Supplies attached to the carriage included two handspikes, two sponges and bucket, worm and rammer.  The limber carried an ammunition chest, canvas water bucket, grease bucket, lanyard and friction primers.  A trained gun crew could fire two rounds per minute. 

One incident that occurred here at Fort Abercrombie, tells of an artillerist who pointed his howitzer at a lone Indian on a horse on a knoll about a half mile away. The shell landed under the horse and blew the horse and rider to fragments.

Most of the buildings that are located on the south side of Fort Abercrombie were not here during the siege in 1862. This area was where a lot of the fighting occurred.  Because of that, one of the three blockhouses that were built at the post, was built on this location.  During the recent reconstruction project, it was determined that the blockhouse that was located here was in such bad shape it could not be saved.  Therefore, it was removed and some of the timbers that were used in its construction were used to repair the Guardhouse.  The Guardhouse, as you may recall, is the only original building at Fort Abercrombie.

We will now walk back along the same trail that we used to come to the cannon bastion, turning right at the corner of tool shed to begin our northward journey.  The building located on our right is the Scouts Quarters.

The scout's quarters were an innovation of the later fort.  Originally, scouts fended for themselves wherever they could obtain lodging.  They were an indispensable part of the military however, because of their skill in obtaining knowledge of the elusive Indians.  Often times, they were Indians themselves of peaceful tribes or half-breeds, outcasts of both red and white communities.  The scouts quarters was a story-and-a-half building eighty-eight feet long and thirty-six feet wide. A covered wood porch was built along the west side facing the parade grounds.  It was capable of housing several scouts. 

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 James V. Acker, Pres.

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