Fort Griffin helped restore order on Texas frontier

 Edited by Jim Fish

Fort Griffin once stood as a military outpost on the Texas frontier, helping restore law and order during a turbulent period marked by Indian raids, outlaw activity and westward expansion. 

The history of the fort was chronicled in a 1928 article submitted to Frontier Times by Col. Martin L. Crimmins, a U.S. Army officer, military historian and noted herpetologist.

“During the Civil War and for some years afterwards, the depredations of Indians and outlaws drove back our western frontier in Texas from fifty to one hundred miles. To re-establish law and order our government first used our army, as being the best available body of trained men. A line of forts stretched across our western frontier from Jacksboro to El Paso, starting with Fort Richardson on the East, next came Forts Griffin, Concho, Stockton, Davis, Quitman, and Bliss.

“Fort Griffin was established July 31, 1867, and was first called Camp Wilson. It was situated at latitude 30°, 58°, and longitude 99°, 10”, on the Clear Fork of the Brazos River, 73 miles west—southwest of Fort Richardson at Jacksboro; 150 miles west of Dallas, which was the nearest railway station and 305 miles north of San Antonio.

“After a careful survey of the surrounding country, the site for the fort was selected on Maxwell's Ranch, on a plateau 100 feet above the Clear Fork, as to be well above high water, with a well-wooded valley half a mile to the East.

“The fort was called after Major General Charles Griffin, who commanded the district and who died Sep. 15, 1867, after twenty-five years of honorable and distinguished service, from the Mexican War period to the Civil War. During the latter, he was breveted for gallantry at Bull Run, the Wilderness, Weldon, and Five Forks with ranks from Major to Major General.

“It was originally intended to build the fort in the form of a square and to have permanent stone buildings. Steam sawmills, window sash, 85 door frames and the necessary mechanics, were brought all the way from San Antonio and it was estimated that it would take a year to complete the buildings as planned. In the meantime, wooden shelters were built to protect the troops from the "northers". 

“A line of officers' quarters, consisting of one room and one kitchen, were erected. The Commanding Officers' Quarters were made of an old log house, hauled from a deserted ranch, and consisted of two rooms and a similar building was used for a hospital. 

“For some unknown reason, the original plans were never carried out, and the Fort was abandoned in 1881. Probably the extinction of the buffalo had something to do with the change of plans, for when it was first occupied, it was the headquarters of the buffalo hunters and for about ten years was the wildest town in the Wild West. As many as 200,000 hides of buffalo have been brought to Fort Griffin for trade in one year. With the year 1877, hide hunting was at an end and the garrison at the Fort was reduced.

“The buildings consisted of quarters for six companies and a band, eleven sets of officers' quarters, an adjutant's office, hospital, guardhouse, five storehouses, forage houses, bakery, four stable sheds, workshops, and laundresses' quarters. The supplies were shipped from the depots at St. Louis, New Orleans, and San Antonio. The route from St. Louis was via the Missouri, Kansas and Texas railway to Denison and hauled by wagon train to the post, a combined distance of 756 miles.

“From New Orleans the route was to Galveston by water and hence by rail and wagon 781 miles. From San Antonio it was 305 miles by wagon via Fort Mason.

“All drinking water was furnished by wagons which drew it from Clear Fork of the Brazos. During the summer, this water had a bad taste and was unfit for drinking. No bathing facilities were furnished and during the summer the men bathed in Collins Creek and the Clear Fork. 

“There were no gardens at the post, as there was no means to irrigate them and the rainfall was insufficient. Fresh potatoes were obtained at Jacksboro and Weatherford at a cost of from $3 to $5 a bushel and a dollar more for delivery. The only means of transportation was by horse, mule, or ox wagon. 

“Four mails a week were received at the post as follows: from the Easily via St. Louis and Fort Smith on Sundays and Thursdays; from the West, via San Antonio and Fort Concho, on Mondays and Thursdays. The Indians and floods sometimes interfered with the schedule. It took eight days for mail to reach department headquarters, at Austin and twelve days to reach Washington.

“Among the distinguished officers who were stationed at this post may be mentioned Adna R. Chaffee. He had a very gallant career during the Civil War and was one of our leading heroes at Santiago during the Spanish-American War and at Pekin, during the China Relief Expedition.

“He was assigned to a troop of the Sixth Cavalry at Fort Griffin in February 1868. It was during a period following the War when conditions were deplorable. Bands of outlaws under Lee and others ravaged the country and did as much harm as the Indians. He had only been at the post a few days, when Quanah Parker’s band of Quahada Comanches attacked a wagon train hauling wood from the sawmill thirty miles from the post and all the mules were stolen. 

“The Comanche were reinforced by mulatto and Mexican outlaws, and they had laid in wait for a wagon train, with a weak escort. The report of the attack was received at 7:30 A. M. March 5th, 1868, and within an hour Captain Chaffee with a detachment of Troops F, I, and K, Sixth Cavalry and Tonkaway Indian Scouts were in pursuit.

“They proceeded via Ledbetter’s ranch and Dead Man's Creek during the night and crossed the Clear Fork of the Brazos 12 miles below Phantom Hill and struck the Indian trail next morning and followed it all day. The trail split and those with the stolen mules took one trail and the warriors the other. Captain Chaffee was in for a fight and followed the warriors. Early next morning the Tonkaway scouts sighted the Comanche camp and reported it to Captain Chaffee. He immediately sent the, Tonkaway scouts around their camp to cut off their retreat and with his men only armed with pistols, he charged the Comanche, killing seven.”

The following order was published concerning this affair...

Headquarters, Fort Griffin, Texas.

March 10, 1868.

General Orders 19:

The Commanding Officer takes pleasure in openly announcing to the troops of this command, the complete success of the detachment that left this post on the 6th instant, under command of A. R. Chaffee, Sixth United States Cavalry. This short and decisive campaign has resulted in the killing of five Indians and one Mexican and one mulatto (both of whom were leaders), the capture of five horses, together with a large number of shields, bows and arrows, etc., and the total breaking up of an Indian camp which had for a long time been a scourge to the people of the frontier.

The casualties on our side were three wounded, viz.: Privates John F. Butler and Charles Hoffman of Troop 1, and Private James Regan of Troop El With the exception of the wounds of these men, the result is extremely gratifying, as was also the soldierly manner in which the troops bore their deprivations throughout the pursuit, suffering from the want of water and the want of shelter, from the cold storm that raged throughout the entire march, without a murmur of discontent.

In all campaigns where important results are achieved and especially against Indians, where the nature of the country is not well known, troops must expect to undergo hardships and deprivations, which cannot be foreseen or obviated; yet it is only the true soldiers who accept these inconveniences as necessary and unavoidable and who like men, maintain their spirit in spite of these.

(Signed) S . D. STURGIS,
 Lieutenant Colonel, Sixth Cavalry, Commanding.