Camp Porter
Encyclopedia
Camp Porter, Montana Territory
, was established as a single-year camp in the Department of Dakota
by the U.S. Army, to provided protection to Northern Pacific Railway
construction crews during the Indian Wars
.
(approximately 3 miles above the mouth of Glendive Creek) by Company A, Eleventh Infantry
, from Fort Sully
, and Company B, Seventeenth Infantry
, from Fort Yates, on 18 October 1880, as a winter camp for troops guarding working parties and materials on the Northern Pacific Railroad (N.P.R.R.).
, guarding construction parties along the N. P. R. R. between the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers. It remained on this duty until October 21, when it proceeded to the Yellowstone River and established, with one company 11th Infantry, Camp Porter near the mouth of Glendive Creek. Doors, sashes and nails were furnished, the other building material was obtained by the troops, and they made themselves as comfortable as possible during the winter of 1880-81, without stoves, flooring or plastering.
July 12, 1881, Major Merrill, Seventh Cavalry, assigned to command of "escort to working parties on extension Northern Pacific Railroad, between Little Missouri and Tongue Rivers." Command consists of Troops E, Second Cavalry, and E, F, G, Seventh Cavalry, and Companies I, Fifth Infantry; D, Seventh Infantry; A, Eleventh Infantry; B, Seventeenth Infantry; and A, Twenty-fifth Infantry. Headquarters at Camp Porter, Mont. Troops from Fort Keogh
changed monthly.
October 17, 1881, Company A, Eleventh Infantry, left Camp Porter, Mont., en route to Fort Sully, arriving there October 25, 1881.
, arriving there the same day.
December 7, 1881, Major Lewis Merrill, Seventh Cavalry (with a detachment of Company B, Seventeenth Infantry, under Lieutenant Brennan, for Fort Lincoln), left Glendive and Camp Porter, Mont., en route to his station, the work of the escort to working parties on the extension of the N. P. E. E., between Little Missouri and Tongue Rivers, having terminated and the command having been broken up. Camp Porter was finally abandoned this date, the buildings, &c., having been sold on the 6th of December.
Montana Territory
The Territory of Montana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 28, 1864, until November 8, 1889, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Montana.-History:...
, was established as a single-year camp in the Department of Dakota
Department of Dakota
A subdivision of the Division of the Missouri, the Department of Dakota was established by the United States Army on August 11, 1866 to encompass all military activities and forts within Minnesota, Dakota Territory and Montana Territory. The Department of Dakota was initially headquartered at Fort...
by the U.S. Army, to provided protection to Northern Pacific Railway
Northern Pacific Railway
The Northern Pacific Railway was a railway that operated in the west along the Canadian border of the United States. Construction began in 1870 and the main line opened all the way from the Great Lakes to the Pacific when former president Ulysses S. Grant drove in the final "golden spike" in...
construction crews during the Indian Wars
Indian Wars
American Indian Wars is the name used in the United States to describe a series of conflicts between American settlers or the federal government and the native peoples of North America before and after the American Revolutionary War. The wars resulted from the arrival of European colonizers who...
.
Established
Camp Porter was established on the right bank of the Yellowstone RiverYellowstone River
The Yellowstone River is a tributary of the Missouri River, approximately long, in the western United States. Considered the principal tributary of the upper Missouri, the river and its tributaries drain a wide area stretching from the Rocky Mountains in the vicinity of the Yellowstone National...
(approximately 3 miles above the mouth of Glendive Creek) by Company A, Eleventh Infantry
11th Infantry Regiment (United States)
The 11th Infantry Regiment is a regiment in the United States Army.-The First 11th Infantry:Under the authority granted the President by the Act of July 16, 1798, to raise twelve additional regiments of infantry, the first 11th Infantry came into existence in the Army of the United States in...
, from Fort Sully
Fort Sully
Fort Sully was one of the main military posts located on the east bank of the Missouri river in central Dakota built for use in the Indian Wars...
, and Company B, Seventeenth Infantry
17th Infantry Regiment (United States)
The 17th Infantry Regiment is a United States Army infantry regiment. While the 17th Infantry Regiment was organized on January 11, 1812, it was consolidated with the 3rd Infantry due to extremely heavy losses at Frenchtown, and lost its identity two years later until May 3, 1861, when it was...
, from Fort Yates, on 18 October 1880, as a winter camp for troops guarding working parties and materials on the Northern Pacific Railroad (N.P.R.R.).
History
June 1, 1880, Company B, Seventeenth Infantry, left Fort Yates and formed part of a command, under Major Lewis MerrillLewis Merrill
Lewis Merrill was a career officer in the United States Army noted for his work in resisting the early Ku Klux Klan organization in several Southern states. During the American Civil War, he combated guerrillas in Missouri.-Biography:...
, guarding construction parties along the N. P. R. R. between the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers. It remained on this duty until October 21, when it proceeded to the Yellowstone River and established, with one company 11th Infantry, Camp Porter near the mouth of Glendive Creek. Doors, sashes and nails were furnished, the other building material was obtained by the troops, and they made themselves as comfortable as possible during the winter of 1880-81, without stoves, flooring or plastering.
July 12, 1881, Major Merrill, Seventh Cavalry, assigned to command of "escort to working parties on extension Northern Pacific Railroad, between Little Missouri and Tongue Rivers." Command consists of Troops E, Second Cavalry, and E, F, G, Seventh Cavalry, and Companies I, Fifth Infantry; D, Seventh Infantry; A, Eleventh Infantry; B, Seventeenth Infantry; and A, Twenty-fifth Infantry. Headquarters at Camp Porter, Mont. Troops from Fort Keogh
Fort Keogh
Fort Keogh is located on the western edge of Miles City, Montana. Occasionally spelled Fort Keough. Originally a military post, today it is a United States Department of Agriculture livestock and range research station. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places...
changed monthly.
October 17, 1881, Company A, Eleventh Infantry, left Camp Porter, Mont., en route to Fort Sully, arriving there October 25, 1881.
Abandoned
November 29, 1881, Camp Porter, Mont., was broken up as a military post, the object for which it was established having been accomplished, and the company stationed there (B, Seventeenth Infantry) left for Fort Abraham LincolnFort Abraham Lincoln
Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park is located seven miles south of Mandan, North Dakota. The park is home to On-A-Slant Indian Village, the blockhouses and the Custer house...
, arriving there the same day.
December 7, 1881, Major Lewis Merrill, Seventh Cavalry (with a detachment of Company B, Seventeenth Infantry, under Lieutenant Brennan, for Fort Lincoln), left Glendive and Camp Porter, Mont., en route to his station, the work of the escort to working parties on the extension of the N. P. E. E., between Little Missouri and Tongue Rivers, having terminated and the command having been broken up. Camp Porter was finally abandoned this date, the buildings, &c., having been sold on the 6th of December.
See also
- Department of DakotaDepartment of DakotaA subdivision of the Division of the Missouri, the Department of Dakota was established by the United States Army on August 11, 1866 to encompass all military activities and forts within Minnesota, Dakota Territory and Montana Territory. The Department of Dakota was initially headquartered at Fort...
Forts - List of military installations in Montana