As millions of settlers flooded west to seek land, work on the railroad, or prospect for gold, the small US Army was tasked with the duty of protecting them from the Native American tribes that inhabited the Great Plains. The basic strategy adopted by the Army was the construction of a network of permanent forts and temporary cantonments, or camps, which were strung out along the trails, rivers, and railroads. The weakness of this strategy was the small size of the Army, which never rose above 25,000 men during the entire period of western expansion.
As a result, regiments were usually dispersed between numerous different posts, and given diverse assignments. For example, in 1874 the 2nd Cavalry occupied Fort Sanders, Fort Fred Steele, Camp Stambaugh, Camp Brown, Camp Douglas, and Fort Laramie, in Wyoming Territory, with a detachment at OmahaBarracks, in Nebraska. Hence, it was strung out from the neighborhood of Cheyenne, northward through the Rocky Mountains to the border with Montana Territory, which amounted to over 800 miles of frontier. Similarly, the 4th Infantry was spread out along the Union Pacific Railroad, with companies at Fort Bridger, Fort D.A. Russell, and Fort Sanders, in Wyoming Territory, and Camp Douglas, in Utah. One other company was posted at Fort Fetterman. Nonetheless, the system was designed to make the blue-coated soldier visible to the Indians, and placed him close enough to be able to prevent trouble and to react quickly when it occurred.
Prior to the passage of the Indian Removal Act of 1830, which relocated the Indian tribes east of the Mississippi River, where it was felt they might have the opportunity to become "civilized" farmers in the lands known as Indian Territory, the Army scattered its posts along the main routes west. Following the establishment of the "Permanent Indian Frontier," a chain of military posts was established from Fort Leavenworth in the north to Forts Washita and Towson in the south, to police the Native Americans and protect the white settlers.
By 1860, there were 73 forts and cantonments on the frontier. Increased hostile behavior among the Indians caused this number to reach a high mark of 116 posts by 1867. Often built by the troops who subsequently manned them, 36 of these forts were situated on the Northern and Central Plains, seven were placed by the fast-flowing waters of the Missouri River, while ten guarded the overland trails leading to Santa Fe, Denver, and the Colorado gold fields. Four were responsible for protecting the construction gangs building the Union Pacific Railroad, while two were the guardians of the Kansas Pacific Railroad. The remainder were dotted around the foothills of Colorado, Montana, and Wyoming territories. All these forts played a vital role in the story of the settlement of the American West. |
