The Enlisted Soldier

The Enlisted Soldier. . Enlisted men, the work force of the fort, lived in five adobe barracks on this side of the parade ground. Fort Stockton had both foot soldiers (infantry) and mounted soldiers (cavalry)., During the fort's early years, the soldiers patrolled the wild mountains and canyons of the surrounding country searching for bandits and Indians. Daylight often found the soldiers on the march or in the saddle; nights were spent sleeping on the ground., A routine day at the fort began with the sounding of reveille at 6 am. The day was filled with work details and drills. A dress assembly at sunset ended the workday with lights out at 9:30 pm. When not on duty, soldiers had little to do at small frontier outposts. Fort Stockton was, at that time, 370 miles from the nearest important town, Fredericksburg., Captions , Upper Right: Except for wood and windows, the buildings were made from local materials; adobe bricks were molded from the soil; limestone was quarried for the foundations, and originally, the roof was thatched with reeds, called tules, from the nearby creek. , Lower Right: Each of the buildings used as barracks held about fifty men. The large open room was warmed by a central fireplace and lighted by candles. The men slept on straw-filled mattresses in wooden bunks, two men to each. Their furniture consisted of a few crude tables and chairs made by the men. Living conditions were cramped and only the company sergeant had a private room at one end of the barracks.