Fort Duncan Confederate Cotton Customs Cache — Maverick County

Federal troops evacuated Fort Duncan in March 1861; Confederates occupied the post as Rio Grande Station, serving the Frontier Regiment and an important customs point for cotton and munitions trade with Mexico. TSHA records that by 1864 so much cotton passed through Eagle Pass that bales were lined from the Rio Grande to the edge of town, with a cotton press installed at Piedras Negras. Friedrich Groos switched from freighting to cotton trading by 1863. Near war's end Eagle Pass was reportedly the only port still open for export of Confederate cotton. Civil War border folklore often places merchant strongboxes and customs receipts buried when columns fled or federal troops returned in March 1868. Fort Duncan Park (400 Garrison St.) preserves the historic post. Respect museum grounds and private property.