Fort Duncan
in Texas, also called Camp Eagle Pass was abandoned by Union troops March 20th
1861.
A temporary
post was established at a strategic point on the east bank of the Rio Grande
River known as Eagle Pass, at the beginning of the Mexican American War in
1846. The permanent post was built there
and name Fort Duncan after a Mexican American War hero, Colonel James Duncan. The post was garrisoned on March 27th
1849 by United States Captain Sidney Burbank with three infantry companies. The Fort was important because of its
location on the California Road, a significant trade crossing into Mexico. In May 1859 the United States Secretary of
War John B Floyd order the Fort abandoned, but United States Lieutenant Colonel
Robert E Lee had the Fort reoccupied in March 1860.
With the
start of the Civil War the Fort’s Union troops abandoned the post on March 20th
1861. It was occupied within a short
time by Confederates using Texas Rangers and volunteers, the name changed to
Rio Grande Station. It would serve
throughout the war as an important point of trade between the Confederacy and
Mexico, with cotton going out and weapons coming in.
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