|Fort Calendar||Fort Blogs|| Fort Coffee (1834-1838, 1861-1863)
- A U.S. Army post established in 1834 in Le Flore County,
Oklahoma. Named after Brigadier General John Coffee, 7th U.S.
Infantry, war of 1812 commander, who died 7 Jul 1833. Abandoned
in 1838. The post was occupied again by Confederates during the
U.S. Civil War, captured by Union forces and burned down,
finally abandoned in 1863. Fort Coffee History A U.S. Army post
established on 16 Jun 1834 by the 7th U.S. Infantry at Swallow
Rock on the south bank of the Arkansas River in Le Flore County,
Oklahoma. The post was established to curb the shipment of
whisky up the river into the Indian Territory with troops from
the nearby abandoned first Fort Smith (2) in Arkansas. The U.S.
Army abandoned the post on 19 Oct 1838 after the second Fort
Smith (2) was established nearby. The abandoned post was
selected as the Fort Coffee Academy for Boys by the Choctaw
Indian Council in 1842 and operated by Methodist missionaries.
The school was discontinued as the