Jefferson Davis is a complicated figure in history -- depending on your view of history he could be a brave patriot, or a cowardly traitor; a loyal Army officer, or a disloyal rebel Commander in Chief.
All that lay ahead of him when he served as the Adjutant of the Fort at Fort Gibson in Indian Territory (modern Oklahoma) from 1833-1836.
A plaque on the original fort water well reads as follows:
"ORIGINAL WELL
Used by
Jefferson Davis
as Adjutant
of the Fort
1833-1836"
Fort Gibson was an early Indian Territory fort near the border with Texas, then part of Mexico. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. For the Cherokee Indians, forced by the US Government from their homes in Georgia, Ft Gibson was the end of the Trail of Tears. Army Lt. Jefferson Davis commanded the fort during that time.
From the Explore Southern History website: (
visit link)
"Fort Gibson Historic Site - Fort Gibson, Oklahoma
End Point of the Trail of Tears
Established in 1824, Fort Gibson served as a vital military post on the western frontier for nearly 70 years. Over its history it was rebuilt several times.
The original stockade was built near the confluence of the Arkansas and Grand (or Neosho) Rivers after U.S. authorities decided that Fort Smith, in Arkansas, was too far east to effectively maintain peace between the newly arrived Western Cherokee and the more established Osage. The two tribes had been on the verge of open warfare virtually since the Cherokee began to arrive in the region.
Leading a force of men from the 7th Infantry Regiment up the Arkansas River from Fort Smith, Lieutenant Colonel Matthew Arbuckle supervised the construction of a rectangular complex of log buildings on level ground three miles up from the mouth of the Grand River. A strong log stockade connected the buildings and the soldiers also built two-story blockhouses in diagonal corners to allow soldiers to sweep the walls with small arms fire in the event of attack.
During its history, Fort Gibson became a vital point in U.S. relations with the so-called Five Civilized Tribes as they were forced west on the Trail of Tears. A final stop on the Trial of Tears for thousands of Cherokee, Creek and Seminole families, Fort Gibson served as a supply point and source of protection for the newly arrived and often starving victims of forced removal.
Among those who reached the stockade during one of the brutal winters of the Trial of Tears was Milly Francis, the daughter of the Creek Prophet Josiah Francis and the woman labeled the "Creek Pocahontas" by white soldiers. She settled in a crude cabin nearby on the present site of Bacone College in Muskogee.
The log stockade remained a vital installation on the frontier until around 1840, when a military map showed plans for the building of a new post on a nearby ridge known today as Garrison Hill.
Work at the new site would eventually lead to the construction of a "new" Fort Gibson, this one built more along the plan of a modern military post. It served as an important base for troops marching south to Texas and Mexico during the Mexican-American War and was also an important "jumping off" point for wealth-seekers and supply parties heading west during the California Gold Rush.
Confederate troops took possession of the fort in 1861 and held it until the following year. The evacuated the post ahead of an advance by Union troops.
The Union Army of the Frontier occupied the fort in late 1862. It was renamed Fort Blunt after General James G. Blunt of Kansas.
Aware that the Confederates would try to retake the post, Federal engineers designed and supervised the construction of earthwork fortifications that completely enclosed the large fort. Powerfully constructed, these works provided a strong deterrent to any attempt by Southern forces to storm the fort.
An important base for operations in the Cherokee, Creek and Choctaw Nations, Fort Blunt was the launching point for the short campaign ended successfully at the Battle of Honey Springs in 1863. Sometimes called the "Gettysburg of the West," that fight forced the retreat of the Confederate army forming to challenge Blunt's command.
After Honey Springs, the Union army returned to Fort Blunt to recuperate and refit. This accomplished, General Blunt launched the campaign that ended with the 1863 capture of Fort Smith and Battle of Devil's Backbone (or Backbone Mountain), Arkansas.
U.S. troops continued to occupy and improve the fort after the Civil War. The name of the post was changed back to Fort Gibson, new buildings were constructed and the military presence remained important. By 1890, however, the need for the fort had ended and the U.S. Army declared it to be obsolete. After nearly 70 years of history, Fort Gibson was abandoned that year.
The sites of both the original log stockade and the later second post are now part of Fort Gibson Historic Site. Maintained by the Oklahoma Historical Society, the park is a major destination for heritage tourism.
The original log stockade and buildings were reconstructed during the Great Depression by the Works Progress Administration (WPA). The structures are furnished much as they were during the days of the Trail of Tears.
Surviving or reconstructed structures from the second post include barracks, the magazine, hospital and bakehouse. A museum helps orient visitors to the different parts of the large historic site.
A small section of the earthworks built during the Civil War when the post was called Fort Blunt still survive. They are among the points of interest on the self-guided walking tour of the park.
The nearby Fort Gibson National Cemetery preserves the graves of many men who served at Fort Gibson and in later wars.
The old fort is located at 907 N. Garrison, Fort Gibson, Oklahoma. Admission is free and it is open Tuesday - Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Closed Mondays).