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Fort Ringgold (1848-1861) (1865-1906) (1917-1944) - Established on 26 Oct 1848 by two companies of the 1st U.S. Infantry led by Bvt. Major Joseph H. LaMotte (Cullum 495). Known as Camp Ringgold and Ringgold Barracks before being named Fort Ringgold in 1878. Named after Bvt. Major Samuel Ringgold (Cullum 184) who was the first U.S. Army Officer to die from wounds received in the battle of Palo Alto (8 May 1846) during the Mexican War.



Restored Lee House at Fort Ringgold


Major Ringold Mortally wounded (LOC)
History
The fort was occupied from 1848 until the U.S. Civil War began in 1861; from 1865 until 1906; and from 1917 to 1944. The U.S. Army declared the fort surplus and disposed of the property in 1944.


Fort Ringgold Partial Commanders List (edit list)
Assumed	Relieved	Rank	Name	Cullum	Notes
1876-97-06	1880-06-03	 Lt. Col.	Neill, Thomas  Hewson	1357	While commanding post, he was promoted to Colonel, Apr. 2, 1879.
1898-02	1898-05	 Capt.	Thomas, Earl Dennison	2295	
1900-01	1900-09	 Capt.	Carleton, Guy	2895	
1920-06	1920-08-19	 Col.	Brown, Robert Alexander	3068	
Dates are formatted in yyyy-mm-dd to sort correctly.
The Cullum Number is the graduation order from the United States Military Academy by year and class rank and links to a page for the officer on the website version of the Cullum Register. Listings without a Cullum Number indicate that the person was not a graduate of the United States Military Academy.
Current Status
The Rio Grande Consolidated ISD purchased the fort property in 1949. Since 1988 the district maintained the standing buildings, the best known is the Lee House, where Robert E. Lee resided in 1860. The fort was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.
Location: Rio Grande City School grounds,
1/4 mi. SE of jct. of US 83 and TX 755,
Rio Grande City, Starr County, Texas

Maps & Images

Lat: 26.37562 Long: -98.80815

Multi Maps from ACME
Maps from Bing
Maps from Google
Elevation: 170'

==Sources:==
*http://www.fortwiki.com/Fort_Ringgold
*Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 773-774.
*Hart, Herbert M., Tour Guide to Old Western Forts, Pruett Publishing Co., Boulder CO, 1980, ISBN 0-87108-568-2, page 166.
*Simmons, Thomas E., Fort Ringgold: A Brief Tour, University of Texas Pan-American, Edinburg, Texas, ISBN 0-938738-09-7.

North American Forts - Fort Ringgold
Texas Handbook Online - Fort Ringgold
Waymarking - Fort Ringgold Lee's Quarters
Waymarking - Fort Ringgold Marker
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