Fort Inge functioned as a frontier cavalry and infantry outpost guarding the Leona River valley and the surrounding Uvalde-area settlements from raids by Comanche, Apache, and other Native American groups, as well as bandit activity along the border with Mexico. Established in 1849 as part of the first line of forts protecting the advancing Texas frontier, the post typically garrisoned a single company of around fifty soldiers, though it briefly grew to roughly two hundred troops when it served as regimental headquarters for the United States Mounted Rifle Regiment in 1854. Troops based at Fort Inge conducted patrols along the San Antonio-El Paso military road, escorted mail carriers and supply trains, and responded to raids on nearby ranches and travelers, with one Army inspector describing the post as being in a state of near-constant service and skirmishing. The fort was abandoned by federal troops in 1869, after which Texas Rangers used the site as a camp into the 1880s. The location eventually passed into public hands and became Fort Inge Historical Park, a county park operated by Uvalde County. Archaeological investigations conducted in the early 1980s helped document the fort's layout and history. Today the park preserves the site's stone foundations and features walking trails, picnic areas, and a small museum interpreting the fort's role in frontier defense and daily military life on the Texas frontier.