Fort Marcy (New Mexico) facts for kids
Fort Marcy was an old military fort located in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It was used during two important wars: the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War. The fort was taken down in the 1890s.
History of Fort Marcy
Building Fort Marcy
Workers and soldiers built Fort Marcy. They used thick walls made of adobe, which is a type of sun-dried mud brick. These walls were 9 feet high and 5 feet thick.
Outside the main fort, there was a special building called a blockhouse. There was also a powder magazine to store artillery and other weapons. Fort Marcy was big enough to hold 1,000 soldiers.
Soldiers did not live inside the fort itself. Their living quarters were built on a mesa outside the fort. The fort was never actually needed to defend Santa Fe. Because of this, the soldiers and their horses stayed closer to the old Spanish military buildings.
General Kearney named the fort after William L. Marcy. He was the Secretary of War at the time, and Kearney's boss. Fort Marcy saw very little fighting during the American Civil War. It was officially closed by an order from President Andrew Johnson on August 28, 1868.
The Mexican-American War
In May 1846, the United States declared war on Mexico. This happened because of a disagreement over the southern border of Texas. General Stephen W. Kearney led his Army of the West. He had about 1,700 troops.
On August 18, 1846, Kearney's army marched into Santa Fe. They took control of the city and the entire New Mexico Territory. The next day, Kearney told his engineers, William Emory and Jeremy Gilmer, to find a good spot for a fort. This was important to prevent any trouble from the people they had just conquered.
Lieutenant Emory found the perfect place. He said it was "the only point which commands the entire town." This spot was on a flat-topped hill. It was about 650 yards northeast of Santa Fe's main plaza.
The Fort's End
In 1887, a woman named Tassie Wilson visited Santa Fe. She and her friends found old Spanish coins hidden under the walls of Fort Marcy. A newspaper reported that she found over $2,300 worth of coins. The oldest coins were from 1740 and 1726. These coins were given to the Historical Society of New Mexico.
After this discovery, many people in Santa Fe started digging around the fort. They were hoping to find more hidden treasures. However, they did not find anything new. This treasure hunt ended up destroying the remaining walls of the fort.
The government sold the Fort Marcy land in 1891. In 1961, the city of Santa Fe bought the hill where the fort once stood. They landscaped the area and made it a nice spot to view the city.
The Fort Marcy Officer's Residence was built in the early 1870s. This building still stands today. It is also known as the "Edgar Lee Hewett House" and is a recognized historic place.
