DUANE
Duane's take
Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Fort Brown Reservation, down in Cameron County. Now, there are places in Texas that just seem to pull history toward them like a magnet pulls iron filings. Fort Brown is one of those places.
Sit with me a minute, because this ground has seen more American history than most history books bother to mention. It starts with a name and a sacrifice. General Zachary Taylor named this post during the Mexican War — named it for Major Jacob Brown, who died in 1846 defending the very fort that now bears his name.
That's the kind of honor that costs something. In 1848, Colonel William Davenport laid out a permanent reservation of three hundred and eighty-five acres, built right around those original earthworks. The dirt that soldiers bled over became the foundation of something lasting.
Now here's where the story gets almost eerie in hindsight. Among the young officers serving under Taylor's occupancy were D.C. Buell, U.S.
Grant, George G. Meade, and George H. Thomas — men who would all go on to serve as generals in the U.S.
Army during the Civil War. And walking those same grounds, breathing that same South Texas air, were Braxton Bragg, T.H. Holmes, James Longstreet, J.C.
Pemberton, and E. Kirby Smith — men who would become Confederate generals. They were all here together.
Same fort. Same dust on their boots. No one knew yet which side of a terrible line history was about to draw through them.
And then, in the late 1850s, a man named Robert E. Lee served here too. The marker doesn't elaborate.
It doesn't need to. When the war finally came, this fort didn't sit still. In March of 1861, Texas Confederates under Colonel John S.
Ford occupied the post. Confederate commanders followed one after another — Colonels P.N. Luckett and August Buchel, then Generals H.P.
Bee and J.B. Magruder. But in November of 1863, the post was burned.
Just — burned. Then Federal forces under General N.P. Banks set up a camp of tents at Fort Brown, soldiers sleeping under canvas where a fort used to stand, and they held on there until July of 1864.
After that, General J.S. Slaughter and Colonel Ford came back in and reoccupied the post with Confederate troops, holding it until the war itself finally ran out of fight. Soon after the Confederate surrender at Appomattox, U.S.
General Philip Sheridan brought troops down to Fort Brown for a show of force — aimed not at Texas, but at the French, over in Mexico. A message delivered in uniforms and numbers, right there on the Rio Grande. With the war behind it, Fort Brown got rebuilt proper.
Between 1867 and 1869, Captain William A. Wainwright oversaw construction of a new permanent fort on that same ground that had been fought over, held, lost, burned, and reclaimed. Eventually, in 1948, the city and a college acquired the reservation.
The northern boundary runs along International Boulevard today. Three hundred and eighty-five acres. One name on a sign.
And enough history soaked into that soil to fill a dozen wars — because, well, it very nearly did.
What the marker says
Named by Gen. Zachary Taylor during Mexican war, for Maj. Jacob Brown, who died in 1846 defending the post. Permanent 385-acre reservation laid out 1848 by Col. Wm. Davenport, around original earthworks. Young officers in the Taylor occupancy included D.C. Buell, U.S. Grant, Geo. G. Meade, Geo. H. Thomas, later Civil War general in the U.S. Army; and Braxton Bragg, T.H. Holmes, James Longstreet, J.C. Pemberton and E. Kirby Smith, future confederate generals. In the late 1850's Robert E. Lee served here. In March 1861, Texas confederates under Col. John S. Ford occupied the post; later C.S.A. Commanders were Cols. P.N. Luckett and Aug. Buchel, Gens. H.P. Bee and J.B. Magruder. In November 1863 the post was burned. Federals under Gen. N.P. Banks had a camp of tents at Fort Brown until July 1864. After that, Gen. J.S. Slaughter and Col. Ford reoccupied the post with confederates until the war ended. Soon after the confederate surrender at Appomatox, U.S. Gen. Phillip Sheridan brought in troops for a show of force against the French in Mexico City. In 1867-69, new permanent Fort was built by Capt. Wm. A. Wainwright. City and college acquired reservation in 1948. Northern boundary International Boulevard.