1798
Report from the Fort
21 January 1802 · Major J. J. Ulrich Rivardi
One side of brick barracks, 117 feet long, 28 wide and very divided into seven rooms, five of which could accommodate 25 men?the other side is quite small and intended for non-commissioned officers. The building is very good.
The long brick building with a porch was constructed as part of the 1794-98 rebuilding of the fort, replacing whatever impressive architecture was left after the Revolution. During the 1835-39 restoration, the roof was changed to provide living space on the second floor. A complaint from the commanding officer to his superior in February 1864 indicated that the alteration was less than successful.
The present roof design may have resulted from these complaints. Today no open partitions exist on the second floor and two walls on the first floor have been removed, leaving only three of the original five rooms. Five large fireplaces identify the room spaces. The two small rooms designated by Rivardi to be used by non-commissioned officers, may have been for musicians. A request by the Commander of musicians and for snare heads, drum heads, drum sticks and other things demonstrate that drummers and fifers were standard members of the garrison. These rooms were on the east side of the building. Each had a center fireplace and a separate entrance.
The soldiers ranged in age from 16 to 44 and their trades or professions included everything from laborer to distiller and papermaker. Home "states" were listed as New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Germany, England, Ireland and France.
When the Fort was garrisoned for the Civil War, specific orders defined activities of the day. Order No 3. dated September 8, 1863 lists the activities performed at Fort Mifflin, from Reveille to Taps, and their times.
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