"[3] During the country's westward expansion, Fort Leavenworth was a forward destination for thousands of soldiers, surveyors, immigrants, American Indians, preachers and settlers who passed through.

CAC's mission involves leader development, collective training, and Army doctrine and battle command (current and future).

In addition, the Fort Leavenworth Garrison supports numerous tenant organizations that directly and indirectly relate to the functions of the CAC, including the United States Army Command and General Staff College and the Foreign Military Studies Office.

Early American explorers on the Missouri River to visit the area of Fort de Cavagnal include Lewis and Clark on 26–29 June 1804[12] and Stephen Harriman Long in 1819.

The spot being chosen, he will then construct with the troops of his command comfortable, though temporary quarters sufficient for the accommodation of four companies.

The first army installation in Cantonment Leavenworth (its original name) was located on Scott Avenue, south of the Post Chapel with initial strength of 14 officers and 174 enlisted men.

In 1854, Kansas Territory Governor Andrew Reeder set up executive offices on post and lived for a short time in the quarters now known as the Rookery.

[16] At the outbreak of the Civil War, Camp Lincoln was established on post as a reception and training station for Kansas volunteers.

However, Price's forces never reached Fort Leavenworth, having met defeat at Westport, which is now part of Kansas City.

For three decades following the war, the Army's chief mission was control of the American Indian tribes on the Western plains.

Between 1865 and 1891, the Army had more than 1,000 combat engagements with Apache, Modoc, Cheyenne, Ute, Nez Perce, Comanche, Kiowa, Kickapoo and other tribes.

The United States Disciplinary Barracks, now a maximum-security military prison, was established in 1875 under the command of Lt. Col. Edmund Rice.

The round window behind the chapel's front altar was intentionally installed slightly askew by an inmate who was angry at his work boss.

This chapel has brass cannon embedded in the walls at the sides of the church, and photos of many of the officers involved in the early history of the fort, including some of the Custer family.

In the years between the world wars, graduates included such officers as Dwight D. Eisenhower, Omar Bradley and George S. Patton.

In 1985, the Harold Keith Johnson wing was added to house the Combined Arms and Services Staff School (CAS3).

[20][21] Until the early 1970s, a battery of four Nike-Hercules Missiles were deployed at Bell Point on a hill on the west side of the fort.

The base is served by the Sherman Army Airfield which has a 5,905-foot (1,800 m) runway and operates under a joint agreement with the city of Leavenworth, Kansas that permits civilian aircraft to use it all hours.