The First Fort Davis Historical

The First Fort Davis Historical (HM1TA5)

Location: Fort Davis, TX 79734 Jeff Davis County
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Country: United States of America
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N 30° 35.861', W 103° 53.607'

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Inscription

1854-1862

In 1854, the U.S. Army established Fort Davis, which extended from this location westward into the box canyon. Initially, the fort consisted of crude wooden buildings with thatched and canvas roofs. Six stone barracks were later erected for the enlisted men. With an average monthly strength of 191 officers and enlisted men, the post was comprised of over fifty structures. Abandoned by Federal troops in April of 1861, Fort Davis was occupied by Confederate soldiers until August of 1862.

"We have a fine post now. Things are getting comfortable. We expect to have a fine store, a library, reading room, billiard room and bowling alley."
Albert James Myer, Post Surgeon, 1855

(captions)
Sketch by Captain Arthur T Lee, who served here from 1854 to 1858. Courtesy Department of Rare Books & Special Collections, University of Rochester Libraries

Fort Davis - 1856 Map from Colonel Joseph K.F. Mansfield's Inspection Report.

1861 sketch of Fort Davis by Morgan W. Merrick, a Confederate soldier. Courtesy Daughter of the Republic of Texas.

Some first Fort Davis foundations are highlighted in yellow on the above illustration. The other structures are part of the second Fort Davis. Notice that the first fort barracks were oriented true north, while the second fort officers quarters were aligned magnetic north.
Details
HM NumberHM1TA5
Tags
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Placed ByNational Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Tuesday, July 26th, 2016 at 1:03pm PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)13R E 606082 N 3385537
Decimal Degrees30.59768333, -103.89345000
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 30° 35.861', W 103° 53.607'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds30° 35' 51.66" N, 103° 53' 36.42" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)432
Which side of the road?Marker is on the right when traveling West
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 3rd St, Fort Davis TX 79734, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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