Fort William Henry Harrison is the Montana National Guard training facility. It is also home to the
Fort Harrison VA Medical Center and
Montana State Veterans Cemetery, located adjacent to the military installation.
History
Fort
William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was an American military officer and politician who served as the ninth president of the United States. Harrison died just 31 days after his inauguration in 1841, and had the shortest pres ...
(1895–1913) was authorized by a Congressional act of 12 May 1892 which was intended to establish, as a part of a greater consolidation program, concentrations of troops in a few larger installations so that smaller installations could be abandoned. The post was first named Fort Harrison after the sitting President of the United States,
Benjamin Harrison
Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 23rd president of the United States from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia–a grandson of the ninth pr ...
, on 13 December 1892.
Some years later on 16 February 1906, the name was changed to Fort William Henry Harrison because it was discovered that there had already been an Army
fort
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...
named for Benjamin Harrison in
Indianapolis, Indiana
Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Mari ...
. Fort William Henry Harrison was first garrisoned with troops from
Fort Assinniboine
Fort Assinniboine was a United States Army fort located in present-day north central Montana (historically within the military Department of Dakota). It was built in 1879 and operated by the Army through 1911. The 10th Cavalry Buffalo Soldiers, ...
near Havre, Montana 23 September 1895. These initial troops were withdrawn in 1913.
Fort William Henry Harrison's most famous contribution during the 20th century was its 1942 use as the organization and training area for the U. S. Army's
1st Special Service Force
The 1st Special Service Force was an elite American–Canadian commando unit in World War II, under the command of the United States Fifth Army. The unit was organized in 1942 and trained at Fort William Henry Harrison near Helena, Montana i ...
, a joint World War II American-Canadian light infantry brigade
[Burhans, Robert D. (1947). The First Special Service Force: A Canadian/American Wartime Alliance: The Devil's Brigade. Washington, D.C.: Infantry Journal Press Inc.] made famous by the 1966 book, ''The Devil's Brigade'', co-written by
Robert H. Adleman and George Walton, and ''
The Devil's Brigade'', the 1968 American war film.
Current operations
The post is now home of the Montana National Guard's Joint Forces Headquarters, 95th Troop Command, 208th Regional Training Institute, Training Center Headquarters, 190th Chemical Reconnaissance Detachment, as well as an Army Reserve training facility and Veterans Administration Hospital.
See also
*
List of military installations in Montana
There are at least 60 current and former U.S. military installations located in Montana. Installations listed as historical are no longer in service and may have no physical remains in the state.
Current installations
* Ekalaka Mini-Mutes R ...
References
{{Coord, 46, 37, 25, N, 112, 05, 50, W, display=title
Buildings and structures in Lewis and Clark County, Montana
William Henry Harrison
William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was an American military officer and politician who served as the ninth president of the United States. Harrison died just 31 days after his inauguration in 1841, and had the shortest pres ...
1892 establishments in Montana