Fort Marcy (2)
Fort Marcy (2) (1846-1894) - A U.S. Army post established in 1846 by Brigadier General Stephen Watts Kearny at Santa Fe in Santa Fe County, New Mexico. Named for Secretary of War William Marcy. Abandoned in 1894. Also known as Post at Santa Fe.
Fort Marcy (2) History
Established 23 Aug 1846 by Brigadier General Stephen Watts Kearny during the Mexican War. General Kearny brought a force of 2,500 men into New Mexico from Fort Leavenworth and claimed the territory for the United States. Most of the Mexican defenders at Santa Fe left for Mexico and Santa Fe was surrendered without a fight.
General Kearny ordered fortifications built at Santa Fe and 1st Lt. William H. Emory, U.S. Topographical Engineers, selected a site at the top of a hill overlooking the town. 1st Lt. Jeremy F. Gilmer, U.S. Corps of Engineers supervised the construction of an earthworks and blockhouse on the selected site.
Fort Marcy evolved into a post split between the fortification at the top of the hill and the area below, around the Governor's Palace. The area below evolved into a cantonment for the fort with officer housing, administrative and quartermaster functions. The fortification at the top of the hill fell into disuse without a threat. The lower post was bounded by present day Federal, Washington, Palace and Grant Avenues.
Fort Marcy was deactivated and the garrison withdrawn on 23 Aug 1867 but some military functions remained and the post came to be known as Post at Santa Fe. The post was reactivated in 1875 and abandoned again in 1891 and permanently abandoned on 10 Oct 1894. The reservation was transferred to the Interior Department on 28 Jun 1895.
Current Status
Santa Fe, Santa Fe County, New Mexico
USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) Database Entry: 918419
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Location: Santa Fe, Santa Fe County, New Mexico. Maps & Images Lat: 35.6955556 Long: -105.9338889 |
Sources:
- Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 527
- Hart, Herbert M., Tour Guide to Old Western Forts, Pruett Publishing Co., Boulder CO, 1980, ISBN 0-87108-568-2,page 102-103
Links:
Visited: 21 Mar 2013
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