Fort Bowie was a 19th-century outpost of the United States Army
located in southeastern Arizona near the present day town of Willcox,
Arizona. The remaining buildings and site are now protected as Fort
Bowie National Historic Site.Fort Bowie was established by the
California Volunteers in 1862 after a series of engagements between
the California Column and the Chiricahua Apaches. The most violent of
which was the Battle of Apache Pass in July 1862. The fort was named
in honor of Colonel George Washington Bowie commander of the 5th
Regiment California Volunteer Infantry who first established the fort.
The first Fort Bowie resembled a temporary camp rather than a
permanent army post. In 1868, a second, more substantial Fort Bowie
was built which included adobe barracks, houses, corrals, a trading
post, and a hospital. The second Fort Bowie was built on a plateau
about 500 yards (460 m) to the east of the first site. For more than
30 years Fort Bowie and Apache Pass were the focal point of military
operations eventually culminating in the surrender of Geronimo in 1886
and the banishment of the Chiricahuas to Florida and Alabama. The fort
was abandoned in 1894.Two engagements between the United States Army
and the Chiricahua led to the construction of Fort Bowie in 1862. The
first engagement, known as the Bascom Affair, took place in January
1861 when a band of Apaches raided the ranch of John Ward. Ward
mistakenly believed that Cochise and the Chiricahua Apaches were
responsible for the raid and demanded that the military take action
against Cochise to recover property stolen during the raid. The next
month, the army responded to Ward's request by sending Lieutenant
George Nicholas Bascom and fifty-four men to Apache Pass to confront
Cochise. Bascom managed to capture Cochise and threatened to hold him
hostage until Ward's property was returned but the Apache leader
managed to escape. Sporadic fighting between Cochise's warriors and
Army troops would continue for years to come.The second major
engagement was the Battle of Apache Pass, fought from July 15 to July
16, 1862. A Union regiment under Brigadier General James Henry
Carleton was ambushed by a band of Apaches while en route from
California to New Mexico where they were to confront Confederate
troops. This battle led to the eventual establishment of Fort Bowie in
order to protect Apache Pass and an important source of water, Apache
Spring. Construction on the first Fort Bowie began in 1862 but this
resembled a temporary camp rather than a permanent military fort. In
1868, a second, more substantial Fort Bowie was built on a plateau
about 500 yards (460 m) to the east. For more than 30 years Fort Bowie
and Apache Pass were the focal point of military operations eventually
culminating in the surrender of Geronimo in 1886 and the banishment of
the Chiricahuas to Florida and Alabama. The fort was abandoned in
1894. Fort Bowie Biography, NetWorth, Height, Age, Weight, Family, Married, Son, Daughter