lincoln for a brief period of time.  Following the surrenders of Apache Chiefs Geronimo and Victorio, which had stirred some members of the Mescalero Apaches to leave the reservation and join the resistance to reservation life in the 1880s, the military mission and need for Fort Stanton waned.  

            Growing up around Fort Stanton, however, towns such as Lincoln, Capitan and Ruidoso had grown in population as a result of protection from the Fort and the increasing economic relationship between local business and the military presence.  It was not uncommon for soldiers to settle in Lincoln County following their service.  Roads around Fort Stanton were improved as a result of military occupation.  The railroad brought more physical connection to the East, and the discovery of gold in nearby White Oaks was a precursor to more settlement.  By the mid-1890s, the military no longer saw a need to maintain the Fort, and it closed on August 17, 1896.  Undoubtedly, however, the existence of Fort Stanton was one of the most important factors in the development of Lincoln County, and New Mexico during the territorial period. 

Civil War Years, 1861-1865

                With the beginning of the Civil War, Fort Stanton saw its share of movement of soldiers to the East to serve in both Confederate and Union armies.  The noticeable depletion in forces and the pre-occupation with issues other than the protection of settlers brought renewed conflict to the western territories between Indians and settlers.  Renewed raiding around southern New Mexico by Mescalero, Mimbres, and Navajo tribal groups resulted in a major out-migration of settlers.  Additional news that Confederate forces under Lt. Commander John Baylor had captured the City of Mesilla, and had won a victory over Union forces at St. Augustine Pass, forced the abandonment of Fort Stanton on August 2, 1861. 

                Though fort commander Lt. Roberts had set fire to the garrison on the night of union abandonment, a summer monsoon that night saved much of the infrastructure from complete ruin.  Baylor ordered immediate occupation of Fort Stanton in hopes of protecting area residents, but the small amount of troops sent were not enough to quell native raiding.  The Confederates abandoned the Fort on September 10, 1861, after less than a month of occupation. 

By late September of 1862, Confederate forces had been driven out of the New Mexico territory and General James Carleton gave orders to Colonel Christopher “Kit” Carson to reoccupy  Fort Stanton.  Carleton pursued a policy of retribution and extermination with native groups believed to be participants in raids.  He later ordered the removal of all Indian groups to the Bosque Redondo reservation where Mescalero and other Apache groups were forced to live alongside their longtime enemies the Navajos.  Carson was charged with leading the horrific and tragic “long walk” of native people to Fort Sumner.  Conditions at the Bosque Redondo were harsh, and many died of hunger and disease. 

                Carleton’s experiment at creating a reservation at Fort Sumner in the Bosque Redondo failed by 1865 where all but a few Mescalero and Navajo remained by the Fall of 1865.  Most Mescalero people returned to the Ruidoso, Hondo and Bonito Valleys near Fort Stanton, and troops at the Fort were regularly called out to quell disturbances or protect new and returning settlers to the area.

The Mescalero Indian Reservation

                With the end of the Civil War and the reoccupation of Fort Stanton, many former residents returned to the area bringing new settlement as well.  At the same time, the Mescalero people returned to the area following the terrible experience at the Bosque Redondo.  Immediate conflict arose between the groups resulting in an upturn of raiding by hungry Mescalero Apaches.  Though a new “Peace Policy” was initiated by the Grant administration in 1869 advocating assimilation, ongoing punitive actions by the military did not quell Mescalero raiding. 

                A decisive and important event took place in December 1869.  A detachment of soldiers and citizens under the command of Captain Howard Cushing searching for raiders suspected of stealing horses, discovered and destroyed two Mescalero rancherias that contained tents, saddles, weapons, cooking utensils, 20,000 pounds of mescal, 15,000 pounds of jerked beef, and many other stores of supplies including mules and ponies.  The lost of so much of their supplies devastated the Mescalero people who were forced to go to Fort Stanton to get food and supplies from civilian Indian agents.  Though raiding continued among some bands of the Mescalero, as many as 325 camped near Fort Stanton through early 1873. 

                An Act of Congress created the Mescalero Indian Reservation on May 29, 1873 when boundaries at the face of the White Mountains and Sacramento Mountains bordering the Fort Stanton Military Reservation were granted to the Mescalero Apaches.  While land along the upper area of the Ruidoso Valley was not included in the reservation to protect new settlers to the area, misunderstanding and conflict arose immediately as some previously established homes and ranches were located within Mescalero reservation land.  Depredations within and outside reservation continued through the 1870s as some Mescalero people chose not to live within the regulations of the reservation system.  The garrison at Fort Stanton was ordered to protect nearby settlers and preserve the boundaries of the reservation.  While Mescalero Apaches continued to raid area homes and ranches for food, the settlers often acted as vigilante groups seeking revenge for some real or perceived loss attributed to Indians, forcing soldiers into the role of defending Mescalero people living on the reservation.   

End of an Era

        With the surrenders of Apache Chiefs Victorio and Geronimo in the 1880s, little military conflict occurred in and around Fort Stanton.  The primary mission at Fort Stanton was to serve as the place where Mescalero people came for rations, and to patrol the boundaries of the reservation to protect both residents and Apache alike.  The reservation was reduced in 1882 following the discovery of gold north of Ruidoso, making it a twenty-mile journey to Fort Stanton from reservation boundaries.  Thirty-one previous years of punitive action and threats of severe punishment or potential relocation kept the relative peace and limited attempts to leave the reservation.  Former warriors took up farming and made every attempt to adapt to their new conditions of life, now that they were deprived of weapons, horses, and in many ways, their culture. 

Soldiers at Fort Stanton were engaged in a variety of activities unrelated to the military mission as well, such as connecting a telegraph between the Fort and the Mescalero Reservation in 1881, and a telephone line in 1884. 

Life at Fort Stanton improved for those remaining attached to the garrison.  With little fear or threat of conflict, officers and their wives were free to engage in the entertainment brought by the development of nearby communities as well as recreation at the Fort.  Exploration of nearby Fort Stanton cave, dances, and development of team sports such as baseball brought new opportunities for soldiers and their families.  

By Executive Order on October 28, 1895, Fort Stanton was to be closed.  On August 17, 1896, Lt. William F. Black wrote to his superior officers in Washington:

Sir, I have the honor to report that that detachments at this post were withdrawn today and therefore no returns will be rendered.

With that simple communication, the first era in the life of Fort Stanton came to a quiet end. 

Construction & Modification

        An initial lack of timber, tools, expertise, and workforce (as soldiers were often called away on assignment) along with being far removed from supply lines and military roads, caused a myriad of delays in the construction of Fort Stanton in 1855.   Early adobe construction work was deemed inefficient and unusable, so volunteers and artisans hired to help with construction began quarrying stone for the fort’s buildings, which were to include officer’s quarters, a quartermaster building, offices, a hospital and other necessary structures all built around a traditional parade ground.  By 1859, the Fort Stanton Military Reservation encompassed over 144 square miles marked and measured from a stone that still lies on the parade ground.   

          Fort Stanton was a work in progress throughout its 41-year history.  Following its abandonment and brief occupation by Confederate forces in 1861, subsequent post commanders embarked on facility improvement campaigns that saw additional buildings and improvements to those already extant.  With a garrison complement that ranged at various times from 150 to 450 men, officer’s wives, civilian traders, workers, guests, and the occasional need to house various bands of Mescalero Indians, the overriding need for flexibility and utility was important at this frontier post.  Twenty-nine structures and improvements appear on an 1866 map, and many more were added over time including stables, a bakery, cemetery, laundress quarters, corrals, an enlarged hospital, granary, porches on several buildings, an engine house, a power plant and new wings on several buildings to accommodate changes in garrison use. 

A Growing Population

                With an estimated population of 1,600 non-native people in the New Mexico Territory in 1850, the introduction of Fort Stanton to the southern portion of the territory stimulated increased settlement.  By 1860, 257 families were estimated to live near La Placitas (now known as Lincoln) less than 8 miles from the Fort.  While relief from raiding did not immediately occur with a military presence, a confidence in the future stability of the region followed the army presence.

                The relationship between a growing population and Fort Stanton had economic ramifications as well.  Soldiers at the garrison could not be expected to perform agricultural work to any great extent, and garrison quartermasters were encouraged to establish relationships with local residents to guarantee food reserves, tools and implements, and other material needs.  In 1868, when a full restoration and refurbishment of the Fort was ordered, local suppliers saw a $20,000 investment in the local economy for supplies, and another $47,000 in wages for civilian workers.  Some soldiers saw the opportunity for personal gain.  Following their service at Fort Stanton, former fort commander Emil Fritz and a soldier named Lawrence Murphy formed L.G. Murphy, Co., and won the contract for supplying more than $9,000 in lumber to the Fort.  From 1868 to 1871, over $107,000 was paid to civilian labor at Fort Stanton further stimulating the local economy.  New opportunities for commercial gain, a promise of protection by the military and relatively inexpensive land brought thousands of new settlers to the New Mexico Territory.  The discovery of gold at White Oaks and Nogal in the early 1880s amplified the call to goldseekers and adventurers from the East.

                While the interrelationship stimulated early growth, the declining number of soldiers at the Fort decreased the economic dependence on the military for economic survival as the introduction of the railroad and increased population in the Southwest created new markets for area merchants.  By 1896, when Fort Stanton was closed, the civilian payroll was often as low as $800 per month and the economic benefit of keeping Fort Stanton open was no longer justifiable to the military or local residents who no longer needed the Fort for protection, jobs or contracts. 

Some Illustrious Occupants and Visitors

The garrison at Fort Stanton was initially occupied by 412 men consisting of two companies of dragoons (reorganized as cavalry units after 1861 ); three companies of infantry; one company of volunteers; five detachments from three other regular infantry units; and one assistant surgeon.  The first garrison commander was Lt. Dixon S. Miles, and his was the first of 63 commands during the Fort’s military years.  In all, three companies of dragoons, 20 troops of cavalry, five companies of Mounted Rifles, 28 companies of infantry, and one company of artillery served at some point in the 41-year occupation of Fort Stanton.  Along with detachments from other Forts, and units that passed through or stayed at Fort Stanton for brief periods, literally thousands of men served at Fort Stanton. 

Among those who spent time at Fort Stanton, or were in some way connected with the Fort, were many famous and infamous characters in military and western history.

Richard S. Ewell:  Fought with Henry Stanton in the skirmish where Stanton was killed.  Later became a General in the Confederate Army where his controversial actions at Gettysburg are still debated. 

George B. Crittenden:  Commander at Fort Stanton in 1861.  Fought with distinction during the Mexican-American War and later served as a Confederate General in charge of the Army of the Potomac for a brief period in 1861. 

Christopher “Kit” Carson:  Famous hunter, trapper and scout prior to his military service, Carson was commander of Fort Stanton from October 12, 1862 to March 5, 1863.  He was charged with reoccupying Fort Stanton after Confederate forces abandoned the site, and with reconstructing the garrison.  Carson served as commander of the Fort during a turbulent and violent period of conflict with Indians.  Under orders to “kill’ all male Indian combatants who did not go to Santa Fe to ask for peace, Carson is credited with helping the Mescalero Apache attached to Chief Cadete seek peace.  Later a dime novel hero, Carson is one of the most well known historical figures in the legend – and reality – of the American West. 

Lew Wallace: Served with Zachary Taylor during the Mexican-American War and as a Brigadier Union General during the Civil War, serving with distinction at Forts Henry and Donelson, and with some controversy at Shiloh.  In 1878 he became Territorial Governor of New Mexico and traveled to Lincoln in 1879 where he met with Billy the Kid to determine facts as well as “The Kid’s” fate following the Lincoln County War.  While in Lincoln County, Wallace stayed in Officer’s Quarters at Fort Stanton where he wrote portions of his famous novel, Ben Hur. 

Buffalo Soldiers:  While the origins of their nickname remains speculation, the “Buffalo Soldiers” find their origins in the creation of the United States Colored Troops during the Civil War.  Following reorganization in 1866, the “colored” forces became the 9^th and 10^th U.S. Cavalry and four regiments of infantry.  These units served primarily in the West from 1866-1890, and the 9^th Cavalry was stationed at Fort Stanton from 1875-1881 under the command of white officers including George A. Purrington who served for a period as garrison commander.  The 9^th Cavalry fought with honor during several skirmishes with Mescalero that left the reservation from 1879-1881, and as an occupying force in Lincoln during the Lincoln County War. 

John J. “Blackjack” Pershing:  After graduating from West Point in 1886, Pershing served at Fort Bayard as a 2^nd Lieutenant in the 6^th Cavalry, later  seeing action at Wounded Knee, South Dakota in 1890.  In October 1895, he was given command of the 10^th US Cavalry then known as the “Buffalo Soldiers” where he journeyed to Fort Stanton with a detachment of his unit in 1896.  His nickname is controversial, but appears to have been derived from his connection to the Buffalo Soldier units that he commanded.  Pershing later went on to serve as a trainer at West Point, and with distinction as a major of a Volunteer company during the Spanish-American War.  He rose to the command of Major General of the American Army by 1917 and commanded the Unites States forces during World War I.