By: RodrÃguez S.C.R. No. 33
(Blanco)
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
WHEREAS, On September 8, 1849, Major Jefferson Van Horne and
a contingent of United States Army troops arrived in the vicinity of
present-day El Paso to establish a post on the Rio Grande, the first
American military encampment in an area that has hosted United
States armed forces now for more than a century and a half; and
WHEREAS, A native of Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Jefferson
Van Horne was born to Dorothy Johns Marple Van Horne and General
Isaac Van Horne, a veteran of the American Revolution; following
the family tradition of military service, he graduated from the
United States Military Academy at West Point in 1827 and upheld its
motto of "Duty, Honor, Country" throughout his life; and
WHEREAS, His early assignments included frontier duty at
Jefferson Barracks in Missouri and a tour at Fort Smith, Arkansas;
from 1846 to 1848, he served his country in the Mexican War, and his
distinguished efforts earned him promotion to the rank of major;
and
WHEREAS, While on leave in his hometown of Zanesville, Ohio,
Jefferson Van Horne met Mary Gilbert, and after exchanging romantic
letters for two years, the couple were married on November 28, 1850;
they had one son, Lewis Cass Van Horne; and
WHEREAS, In May 1849, Major Van Horne was instructed to
establish a military post on the north bank of the Rio Grande,
opposite what is now Ciudad Juarez, for the purpose of protecting
both settlers in the area and travelers bound for California from
Indian attack; he departed Camp Salado, on the outskirts of San
Antonio, on June 1, commanding regimental staff, six companies of
the Third Infantry, and a howitzer battery; his party of nearly 260
soldiers was accompanied by some 100 civilians who played a
supporting role; and
WHEREAS, With 275 wagons, the expedition represented the
longest wagon train to embark westward across Texas; after 100 days
and a 643-mile overland march, Major Van Horne and his men reached
their destination on September 8, 1849; Major Van Horne
subsequently quartered four companies at Coon's Rancho, where
downtown El Paso now stands, and sent two companies to garrison the
old Spanish presidio at San Elizario, 20 miles to the southeast; and
WHEREAS, In September 1851, the War Department closed both
the post at Coon's Rancho and the presidio and ordered Major Van
Horne and most of his troops to Fort Fillmore, 40 miles north of El
Paso, near Mesilla, New Mexico; Major Van Horne had recruiting duty
from 1852 to 1854, and between 1855 and 1857 he served at Fort
Stanton, New Mexico, and at the Post of Albuquerque; he died in
Albuquerque on September 26, 1857; and
WHEREAS, A new army post was established on the site of
present-day El Paso in January 1854, and in March of that year it
was named Fort Bliss after Lieutenant Colonel William Bliss, a
career army officer and an accomplished scholar who was also the
son-in-law of President Zachary Taylor; the fort acquired a
permanent location in El Paso in 1893; and
WHEREAS, The post that Major Jefferson Van Horne established
at the site of present-day El Paso served to protect a vital route
for a dynamic and burgeoning nation pushing westward and marked the
beginning of a long and close association between the United States
military and the people of El Paso, and it is indeed fitting that
the anniversary of his arrival at the Pass of the North be
commemorated; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the 84th Legislature of the State of Texas
hereby designate September 8 as Major Jefferson Van Horne Day in the
State of Texas; and, be it further
RESOLVED, That, in accordance with the provisions of Section
391.004(d), Government Code, this designation remain in effect
until the 10th anniversary of the date this resolution is finally
passed by the legislature.