Fort D. A. Russell
Marfa, US
Fort D. A. Russell is the name of an American military installation near Marfa, Texas, that was active from 1911 to 1946. It is named for David Allen Russell, a Civil War general killed at the Battle of Opequon, September 19, 1864. It was established in 1911 as Camp Albert, a base for cavalry and ai
r reconnaissance units sent to protect West Texas from Mexican bandits after the Pancho Villa raid. The base was expanded and renamed Camp Marfa during World War I. In the interwar years, the base became the headquarters for the Marfa Command, which replaced the Big Bend District. In 1924, a patrol called the Mounted Watchmen was established to deter persons from crossing the Rio Grande into the United States. In 1930, the base was renamed Fort D. A. Russell. The name had been used on a previous military base in Wyoming; the name became available when that post was renamed Fort Francis E. Warren. The base was briefly abandoned during the Great Depression. On January 2, 1933, the Army closed the post, but reactivated it in 1935 as the home base of the 77th Field Artillery. During World War II, the post was expanded and used as an air base, a base for a Women's Army Corps unit, a training...
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