Fort Marcy (Santa Fe, New Mexico)
Santa Fe · New Mexico · Mexican-American War, American Civil War
History & Significance
On August 19, 1846, three months into the Mexican-American War, Lieutenants William H. Emory and Jeremy F. Gilmer surveyed terrain above newly occupied Santa Fe, selecting a hilltop 600 yards northeast of the plaza as the foundation for an adobe fort designed as the Army's defensive hub in the new American Southwest. Adobe walls nine feet tall and five feet thick formed the fort's distinctive star-shaped outline.
By late 1846, most fort artillery had been moved to the plaza area, where army activity took place within a 17-acre Fort Marcy Military Reservation that included officials' headquarters, soldiers' barracks, a hospital, storehouses, and corrals. On January 19, 1847, Colonel Sterling Price received word that Governor Charles Bent had been killed in the Taos Revolt; Price dispatched the 1st Dragoons from Fort Marcy to quell the rebellion.
After the Mexican-American War, traffic along the Santa Fe Trail increased dramatically, with much consisting of military supplies, and Fort Marcy played a major role in Santa Fe's economic development and the eventual formation of New Mexico Territory in 1850. The fort engaged in little action during the American Civil War and was officially abandoned by executive order from President Andrew Johnson on August 28, 1868. In 1887, a Silver City visitor named Tassie Wilson discovered Spanish coins worth over $2,300 hidden beneath the fort's walls, the oldest dating to 1740 and 1726, which were donated to the Historical Society of New Mexico.
Key Facts
Map
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🧳 Visiting
What you’ll see when you visit:
- Adobe ruins and thirteen-sided fort structure on hilltop above Santa Fe
- Strategic position commanding views of the entire city
- Mexican-American War and Civil War era military history
- Scenic overlook park with surrounding high-desert landscape
Sources
- https://www.nps.gov/articles/000/new-mexico-fort-marcy-ruins.htm
- https://historic-trails.unm.edu/sites/fort-marcy.html
- https://www.nps.gov/places/fort-marcy-ruins.htm
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Marcy_(New_Mexico)
- https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=183673
- https://theclio.com/entry/15825