Fort Martin Scott is a restored

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

outpost near Fredericksburg in the Texas Hill Country, United States, that was active from December 5, 1848, until April, 1853. It was part of a line of frontier forts established to protect travelers and settlers within

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

Establishment

A line of seven army posts was established in 1848–49 after the Mexican War to protect the settlers of West Texas; it included Fort Worth,

Fort Graham Fort Graham was a pioneer fort established in 1849 by Brevet Major R.A. Arnold (Companies F and I of the Second United States Dragoons) at the site of Jose Maria Village, an Anadaca camp on the western edge of present-day Hill County, Texas. It ...

, Fort Gates,

Fort Croghan Fort Croghan was the third of the first four forts established by the United States government to protect settlers from hostile Indians along the Texas frontier. From its establishment on March 18, 1849, by Lt. C.H. Taylor (Company A, Second Dra ...

, Fort Martin Scott, Fort Lincoln, and

Fort Duncan Fort Duncan was a United States Army base, set up to protect the first U.S. settlement on the Rio Grande near the current town of Eagle Pass, Texas. History A line of seven army posts were established in 1848–49 after the Mexican War to protec ...

.Crimmins, M.L., 1943, The First Line of Army Posts Established in West Texas in 1849, Abilene: West Texas Historical Association, Vol. XIX, pp. 121–127 The fort was originally established as Camp Houston when D Company, 1st Regiment of Infantry commanded by Captain Seth Eastman arrived from Fort Snelling, Minnesota Territory, on December 5, 1848. Company D was ordered to a camp on the Leona, departing in March 1849 and arriving on the 24th. Company I, 8th Regiment of Infantry arrived in the Fredericksburg area on March 8th. Whether they met with Company D is unknown. The encampment was then called Camp Chadbourne, and Companies D, F, and K of the 8th Infantry arrived on March 25th. Companies D, F, and I departed the area en route to Austin on May 30th, leaving K Company in place. The post was then called "Camp near Fredericksburg". On July 17th, Company B, 2nd Regiment of Dragoons arrived on site. These two companies shared the post for some time. The camp was located 2 miles (3 km) southeast of Fredericksburg on Baron's Creek, and eventually consisted of a complex of 21 buildings. The soldiers patrolled the Fredericksburg-

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

road and surrounding area. One mission of the outpost was to protect settlers from

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

depredations. The Eighth Military Department renamed the camp in December 1849 for Major Martin Scott, who was killed at the

Battle of Molino del Rey The Battle of Molino del Rey (8 September 1847) was one of the bloodiest engagements of the Mexican–American War as part of the Battle for Mexico City. It was fought in September 1847 between Mexican forces under General Antonio León against ...

in the Mexican War in 1847. As the settlers pushed farther west, Fort Martin Scott lost its strategic significance. The 2nd Dragoons were ordered to do a major scouting expedition in the spring of 1851. Company B was relieved of duty to Fort Martin Scott on May 1st. When the regiment finished the scouting trip, Company B and Company A met and established Fort Mason on the site of present-day Mason, Texas. Company K, 8th Infantry continued to occupy Fort Martin Scott until February 1852. The company left Fort Martin Scott on February 15th, along with other 8th Infantry units that had recently arrived. A small detachment was left behind in charge of the public property. Under the control of the detachment, the site was used for storage, supplies, etc. On Jan 7th, 1853 Company G, 8th Infantry left Ft Chadbourne in charge of animals captured from the Lipan Apache to be delivered to Fort Martin Scott, arriving on January 31st. They returned to Fort Chadbourne in March. In 1853, Army inspectors recommended that the fort be closed. The last monthly return for the fort was November 1853. The Eighth Military Department ordered that Fort Martin Scott close in December 1853.

Treaties

Meusebach treaty

The full text of this treaty can be found at

Meusebach–Comanche Treaty The Meusebach–Comanche Treaty was a treaty made on May 9, 1847 between the private citizens of the Fisher–Miller Land Grant in Texas (United States), who were predominantly German in nationality, and the Penateka Comanche Tribe. The treaty ...

. On May 9, 1847, prior to the establishment of Fort Martin Scott, an expedition under John O. Meusebach negotiated the nongovernmental Treaty Between the Comanche and the German Immigration Company. The treaty was limited to the specific area between the

Llano River The Llano River ( ) is a tributary of the Colorado River, about long, in Texas in the United States. It drains part of the Edwards Plateau in Texas Hill Country northwest of Austin. Two spring-fed tributaries, the North and South Llano, stre ...

and the

San Saba River The San Saba River is a river in the U.S. state of Texas. It is an undeveloped and scenic waterway located on the northern boundary of the Edwards Plateau. Course The river begins in two primary branches. The North Valley Prong runs east throu ...

, and only addressed the relations between the Penateka Comanche and the immigrants who came under the aegis of the German Immigration Company.

Fort Martin Scott treaty

The full text of the treaty can be found at Fort Martin Scott Treaty. The Fort Martin Scott Treaty was an unratified treaty, negotiated and signed on December 10, 1850, by Indian agent John Rollins, U. S. Army Captain Hamilton W. Merrill, Captain J.B. McGown of the Texas Mounted Volunteers (Texas Rangers), and interpreters John Connor and Jesse Chisholm, as well as 12 Comanche chiefs, six Caddo chiefs, four Lipan chiefs, five

Quapaw The Quapaw ( ; or Arkansas and Ugahxpa) people are a tribe of Native Americans that coalesced in what is known as the Midwest and Ohio Valley of the present-day United States. The Dhegiha Siouan-speaking tribe historically migrated from the Oh ...

chiefs, four

Tawakoni The Tawakoni (also Tahuacano and Tehuacana) are a Southern Plains Native American tribe, closely related to the Wichitas. They historically spoke a Wichita language of the Caddoan language family. Currently, they are enrolled in the Wichita a ...

chiefs, and four

Waco Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the st ...

chiefs. The treaty was actually signed in San Saba County, but named for the nearest military outpost. On December 25, 1850, General George M. Brooke sent a copy of the treaty to Texas Governor

Peter Hansborough Bell Peter Hansborough Bell (May 11, 1810Various sources give multiple dates in May 1810 and May 1812 for Bell's birth. Bell's gravestone uses a May 1812 date.March 8, 1898) was an American military officer and politician who served as the third Gove ...

, mentioning the treaty had not been approved by the government and was essentially binding only on the part of the Indian tribes. This treaty put the signed tribes under the sole jurisdiction of the United States of America. It regulated commerce and prohibited supplying alcoholic beverages to the tribes. The tribes were required to remain at peace with each other and the United States government, and to be at peace with other tribes the government deemed at peace. The tribes were to return all stolen property and captives and to cease depredations. The government made it tribal responsibility to report any suspected activity that might violate the treaty, and to assist the government in recovering runaway slaves. In return, the government would establish trading posts and give the tribes blacksmiths and school teachers. The treaty also required the tribes to allow Christian preachers to minister to them, and to allow said preachers unrestrained travel through tribal territory.

After the infantry years

The site was occupied intermittently by the Texas Rangers and then the

Confederate States Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

. In September 1866, General

Philip H. Sheridan Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...

ordered elements of the Fourth United States Cavalry to Fort Martin Scott to secure the frontier once again from possible Indian attacks. By the end of 1866, the fort was permanently abandoned by military units. Many of the Martin Scott commanders fought in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

, including William R. Montgomery, William Steele, Edward D. Blake, James Longstreet, and Theodore Fink. In the early 1880s, the fort was the location of the Gillespie County Fair. Owned from 1870–1959 by members of the Braeutigam family, Martin Scott was sold to the City of Fredericksburg in 1959. In 1986, the Fredericksburg Heritage Federation began extensive work of reconstructing the site as a tourist attraction.Brochure, Fort Martin Scott, Fredericksburg, Texas

Braeutigam family

Johann Wolfgang Braeutigam (1829–1884) emigrated with his family from Kaltenlengsfeld,

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, and arrived at Indianola on Dec 1845. Johann, his wife Christine, and their nine children eventually settled in Fredericksburg. In 1870, the family moved into the abandoned Fort Martin Scott, from which Braeutigam operated a ''

Biergarten A beer garden (German: ''Biergarten'') is an outdoor area in which beer and food are served, typically at shared tables shaded by trees. Beer gardens originated in Bavaria, of which Munich is the capital city, in the 19th century, and remain co ...

''. On September 3, 1884, Braeutigam was murdered by four strangers in a robbery of the biergarten's cash box. The city of Fredericksburg bought the Fort Martin Scott property from the Braeutigam family. Among highlights of the fort are the post commander's quarters (formerly Braeutigam Garden), six buildings of officers’ housing, sutler’s store and warehouse, laundry, bakehouse with oven, military hospital, three sets of enlisted-men's barracks,

quartermaster Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land armies, a quartermaster is generally a relatively senior soldier who supervises stores or barracks and distributes supplies and provisions. In ...

’s warehouse, a stable with barn, and a

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such as gates, gr ...

shop. The guardhouse, made of cut

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

, is the only surviving building from the original fort, having been restored to its original design in the early 1990s. It was the Braeutigam's homestead.

Historical site

Fort Martin Scott was designated a

Recorded Texas Historic Landmark Recorded Texas Historic Landmark (RTHL) is a designation awarded by the Texas Historical Commission for historically and architecturally significant properties in the U.S. state of Texas. RTHL is a legal designation and the highest honor the st ...

in 1936, marker number 10039, and added to the

National Register of Historic Places in Texas National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

on January 20, 1980. The fort is operated by the city of Fredericksburg and offers self-guided walking tours, pre-scheduled guided tours and school tours. Located at 1606 East Main Street (Highway 290), the site is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm. As of October 8, 2010, the Former Texas Rangers Association was moving forward with a plan approved by the Fredericksburg City Council to build a Texas Rangers Heritage Center adjacent to Fort Martin Scott. The plans are for an educational complex that will focus on the heritage of not only the Texas Rangers, but also Fort Martin Scott and Gillespie County. Scheduled ground breaking on the multimillion-dollar center was to be in October 2011.

Gallery

File:Fort Martin Scott 2.jpg, Fort Martin Scott plan File:Fort Martin Scott.jpg, Historical marker File:Fort Martin Scott - tree & building.jpg, Fort Martin Scott - tree & building (in 2015)

References

External links

Fort Martin Scott
- official site *

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scott, Fort Martin Forts in Texas National Register of Historic Places in Gillespie County, Texas Buildings and structures in Gillespie County, Texas Museums in Gillespie County, Texas Military and war museums in Texas Open-air museums in Texas History museums in Texas Native American history of Texas Recorded Texas Historic Landmarks Ghost towns in Central Texas Fredericksburg, Texas Forts on the National Register of Historic Places in Texas