Schofield, notified the commanding general of the Division of the Pacific, Nelson A. The commanding general of the army, John M. None of the problems they were established to resolve remained, in part, because of the efforts of the soldiers assigned to them and, mostly, because the expansion and development of the Anglo-American economy and society had changed forever the unsettled world which required their presence. Most soldiers and civilians who were aware of the post likely understood it was only a matter of time until Fort Union and most of the other frontier posts would be closed because, for the most part, the frontier no longer existed. There were still minor concerns that a possible Indian outbreak or civilian conflict would require swift action by the troops. There were undoubtedly citizens in the area, including contractors who supplied the post, who argued that the post should be retained because it contributed to the economy. In 1886 General Sheridan recommended that Forts Union and Lyon be closed, and declared "these posts have outlived the wants of the country surrounding them, and there is no necessity of keeping them except to furnish shelter for the troops." The troops, he concluded, could be quartered less expensively elsewhere. The only argument for retaining the post after the early 1880s was that it was a comfortable place to house troops whose services were not immediately required in other places, and it was economical because it was already there and provided good grazing for livestock. After the railroad reached New Mexico in 1879, the depot and the arsenal were phased out. Periodically commanders of the department in which the District of New Mexico was located suggested that it was far removed from areas of conflict, while the defenders noted that the post protected the supply depot and arsenal. RETREAT, TATTOO, AND TAPS: THE LAST DAYS AND AFTERįor the last two decades of its occupation, as noted in chapter seven, Fort Union was a candidate for abandonment by the army.
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