Surgeon’s & Chaplain’s Quarters

Surgeon’s and Chaplain’s Quarters. . This two-story building was completed in January of 1870 as officers' quarters. An 1871 map of Fort Abercrombie shows this building being used as quarters by the surgeon and the chaplain. In addition to treating the sick, the surgeon reported on the living conditions at the fort and made observations on the environment around the fort. These reports are useful to modern historians because they provide details about the diet, health, and living conditions of soldiers during that time period.

Surgeon , The surgeon was the chief medical officer at a frontier fort. His main duty was treating the sick very morning when the bugler sounded sick call, soldiers requiring medical attention would report to the hospital to be examined by the surgeon. Depending on how sick they were, a soldier might be treated and released, given light duty, or perhaps admitted to the hospital.

In this illustration the surgeon is shown wearing a dark blue cloak coat. This was the regulation overcoat used by officers. It was closely patterned after overcoats worn by officers in the French army. . This historical marker was erected by State Historical Society of North Dakota. It is in Abercrombie in Richland County North Dakota