Sixteen months have passed since that fateful day when General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses
S. Grant, bringing the Civil War to a close. And now the
nation has begun to focus on the American West trying to
forget that horrible loss of 618,000 brave soldiers. General
George Dashiell Bayard, killed at the battle of Fredericksburg,
was one of those brave Union soldiers who sacrificed his life
and will have a military post named in his honor.
Early Fort Bayard
On a hot summer day, August 21st, 1866, Lt. James M. Kerr, Company B, 125th United States Colored Infantry ordered his troops to begin building a new post in Apache country near Pinos Altos. It will serve to protect settlers, travelers, miners, and later become a medical center.
By 1879, thirteen years after the soldiers had first constructed crude adobe buildings, we glimpse the post as having a lieutenant colonel, a major, four captains, 11 lieutenants, 325 enlisted men (9th cavalry units - buffalo soldiers) , a 15th infantry company, 14 laundresses, 14 civilian employees, 25 Navajo scouts, 280 cavalry horses (40 of these horses were personally owned by the Navajo scouts), and 89 mules.
Buffalo Soldiers
The purpose of the U.S. military presence was to destroy the Native American barrier stretching from Mexico to Canada. The Apaches were halting westward expansion, and especially ranching and mining in this part of New Mexico.
Over the years there were many campaigns against the Apaches resulting in Geronimo's surrender at Fort Bowie, Arizona) in 1886. The superior technology of the army (artillery, railroads, heliograph, telegraph) were factors bringing victory for the military. Fort Bayard, no longer needed as a military post, was abandoned in 1900.
Early Fort Bayard
On a hot summer day, August 21st, 1866, Lt. James M. Kerr, Company B, 125th United States Colored Infantry ordered his troops to begin building a new post in Apache country near Pinos Altos. It will serve to protect settlers, travelers, miners, and later become a medical center.
By 1879, thirteen years after the soldiers had first constructed crude adobe buildings, we glimpse the post as having a lieutenant colonel, a major, four captains, 11 lieutenants, 325 enlisted men (9th cavalry units - buffalo soldiers) , a 15th infantry company, 14 laundresses, 14 civilian employees, 25 Navajo scouts, 280 cavalry horses (40 of these horses were personally owned by the Navajo scouts), and 89 mules.
Buffalo Soldiers
The purpose of the U.S. military presence was to destroy the Native American barrier stretching from Mexico to Canada. The Apaches were halting westward expansion, and especially ranching and mining in this part of New Mexico.
Over the years there were many campaigns against the Apaches resulting in Geronimo's surrender at Fort Bowie, Arizona) in 1886. The superior technology of the army (artillery, railroads, heliograph, telegraph) were factors bringing victory for the military. Fort Bayard, no longer needed as a military post, was abandoned in 1900.
Apaches were declared
prisoners of war and were
moved first to Florida,
then Alabama, and finally
to Oklahoma. Many died.
Some hid in Mexico,
others went to Apache
reservations, and some
hid among the Hispanics, in the mountains.
Perico, Geronimo,
Naiche
and Tsishah. 1886Visit Fort Bayard Web Site fortbayard.org
The Army surgeons, military and civilian, came to realize that
the soldiers suffering from tuberculosis and some other
diseases seemed to improve here in New Mexico more so than
in other parts of the country. The high elevation, clean fresh air,
abundant sunshine and low humidity are important factors.
Left: the Solarium. Right: TB patients
"...life in the open air, which is the keynote of our treatment, is at first uncomfortable, but in our dry air, bright sun and clear sky a tolerance is soon induced." Surgeon Major Daniel M. Appel.
After the post was abandoned by the Army, the U.S. Surgeon General maintained the buildings for the treatment of tuberculosis, and in 1922 a new hospital was constructed for these patients. The Veterans Administration, today known as Veterans Affairs, took control of Fort Bayard that same year and operated the facility until 1965. During these years the buildings and grounds were very well maintained. World War I veterans, especially those who had been gassed, were very well cared for. Wounded World War II veterans received the same excellent care. The same was true for German prisoners of war. In 1944, one hundred Germans were sent to Fort Bayard, from a camp in Lordsburg, to work, thus filling the gap left by the fort's drafted men. While they were imprisoned here, they cared for the burial grounds, which became a national cemetery in 1974. They also helped repair the buildings and maintained the grounds and orchard. These prisoners were well cared for and even participated in plays and Christmas celebrations with families at the post.
In 1965, the state of NM began to operate Fort Bayard as a long-term healthcare facility for both military and non-military personnel. From 1965 until the present is a period of benign neglect. The buildings and grounds have not been maintained in the same way as under the Veterans Administration.
Fort Bayard Hospital today
In 1999 a group of sympathetic citizens began the Fort Bayard Historic Preservation Society in an attempt to interpret and preserve the old fort. In 2004, after repeated efforts, Fort Bayard became a National Historic Landmark. At present, there is a strong effort to join with the Department of Veterans Affairs to use the facility for veterans of our various wars as a PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) Center.
Fort Bayard, unlike the majority of long forgotten military posts of its time, looks forward to a productive future continuing to serve a grateful community and nation.
Tours - Fort Bayard is open to the public at all times. Follow the signs to the Fort Bayard Theater, near the northeast corner of the hospital, for tour brochures.
Guided Tours of Fort Bayard will be held on the following days of 2010 (or by appt) and begin at the Fort Bayard Theater at 9:30 am.
January 9 and 23; February 13 and 27; March 13 and 27;
April 10 and 24.
Every Saturday in May, June, July, Aug, Sept.
Sat. October 9 and 23; November 13 and 27; December 11.
Left: the Solarium. Right: TB patients
"...life in the open air, which is the keynote of our treatment, is at first uncomfortable, but in our dry air, bright sun and clear sky a tolerance is soon induced." Surgeon Major Daniel M. Appel.
After the post was abandoned by the Army, the U.S. Surgeon General maintained the buildings for the treatment of tuberculosis, and in 1922 a new hospital was constructed for these patients. The Veterans Administration, today known as Veterans Affairs, took control of Fort Bayard that same year and operated the facility until 1965. During these years the buildings and grounds were very well maintained. World War I veterans, especially those who had been gassed, were very well cared for. Wounded World War II veterans received the same excellent care. The same was true for German prisoners of war. In 1944, one hundred Germans were sent to Fort Bayard, from a camp in Lordsburg, to work, thus filling the gap left by the fort's drafted men. While they were imprisoned here, they cared for the burial grounds, which became a national cemetery in 1974. They also helped repair the buildings and maintained the grounds and orchard. These prisoners were well cared for and even participated in plays and Christmas celebrations with families at the post.
In 1965, the state of NM began to operate Fort Bayard as a long-term healthcare facility for both military and non-military personnel. From 1965 until the present is a period of benign neglect. The buildings and grounds have not been maintained in the same way as under the Veterans Administration.
Fort Bayard Hospital todayIn 1999 a group of sympathetic citizens began the Fort Bayard Historic Preservation Society in an attempt to interpret and preserve the old fort. In 2004, after repeated efforts, Fort Bayard became a National Historic Landmark. At present, there is a strong effort to join with the Department of Veterans Affairs to use the facility for veterans of our various wars as a PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) Center.
Fort Bayard, unlike the majority of long forgotten military posts of its time, looks forward to a productive future continuing to serve a grateful community and nation.
Tours - Fort Bayard is open to the public at all times. Follow the signs to the Fort Bayard Theater, near the northeast corner of the hospital, for tour brochures.
Guided Tours of Fort Bayard will be held on the following days of 2010 (or by appt) and begin at the Fort Bayard Theater at 9:30 am.
January 9 and 23; February 13 and 27; March 13 and 27;
April 10 and 24.
Every Saturday in May, June, July, Aug, Sept.
Sat. October 9 and 23; November 13 and 27; December 11.
© 2010 by Trail of the Mountain Spirits Scenic Byway.