Fort Ewell
Posted: Fri Aug 16, 2019 10:10 am
FORT EWELL. Fort Ewell was on the south bank of the Nueces River at the Nueces River crossing of the road from San Antonio to Laredo in what is now La Salle County. It was established on May 18, 1852, and was garrisoned by Companies E, G, and I of the regiment of Mounted Riflemen. Capt. John Smith Simonson was the commanding officer of the fort, which was named for Capt. Richard S. Ewell, a veteran of the Mexican War.
According to Col. W. G. Freeman's inspection report in June 1853 the fort was in a poor location. The river was seventy-five feet wide and only four feet deep, and it frequently overflowed its banks, covering the nearby bottoms and salt marshes and making the fort inaccessible. There was no suitable timber for construction within ten to fifteen miles, nor was there good grazing for the animals. The buildings had been constructed by troop labor of soft adobe, which was not strong enough to support a roof without bracing.
Most buildings were covered with canvas. Attempts to grow kitchen gardens for food were unsuccessful due to lack of rainfall. Food and clothing were sometimes at a premium, and troops were often sick. For two years after July 1852 every officer and man was sick on the average of once every three months. Scurvy was frequent. Many soldiers deserted the fort and went to Mexico. In December 1853 the base was ordered abandoned, and in October 1854 it was deserted.
The post office for Fort Ewell continued to serve the area from the settlement of Guajoco, a mile from the old fort. By 1886, when the Fort Ewell post office was decommissioned, the community too had faded away.
According to Col. W. G. Freeman's inspection report in June 1853 the fort was in a poor location. The river was seventy-five feet wide and only four feet deep, and it frequently overflowed its banks, covering the nearby bottoms and salt marshes and making the fort inaccessible. There was no suitable timber for construction within ten to fifteen miles, nor was there good grazing for the animals. The buildings had been constructed by troop labor of soft adobe, which was not strong enough to support a roof without bracing.
Most buildings were covered with canvas. Attempts to grow kitchen gardens for food were unsuccessful due to lack of rainfall. Food and clothing were sometimes at a premium, and troops were often sick. For two years after July 1852 every officer and man was sick on the average of once every three months. Scurvy was frequent. Many soldiers deserted the fort and went to Mexico. In December 1853 the base was ordered abandoned, and in October 1854 it was deserted.
The post office for Fort Ewell continued to serve the area from the settlement of Guajoco, a mile from the old fort. By 1886, when the Fort Ewell post office was decommissioned, the community too had faded away.