Fort Bowie

By Crusader1307

''Fort Bowie'' was a 19^th Century US Army Post, built during The Civil War. Located in Arizona Territory, it's main purpose was to engage hostile Native American Tribes (in particular The Apaches), who saw The War as a means of reclaiming lost Territory, taken by The United States. The Fort (initially a Camp), was begun in 1862, with it becoming a more permanent in 1864. The first such Units to Garrison Ft. Bowie was The 5^th California Infantry (with all other major Commands coming from California thereafter). Guarding The Apache Pass of The Dos Cabezas Mountains, The Battle of Apache Pass was fought there between 140 US Army soldiers and 500 Apache Braves. A US Army victory, The Apaches loss 66 of their number with Federal Forces only reporting 5. The Fort would serve as the primary Troop and Supply Depot for the major Apache Campaign fought from 1864 to 1886. The Operations which lead to the capture of Apache Warchief Geronimo was staged from Fort Bowie. The US Army decommissioned and abandoned Ft. Bowie in 1894. While much of The Fort was reclaimed by Nature, several surviving adobe walls and foundations did. Declared a National Historic Site in 1960, Ft. Bowie is still visited by Tourists today.