Fort Bayard (Grant County, New Mexico)

Grant County · New Mexico

Quick BriefFort Bayard was founded in 1866 to protect settlers in southwest New Mexico from Native American attacks and staffed primarily by African-American 'Buffalo Soldiers'. It was then converted into the army's first tuberculosis sanitarium, and later became a VA hospital. The site was designated a National Historic Landmark District in 2004.

History & Significance

On August 21, 1866, Company B of the 125th Colored Infantry regiment arrived at a location in the Pinos Altos Mountains and christened the spot 'Fort Bayard', in honor of Brigadier General George D. Bayard, who had died at Fredericksburg, Virginia in 1862. The 125th, composed of African American volunteers, many of whom had been enslaved, was tasked with establishing a permanent Army presence in the mineral-rich area of southwestern New Mexico.

The fort was established to protect miners and other settlers in the area along the Apache Trail. The fort was initially home to Indian Scouts and 'Buffalo Soldiers,' including William Cathay (Cathay Williams), the only known female Buffalo Soldier.

U.S. Army Surgeon General George Miller Sternberg, noting the excellent health record of the post, chose Fort Bayard as an Army tuberculosis hospital and research center. The fort was transferred to the Surgeon General's department in 1900.

In 1919 the Army turned the fort over to the U.S. Public Health Service to administer Hospital No. 55, a veterans' tuberculosis hospital. The fort was partially reactivated as a military installation during World War II, and a number of German prisoners of war were held at the fort from 1943 to 1945.