DUANE
Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it, and I'll do my best to do it justice. Fort Concho — Tom Green County, Texas. Now, if you wanted to find a place that sat at the very crossroads of the frontier, you could do a lot worse than this spot right here.
Fort Concho was established in 1867 at the junction of the Butterfield Trail, the Goodnight Trail, and the road to San Antonio — three of the most consequential paths in the whole of Texas, all converging at one dusty point. The 4th Cavalry, under Captain George G. Huntt, planted the flag and set up shop with a single purpose: protect the frontier.
And that mission put Fort Concho at the center of a line of forts stretching from the northeastern border of Texas all the way out to El Paso. If that weren't enough geography for you, it was also the northern anchor of a southern chain of forts that ran down to the Rio Grande and then followed that river clear to its mouth. This was not a small operation.
By March the first, 1870, the fort had taken real shape — built of sandstone, which is the kind of thing that says we are not leaving anytime soon. The buildings, in the order they went up, were a commissary and quartermaster storehouse, a hospital, five officers' quarters, a magazine, and two barracks. Stone walls.
Permanence. Ambition. Now, a fort is only as interesting as the men who commanded it, and Fort Concho had some names that echoed well beyond this stretch of Texas.
There was General William R. Shafter, who would go on to become a major general of volunteers in the Spanish-American War and command the troops at the capture of Santiago de Cuba in July of 1898. There was Major John P.
Hatch — and at one point, the fort itself was named in his honor. There was General Wesley Merritt, who had been the first commander of Fort Davis after the Civil War and who later served as superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point. There was General Ranald Slidell Mackenzie, who led attacks from Fort Concho and other posts — attacks credited with the defeat of Indian resistance in the southwest.
And there was General Benjamin H. Grierson, commander of the Negro troops of the 10th Cavalry. Men of considerable weight, every one of them, passing through this sandstone post on the edge of a very unsettled world.
Fort Concho stood as a military post through the better part of two decades, and then — on June 20, 1889 — it was abandoned. The property passed into private ownership, the soldiers moved on, and the frontier that had needed protecting had, by then, become something else entirely. But the stone walls they built?
Those have a way of outlasting everything.
What the marker says
The center of a line of forts extending from the northeastern border of Texas to El Paso. Was also northern point of southern chain of forts extending to Rio Grande, thence along that river to its mouth. Established 1867 (at then junction of Butterfield Trail, Goodnight Trail and road to San Antonio) by 4th Cavalry under Capt. George G. Huntt to protect frontier. By March 1, 1870, fort buildings were (in order of their construction) a commissary and quartermaster storehouse, hospital, five officers quarters, a magazine and two barracks-- all built of sandstone. Among those who commanded post were: Gen. Wm. R. Shafter (later major general of volunteers, Spanish-American War; commanded troops at capture of Santiago de Cuba, July 1898); Maj. John P. Hatch (at one time fort was named in his honor); Gen. Wesley Merritt (first commander of Fort Davis after Civil War; was later superintendent of U. S. Military Academy at West Point); Gen. Ranald Slidell Mackenzie (who led attacks, from this and other forts, credited with defeat of Indian resistance in southwest); and Gen. Benjamin H. Grierson, commander of Negro troops of 10th Cavalry. On June 20, 1889, fort was abandoned as a military post and property passed into private ownership. (1970)