Fort McIntosh was established on 3 March 1849 by the 1st US Infantry, under the command of Lt. E.L. Viele,[2] to guard the Texas frontier at the site of a strategic river crossing. Originally named Camp Crawford, the fort was renamed Fort McIntosh in 1850 in honor of Lieutenant Colonel James Simmons McIntosh, a hero in the Battle of Molino del Rey during the Mexican–American War.
The fort was abandoned by Federal troops at the outbreak of the American Civil War. The Battle of Laredo took place near the fort on March 19, 1864, when 72 men repelled three attacks from a force of 200 federal soldiers sent from Brownsville, Texas. On October 23, 1865, the post was reoccupied by federal troops of the 2nd Texas Cavalry.
During World War I, the fort was used as a training base, and had over 15,000 recruits pass
through the gates. During World War II, the 8th Service Command, the 56th Cavalry Brigade, the Southern Land Frontier, the Civil Air Patrol, and battalion of military police all were stationed at the facility at one time or another.
The fort was deactivated in 1946, and the land is now part of the campus of Laredo Community College main campus.[5]
The National Register of Historic Places added Fort McIntosh (#75002011) to its registered historic districts in 1975. Its areas of historic significance are its 1850-1924 Late Victorian Architecture and Military background. All of Fort McIntosh buildings have been preserved and remodeled, and today they serve as educational buildings for Laredo Community College.[6] The former officers barracks has been renovated into Arechiga Hall, named for the third LCC president, Domingo Arechiga.[7]
