Fort Martin Scott is a restored United States Army outpost near Fredericksburg in the Texas Hill Country, United States, that was active from December 5, 1848, until April, 1853. It was part of a line of frontier forts established to protect travelers and settlers within Texas.
Establishment
A line of seven army posts was established in 1848–49 after the Mexican War to protect the settlers of West Texas; it included Fort Worth, Fort Graham, Fort Gates, Fort Croghan, Fort Martin Scott, Fort Lincoln, and Fort Duncan.
The fort was originally established as Camp Houston when D Company, 1st Regiment of Infantry commanded by Captain Seth Eastman arrived from Fort Snelling, Minnesota Territory, on December 5, 1848. Company D was ordered to a camp on the Leona, departing in March 1849 and arriving on the 24th. Company I, 8th Regiment of Infantry arrived in the Fredericksburg area on March 8. Whether they met with Company D is unknown. The encampment was then called Camp Chadbourne, and Companies D, F, and K of the 8th Infantry arrived on March 25. Companies D, F, and I departed the area en route to Austin on May 30, leaving K Company in place. The post was then called "Camp near Fredericksburg". On July 17, Company B, 2nd Regiment of Dragoons arrived on site. These two companies shared the post for some time.
The camp was located 2 miles (3 km) southeast of Fredericksburg on Baron's Creek, and eventually consisted of a complex of 21 buildings. The soldiers patrolled the Fredericksburg-San Antonio road and surrounding area. One mission of the outpost was to protect settlers from Indian depredations.
The Eighth Military Department renamed the camp in December 1849 for Major Martin Scott, who was killed at the Battle of Molino del Rey in the Mexican War in 1847. As the settlers pushed farther west, Fort Martin Scott lost its strategic significance. The 2nd Dragoons were ordered to do a major scouting expedition in the spring of 1851. Company B was relieved of duty to Fort Martin Scott on May 1. When the regiment finished the scouting trip, Company B and Company A met and established Fort Mason on the site of present-day Mason, Texas. Company K, 8th Infantry continued to occupy Fort Martin Scott until February 1852. The company left Fort Martin Scott on February 15, along with other 8th Infantry units that had recently arrived. A small detachment was left behind in charge of the public property.
Under the control of the detachment, the site was used for storage, supplies, etc. On January 7, 1853, Company G, 8th Infantry left Ft Chadbourne in charge of animals captured from the Lipan Apache to be delivered to Fort Martin Scott, arriving on January 31. They returned to Fort Chadbourne in March. In 1853, Army inspectors recommended that the fort be closed. The last monthly return for the fort was November 1853. The Eighth Military Department ordered that Fort Martin Scott close in December 1853.
Treaties
Meusebach treaty
The full text of this treaty can be found at Meusebach–Comanche Treaty.
On May 9, 1847, prior to the establishment of Fort Martin Scott, an expedition under John O. Meusebach negotiated the nongovernmental Treaty Between the Comanche and the German Immigration Company. The treaty was limited to the specific area between the Llano River and the San Saba River, and only addressed the relations between the Penateka Comanche and the immigrants who came under the aegis of the German Immigration Company.
Fort Martin Scott treaty
The full text of the treaty can be found at Fort Martin Scott Treaty.
The Fort Martin Scott Treaty was an unratified treaty, negotiated and signed on December 10, 1850, by Indian agent John Rollins, U. S. Army Captain Hamilton W. Merrill, Captain J.B. McGown of the Texas Mounted Volunteers (Texas Rangers), and interpreters John Connor and Jesse Chisholm, as well as 12 Comanche chiefs, six Caddo chiefs, four Lipan chiefs, five Quapaw chiefs, four Tawakoni chiefs, and four Waco chiefs. The treaty was actually signed in San Saba County, but named for the nearest military outpost. On December 25, 1850, General George M. Brooke sent a copy of the treaty to Texas Governor Peter Hansborough Bell, mentioning the treaty had not been approved by the government and was essentially binding only on the part of the Indian tribes.