Managing the post commissary required the work of a commissary sergeant and one or two soldiers.  Not only was there the work of receiving, storing, issuing, selling, and accounting of food, but there was administrative work as well.  Eighteen different forms were used for reporting to the Commissary of Subsistence at Fort Snelling.  Some of the forms were Invoice Stores Received, Return of Provisions, Beef Cattle Slaughtered, Receipts of Subsistence Stores, Beef Cattle on Forage, Abstract of Food Sales to Auction, and Issue of Tobacco to the Post Trader.

Non-ration foods were sold to soldiers, scouts, civilian employees, officers, company messes, and the hospital.  A book was maintained noting the sales.  Each month a separate report form was completed showing the amount of sales to each of these categories.  At the end of the month, the Commissary Sergeant would send these reports and all the money from these sales to the Commissary of Subsistence Officer at Fort Snelling.

A typical day at the commissary included issuing army ration supplies, at no cost, to company cooks.  Company cooks would also buy non-ration foods with company post funds to enhance the menu.  Soldier's also stopped by from time to time to purchase items.  Food items were priced at the army's cost plus ten percent for transportation.  Being the commissary was like a grocery store, it was open every day except Sunday.  It was also closed on the last two working days of the month for inventory.

The Quartermaster's Storehouse was used to store clothing, foot wear, furniture, tools, wagons, kitchen utensils, and other non-food items.

The post quartermaster officer and sergeant were responsible for ordering, storing, and issuing supplies.  Forty-four separate forms were used for requisitioning supplies.  Annual inventories were sent to Fort Snelling.  Managing existing supplies was a constant problem at frontier army posts, and Fort Abercrombie was no exception to this.  Often there was a surplus of certain items in the inventory.   Sometimes the surplus supplies were returned to Fort Snelling, and other times they were sold at public auctions.

 The post quartermaster officer was also in charge of the blacksmith, carpenter, and wheelwright.

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 James V. Acker, Pres.

Bard & Wika, Inc.