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The building just to our right on the south side of the fort is another set of officers quarters. Like several of the other quarters that we previously mentioned, this officer's quarters was a story-and-a-half building thirty-five feet long and twenty-five feet wide. A covered wood porch was built along the north side facing the parade grounds. It housed two officers. On the first floor, there were two large rooms connected by folding doors. Each room had a fireplace and several windows. Each set of quarters had a small entry hall with a stairway to a large upstairs room.
To the east of this Officer's Quarters was the residence of the post's physician and chaplain. The small structure slightly behind and to the east of the chaplain's and surgeon's residence is the old powder magazine and the large structure next door to the chaplain's and surgeon's quarters is the post hospital. I will describe each of these structures in a few moments.
The post surgeon's and chaplain's quarters were a forty-eight foot long by twenty-six foot wide one story brick house. The house contained four large rooms and a servants' quarters in the rear. A fireplace heated each room.
The army required a post chaplain to be an ordained minister of some denomination. He was assigned the rank of captain and lived in officers' quarters. A chaplain was paid $100 a month and two free rations a day and fuel. Normally, chapel service was held in various buildings around the post.
A post surgeon's main duty was treating the sick. His day began with sick call. Some soldiers were treated and sent back to work or to the barracks; others were admitted to the hospital. In addition, emergencies were handled throughout the day.
There were many other administrative duties pertaining to the health and sanitation of Fort Abercrombie. Each week the surgeon inspected the mess hall, barracks, food, and water supply. Other tasks included keeping the medical records, and submitting monthly and annual reports to Fort Snelling.
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