Abercrombie in Richland County, North Dakota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Headquarters
Photographed by Connor Olson, June 14, 2021
1. Headquarters Marker
Inscription.
Headquarters. . You are standing in roughly the same spot where a photographer took this picture of Fort Abercrombie's headquarters building. The headquarters building is in the foreground of the photograph. It stood one-and-a-half stories tall and had a porch that extended along its front side. This building appears in images of Fort Abercrombie from as early as 1862. The fort's commanding officer and the adjutant had their offices in this building. Upstairs was a guest room and a room used for court martial proceedings.
Notice the woman and the children standing along the front porch in this photograph. U.S. Army regulations of the 1860s scarcely mention the presence of women and children on frontier military posts, yet families played an important part in the daily life of an army officer. As an officer moved from one fort to another, his family moved with him. The army limited the amount of personal furnishings that could travel with an officer's family to their new destination. Because of this, families often resorted to using items such as boards and sawhorses for dining room tables, and overturned crates and boxes for chairs.
The Commanding Officer
The commanding officer oversaw all the operations at a frontier fort with the assistance of his subordinate officers. The rank of Fort Abercrombie's commanding officer varied depending on the number of troops that were stationed at the fort.
Notable commanding officers at Fort Abercrombie included: , . Lieutenant Colonel John J. Abercrombie, whose troops first established Fort Abercrombie in 1858, and for whom the fort is named. , . Captain John Vander Horck, who was in command when the fort was under siege by Dakota warriors during the Minnesota Indian War of 1862. , . Major Marcus A. Reno, who, after serving with the 7th Cavalry at the Battle of Little Bighorn in 1876, was commander during the winter of 1876-77.
You are standing in roughly the same spot where a photographer
took this picture of Fort Abercrombie's headquarters building.
The headquarters building is in the foreground of the photograph.
It stood one-and-a-half stories tall and had a porch that extended
along its front side. This building appears in images of Fort
Abercrombie from as early as 1862. The fort's commanding
officer and the adjutant had their offices in this building. Upstairs
was a guest room and a room used for court martial proceedings.
Notice the woman and the children standing along the front porch
in this photograph. U.S. Army regulations of the 1860s scarcely
mention the presence of women and children on frontier military
posts, yet families played an important part in the daily life
of an army officer. As an officer moved from one fort to another,
his family moved with him. The army limited the amount
of personal furnishings that could travel with an officer's family
to their new destination. Because of this, families often resorted
to using items such as boards and sawhorses for dining room
tables, and overturned crates and boxes for chairs.
The Commanding Officer
The commanding officer oversaw
all the operations at a frontier fort
with the assistance of his
subordinate officers. The rank
of Fort Abercrombie's commanding
officer varied depending
on the number of troops that
were stationed at the fort.
Notable commanding officers
at Fort Abercrombie included:
Lieutenant Colonel
John J. Abercrombie,
whose troops first established Fort
Abercrombie in 1858, and for
whom the fort is named. Captain John Vander Horck,
who was in command when the fort
was under siege by Dakota warriors
during the Minnesota Indian War
of 1862. Major Marcus A. Reno,
who, after serving with the 7th
Cavalry at the Battle of Little Bighorn
in 1876, was commander during
the winter of 1876-77.
Erected by State
Click or scan to see this page online
Historical Society of North Dakota.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Forts and Castles • Wars, US Indian. A significant historical year for this entry is 1862.
Location. 46° 26.698′ N, 96° 43.153′ W. Marker is in Abercrombie, North Dakota, in Richland County. It is on Broadway North (County Road 4) near Abercrombie Street, on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 935 Broadway N, Abercrombie ND 58001, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Red River Valley and in Greater Fargo Area. It is also in the American Lewis & Clark Corridor, on the prairies, and on the Northern Plains. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once Ruperts Land and also the Louisiana Purchase.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 10, 2021. It was originally submitted on July 7, 2021, by Connor Olson of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 449 times since then and 24 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on July 7, 2021, by Connor Olson of Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. • Mark Hilton was the editor who published this page.
