DUANE
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Duane's take
Here's how the official marker tells it: and it's quite a story to tell. William Jenkins Worth was born in Hudson, New York, in 1794, and from the very start he was a man who seemed to find his way to the center of things. During the War of 1812, he served as aide-de-camp to not one but two generals: Morgan Lewis and Winfield Scott.
Now, aide-de-camp sounds like a polished title, a desk job, maybe. It was not. At the Battle of Lundy's Lane, Worth was severely wounded.
Severely. And yet he stayed in the Army after the war was done. He kept climbing.
By 1820 he was Commandant of Cadets at West Point, a post he held until 1828; eight years shaping the next generation of American officers. Then in 1832 he was fighting in Illinois against the Sac and Fox Indians, led by Black Hawk. Through the 1830s he was tangled up in defenses along the Canadian border, and he also participated in the removal of Cherokee Indians from the Southeastern United States.
The man was never still for long. In 1842 Worth led an expedition against the Florida Seminole Indians and defeated the last hostile band at a place called Palaklakha Hammock. That was not a small thing.
Then came the Mexican War, 1846 to 1848. Worth fought with Zachary Taylor's forces at the Battle of Monterrey, and Congress didn't forget it; they awarded him a Sword of Honor and promoted him to Major General. He was also a leader in the 1847 conquest of Mexico City.
A Sword of Honor from Congress. Fifty feet of granite would seem about right for a resume like that. And that's exactly what he got; eventually.
But first, Worth was appointed Commander of the Texas and New Mexico Military Districts, stationed at San Antonio. And it was there, at San Antonio, that William Jenkins Worth died of cholera. He never made it out to the frontier he was meant to oversee.
Never visited this area at all. And yet, here's where the story turns; a frontier post was established here after his death and named in his honor. Fort Worth.
A city that would grow into one of the great cities of Texas, carrying the name of a man who never once set foot on this ground. Worth's grave is back in New York City, marked by a granite monument fifty feet tall, standing at Broadway and Fifth Avenue. Fifty feet of stone at one of the busiest intersections in America, for a general who spent his life everywhere but there.
Somehow it still feels like he's pointing west.
What the marker says
During the War of 1812, William Jenkins Worth, a native of Hudson, New York, was aide-de-camp to Generals Morgan Lewis and Winfield Scott. Severely wounded at Lundy's Lane, Worth remained in the Army after the war and later served as Commandant of Cadets at West Point, 1820-28. In 1832 he fought in Illinois against the Sac and Fox Indians, led by Black Hawk. Involved in defenses along the Canadian border in the 1830s, Worth also participated in the removal of Cherokee Indians from the Southeastern United States. In 1842 Worth led an expedition against Florida Seminole Indians, defeating the last hostile band at Palaklakha Hammock. During the Mexican War, 1846-48, he fought with Zachary Taylor's forces at the Battle of Monterrey and received a Sword of Honor from Congress and a promotion to Major General. He was also a leader in the 1847 conquest of Mexico City. Worth died of cholera at San Antonio while serving as Commander of the Texas and New Mexico Military Districts. Although he never visited this area, a frontier post named in his honor, Fort Worth, was established here after his death. His grave in New York City is marked by a granite monument, fifty feet tall, at Broadway and Fifth Avenue.