Fort Bascom (Quay County, near Tucumcari, New Mexico)
Quay County, near Tucumcari · New Mexico · Indian Wars
History & Significance
Fort Bascom was established on 15 August 1863 by Captain Peter W.L. Plympton of the 7th U.S. Infantry and elements of Company F, 7th U.S. Infantry and Company I, 1st New Mexico Volunteers. The fort was named in honor of Captain George Nicholas Bascom, who was killed during the American Civil War on February 21, 1862, while defending Fort Craig against Confederate forces in the Battle of Val Verde, New Mexico.
It was founded for the triple purposes of protecting settlers against the Kiowa and Comanche tribes, watching over the Goodnight-Loving Trail, and monitoring Comanchero activities with the Comanche tribe. Fort Bascom served Kit Carson during the Indian wars campaign that climaxed with the November 25, 1864, First Battle of Adobe Walls.
The 3rd U.S. Cavalry arrived in 1866, followed by various Black infantry companies and the 8th Cavalry who pursued Comancheros, Comanches, and Navajos fleeing from the Bosque Redondo camp near Fort Sumner. Due to Bascom's remote location, the Army found it difficult to supply, and by 1871 troops were housed there only seasonally. The military abandoned the post in 1870, and troops were moved to Fort Union, New Mexico.
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Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Bascom
- https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=93198
- https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc283832/
- https://www.legendsofamerica.com/fort-bascom/
- https://fortwiki.com/Fort_Bascom
- https://newmexicohistoryblog.wordpress.com/2020/08/26/fort-bascom-the-bascom-affair/
- https://www.oupress.com/9780806152097/fort-bascom/
- https://www.historynet.com/book-review-fort-bascom/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quay_County,_New_Mexico