Fort Elliott (1875-1890)

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Established as Cantonment on the Sweetwater, Jun 1875, by Major H.C. Bankhead, 4th U.S. Cavalry & 19th U.S. Infantry. The post was renamed Fort Elliott in Feb 1876 after Major Joel A. Elliott who died in the battle of Washita. Closed 20 Oct 1890. Also known as Camp on the North Fork, Red River; Cantonment North Fork, Red River and New Post on the Sweetwater
Fort Elliott normally housed fewer than 200 men. After 1883 a company of forty Indian scouts was also stationed at the post. In 1879 a company of the black 10th U.S. Cavalry was assigned to the garrison. Companies of the black 24th U.S. Infantry and 9th U.S. Cavalry, served there between 1880 and 1888. Between 1881 and 1884 Fort Elliott's troops were all black. The officers were all white with the exception of Lt. Henry O. Flipper, the first black graduate of West Point.
The main function of Fort Elliott was to stop small hunting parties of Indians from entering the Panhandle and those trying escape the reservation. By the mid-1880s the garrison was policing the cattle industry, keeping Panhandle stock off the reservation, and supervising southern Texas herds being driven north through Indian land.
In 1887 the railroad bypassed Fort Elliott and by 1890 the Army had decided to close the fort.