An order issued by the War Department, August 28, 1899, authorized the surgeon-general to establish a general hospital at Fort Bayard, N. M., as a sanitarium for the treatment of officers and enlisted men of the army suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis, and also to provide therein for the care and treatment of discharged soldiers entitled to the benefits of the U. S. Soldiers'
Home, at Washington, D. C. Under the latter clause patients are enabled to remain under treatment indefinitely, even after their discharge from the army by reason of their physical disability or from expiration of their term of enlistment.
Fort Bayard was selected by the surgeon-general not only for its admirably suited climate but also because it was immediately available, its abandonment as a military post having been contemplated for some years, and, excepting for its isolation and difficulty of access, no better locality could have been chosen.