Comanche War Party by Richard Luce, courtesy of First People.
Camp Cooper, Texas, established in 1856, was a collection of tents and makeshift buildings made of mud, stone, and wood.
This short-lived camp protected settlers and controlled the 400 Comanche Indians living on the nearby Comanche Reservation. Robert E. Lee served as a junior officer at the camp in 1856-57. The camp was the base of numerous expeditions and patrols against the Indians until the Civil War began, and the commander surrendered the camp to Texas troops. After the Civil War, the State militia and Texas Rangers occasionally used the camp.
A building dating from the early 1850s, probably constructed from fragments of post structures, stands near the southern edge of the parade ground. The present privately owned ranch house, a mile to the East, contains stones and glass from the camp. Obtain permission to visit the site, which involves wading across the hip-deep Clear Fork of the Brazos River, from the ranch owners. The old camp site is on a privately owned ranch near Fort Griffin State Park, on U.S. 283. The site is accessible only on foot.
©Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated October 2026.
Also See:
Forts & Presidios Across America
See Sources.