Barracks, Troop L, 9th Cavalry, approx. 1909.
For much of its existence, even as late as the 1920's, Fort D. A. Russell (now Warren Air Force Base), northwest of
Cheyenne on Crow Creek, was a cavalry post. As discussed with regard to the Union
Pacific Railroad, during the Civil War the Northern Congress passed legislation providing for the
construction of a railroad connecting California with the east. There was a realization
that the construction would require protection from the Indians. The legislation, therefore,
provided for the President to establish a fort near the intersection of the
railroad with the Front Range. Thus, on July 4, 1867, Fort D. A. Russell was established near a place called
"Crow Creek Crossing," now Cheyenne. The site of the fort was selected by Gen. C. C. Augur. Augur was one of the
Union Commanders at the seige of Port Hudson, Louisiana, discussed below with regard to
Francis E. Warren, after whom the fort was later re-named.
Riding Hall with supply wagons parked in front.
The fort was named after
Brig. Gen. [Brevet Major General] David Alan Russell, who was killed at the
Battle of Opequon Creek near Winchester, Va., on Sept. 19, 1864. His Confederate opposite, Major Gen. Robert
E. Rhodes, was killed in the same battle. As a note, Union forces named battles after
adjacent creeks, while Confederate forces named the battles after nearby towns, i. e.
First Manassas and Second Manassas were named by the Confederates after the nearby
town of Manassas, Virginia, and are the same battles as First Bull Run and Second Bull Run named by the
Union after the nearby creek. Accordingly, some sources refer to Russell as being killed at
Winchester.
Supply Wagons for 315th Cavalry.
The 315th was organized in 1917 and was disbanded during World War II. With the fort's central location midway between the Canadian and Mexican borders and halfway between
the two coasts on a railroad, the fort rapidly became a central supply point for the
military in the central United States.
Stables, Fort Russell, undated.
The initial fort was never stockaded, but always on an open plan. Its initial commander was Col. (Brevet Major General Volunteers, Brevet Brig. Gen. Regular Army)
John D. Stevenson. The first structures
consisted of log cabins for the enlisted men. During the first winter, officers remained bivouacked in tents. Other forts
established for the protection of the railroad included Fort Sanders south of
present day Laramie, Fort Fred Steele where the railroad crosses the Platte, and
Fort Bridger originally acquired by the military as a part of the Mormon War.
In 1884, the fort was made a permanent installation. The following year
a program of building the structures depicted on this page began. In 1886, the 9th Cavalry of
"Buffalo Soldiers" was asigned to the post. The fort at one time became the
largest cavalry post in the country. Cavalry remained at the fort until 1927.
Cavalry, Ft. D. A. Russell, 1925. Photo by J. Shimitz.
Next page: Fort D. A. Russell continued.
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