Bread was a staple of army life. General Winfield Scott emphasized its importance, when he explained that bread was one of the "great items of a soldier's diet" and to make it well an "essential part of his instruction." Scott instructed that "officers ... will give strict attention to this vital branch of economy." The bake house was part of the quartermaster complex and was closely tied to both the quartermaster and subsistence departments; the quartermaster maintained the
This building and the identical one further down the road, are both identified as a carriage house and stables. They likely housed the wagons and horses belonging to affluent civilians who lived at Fort Scott after the army abandoned the site in 1853. Archaeological evidence supports occupancy as early as the 1850s, but also suggests that the buildings were used as homes by officers during the Civil War. Today, this building houses a Civil War army ambulance, a U.S. Army f
Many offices and businesses post daily work schedules as a means of guidance and organization. At Fort Scott, company officers (captain and two lieutenants) assisted by a first sergeant kept records in this office. They posted daily duty rosters, kept records of roll calls, musters, work details and other paperwork necessary to run the company efficiently and to track the daily activities of the soldiers in their command.
Each room of the dragoon barracks in front of you provided the soldier with necessities that enabled him to do his duty. The squad room gave him a place to sleep, the mess hall a place to eat, and the laundress quarters a place to get his clothes clean. Duty rosters generated at the company office kept him busy during the day. In the evening, soldiers could spend free time in the barracks playing cards or checkers, engaging in the sport of boxing, reading books, or writing le
Dragoons were soldiers trained to fight on horseback and on foot. They had weapons that were adapted for both types of fighting. Because of their mobility, the army often assigned them to go on missions away from the fort. They patrolled overland trails and they fought in the Mexican-American War. These exhibits show their uniforms and weapons, have maps that trace their activity away from Fort Scott, and share other details about their daily lives.
This building stabled the horses of the dragoons, who were soldiers trained to fight on horse and on foot. Designed to shelter 80 horses, the stables included a hayloft and granaries that stored the horses' daily ration of 14 lbs of hay, 6 qts. of oats, and 4 qts. of corn. A window above each stall provided the horses with ventilation, giving the horse relief and comfort during the often blistering summers. Tack rooms stored the equipment that enabled the horse and soldier to
Look closely at our flag. Do you notice anything? This flag is not the familiar fifty-star flag in use since 1960; our flag has only thirty-stars. The thirty-star flag was in use from 1848, when Wisconsin achieved statehood, until 1851 after California became a state. California was actually admitted in September of 1850, but new flags are always introduced on the Fourth of July, so the 31-star flag was not used until July 5, 1851. Another thirty-star flag is displayed on the
The entrance area is designed to be inviting with a brick plaza, a stone wall with a Fort Scott National Historic Site sign and two flagpoles that fly the U.S. flag and the U.S. Department of the Interior flag. The brick plaza was designed as an aesthetic feature and is an extension of some of the brick streets in town. There were no brick walkways in the 1840s when Fort Scott was established. Instead, the bricks are left over from a time when brick manufacturing plants were active in town at the beginning of the 20th century. The flags flown are all weather flags and are flown every day, but are lowered to half mast for appropriate occassions.
On these grounds are buried hundreds of soldiers who served their country with honor. Many died in combat. Included in the burials here are Civil War soldiers who died in the hospital located on the grounds of the historic site. Also interred here are African American soldiers, American Indian soldiers and soldiers who died at the fort in the 1840s who were later reinterred here. <br /><br />During the Civil War, the original post cemetery near the fort was determined inadequate and a new cemetery was established outside the town to inter soldiers who died in the line of duty. The new cemetery became Fort Scott National Cemetery in 1862, one of 14 original national cemeteries designated by President Abraham Lincoln. The cemetery is administered by the US Department of Veterans Affairs (National Cemetery Administration) and was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.<br /><br />
All around you lays the parade ground, originally enclosed by twelve buildings. The enclosed area provided some protection to the fort's water supply and black powder stores. The parade ground served as the U.S. Army's showcase. Officers constantly sought to instill a sense of pride in the enlisted soldiers, and on these grounds, that pride had to be demonstrated. Military inspections, assembly, flag ceremonies and guard mounting that took place here were all times when sold
Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area shares the stories of 19th century Americans living in Kansas and Missouri who struggled to define the meaning of freedom during the Bleeding Kansas and Civil War years and how these historic struggles have shaped our nation’s concept of American democracy today as freedom for all continues to evolve.
The guardhouse in front of you served two purposes. It functioned as a jail for soldiers who had violated military laws and regulations and as a shelter for the guards who played a vital role in the fort's protection and security. The duties of the guards included patrolling the fort, enforcing the rules and watching prisoners.Discipline at any post of the 1800s was strict; punishments were harsh and often cruel. Punishments ranged from reduction in rank, stoppage of pay, and
As the military opened frontier forts further west, supplying the army became increasingly difficult. The War Department understood the need for vegetables in the soldiers' diets, but unable to fill this need, they eventually tasked the soldiers with growing their own gardens to supplement their rations. Here at Fort Scott, Sergeant John Hamilton, who came to the fort's future site before the first garrison to set up temporary accommodations, planted the initial gardens. Each company had a small plot for their own use, as did the hospital and the individual officers. Plants known to be grown at Fort Scott include: cabbages, carrots, eggplants, muskmelons, onions, peaches, peas, Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, radishes, and turnips. Other plants, such as cucumbers and mustard, may have been cultivated, but there is no direct evidence. <br /><br />Today Fort Scott NHS cultivates two gardens with historically accurate vegetation. These gardens are in place to help visitors visualize the soldiers' daily lives at the fort and are maintained, in large part, by our Volunteers-in-Park. One is this hospital garden in front of the fort. The other can be found behind Officers' Quarters Number 2.<br /><br />-Information from Shelby Spears essay
This infantry barracks is one of three reconstructed barracks at Fort Scott. The army laid it out similar to the dragoon barracks across the parade ground with a mess hall and kitchen downstairs and sleeping quarters upstairs. Its designer planned it to be a second dragoon barracks with stables in the vacant area south of the barracks. However, within a year after the fort's establishment, one of the dragoon companies transferred, leaving one company of dragoons and two of
Before you is one of two reconstructed infantry barracks, home to the infantry soldiers at Fort Scott. Called the "backbone of the army," the infantry soldiers, marching into combat on foot, formed the core of the army's fighting forces. Many were dismayed to learn upon arrival at Fort Scott that they were to be used as a glorified labor force. Using tools such as the adze and broadax, the infantry hand hewed the beams used to build this and other fort structures. Several com
The laundresses were the only offically recognized women on the post. Laundresses received fifty cents per month from each soldier she washed clothes for. Since a laundress at Fort Scott typically washed clothes for 15 men, her salary averaged $7.50 per month. She also received free medical services and rations from the commisary. Laundresses could get extra pay for mending, caring for officers' children and other non-specified services.
Throughout the Civil War, Confederate armies coveted the stores of Union supplies at Fort Scott and attempted to capture them. To protect the town, in 1863, U.S. Army Engineers built four blockhouses or lunettes called Forts Lincoln, Henning, Insley, and Blair. These blockhouses and their large cannons, along with forty miles of entrenchments protected Fort Scott from would be Confederate raids. Fresh off the heels of a military defeat at Mine Creek in October 1864, General Sterling Price's army diverted its plans to capture the town after accessing its strong defenses. <br /><br />After the Civil War, the U.S. Army sold all of the blockhouses at public auction. All but Lunette Blair were eventually torn down or disassembled. Over the course of the century after the Civil War, Lunette Blair was moved several times. It functioned as a carpenter shop for forty years before being sold in 1906. In 1924, the Western Automobile Insurance Company began using the blockhouse on its logo after it was moved to Carroll Plaza (Fort Scott's parade ground that had become a city park). By 1959, after two more moves, the blockhouse had fallen into a state of disrepair; residents of Fort Scott essentially had it reconstructed.<br /><br />Today, Lunette Blair stands on Skubitz Plaza near Fort Scott National Historic Site, a visual reminder of the protection and security it provided Fort Scott during the Civil War. Legislation has been introduced to transfer ownership of the blockhouse to the National Park Service.<br />
A married sergeant might occupy this room with his wife and children, if they were so endowed. While rather crowded, it at least afforded them some privacy. If more than one sergeant of the company were married, this room would likely be occupied by the one with the most seniority.
A company of soldiers ate in the mess hall. The company was divided into four squads of 12 privates each. One source reveals that each squad sat at its own table; hence, there were four tables in the mess hall. By regulation, the tables and the mess hall had to be maintained to the utmost neatness. By design and upkeep, mess halls were not only efficient but also relatively sanitary places to serve the soldiers their meals.
The activity that went on in the kitchen and mess hall was critical to the soldier's health and survival. Lack of food would obviously lead to starvation, but also important was the quality of the cooking and the variety of the food.
Officers, who had the responsibility of command, received the perks that came with the position. Four three-story duplexes were built along officers' row, with two sets of quarters in each building. Typically, an officer and his family occupied half of one of these buildings. If the officer was a bachelor, he might share his quarters with other bachelors. Each of these quarters had two bedrooms, a dining room, and parlor for entertainment, a morning or sitting room and a kitc
This building, an original officers' quarters, features many examples of the timber and frame construction that went into the creation of a permanent post. On its exterior, one can see examples of the Greek Revival architectural features that Captain Swords used to build a military post that was intended to impress visitors and instill a sense of pride in those who lived here. A brochure available inside identifies the various building elements
This building is an original structure that is one-half of an officers' quarters. The other half burned down in a fire in the 1940s. The existence of a firewall, an 1840s construction feature, between the two halves likely saved this half from suffering the same fate. Inside this building is an exhibit of a sutler store that is open only during special events and education programs, when staffing is available. In the vacant lot to the north are the remains of Officers' Q
This is a great spot for a picnic! You'll find here four picnic tables under the shade of a tall tree amidst our historic buildings and restored tallgrass prairie. The site does not reserve picnic tables; they are first come-first serve. Near the picnic area are a trash can and recycling containers for aluminum cans and plastic bottles.
The commanding officer at Fort Scott coordinated the operation of the military post from the post headquarters in front of you. He was in charge of the health, safety, cleanliness, and security of the post. He routinely dealt with housing issues, property, supplies, and personnel management. He oversaw post discipline; he could arrest other officers and he convened courts-martial in this building. In these offices, he and his adjutant prepared reports and kept records that ke
The hospital served as a place of treatment for sick and injured soldiers, however medical practices of the time often impeded recovery rather than aiding it.
The powder magazine is the only structure at Fort Scott lined with brick, for the simple reason that brick is resistant to fire. Brick can withstand temperatures up to 1300 degrees without being compromised. Considering the other measures taken to protect the magazine (thick walls and a lightning rod), it made sense for it to be the only building lined with brick. These measures would have helped keep safe the stores of explosives in the structure.
The quadrangle included a variety of buildings and activity areas essential to the operations and maintenance of the fort. The quadrangle consisted of a number of small buildings arranged in a square with an open area in the center. Hay and grain storage, a blacksmith shop, a carpenter shop, and possibly an ice house were located here. The quartermaster quadrangle maintained the supply wagons and the draft animals (generally mules) that pulled the draft wagons, with everyt
"The line of supply may be said to be as vital to the existence of an army as the heart to the life of a human being" This quote from a military commander emphasizes the critical role that the quartermaster and subsistence departments played in the army's well being and survival.In this building are housed the barrels and boxes that contained these important supplies. One side is set up as the quartermaster's office and storeroom. As the name implies, the quartermaster was in
Rank had privileges, even among non-commissioned officers. Sergeants, who were responsible for training and discipline, had their own room and some amenities not afforded to the enlisted men. Those amenities included their own washbasins and privacy. Each company had four sergeants: while they potentially could all stay in this room, many often did not, either because they were married or were off on other assignments. Frequently, a sergeant could get this room to himself.
Two squad rooms or sleeping quarters occupied the upper floor of each barracks. Up to twenty-six soldiers (two corporals and twenty-four privates) could sleep in each squad room. Corporals slept in the small beds while the privates slept in the bunks, two per bunk. They slept head to toe. Soldiers were required to bathe weekly and wash their feet twice per week,
Welcome to Fort Scott. The buildings in front of you represent Fort Scott in the 1840s, when the fort was built to protect the Permanent Indian Frontier. Its architect, Captain Thomas Swords, stated that his goal here was to build the Crack Post of the Frontier. To that end, he employed a variety of architectural styles, native building materials, and local water resources used in mixing mortar and plaster. He supervised the construction of a fort that was intended to be a pe
The digging of the well toward the north side of the parade ground received a high priority in the early construction of the fort.. By October 1843 , the quartermaster reported that a 65-foot well had been hand dug "the whole of it, with the exception of about 5 feet near the surface, having been blasted through successive strata of limestone, slate and coal." The well is off centered under the canopy to simplify the drawing of water when soldiers used wagons to haul the wa
