Fort Union and the Frontier Army in the Southwest: A historic resource study Fort Union National Monument Fort Union, New Mexico
Oliva LE. 1993. Fort Union and the Frontier Army in the Southwest: A historic resource study Fort Union National Monument Fort Union, New Mexico. Historic Resource Study. Division of History, National Park Service
Exactly 100 years ago the last soldiers who garrisoned Fort Union marched away never to return, ending the active history of what had once been the largest military establishment in the American Southwest. Established in 1851, its name reflected the times, for the North and South of the United States had nearly split the previous year and would divide a decade later. Troops from the post were destined to perform a significant part in that Civil War. But the name Fort Union also signified that it was situated at a point where it might help unite the American Southwest to the larger nation. In many ways the Santa Fe Trail was the thread which connected much of the Mexican Cession of 1848 to the rest of the states, and Fort Union was the knot on that thread by which the Southwest was tied to the larger nation. Along that trail and through Fort Union and the army which it represented, Anglo-American culture penetrated the Hispanic and Indian cultures of the region. The army at Fort Union and in the Southwest also demonstrates how important the role of the federal government was in the settlement of the American West. This historic resources study, commissioned by the National Park Service, tells the story of Fort Union and the frontier army in the Southwest.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Oliva, Leo
- Date of Issue
- 1993
- Publisher
- Division of History, National Park Service
- Units
- FOUN , HIST
- Keywords
- Army, Civil War, Construction, Cultural Resources, Economics, ehistory, Fort Union, Frontier Army, Health care, Military, New Mexico, Southwest