Fort McIntosh (Texas)
Fort McIntosh was a military base in Laredo, Webb County, Texas, that existed from 1849 to 1946.
Fort McIntosh was established in 1849 to guard the Texas frontier at the site of a strategic river crossing. Originally named Camp Crawford, the fort was renamed Fort McIntosh in 1850 in honor of Lieutenant Colonel James Simmons McIntosh, a hero in the Battle of Molino del Rey during the Mexican-American War.
The fort was abandoned by Federal troops at the outbreak of the American Civil War. The Battle of Laredo took place near the fort on March 19, 1864, when seventy-two men repelled three attacks from a force of two hundred Federal soldiers sent from Brownsville, Texas On October 23, 1865, the post was re-occupied by federal troops of the 2nd Texas Cavalry.
In the late 19th century, Several African American units among them the Tenth Cavalry, the "Buffalo Soldiers", were stationed at Fort McIntosh.
Gate to Fort McIntosh Cemetery in Laredo, Texas This monument honors all the fallen at Fort McIntosh Cemetery; no individual graves remain.During World War I, the fort was used as a training base and saw over 15,000 recruits pass through the gates. During World War II, the 8th Service Command, the 56th Cavalry Brigade, the Southern Land Frontier, the Civil Air Patrol, and battalion of military police all were stationed at the facility at one time or another.
The fort was deactivated in 1946, and the land is now part of the campus of Laredo Community College main campus.[1] The Laredo United States Army Reserve 340th Quarter Master Company is located within the fort.
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National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places added Fort McIntosh (#75002011) to its registered historic districts in 1975. Its areas of historic significance are its 1850-1924 Late Vistorian Architecture and Military background. All of Fort McIntosh buildings have been preserved and remodeled and today they serve as educational buildings for the Laredo Community College.[2]
The former Holding Institute boarding school was established south of Fort McIntosh from 1881-1954, when it relocated to north Laredo because of funding. The institution closed in 1983 and was revived as a community center in downtown Laredo in 1987.[3] 881-
Aerial View
The full length of the Fort McIntosh U.S. Military Reservation in 1892.References
- ^ Handbook of Texas Online, s.v. "," (accessed May 22, 2008).
- ^ National Register of Historic Places in Webb County
- ^ "John H. McNeely, "Holding Institute"". The Handbook of Texas. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/HH/kbh7.html. Retrieved September 30, 2009.
See also
Categories: Forts in Texas | National Register of Historic Places in Texas | Texas in the American Civil War | Buildings and structures in Laredo, Texas | History of Laredo, Texas
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