Category:Fort Brown

This is a stub article. You are encouraged to add content and remove the stub notation {{Stub}} when you feel it has enough content to qualify as a full article.

Fort Brown (1834-1836) - Named for Maj. Jacob Brown who was killed at Fort Brown (then Fort Texas) in 1846.

Early Years (1834-1836)

Mexican War (1846-1848)

In 1845 when Mexican officials rejected U.S. President James K. Polk's offer to buy western lands he ordered U.S. troops into the disputed region between Texas and Mexico increasing the likelihood that Mexican troops would cross the Rio Grande and strike the first blows.

In March 1846 General Zachary Taylor's army of 3,000 crossed the Nueces River and marched south. The army stopped at a bluff beside a bend in the river, directly across from Matamoros. Seeing the U.S. soldiers, many of the 20,000 residents fled south, leaving behind a population of about 4,000 and the Mexican army.

Fort Texas, as it was first named, was an earthen structure with walls 15 feet wide shaped into a six-sided star. The finished walls stood nine to 10 feet tall. Chief engineer Captain Joseph K.F. Mansfield followed a plan calling for hollowing out a ditch about eight feet deep and 15 to 22 feet wide, creating another defense around the fort perimeter. A draw bridge spanned the ditch, and a gate was placed at the entrance. The fort projected out to form palisades at each of the star's six points where soldiers placed cannons with barrels facing every possible approach, including Mexican gun emplacements on the opposite side of the Rio Grande. Sandbags stacked around the weapons gave added protection against incoming shells.

The provocation came as a U.S. patrol led by Captain Seth Thornton was ambushed by Mexican troops under General Anastasio Torrejon and the President asked Congress for a declaration of war which was quickly passed by both houses.

Mexican forces began a seige of the incomplete fort on 3 May 1846 bombarding the fort with artillery. The U.S. artillery replied with great effect. Lieutenant Braxton Bragg, who later became a Confederate general, directed the U.S. artillery that fired on Ampudia’s troops. Capt. Jacob Brown was killed in one of the artillery exchanges and the Fort was later named for him. Fifteen soldiers in the Fort Texas siege were later Civil War officers, including George Thomas, John Reynolds and Lafayette McClaws. U. S. Grant was also part of Taylor's expedition.

Civil War (1861-1865)

Location: Northeastern Houston County, Texas

• Latitude: 31.5025
• Longitude: -95.40167

Links:

• National Park Service
• Yahoo Map

Books:

FORT BROWN, TEXAS By Deborah L. Daws TEXAS HISTORIAN

Fort Brown was built around 1834 in northeastern Houston County by Reuben Brown for his wife Sharah (Parker) Brown and family. The Parker family group around 1833 had started their journey from Illinois to Texas with the intention of organizing a Pilgrim Church. They settled for a short time at the Reuben Brown Fort. Then they moved on to Houston County, (Elkhart), part of the family stayed in Houston County and established the community of Refuge. The cemetery is still there and Reuben and wife and other settlers of Fort Brown are buried there. Other members of the group preferred to settle farther west, near the Navasota River. Elder John Parker and three of his sons (Silas, James, and Benjamin) began in December 1833 to clear land and to construct "Parker's Fort."

On May 19, 1836, Comanche Indians attacked the fort; 5 were killed, 5 were captured, and the 21 survivors made their way to where Palestine is today. The most famous of the captives was Cynthia Ann Parker. She adapted to Indian ways and later married Chief Peta Nocona. Quanah Parker, the last great Comanche chief, who was involved in the Battle of Palo Duro Canyon, was the most famous of their three children.

A small settlement had formed by 1836, when Texas declared her independence from Mexico, but the region was still only sparsely settled when United States troops under General Zachary Taylor arrived in early 1846. After taking up a position across from Matamoros, Taylor's forces began the construction of a defensive position near the settlement. Their temporary fort was originally called Fort Texas, but was renamed Fort Brown a short time later, in honor of Major Jacob Brown, who died during a Mexican attack on the stronghold.

On April 25 about 1.600 Mexican soldiers, who had crossed the river, surrounded an American detachment and killed or captured its members. This was the unofficial start of the Mexican War. Taylor set out for Point Isabel to secure his base and, after several days devoted to strengthening its defenses, began a return march to relieve Fort Texas, which had come under Mexican bombardment. Taylor won the wars with Mexico and became a national hero while stationed at Fort Brown.

Zachery Taylor became a legend while occupying Fort Texas, (Fort Brown). He became know as "Old Rough and Ready". There is a lot more about this fort but these are it's main reasons for being in existence. It just seems to of been forgotten in a lot of circles.