Homeland Security: Frontier Army 1848-1860

Military Mission and Associated Sites - Between 1848 and 1860, the U.S. Army played the role of peacekeeper in Texas, initially doing so with a force of 1488 men: 1 man for each 180 square miles of Texas territory. The first U.S. troops in Texas’ frontier established a string of posts along the Mexican border. Subsequent posts were defined by limit of settlement in 1849. The First Federal Line was composed of Fort Worth, Forts Graham and Gates on the Brazos and its tributaries, Fort Croghan on the Colorado above Austin, and Fort Martin Scott on the Guadalupe near present-day Fredericksburg (1848). These posts failed to fulfill their mission because they were so few in number and were manned by infantry, who could not match the mounted Comanches who dominated the southern plains.

By the early 1850s, a second line of posts became necessary. In 1851, Fort Belknap was established on the upper reaches of the Brazos. Additional posts were located approximately one hundred miles in advance of the line of settlement, stretching in a great arc away from General William Marcy’s military road to the Rio Grande. From Fort Belknap on the north, the line of posts curved southward to Fort Phantom Hill on the Clear Fork of the Brazos (1851), to Fort Chadbourne on a tributary of the upper Colorado (1852), Fort McKavett at the head of the San Saba (1852), Fort Terret on the Llano River (1852), concluding with Fort Clark (1852), the southern anchor of this outer line of posts.

This Second Federal Line was manned by infantry, with the idea that these footsoldiers could scout the great trails of the region, and when the Indians passed this line to raid settlements they could warn the mounted troops stationed at the old First Federal Line. Once warned, these dragoons could then take up pursuit.