Fort Union, New Mexico – Protecting the Santa Fe Trail
Nestled in the vast expanse of northeastern New Mexico, the spectral remains of Fort Union stand as a poignant testament to a bygone era. This once-thriving military post, the largest of its kind in the region, played a pivotal role in shaping the destiny of the Southwest for nearly four decades. More than just a military installation, Fort Union served as a bustling nexus of frontier defense, a vital supply depot, and a crucial transportation hub, all intrinsically linked to the legendary Santa Fe Trail.
Strategically positioned astride the southern end of the Mountain Branch of the Santa Fe Trail, near its confluence with the southern terminus of the Cimarron Cutoff, Fort Union held immense strategic importance. Its location placed it at the heart of a network of forts established in New Mexico and southern Arizona following the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), a conflict that dramatically reshaped the map of the American Southwest. This acquisition of territory from Mexico necessitated a strong military presence to maintain order, protect settlers, and secure vital trade routes.
The mission of Fort Union was multifaceted, encompassing a wide range of responsibilities that extended far beyond simple military defense. The fort served as a crucial waypoint along the Santa Fe Trail, offering weary travelers and merchants a place to rest, resupply, and refit their wagons and teams. It also functioned as a vital stopping point for mail coaches traveling between Independence, Missouri, and Santa Fe, ensuring the flow of communication across the vast distances of the frontier.
Furthermore, Fort Union served as the major Army supply depot for the entire Southwest. The fort received, stored, and distributed vast quantities of provisions, ammunition, and other essential supplies to far-flung military outposts scattered throughout the region. Civilian wagon freighters played a critical role in this logistical operation, transporting military supplies to and from the fort under contract with the U.S. Army.
In addition to its logistical and defensive roles, Fort Union served as a staging ground for military campaigns against various Native American tribes, including the Apache, Ute, Navajo, Kiowa, and Comanche. These campaigns aimed to suppress tribal resistance, protect settlers, and secure the expanding boundaries of the United States. The fort provided a base of operations for troops venturing into the homelands of these tribes, often engaging in skirmishes and full-scale battles.
Beyond its role in the Indian Wars, Fort Union also played a decisive role in repelling the Confederate invasion of New Mexico in 1862. As the primary staging area and logistical base for Union forces in the region, the fort supported the Colorado Volunteers who ultimately defeated the Confederate army at the Battle of Glorieta Pass, a pivotal engagement that prevented the Confederacy from gaining control of the Southwest. The defeat of the Confederate forces at Glorieta Pass was crucial in maintaining Union control of the Santa Fe Trail and the surrounding territories.
Over its lifetime, Fort Union existed in three distinct iterations, each reflecting the changing needs and priorities of the U.S. Army. The first fort, established in 1851, was a rudimentary collection of log buildings situated on the west bank of Coyote Creek. This initial outpost provided basic shelter and defensive capabilities, but it was quickly deemed inadequate to meet the growing demands of the region.
In 1861, as the threat of Confederate invasion loomed, construction began on a second, more formidable fort. This massive earthwork fortification, designed in a star shape with ditches, parapets, and bombproofs, was intended to withstand a full-scale assault. However, the need for such a heavily fortified position diminished after the Union victory at Glorieta Pass, and work on the star fort was discontinued in 1862.
The third and final Fort Union, a sprawling complex of adobe structures built in the Territorial architectural style, was constructed between 1863 and 1869. This impressive installation, located in the same area as the star fort, comprised a vast array of buildings, including barracks, officers’ quarters, warehouses, a hospital, stables, and corrals. The arsenal for this final fort was strategically built on the site of the original log fort. The garrison’s most pressing responsibility, particularly during times of heightened Indian unrest, was providing escorts and other forms of protection for travelers along the Santa Fe Trail.
The dragoons and mounted riflemen stationed at Fort Union focused their efforts on securing the Cimarron Cutoff, a shorter but more dangerous route that extended northeastward to the Cimarron Crossing of the Arkansas River. Traveling the Cimarron Cutoff was fraught with peril, as it passed through the heart of Kiowa and Comanche territory. However, its shorter distance made it an attractive alternative to the Mountain Branch for many travelers and merchants.
The Civil War years proved to be a particularly challenging period for the Santa Fe Trail. The threat of Confederate raids, coupled with increased Indian attacks, made travel along the trail exceedingly dangerous. Maintaining a continuous flow of supplies to Union forces in New Mexico became a critical priority. Despite these challenges, the garrison at Fort Union managed to keep the trail open, employing a variety of tactics, including escorts, temporary outposts, and full-scale offensive campaigns.
The Santa Fe Trail was inextricably linked to Fort Union’s mission as a supply depot. Until the arrival of the Santa Fe Railway in 1879, long trains of freight wagons, pulled by teams of twelve yoke oxen, traversed the trail, carrying vast quantities of military supplies to the fort for distribution to posts throughout the Southwest.
The heavy concentration of troops scattered at far-flung posts in New Mexico and Arizona created a significant logistical challenge. The arid landscape was ill-suited to supporting such a large military presence, and virtually all provisions had to be hauled over the Santa Fe Trail from Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The need for a central depot in eastern New Mexico to receive, store, and distribute these supplies became increasingly apparent.
The volume of freight traffic passing through Fort Union grew to such an extent that it rivaled, if not surpassed, Santa Fe in commercial importance. Civilian companies, under contract with the U.S. Army, handled the vast majority of military freighting along the trail. Upon arrival at Fort Union, freight was unloaded, repacked, and assigned to various posts throughout the region. Wagons or entire trains carrying shipments destined for a single fort often continued directly to their final destination.
Large-scale military freighting, dominated by firms such as Russell, Majors, and Waddell, continued until 1866, when the railroad began to extend westward into Kansas. As the railroad advanced, each railhead town served briefly as the point of embarkation for freight wagons heading west. After the rails reached Denver in 1870, wagons continued to transport supplies along the Mountain Branch of the trail between Pueblo and Fort Union. The arrival of the Santa Fe Railway in the Mora Valley in 1879 marked the end of the era of military freighting on the Santa Fe Trail.
The protection of the Santa Fe Trail and the logistical support of troops in the region were indirectly related to the Indian Wars, but Fort Union was also directly involved in these conflicts. When the U.S. acquired the Southwest following the Mexican-American War, it inherited the long-standing conflicts between Native American tribes and the Spanish and Mexican populations. The nomadic tribes of New Mexico had resisted foreign encroachment for centuries, and they continued to fight against the Americans, who were encroaching upon their lands, depleting their game, and disrupting their traditional way of life.
From 1851 until 1875, troops from Fort Union were frequently deployed in the field, engaging in skirmishes and full-scale campaigns against various Native American tribes. Notable campaigns in which the garrison participated before the Civil War included those against the Jicarilla Apache in 1854, the Utes in southern Colorado in 1855, and the Kiowa and Comanche along the eastern borders of New Mexico in 1860.
The Indian Wars intensified during the Civil War, as General James H. Carleton, commander of the California Column of Volunteers, directed Army operations in New Mexico. Taking advantage of the Confederate invasion, various tribes stepped up their raiding activities. New Mexico and California Volunteers, under the command of the experienced Indian fighter Colonel Kit Carson, conducted significant campaigns against the Mescalero Apache (1862-63), the Navajo (1863-64), and the Kiowa and Comanche (1864-65).
After the Civil War, Regular Army troops replaced the Volunteers, and soldiers from Fort Union and other New Mexico posts participated in the final wars against the southern Plains tribes, including General Sheridan’s 1868-69 campaign and the Red River War of 1874-75. These campaigns effectively ended Fort Union’s involvement in the Indian Wars.
In 1879, the arrival of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad rendered Fort Union obsolete as a supply depot. However, the fort was not officially abandoned until 1891.
Today, the history-laden adobe ruins of Fort Union rise starkly from the surrounding plains, serving as a poignant reminder of a vanished frontier. The ruins, stabilized to prevent further erosion, sprawl northward for nearly half a mile from the visitor center. Visitors can explore the outlines of melted walls and the remnants of chimneys that once belonged to corrals, stables, a hospital, barracks, officers’ quarters, and the large warehouses that comprised Fort Union between 1863 and 1891. Adjacent to this post are the remnants of the massive star fort (1861-62). Across the valley to the west lie the ruins of the arsenal from the 1863-91 complex, built on the site of the original log fort (1851-62), most traces of which have long since disappeared. Remarkably well-preserved trail ruts of the Santa Fe Trail are readily visible in the vicinity and can be followed for miles. A museum and visitor center provide interpretive exhibits that detail the fort’s history, and a self-guided tour leads visitors through the evocative remains of this once-vital frontier post.
Fort Union National Monument is located eight miles north of Watrous, New Mexico, on NM Highway 161.
Contact Information:
Fort Union National Monument
P.O. Box 127
Watrous, New Mexico 87753
505-425-8025