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Drunk and Disorderly: The Enlisted Men, 1794-1800

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For the soldiers who served in frontier forts across the U.S., life was repetitive, boring, and tiring. So why join? Regular pay, food, and clothing along with a possibility for adventure have been the reasons for young men to join for much of human history, and there is no compelling evidence that indicates the men of the Legion were any different. Recruits were expected to be able bodied, at least five feet six inches tall, and between the ages of eighteen and forty six years old. Full sets of clothing were provided annually, including: one hat, one coat, one vest, two pair of woolen and two pair of linen overalls, four pair of shoes, four shirts, two pair of socks, and one blanket. Food theoretically consisted of daily rations containing one pound of beef (or three quarters of a pound of pork if beef could not be obtained), one pound of bread or flour, and half a gill of rum, brandy, or whiskey. There were also allotments of salt, vinegar, and soap along with other essentials.[1] Pay for privates started at $3 a month, with opportunities to advance to sergeant-major making $7 a month, given a successful and largely court martial free career. New enlistees also earned a $6 bonus upon enlistment.[2]

Of course, this is how the system was supposed to work under ideal conditions. Frontier forts, dozens of miles apart, with vulnerable supply lines under near constant attack by local Native Americans, and corrupt contractors were not ideal conditions. Shortages were frequent and theft was rife, leaving Fort Wayne’s garrison often on half rations or completely without portions of what they were supposed to be allotted. These issues were at their worst during construction of the Fort. Food shortages were temporarily solved by raiding the stores left behind in Kiihkayonki (Kekionga) by the Myaamia (Miami), until a slightly more reliable supply chain was established by building flatboats for use on the rivers.[3]
Despite these horrible conditions, the officers were keen on keeping the experienced and trained men in the Legion to stay put. It was time consuming to train new troops and recruitment was slow (after all, the Legion was only at roughly 70% strength before Wayne’s campaign even began).[4] Officers played up the benefits as much as they could to the soldiers of the garrison.

The Liberal pay Bounty Clothing and rations allowed by Congress to the NonCommissioned Officers and Soldiers, Serving on the frontiers North West of the Ohio, far exceeds that of any other Army in the Universe add to the pleasing prospect of peace with all the late Hostile Tribes of Indians, and the possession of the British posts upon the margin of the Lakes, those Lakes abounding with almost every kind of the first fish, and water fowls, and their margins covered with game, must produce a conviction to the minds of Gallant Soldiers of the Legion, that their Situation in future will be happy pleasant and easy; attended with agreeable Variety and plenty...[5]

Soldiers that reenlisted also got a $16 bounty (over five months pay) while new recruits got a $14 bounty.[6] It’s clear through the court martial records that survive that none of this was enough to keep the men happy.

Theft, most oftentimes relating to food or liquor, was a huge problem amongst the enlisted men. Tired of the constant court martials on the matter, Hamtramck ordered that those that were found guilty of being thieves were marked with “a Branding Iron made with the Letter T” on “the forehead and Both Cheeks, or both Hands.”[7] It is unclear if this brutal punishment was ever dealt out.

Lashings were, however, nearly weekly occurrences. Per the Articles of War in place at the time, “No person shall be sentenced to suffer death, except in the cases expressly mentioned in the foregoing articles; nor shall more than one hundred lashes be inflicted on any offender, at the discretion of a court-martial.”[8] One hundred lashes, of course, could be a death sentence, a fact conveniently overlooked by Congress at the time. Soldiers at Fort Wayne were flogged for a myriad of things, from fifty lashes for disobedience, fifteen for deficiency of cartridges, or all the way to one hundred for neglect of duty.[9]

Issues with hygiene and military appearance frequently appeared in reports as well. In December of 1794, even after the arrival of new uniforms, Hamtramck was so disappointed that the orderly book noted “he [had] no reason to Congratulate the Troops on their appearance at yesterdays review, he hopes that the next will give him a better opportunity…” and that he expected their weapons to “at least be free from rust, dirt, or any stains, and perfectly Clean from any Spots.”[10] Months later the issues had continued, with the officers complaining that “the filthiness of the number of Soldiers, is almost incredible many of them are Dirty enough to ease [relieve] themselves on their posts when on Sentinel.”[11]

Unfortunately, it is unclear how many of the enlisted men’s wives and families had joined them at the Fort. The number of women and children at the first fort is likely the smallest out of any of the forts at the Three Rivers, just due to the fact that many of the soldiers had been part of Wayne’s campaign in the Legion and had been away from their families, if they had any, for some time. However, there were at least a few camp followers around as one court martial in late 1794 punished two soldiers for sneaking women over the wall after sunset.[12]
 
[1] U. S. Laws, Statutes, Etc.,  An act for continuing and regulating the military establishments of the United States, and for repealing sundry acts heretofore passed on that subject, (Philadelphia: Printed by Francis Childs, 1795) https://www.loc.gov/item/rbpe.22201900/.
[2] Emory Upton, The Military Policy of the United States (Washington: War Department Office of the Chief of Staff, 1912), 78-81.
[3] Walter Font, A Garrison at Miami Town: Fort Wayne, October 1794 - June 1795 (Fort Wayne: Allen County - Fort Wayne Historical Society, 1994), 7-9.
[4] Upton, The Military Policy of the United States, 83.
[5] Ebenezer Massey, Fort Wayne Orderly Book for the years of 1794 & 1795, 19 April 1795, (as cited in Font, A Garrison at Miami Town: Fort Wayne, October 1794 - June 1795, 74.)
[6] Upton, The Military Policy of the United States, 87.
[7] Massey, Fort Wayne Orderly Book for the years of 1794 & 1795, 20 January 1795, (as cited in Font, A Garrison at Miami Town: Fort Wayne, October 1794 - June 1795, 74.)
[8] “Journals of the Continental Congress - Articles of War; September 20, 1776,” Avalon Project, Yale Law School. https://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/contcong_09-20-76.asp#7.
[9] Font, A Garrison at Miami Town: Fort Wayne, October 1794 - June 1795, 39, 42, 88.
[10] Massey, Fort Wayne Orderly Book for the years of 1794 & 1795, 26 December 1794, (as cited in Font, A Garrison at Miami Town: Fort Wayne, October 1794 - June 1795, 34.)
[11] Massey, Fort Wayne Orderly Book for the years of 1794 & 1795, 23 March 1795, (as cited in Font, A Garrison at Miami Town: Fort Wayne, October 1794 - June 1795, 64.)
[12] Massey, Fort Wayne Orderly Book for the years of 1794 & 1795, 26 December 1794, (as cited in Font, A Garrison at Miami Town: Fort Wayne, October 1794 - June 1795, 35.)

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