Fort Knox

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This article is about United States Army post. For the Fort Knox Bullion Depository where the majority of US gold is kept, see United States Bullion Depository. For the Civil War fort in Maine, see Fort Knox, Maine.
Fort Knox
Kentucky

The entrance to Fort Knox
Type Military Base
Built 1918
In use 1861-1903: Civil War
1903-1918: Training Grounds
1918-1925: Camp Knox
1925-1928: National Forest
1928-1931: Camp Knox
1932-Present: Fort Knox
Controlled by 1861-1903: Contested
1903-Present: United States
Current
commander		 Brigadier General Donald Campbell

Location of Fort Knox

Fort Knox is a United States Army post in Kentucky south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. The base covers parts of Bullitt, Hardin, and Meade Counties. It holds the U.S. Army Armor Center, the U.S. Army Armor School and the U.S. Army Recruiting Command.[1] It is also the site of the U.S. Bullion Depository and the General George Patton Museum,[2] both located on or near the army post. Parts of the base in Hardin and Meade Counties form a census-designated place (CDP), which had a population of 12,377 at the 2000 census.

Fort Knox has become an almost colloquial term in the English language, its name associated with high-tech security, impregnability and excess amounts of wealth. This occurrence has become proliferated due to the use of the site in media such as the 1959 James Bond novel Goldfinger by Ian Fleming, and the 1964 movie of the same name and its appearance in the 1981 comedy film Stripes, both of which utilize the large-scale security of the fort in the main narrative. Fort Knox is also mentioned in the System of a Down song, "B.Y.O.B."

For more information on the security and gold located at Fort Knox, see the article on the United States Bullion Depository.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Fortification

Fortifications were constructed near the site in 1861, during the Civil War when Fort Duffield was constructed. Fort Duffield was located on what was known as Muldraugh Hill on a strategic point overlooking the confluence of the Salt and Ohio Rivers and the Louisville and Nashville Turnpike. The area was contested by both Union and Confederate forces. Bands of organized guerrillas frequently raided the area during the war. John Hunt Morgan[3] the 2nd Kentucky Cavalry for the confederate army raided the area before staging his famous raid on Indiana and Ohio known as Morgan's Raid.[4]

[edit] Post war

After the war, the area now occupied by the Army was home to various small communities. In October 1903, military maneuvers for the Regular Army and the National Guards of several states were held at West Point, Kentucky and the surrounding area. [5] In April 1918, field artillery units from Camp Zachary Taylor arrived at West Point for training. 10,000 acres (40 km²) near to the village of Stithton were leased to the government and construction for a permanent training center was started in July 1918.

[edit] New camp

The new camp was named after Henry Knox, the Continental Army's chief of artillery during the Revolutionary War and the country's first Secretary of War. The camp was extended by the purchase of a further 40,000 acres (162 km²) in June 1918 and construction properly began in July 1918. The building program was reduced following the end of the war and reduced further following cuts to the army in 1921 after the National Defense Act of 1920. The camp was greatly reduced and became a semi-permanent training center for the 5th Corps Area for Reserve Officer training, the National Guard, and Citizen's Military Training Camps (CMTC). For a short while, from 1925 to 1928, the area was designated as "Camp Henry Knox National Forest."[6]

[edit] Mechanized military unit occupation

An M3 Lee tank on training exercises, June 1942.
An M3 Lee tank on training exercises, June 1942.

In 1931 a small force of the mechanized cavalry was assigned to Camp Knox to use it as a training site. The camp was turned into a permanent garrison in January 1932 and renamed Fort Knox. The 1st Cavalry Regiment arrived later in the month to become the 1st Cavalry Regiment (Mechanized).

In 1936 the 1st was joined by the 13th to become the 7th Cavalry Brigade (Mechanized). The site quickly became the center for mechanization tactics and doctrine. The success of the German mechanized units at the start of World War II was a major impetus to operations at the fort. A new Armored Force was established in July 1940 with its headquarters at Fort Knox with the 7th Cavalry Brigade becoming the 1st Armored Division. The Armored Force School and the Armored Force Replacement Center were also sited at Fort Knox in October 1940, and their successors remain located there today. The site was expanded to cope with its new role. By 1943, there were 3,820 buildings on 106,861 acres (432 km²). A third of the base has been torn down within the last ten years, with another third slated by 2010.

[edit] Current uses

The U.S. Bullion Depository at Ft. Knox.
The U.S. Bullion Depository at Ft. Knox.

The history of George S. Patton's armor division can be found at the General George Patton Museum which resides at Fort Knox.[7]

Fort Knox is one of the places where the Army conducts Basic Combat Training and it is home to the Army ROTC Leader's Training Course, under the auspices of the 46th Infantry Regiment, and is used by both the Army and the Marine Corps to train crews on the M1 Abrams main battle tank. From 1967 to 1994, the post was home to the 194th Armored Brigade, a combat unit which, amongst other duties, assisted Armored School training.[8] The 194th has been reactivated as the unit responsible for armor training.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury has maintained the Bullion Depository on the post since 1937. This facility is operated by the Treasury Department and is independent of the Army's operations there.

[edit] Current units

  • 16th Cavalry Regiment
    • 1st Squadron
    • 2nd Squadron
    • 3rd Squadron
  • 194th Armored Brigade
    • 81st Armored Regiment
      • 1st Battalion
      • 2nd Battalion
      • 3rd Battalion
    • 15th Cavalry Regiment
      • 5th Squadron
    • 46th Infantry Regiment
      • 1st Battalion
      • 2nd Battalion

[9]

[edit] Geography

Fort Knox is located at 37°53'34" North, 85°58'29" West (37.892809, -85.974709)[10], along the Ohio River. The depository itself is located at 37°53'00" North, 85°57'56" West (37.883333, -85.965556).[citation needed]

According to the Census Bureau, the base CDP has a total area of 20.9 square miles (54.2 km²), of which 20.9 square miles (54.2 km²) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²), 0.14%, is water.

Communities near Fort Knox include Brandenburg, Elizabethtown, Hodgenville, Louisville, Radcliff, Sheperdsville, and Vine Grove, Kentucky[11] The Meade County city of Muldraugh is completely surrounded by Fort Knox.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census[12] of 2000, there were 12,377 people, 2,748 households, and 2,596 families residing on base. The population density was 591.7 people per square mile (228.4/km²). There were 3,015 housing units at an average density of 144.1/sq mi (55.6/km²). The racial makeup of the base was 66.32% White, 23.08% African American, 0.73% Native American, 1.65% Asian, 0.44% Pacific Islander, 4.17% from other races, and 3.63% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 10.35% of the population.

There were 2,748 households out of which 77.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 86.0% were married couples living together, 6.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 5.5% were non-families. 4.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 0.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.49 and the average family size was 3.60.

The age distribution was 34.9% under the age of 18, 25.5% from 18 to 24, 37.2% from 25 to 44, 2.3% from 45 to 64, and 0.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females there were 155.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 190.3 males. These statistics are generally typical for military bases.

The median income for a household on the base was $34,020, and the median income for a family was $33,588. Males had a median income of $26,011 versus $21,048 for females. The per capita income for the base was $12,410. About 5.8% of the population and 6.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.6% of those under the age of 18 and 100.0% of those 65 and older.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ US Army Armor Center - Fort Knox Kentucky
  2. ^ Patton Museum of Cavalry and Armor - Home
  3. ^ Ramage, James A., Rebel Raider: The Life of General John Hunt Morgan. Lexington, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky, 1986. ISBN 0-8131-1576-0.
  4. ^ Fort Knox, KY • History
  5. ^ New York Times July 17, 1903 pg 5
  6. ^ The Courier-Journal April 15, 1928 end
  7. ^ Patton Museum of Cavalry and Armor - Home
  8. ^ US Army Armor Center - Fort Knox Kentucky
  9. ^ US Army Armor Center - Units & Organizations
  10. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  11. ^ US Army Armor Center- Family & Community
  12. ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

[edit] External links

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v • d • e
Municipalities and communities of
Hardin County, Kentucky
County seat: Elizabethtown
Cities
Location of Hardin County, Kentucky
CDP

Fort Knox‡
Communities
Footnotes

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
v • d • e
Municipalities and communities of
Meade County, Kentucky
County seat: Brandenburg
Cities
Location of Meade County, Kentucky
CDP

Fort Knox‡
Footnotes

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
v • d • e
United States Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC)
Sub-commands United States Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC)
Installations
Schools