Fort Abraham Lincoln

Fort Abraham Lincoln is a former military post in the U.S. Army in the former Dakota Territory, and today the U.S. state of North Dakota. It is located near the Missouri River, 11 km south of the village Mandan.

History

The railway line Northern Pacific Railroad led by Indian lands in the Great Plains. To protect the line against attacks of hostile Indians several forts were built. On 14 June 1872, companies B and C of the 6th U.S. Infantry began on the west bank of the Missouri River with the Bauvon Fort McKeen, named after the Civil War hero Colonel H. Boyd McKeen. In the fall of the military post was renamed Fort Abraham Lincoln. Also in autumn Indians perpetrated the first attack on the fort

In 1873 three companies of infantry of the 6th and 17th regiment quartered in Fort Abraham Lincoln and six companies of the 7th Cavalry Regiment under Lieutenant Colonel George A. Custer, who also took over the command of the fort. Overall, the Fort had so a crew of 650 men and was the largest military post in the northern Plains. Apart from the 7th Cavalry Regiment struck the district center of the Dakota Military Department there on his headquarters. For the district center also included Fort Rice, Fort Stenvenson and Fort Hancock. The Dakota Military Department was commanded by General Alfred Terry.

The garrison of the fort held the Indians not of attacks. 1873 they attacked the fort three times; in an attack in 1874 they captured the mule herd of the fort

As of June 20, 1873 Custer led the Landvermerssungsexpedition Stanley expedition along the Yellowstone River, the eight companies of cavalry and infantry from Fort Abraham Lincoln were involved. The 95 - day expedition was variously attacked by Lakota and Cheyenne warriors.

Tom Custer, brother of George A. Custer took 1874 Rain in the Face, caught a chief of the Hunkpapa Lakota and interned him at Fort Abraham Lincoln. Rain in the Face was able to escape from there.

On July 2, 1874 Custer broke again on an expedition, this time in the Black Hills. This time he led about 1,000 men; his ten cavalry and two infantry companies were supplemented by Indian scouts and scientists. This expedition lasted until August 30, and was successful in that the end of July in the Black Hills gold was discovered, in the territory of the Lakota with whom the U.S. had made ​​peace in the Treaty of Fort Laramie.

Despite the peace treaty started General Terry in the summer a major offensive against the Lakota, which was also Custers companies were involved. The offensive ended in a fiasco - 265 men under Custer lost on 25 June 1876 in the Battle of Little Bighorn their lives, among them George A. Custer itself

After the Battle of Fort Abraham Lincoln remained six years the headquarters of the 7th U.S. Cavalry, which was re-formed. The Lakota were defeated by the end of 1877, and lived in Indian reservations in the future. The importance of Fort Abraham Lincoln declined rapidly. Once the headquarters of the U.S. 7th Cavalry was transferred to Fort George G. Meade, Fort Abraham Lincoln was nine years in operation; In 1891 it was abandoned. Three years later, Farmer stole the remains of the fort such as beams and windows.

Everyday life in the Fort

The daily routine of the occupation Custers to times daily was a two-hour drill, as well as works such as chopping wood, cleaning or cooking. In addition, the men had time for card games and billiards. In the company of Captain John Benteen a baseball team that played against teams from Fort Randall, Fort Rice and Yankton arose.

The officers lived in better houses, Custer had built even for $ 4,000 a luxurious house with ten rooms and eight toilets. Also the food was better than that of the officers of the team. They were quartered her family in the fort, also in contrast to the team. Their wives could possibly snag a job as a laundress at the Fort. Custer allowed civilians to conduct business as a hairdressing salon and a photo studio in the Fort.

Overall, the Fort consisted of 78 buildings.

The fort today

Various buildings of the fort were reconstructed from 1934 and can be visited: The Victorian House of Custer, a shop, barracks of the team, stables and granary. The fort was declared the Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park, which includes a reconstructed earth lodges Mandan Indian village called On-A - Slant Village. In approximately 4 acre park is also home to a campground and cabins for travelers. It is accessed by Highway 1806.