Home for the Commandants

For 24 years, the officer in command of the cavalry and infantry troops at Fort Union lived here. The post commandant issued the orders that determined the daily duties and routines for hundreds of enlisted men, non-commissioned officers, officers, and civilian employees. He made the decisions about who would patrol the Santa Fe Trail and for how long. From 1867 to 1891, over 100 Regular Army officers held this command. Some served as little as one week in this position, some stayed in charge as long as 36 months, some captains, majors, and colonels held command only once, and other commandants returned to duty at Fort Union as many as 14 times.

Watrous, New Mexico · United States