Guard duty was rotated among the soldiers.  Each day, twelve to fourteen enlisted men were picked for guard duty and served a twenty-four hour period.  Army regulations required a guard to stay at his post; carry his gun and ammunition belt at all times; stay fully dressed, even when resting during two-hour shifts; challenge all who approached and ask for the countersign; and repeat calls from distant guard posts.

Placing armed guards at their posts around Fort Abercrombie was part of an elaborate ritual called "guard mount."  Each morning at a specified time, the guard musician sounded his bugle to call the new guards in full-dress uniform to assemble on the parade ground in front of the guardhouse.  After inspection by the corporal of the guard and the officer of the day, the new guards were marched to their posts to relieve the old guards coming off duty.  When there was a band at the post, music was played during guard mount.

Typically, guard posts at frontier military forts were located at the post commissary, the quartermaster's storehouse, stables, haystacks, the post gates or entrances, the guardhouse, powder magazines, officer's quarters, laundresses' quarters, the men's barracks, post headquarters, and the hospital.  The principal duty of the guards at these duty stations was to guard against fire and theft.  They were also instructed to prevent any Indians, except scouts or interpreters, and all other unauthorized personnel from entering the post, and to give an alarm in the event of the approach of any unauthorized individual.

.The New Powder Magazine is located directly behind the guardhouse and just inside the east stockade wall.  Like the old powder magazine it was sixteen feet long by sixteen feet wide and was used to store ammunition, powder, and weapons.  Like many of the things associated with frontier military posts there were also several changes in the weapons used by the soldiers stationed at Fort Abercrombie.

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 James V. Acker, Pres.

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