Fort Towson
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| Fort Towson | |
|---|---|
| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
| U.S. Historic District | |
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| Nearest city: | Fort Towson, Oklahoma |
| Coordinates: | 34°1′34″N 95°15′8″W / 34.02611°N 95.25222°W |
| Built/Founded: | 1830 |
| Governing body: | State |
| Added to NRHP: | September 29, 1970 |
| NRHP Reference#: | 70000531 |
Fort Towson was a frontier outpost for Frontier Army Quartermasters along the Permanent Indian Frontier located about two miles (3 km) northeast of the present community of Fort Towson, Oklahoma.
It was established in May 1824, under Col. Matthew Arbuckle, on the southern edge of Indian Territory to guard the Spanish border. It was named for Nathaniel Towson, Paymaster General of the Army. Originally called "Cantonment Towson," it was abandoned in 1829, but soon reestablished as "Camp Phoenix" to protect the Choctaw Nation and renamed Fort Towson in 1831. It lost importance as a military post after the construction of Fort Washita 70 miles (110 km) to the west in 1842. Fort Towson was garrisoned until 1854 when it was turned over to the use of the Choctaw Indian Agency.
The Confederacy took over the fort at the beginning of the American Civil War, but it eventually became the headquarters of Confederate General Samuel B. Maxey. The last remaining Confederate Army troops, commanded by General Stand Watie, surrendered to Union forces at Fort Towson on June 23, 1865, following the Battle of Doaksville. The post was abandoned at the close of the Civil War.
The location of the fort is an Oklahoma Historic Site and was added to the National Register of Historic Places (#70000531) in 1970.
[edit] References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2008-04-15. http://www.nr.nps.gov/.
- Morrison, W.B. "Fort Towson", Chronicles of Oklahoma 8:2 (June 1930) 226-232 (retrieved August 16, 2006).
- Morrison, W.B. "The Location of Cantonment Towsen—A Correction". Chronicles of Oklahoma 8:3 (September 1930) 255-256 (retrieved August 16, 2006).
[edit] External links
- Fort Towson Historic Site - Oklahoma Historical Society
- Fort Towson Historic Site photos - Civilwaralbum.com
- Fort Towson is at coordinates 34°01′40″N 95°15′23″W / 34.0278836°N 95.2563440°WCoordinates: 34°01′40″N 95°15′23″W / 34.0278836°N 95.2563440°W
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