History

Fort Jesup State History Site

History

Fort Jesup State Historic Site

Brief History of Fort Jesup

The history of Fort Jesup begins with the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. When President Thomas Jefferson purchased the Louisiana Territory from France, the western boundary of the purchased was not defined in the Treaty, Spain claimed that the boundary was near Natchitoches while the United States claimed everything to the Rio Grande. In 1806, open war almost broke out between Spain and the U.S. over the boundary as the two armies assembled at the Sabine River. The American commander, General James Wilkinson, suggested an agreement to create a Neutral Strip between the Sabine River and the Arryo Hondo near Natchitoches. Wilkinson’s motives for creating the Neutral Strip may not have been simple patriotism, because Wilkinson was not only a Spanish Spy, but he was also involved in Arron Burr’s plot to create an empire of the Ohio Vally, the Louisiana Purchase, and Mexico. Whatever his motives, Wilkinson had left the United States a 40-mile-wide strip of land that neither country controlled. Since neither government were allowed to station troops or law enforcement officials in the region, this “No Man’s Land” had become a haven for outlaws who either preyed on travelers passing through the region or committed crimes in the United States or Spanish Texas then fled to the Neutral Ground to hide.

Once the boundary was officially set at the Sabine River, the Governor of Louisiana requested that the War Department build a fort close to the Sabine River. Fort Jesup was founded by Lieutenant Colonel and future President Zachary Taylor in 1822 and was located halfway between the Red and Sabine Rivers in northwest Louisiana. Built a day’s march from the international boundary with Mexico at the Sabine River (since Texas was still part of Mexico at this time), the post’s missions were to guard and protect the international boundary, protect settlers moving into the region, and to bring law and order to the former Neutral Ground. Soldiers from the fort built a series of roads connecting military posts in Arkansas and Oklahoma, which were also used by settlers moving west. During the 1836 Texas Revolution, Fort Jesup was made the headquarters of the Western Department of the Army with the arrival of Major General Edmund P. Gaines and his staff, and the 6th US Infantry was sent to reinforce the 3rd US Infantry already stationed there. During the conflict, the United States was officially neutral, but many soldiers deserted to join the Texas cause. At least three Fort Jesup soldiers died at the Alamo, a dozen or more were killed in the massacre at Goliad, and a large number fought at the Battle of San Jacinto which won Texas it’s independence.  Fort Jesup soldiers served among many Texas Army units, including in the Texas Regular Army Infantry and Artillery. General Sam Houston gave both units credit for the Texas victory, even though the Texas Army was outnumbered. After the war, many of the soldiers returned to the United States Army and were reinstated to their former ranks and companies. Those who stayed in Texas were required to return their US Army issued muskets.

By 1845, Fort Jesup was one of the largest posts west of the Mississippi River and covered an area of 16,902 acres, roughly three miles in every direction from the flag staff. By the time the fort closed, there were over one hundred buildings at the fort (in an era when most forts only had twenty or thirty buildings). Because of the size of the post, there were no walls around the perimeter. The fort was laid out as a large rectangle with officer’s quarters on the north side of the Parade Ground, enlisted soldier’s barracks on the south and east side and the administrative buildings on the west side. The post hospital was to the south of the enlisted barracks. Fort Jesup was one of the most comfortable southern posts, with temperatures averaged lows of 76 and highs of 96 during the summer with “cool and pleasant” evenings due to the “refreshing breezes which come in the direction of the Gulf of Mexico.” In fact, the fort was considered as one of the healthiest on the western frontier, not only by medical officers but by the Inspector General as well.

The training that the officers and soldiers received and the professionalism they gained at Fort Jesup would soon be put to the test. In 1844, the Republic of Texas began negotiations to be annexed into the United States and Mexico threatened to invade Texas and declare war on the United States if Texas was added to the Union. At the request of the Texas Government, additional troops were sent to Fort Jesup and Brigadier General Zachary Taylor was placed in command of the troops. The Third Infantry was sent to reinforce Fort Jesup and the Fourth Infantry was stationed about a day’s march away at the river port of Grand Ecore. With the annexation of Texas, Taylor’s “Army of Observation” was ordered to move to the Texas sea port of Corpus Christi near the disputed border. The Third left Fort Jesup on July 7th to march to Grand Ecore where they joined the Fourth infantry to travel down the Red River on river boats to New Orleans then traveled by sea to Corpus Christi. The Dragoons left Fort Jesup on July 25 on a herculean overland march through the summer heat of Texas.

Traveling roughly 501.5 miles they “encountered difficulties on the route, and obstacles that seemed insurmountable, but nothing impeded our progress” and arrived at Corpus Christi on August 27, 1845, in good fighting order. In fact, as the regiment neared Corpus Christi they heard loud explosions from the direction of Taylor’s camp and fearing that the Mexican Army had launched a surprise attack, Twiggs ordered the regiment to prepare to counterattack the enemy and as they rushed to their countrymen’s aid, they soon discovered that they explosions were a Texas thunderstorm. Taylor was impressed by the regiments ability to shift from the column of march to lines of battle so quickly, especially after the long march the men had endured.   Within a few months the Dragoons would find themselves in the middle of another war and would demonstrate courage and professionalism throughout the two-year Mexican War, expanding their reputation as a hard fighting regiment. Their success on the battlefields of Mexico were in large part due to the training and instruction that the regiment received on the parade ground and drill fields of Fort Jesup. Not only were the enlisted soldiers well trained and drilled at Fort Jesup, but they had learned to have faith in their officers and NCO’s and would follow them into the thickest of firefights. The officer’s learned professionalism and an understanding of the latest tactics while under the watchful eye of William Hardee and David Twiggs and not only gained a high level of professionalism but had experience commanding and drilling large units, a rarity in the prewar army which had around eight thousand officers and men spread out over thousands of miles of seacoast and the frontier. The time soldiers and officers spent training at Fort Jesup would have a lasting effect on the American History, and many of the officers stationed at Fort Jesup would become generals on both sides during the Civil War.

Today, a portion of Fort Jesup is owned and operated by Louisiana Office of State Parks and is open to the public. Because of the important role Fort Jesup played in American History, the site is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has been designated by Congress as a National Historical Landmark, the highest designation that Congress can bestow on a historical property. Fort Jesup State Historic Site has twenty acres of land containing the archaeological remains of about twenty buildings, a two-story museum housed in a reconstruction of one of the officer’s quarters built by the 2nd Dragoons in the 1840’s and an original enlisted men’s kitchen and mess hall built ca 1837.  The Friends of Fort Jesup have been working for several years to raise money to install new exhibits in the museum, expand the public programs at the site, purchase reproduction uniforms and equipment to use for Living History events and to create YouTube videos and documentary videos about the history of the fort and the regiments that served there.  If you would like more information about visiting Fort Jesup or how to help preserve and improve the site, contact the Friends of Fort Jesup at ftjesupfriends@yahoo.com.

Timeline of Major Events in the History

Fort Jesup, Louisiana

1803

The Louisiana Purchase doubles the size of the United States but leaves the western boundary undefined.

1806

Spanish troops cross the Sabine River, claiming that their territory extends to just west of Natchitoches. General James Wilkinson was sent with reinforcements to expel the Spanish troops back across the Sabine. Wilkinson and the Spanish commander agreed to the Neutral Strip agreement creating a thirty to forty mile wide buffer zone between the Sabine River and the Rio Hondo. But there may have been more than just patriotism motivating Wilkinson, as he was the commanding general of the US Army, a Spanish Agent, and may have been involved in the Aaron Burr Conspiracy.

1806 to 1821

The Neutral Strip became a haven for outlaws from both countries, many of whom preyed on the settlers and merchants traveling to Texas.

January 1821

Treaty of Spain ratified.

1822

When the Adams Onis Treaty set the Western Boundary of the United States at the Sabine River in 1821, the War Department moved quickly to protect the new international boundary and to bring law and order to the Neutral Strip. Lt. Col. (and future President) Zachary Taylor was ordered to build a fort along the old El Camino Real, the King’s Highway, that had been the Royal Road between Los Adaes and Mexico City during the Spanish period and now known as the Texas Road. He selected the highest ground along the road, located a day’s march from the Sabine River, and sent an advance party to begin construction. Taylor arrived at the post on May 13 with the rest of his command. Taylor named the post Cantonment Jesup in honor of his friend, the Quartermaster General of the Army Thomas S. Jesup. The name would be changed to Fort Jesup in the 1830’s.

1823

Lt. Col. James B. Many assumes command of the post. A War of 1812 veteran, he would command the post during several tours for a total of almost 15 years. In 1843, the Town of Many, the new parish seat of Sabine Parish would be named in his honor.

June 1823

James B. Many led an expedition to map the Sabine River. One of the soldiers recalled that “…at night, the growling of the bears, the howling of the wolves, and the screams of the American panther, made the hair of the sturdiest soldiers stand on end.” The little party found a landscape full of all types of vegetation and “…so teeming with insects of every variety, that animal life abounded there to an exuberance never before witnessed. The canes were like small saplings, the swamps were like dark clouds, and the wilderness was made alive by the ten thousand birds of every hue, reptiles of every class, and beasts of every name, that sported, and crept, and roamed, and fed, and procreated, in its broad and prolific bosom (Gray 1868 p 49).”

1823

Fort Jesup was the largest military post in Louisiana, a position it would hold for most of the next quarter century.

1825 to 1830’s

Troops from Fort Jesup were called on several times to help clear the Red River, helping to open it to steamboat navigation leading to increased settlement in Northwest Louisiana.

1827 to 1828

Soldiers from Fort Jesup built a 262 mile road from Natchitoches to Fort Towson in modern day Oklahoma. This road not only made it easier to reinforce and supply Fort Towson but the road helped open Arkansas and Oklahoma to settlement.

Oct. 17, 1831

The companies of the 7th at Fort Jesup were transferred to Fort Gibson in modern day Oklahoma. Fort Jesup became the regimental headquarters for the 3rd Infantry under the command of Brevet Brigadier General Henry Leavenworth (who Fort Leavenworth, Kansas is named for).

March 1833

The boundaries of the post were extended three miles in each direction from the flag staff creating the Fort Jesup Military Reservation, an area of 16,940 acres.

1834

While leading an expedition to contact the Plains Tribes, General Leavenworth became ill and died near Cross Timbers on July 21, 1834. Col. Many was transferred to the 3rd Infantry and given command of the Regiment and of Fort Jesup on November 21, 1834. He would remain the regimental commander of the 3rd Infantry until his death in 1852.

1835

Soldiers from Fort Jesup took part in the Caddo Treaty of Cession, the treaty where the Caddo Indians sold their lands along the Red River which would lead to the settlement of Shreveport.

1835

Soldiers from Fort Jesup took part in the Caddo Treaty of Cession, the treaty where the Caddo Indians sold their lands along the Red River which would lead to the settlement of Shreveport.

Congress appropriated $25000 for an extensive reconstruction and expansion of Fort Jesup, however, the work would be delayed by the Texas Revolution and would not begin until 1837.

1835 to 1836

With the beginning of the Texas Revolution, Fort Jesup became the headquarters of the Western Department of the Army as Major General Edmund P. Gaines began assembling US troops to protect the border. Thirteen companies of the 3rd and 6th regiments of infantry (about 900 men) were assembled. Gaines was ordered to remain neutral but could cross the Sabine to Nacogdoches if either the Mexican or Texian Army threatened the boundary or if Native American raids began.

Many soldiers deserted to fight in the Texas Revolution. Several died at the Alamo and Goliad, and dozens to over a hundred fought at San Jacinto.

One company of the New Orleans Greys marched through the woods to avoid detention at Fort Jesup.

1837

Soldiers from Fort Jesup were ordered to clear the Sabine River for navigation and improve roads and crossings.

Fall 1837

Soldiers were sent to Alexandria to put down a slave revolt. Instead of siding with the mob, they ended mob rule, tore down gallows, and freed slaves held without proof.

April 1838

Dred Scott, enslaved servant of Dr. John Emerson, arrived at Fort Jesup and lived there until September 1838.

Nov. 1838

To protect the Caddo Tribe from Texas soldiers intending to attack several villages, Colonel Many led four companies and artillery to intervene. The Texans withdrew when they learned the US Army would side with the Caddo.

Oct. 1840

The 3rd Infantry was transferred to Florida for the 2nd Seminole War. The post was garrisoned by Company G, 4th Infantry until February 1842.

Jan. 14, 1842

The 2nd US Dragoons arrived under David E. Twiggs.

March 4, 1843

The Dragoons were dismounted by Congress and redesignated as the US Regiment of Riflemen. Stables were torn down, horses sold, and extra personnel discharged.

1843

Fort Jesup was the largest post in the First Military Department with 418 soldiers stationed there.

March 28, 1843

Pvt. Charles Lovenshold of Company H broke into Lt. Torry’s quarters and stole $2300.65. He fled, was captured, claimed robbers took the money, pled guilty, and was sentenced to two years of hard labor.

1844

As Mexico threatened war over US annexation talks with Texas, the War Department gathered troops at the border and moved the Western Division headquarters to Fort Jesup. Ulysses S. Grant was a frequent visitor.

April 4, 1844

The Regiment of Riflemen was remounted and redesignated the 2nd US Dragoons. New horses and stables were ordered.

May 10, 1844

Eight companies of the 3rd Infantry arrived, with two more arriving April 3, 1845.

June 1844

Zachary Taylor arrived to command troops in the region, forming the Army of Observation.

June 15, 1845

Taylor was ordered to prepare troops to move into Texas.

July 7, 1845

The 3rd Infantry left for New Orleans.

July 25, 1845

The 2nd Dragoons left overland for Texas. Sick soldiers remained under Lt. Inge.

Dec. 2, 1845

Lt. Inge received orders to send able troops to Texas and ship the sick to New Orleans. He was ordered to sell remaining supplies.

Jan. 1846

Inge’s detachment left, ending Fort Jesup’s occupation as a permanent post. The fort later served as a campsite, school grounds, and community site.

April 1850

Fort Jesup was divided into lots for sale. Remaining lots were sold in 1871 and unsold land transferred to the Department of the Interior.

March 30, 1864

During the Red River Campaign, Confederate divisions camped at Fort Jesup. Buildings were still standing but decayed.

April 1868

Company I, 4th US Cavalry camped at Fort Jesup.

1887 to 1896

The Fort Jesup Masonic Institute operated as an elementary, high school, college, and boarding school.

1896 to 1907

The institute buildings were transferred to Sabine Parish School Board. Central High School opened with 153 pupils. After a fire in 1907, the school moved to Many. An elementary school remained until 1917.

1907

Bodies in the post cemetery were moved to the National Cemetery at Pineville LA.

1920’s

Work began to preserve the Enlisted Kitchen and create a two acre park.

Sept. 1941

Fort Jesup was used as a camp during the Great Louisiana Maneuvers under George Patton.

July 3, 1956

The bill creating the Fort Jesup Park and Museum was signed.

March 27, 1960

Fort Jesup officially dedicated and opened to the public.

July 4, 1961

Fort Jesup declared a National Historical Landmark.

July 4, 1961

Fort Jesup declared a National Historical Landmark.

Oct. 15, 1966

Fort Jesup added to the National Register of Historic Places.

For more information

on The Friends of Fort Jesup

Location: 2770 Texas Hwy Many, LA 71449

Phone: 318-461-5376

Email: ftjesupfriends@yahoo.com

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