Rank, Privilege, and Officers Row

Rank, Privilege, and Officers Row. . , To see evidence of the rigid military caste system in the Old Army, compare the substantial homes along Officers Row in front of you to the enlisted men's barracks behind you. A soldier's rank determined his position both professionally and socially. The quality and arrangement of quarters at Fort Scott and other military posts reflected the army's segregated system., Separate quarters for officers and enlisted men kept the two classes apart. Rank also dictated that the elegant homes of officers were at the best location on the parade ground. To further cement the caste system, the walkway in front of Officers Row was off limits to enlisted men and post laundresses; they used a separate walkway from their barracks to the well., By the time this photo (above) was taken in the 1870s, the homes along Officers Row were privately owned. Compare the buildings in the photo to the scene today, noting that the third structure and half of the fourth are now gone., The surviving houses are original. Their exteriors have been restored to their appearance of the 1840s and 50s. They are duplexes. Each side contains six rooms, plus hallways, arranged on three levels - ample space for one officer, his family, and servants.