Fort Davis
Fort Davis, Jeff Davis County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Established by Lieut. Col. Washington Seawell with six companies of the Eighth U.S. Infantry in October 1854 for protecting travelers on the San Antonio-El Paso Road. Named in honor of the then Secretary of War, Jefferson Davis, it was abandoned by federal troops in April 1861, reoccupied in 1867. Troops from the post helped to bring about the peaceful settlement and development of the region. Fort Davis was deactivated in 1891.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Fort Davis was established in 1854 to guard travelers on the San Antonio–El Paso Road and named for Jefferson Davis, then U.S. Secretary of War. Federal troops abandoned it at the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861 and reoccupied it in 1867, after which its soldiers—including Black regulars—helped bring stability to the far West Texas frontier until the post was deactivated in 1891. Its ruins and restored buildings remain among the best-preserved frontier military posts in the Southwest.
Why it matters
Fort Davis embodies the U.S. Army's role in opening and securing the western trails, a story that runs straight through the sectional crisis and the long frontier era.
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Related people
- · Washington Seawell
- · Jefferson Davis
Themes & tags
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