Fort Barrett was a temporary earthwork

Earthworks (archaeology)

In archaeology, earthwork is a general term to describe artificial changes in land level. Earthworks are often known colloquially as 'lumps and bumps'. Earthworks can themselves be archaeological features or they can show features beneath the surface...

 built by the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 Army's California Column

California Column

The California Column, a force of Union volunteers, marched from April to August 1862 over 900 miles from California, across the southern New Mexico Territory to the Rio Grande and then into western Texas during the American Civil War. At the time, this was the longest trek through desert terrain...

 in 1862 during the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

. It was located at the Pima Villages two miles from the Gila river nearby Casa Blanca

Casa Blanca, Arizona

Casa Blanca is a census-designated place in Pinal County, Arizona, United States, located in the Gila River Indian Community. The population was 1,388 at the 2010 census.- Demographics :...

 and Bapchule

Bapchule, Arizona

Bapchule is an unincorporated community in northern Pinal County, Arizona, United States. It lies in the Gila River Indian Community south of the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. Its elevation is , and it is located at . Although Bapchule is unincorporated, it has a post office with the ZIP code of...

, Arizona

Arizona

Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...

 and was built around the flour mill of settler Ammi White to protect it and provide a safe location to gather food and forage from the Pima people for the advance on Tucson. The fort was named after Lieutenant

Lieutenant

A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...

 James Barrett who was killed in the Battle of Picacho Peak. Following the capture of Tucson

Capture of Tucson (1862)

The Capture of Tucson was a United States attack on Tucson in Confederate Arizona on May 20, 1862. A Union force of 2,000 took the city from ten Tucson militiamen without a shot fired.-Background:...

 in May the constuction of the post ceased, and was abandoned, except as a post for vedette

Vedette

The French military term vedette , also spelled vidette, migrated into English and other languages to refer to a mounted sentry or outpost, who has the function of bringing information, giving signals or warnings of danger, etc., to a main body of troops...

s and express riders.