BARRACKS MOTEL [PATTON HALL]

BARRACKS MOTEL [PATTON HALL]
NAMED FOR GENERAL GEORGE S. PATTON, JR.
WHO SERVED AT FORT CLARK AND OCCUPIED QUARTERS NO. 24
WHILE A COLONEL COMMANDING THE 5TH U.S. CAVALRY, FROM JULY TO NOVEMBER 1938.
Patton arrived at Fort Clark on July 24, 1938 and
sent a note to his wife Beatrice of his initial
impressions of his new duty station, "San Antonio is
very quaint and I think you will like it ... [Fort] Clark is
138 miles due west ... I think we will like it. Gen J.
[Joyce] runs the post and I run the regiment, which
makes it very nice. The Joyces were delighted to see
me and are more human than [they were] at [Fort] Myer
... All one can do here is to Ride-Read Write & Swim."
Patton quickly set about preparing his quarters for his
family's arrival and again wrote Beatrice of his
preparations, "[The house is beginning to look] swell. I
had a new room built for a butler's pantry and bought a
sink for it. I also am having the garden fenced with a 6foot lattice fence, which should be finished by the end of September. All work here has to be done by
soldiers. So as not to make them hate me I have them do the work on their own time and pay them for
it." Patton enjoyed Fort Clark and its outdoor life, which restored him to health. His hopes of
COL PATTON AT HIS DESK, HQS 5TH U.S. CAVALRY
FORT CLARK, TEXAS 1938.
remaining in Texas came to an abrupt close when on November 1, 1938 the War Department
reassigned him to the 3rd Cavalry in Washington, D.C.
Two-story stone cavalry barracks were first erected on this site in 1874. Each floor was an open
bay with two rows of beds for soldiers and a small separate room for non-commissioned officers. Iron
stoves heated the barracks. In 1886 two wings were constructed to the rear of the barracks. The
eastern wing served as a mess hall while the west wing contained a company orderly room and
supply room. An Inspector General report, in 1928, recommended demolition of the barracks building
due to severe deterioration. The barracks was rebuilt, in 1931 maintaining the original design and
appearance, while using modern materials and a stone veneer. The rear support buildings (today
private residences) were connected to the barracks during the 1931 construction. The building then
became home for “A” Troop, 5th U.S. Cavalry Regiment, for the next decade. This barracks was first
converted to motel units in 1959 by John Wayne’s production company for “The Alamo” movie and
renovated by the Fort Clark Springs Association in 1994 and again in 2004.
CAVALRY BARRACKS [NOW PATTON HALL] IN 1931
BARRACKS INTERIOR, 1931
BARRACKS MOTEL [BULLIS HALL]
NAMED FOR BREVET BRIGADIER GENERAL JOHN L. BULLIS
WHO SERVED AT FORT CLARK AND COMMANDED THE SEMINOLE-NEGRO INDIAN SCOUT DETACHMENT
WHILE A 1ST LIEUTENANT IN THE 24TH INFANTRY FROM 1872-1881.
John Lapnam Bullis, a native New Yorker, entered the service of his country as
a corporal in Company H, 126th New York Infantry on August 8, 1862. By the end
of the Civil War he was a Captain in the 118th U.S. Colored Infantry, his first
experience in command of Black soldiers. After the war he headed west and
following several failed business enter-prises reentered the Army in
September of 1867 as a 2nd Lieut in the 41st Infantry, one of the newly formed
Black regiments. The 41st Infantry arrived at Ft Clark in 1868 with Colonel
Ranald S. Mackenzie in command and William R. Shafter as his Lieutenant
Colonel. In November 1869 the 41st was combined with the 38th Infantry to
form the 24th Infantry (Buffalo Soldiers). Bullis took command of the SeminoleNegro Indian Scout Detachment in the Spring of 1872 when the scouts and their
families moved to Ft Clark from Ft Duncan at Eagle Pass. His exploits as
commander of the scouts are the stuff of legend. Bullis and the Scouts were the
vanguard for Mackenzie’s Remilino Raid in 1873 and participated in subsequent raids into Mexico
with “Pecos Bill” Shafter and S.B.M. Young. The “Pecos River fight” on April 25, 1875, during which
Bullis was rescued by three of his faithful scouts, resulted in the award of the Medal of Honor to
Scouts: Sergeantt John Ward; Private Pompey Factor; and Trumpeter Isaac Payne (all buried in the
Seminole Indian Scout Cemtery, Brackettville, Texas). Bullis relinquished command of the Scouts in
July of 1881. His singularly heroic service was recognized by gifts from the citizens of west Texas
and of Kinney County of gold plated and engraved presentation swords now held by the Witte
Museum in San Antonio. Bullis retired from active service as a Major and was promoted to Brigadier
General on the retired list just prior to his death at Ft Sam Houston in 1911.
Two-story stone cavalry barracks were first erected on this site in 1874. Each floor was an open
bay with two rows of beds for soldiers and a small separate room for non-commissioned officers. Iron
stoves heated the barracks. In 1886 two wings were constructed to the rear of the barracks. The
eastern wing served as a mess hall while the west wing contained a company orderly room and
supply room. An Inspector General report, in 1928, recommended demolition of the barracks building
due to severe deterioration. The barracks was rebuilt in 1932 maintaining the original design and
appearance, while using modern materials and a stone veneer. The rear support buildings (today
private residences) were connected to the barracks during the 1932 construction. The building
became the home of Headquarters Troop, 5th U.S. Cavalry Regiment, for the next decade. This
barracks was first converted to motel units in 1959 by John Wayne’s production company for “The
Alamo” movie and renovated by the Fort Clark Springs Association in 1994 and again in 2004.
CAVALRY BARRACKS [NOW BULLIS HALL]
BULLIS HALL, CIRCA 1930’S