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Fort Union

U. S. Army installation in New Mexico Territory, established in 1851 to protect settlers and merchants from hostile Indians along the Santa Fe Trail.[1]

The first of three separate forts on the site was built in 1861. The rough collection of buildings established a military presence in the region only five years after the U. S. victory of the Mexican-American War. The fort was accidentally built on private property, part of the Mora Land Grant. The land owners took their case to court, but the fort's boundaries expanded over the next few years on the premise the site was a military reservation.[1] The case ultimately stalled out in Congress.[2]

The second, much more massive installation was built from 1861 to 1962, in preparation for anticipated Confederate aggressions into the territory after the beginning of the Civil War. The fort was built in a distinctive star pattern. The third post was begun in 1863, built as complex adobe structures and completed in 1869.[1]

Trail West to Fury: In 1865 and 1866, Bret and Bart Maverick fought in the 5th U. S. Volunteer Infantry[3] as Galvanized Yankees[4] along the Santa Fe Trail, between Fort Leavenworth and Fort Union.[3]

No longer of any military importance, the Army abandoned the fort on February 21, 1891. A caretaker remained for three years, after which the War Department relinquished its claim on the land, allowing it to revert to the original owners of the Mora Grant.

Today, the site is maintained as a National Monument by the National Park Service.[5]

Fort Union, c1867.[6]