Fort Cobb (Caddo County, Oklahoma)
Caddo County · Oklahoma · Indian Wars, Civil War
History & Significance
Major William H. Emory of the First Cavalry, commander at Forts Washita and Arbuckle, established Fort Cobb in October 1859 near Pond Creek at its juncture with the Washita River. The post was founded in 1859 as part of Superintendent of Indian Affairs Elias Rector's effort to establish the Wichita Agency in southwest Oklahoma.
The post's primary purpose was to protect the local Wichita Indians and several Texas tribes recently removed from their Brazos River reservations from raids by the Comanche, Kiowa, and Cheyenne. The fort was named to honor Secretary of the Treasury Howell Cobb.
During the Civil War, the fort was abandoned by Major Emory at the beginning of the conflict, then occupied by Confederate forces from 1861–1862. In May 1861, Confederate Colonel William C. Young made a peace treaty with native tribes, and Confederate Commissioner Albert Pike arrived on August 12, 1861, to sign official treaties with tribal chiefs.
Many Native Americans, fearing reprisals, moved away from the Fort Cobb area to live in Kansas until the Civil War ended. The post was reoccupied by U.S. Army troops in 1868, with soldiers commanded by General Philip H. Sheridan arriving that winter as part of his campaign to force remaining hostile tribes onto reservations.
In early 1869 Fort Sill was established, and Fort Cobb was abandoned on March 12, 1869. Today only a few trenches mark this military site.
Key Facts
Map
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Sources
- https://www.okhistory.org/publications/enc/entry.php?entry=FO029
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Cobb,_Oklahoma
- https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=181533
- https://www.legendsofamerica.com/fort-cobb-oklahoma/