Fort Ringgold, C.S.A.
Rio Grande City, Starr County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Occupied early in Civil War by Texas Confederates under Col. John S. Ford. Vital in chain of posts used to defend the 2,000 mile Texas frontier, coastline and border always threatened by attacks from Indians, bandits and Federal troops. Cols. Ford, August Buchel and Santos Benavides had troops here from time to time to scout the river, defend ranches and guard wagons trading cotton for war supplies in neutral Mexico. Taken in November 1863 by 1st Texas Union Cavalry. Retaken May 1864 by Ford and used as base to recapture Brownsville. (1964)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Early in the Civil War, Confederate Texans under Col. John S. Ford occupied Fort Ringgold on the Rio Grande, a vital link in the chain of posts guarding Texas's vast frontier, coastline, and border. From here commanders like Ford, August Buchel, and Santos Benavides scouted the river, defended ranches, and protected the cotton wagons trading through neutral Mexico for war supplies. Union cavalry seized the fort in late 1863, but Ford retook it in May 1864 and used it as a springboard to recapture Brownsville.
Why it matters
The fort spotlights the little-known borderland theater of the Civil War, where control of the Rio Grande cotton trade — the Confederacy's lifeline through Mexico — was worth fighting for.
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Related people
- · Col. John S. Ford
- · August Buchel
- · Santos Benavides
Related events
- · Recapture of Brownsville
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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