Fort Bliss at Lanoria Mesa
El Paso, El Paso County, Texas
Marker Inscription
In 1849, U.S. troops led by Maj. Jefferson Van Horne established a post in what is now downtown El Paso to secure territory gained in the U.S.-Mexico War, 1846-48. It moved several times: to Magoffinsville in 1854; to Camp Concordia in 1868; back downtown I n1878; to Hart’s Mill in the 1880s; and finally to Lanoria Mesa in 1893 on land donated by El Paso citizens. The post name changed in 1854 to honor Lt. Col. William Wallace Smith Bliss, a veteran of the U.S.-Mexico War. In 1911, responding to revolution in Mexico, the government reinforced the infantry with artillery and cavalry units. In 1916, the U.S. began large-scale military operations into northern Mexico after revolutionaries attacked Columbus, New Mexico. The Punitive Expedition, led by Gen. John J. Pershing in pursuit of Francisco “Pancho” Villa, used Fort Bliss as headquarters. It utilized more than 100,000 U.S. troops, providing vital field training for soldiers and commanders who would soon be involved in what was World War I. In 1941, Fort Bliss was the nation’s largest cavalry post. With the onset of World War II, the government increased the size of the post to more than a million acres, spanning this part of Texas and a large portion of the Tularosa Basin in New Mexico. Eighty battalions of anti-aircraft artillerymen trained at Fort Bliss as part of the war effort. After the war, German scientists brought to the fort began the U.S. Army’s missile program. Fort Bliss has deployed troops to all parts of the world in defense of the U.S., and it has been a training center for both U.S. and allied troops. The fort’s climate, size and rich history have combined to make it a key strategic asset for the nation. (2006)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1849, troops under Maj. Jefferson Van Horne planted a post at El Paso to hold territory won in the U.S.-Mexico War, and after several moves the fort settled at Lanoria Mesa in 1893 on land donated by citizens. Renamed for Lt. Col. William W.S. Bliss in 1854, it became the headquarters for Gen. John J. Pershing's Punitive Expedition against Pancho Villa in 1916 and the nation's largest cavalry post by 1941. Vastly enlarged for World War II anti-aircraft training, it later hosted the German-led birth of the U.S. Army's missile program.
Why it matters
Few American posts span so much of the nation's military history, from frontier border defense through two world wars to the dawn of the missile and space age.
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Related people
- · Maj. Jefferson Van Horne
- · Lt. Col. William Wallace Smith Bliss
- · Gen. John J. Pershing
- · Francisco "Pancho" Villa
Related events
- · U.S.-Mexico War
- · Punitive Expedition (1916)
- · World War II
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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