Yesterday we went with the Openshaws for our preparation day. We decided to go to Fort Madison which is right across the river. There is an old fort there that was built in 1808 and was basically a trading fort with the Sac and Fox Indians.
It was during the Jacksonian period in American history and they felt they would get the Indians to side with them instead of the British by trading goods with them. (A form of control)
Things were going pretty well until unprincipled others came in with alcohol and undermined the government. Ah, don’t we have those kinds of wonderful folks running around in the world today!
There was a wonderful guide there. He actually had a PHD! Dressed like an old infantry soldier, working in this little fort, making $35,000 a year! He did his doctoral dissertation on the War of 1812.
Anyway, he knew everything about this time period. He was talking about the conditions of the men at that time. I guess in order for you to be in the infantry you had to have among other things FOUR GOOD TEETH! Honest to Pete, you needed teeth to be able to load you gun with gunpowder! I guess that was hard to find in those days. Delete mental picture
He loaded and fired this old French gun for us! Pretty loud. He said that the secret to being able to survive was to be in rank during a battle at all times. Indians preferred to not attack if they were in one big unit, very tight knit together. If they got separated at all, then the Indians were pretty dominant. SO they actually would fire over one another’s shoulders. I think he said that they could get three rounds off in a minute. The bayonet was very important. It was actually three sided, which caused mortal wounds.
Flogging was a punishment for disobedience. Like getting drunk or rowdy. They would be beaten with these whips. For more punishments they would put them in the stocks or make them sit on a sawhorse type of thing with weights on their feet!!!! And to think that these men usually enlisted!!!!
Doesn’t this remind you of the movies???
Where the men sat that were on guard duty.
The look out tower. The windows could be closed by lowering the wood.
Barracks where the enlisted men lived.
Wooden canteens.
Crops grown inside fort walls.
Old Glory flying from a tree trunk.
Platforms that they stood up on to fire over the fence.
Big gates leading out to the river.
So many things we take for granted. They had displays of medicines used in those days, medical instruments for amputation, etc. They said halitosis was a common ailment! I can’t remember what herb was used for that!!
The fort itself and the layout was pretty fascinating. It made you feel like you were actually living in that day. Crops were grown inside the walls, animals were held inside as well. It sure made me feel like I was sitting down with my Dad watching old western movies. This was a real fort. AND I MISS MY DADDY!
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