Fort Griffin - Albany, TX
Posted by: 
WalksfarTX
N 32° 55.580 W 099° 14.035
14S E 478130 N 3643144
Holding command over the Southern Plains, Fort Griffin served as one in a line of western defensive forts from 1867 to 1881.
Waymark Code: WMV4ZH
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 02/24/2017
Views: 3
Texas Historical Commission
On July 31, 1867, Lt. Col. Samuel D. Sturgis and four companies of the 6th Cavalry established a new post high on a plateau, overlooking a bend of the Clear Fork of the Brazos River to the northeast. First designated as Camp Wilson, the name of the post was changed to Fort Griffin in honor of Gen. Charles Griffin, the commander of the Department of Texas who died of yellow fever the previous September in an epidemic sweeping Galveston.
Fort Griffin became a major support post during the Red River War of 1874, with Col. Ranald S. Mackenzie utilizing the fort as a base of operations for several years. Troops from Fort Griffin, including units of the Buffalo Soldiers and Tonkawa scouts, participated in all the decisive campaigns that ended Kiowa and Comanche domination of northern Texas.
In May 1881, the U.S. Army determined that Fort Griffin was no longer necessary for defense and the post was abandoned.