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Fort Scott National Historic SitePhotograph of Powder Magazine and Officers Quarters at Fort Scott
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Fort Scott National Historic Site
Infantry Soldier-Tools of the Trade

Infantry DressThe tools in this case are the parts of the infantry soldier's uniform and his accouterments

  • Brogans-Made with leather-black and square toed.
  • Dress Jacket-Used for dress parades and guard duty. Dark blue with white piping and double breasted row of buttons.
  • Shako-Tall hat, made of wool with white cotton plume. Used as part of the dress uniform.
  • Neck Stock-A Black Band of Leather worn around the neck. It helped (somewhat) to protect the soldier from saber wounds to the neck.
  • Fatigue Cap or Wheel Cap-Made of wool with leather visor-the everyday cap of the soldier.
  • Fatigue Jacket-made of wool-sky blue-with white piping
  • Fatigue Trousers-plain, sky blue, wool-sergeants and corporals had stripes on their pants
  • Cotton or Flannel Undershirt
Infantry Fatigue Wheel Cap Fatigue Jacket
  • Bayonet Sling-made of white leather. Holds the bayonet.
  • Bayonet-A metal spearlike weapon, detachable, and affixes to the ends of muskets and rifles. Used in hand-to-hand combat. Also used unofficially by privates as a spit, a tent peg, or a candleholder.
  • Cartridge Box-made of black leather. Used to hold cartridges. Cartridges were cylindrical tubes of paper that contained a charge of black powder and a bullet or ball.
  • Cartridge Sling-made of white leather. Used by the infantry to carry their cartridge boxes.
  • Waist Belt-made of white leather. Goes around the waist and has a belt buckle attached.
  • Whisk and Pick-used to clean black powder residue out of the pan and the touchhole of the musket.
  • Musket-a long smoothbore weapon. The muskets used at Fort Scott were flintlocks.
 
 
 
Infantry Hunting Horn
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Soldiers fighting settlers along the railroad right of way south of Fort Scott  

Did You Know?
From 1869-73, soldiers were stationed near Fort Scott to protect a railroad being built through this area. Soldiers fought squatters who had formed an armed resistance to the railroad. This was one of few times in U.S. history that the army took up arms against civilians.

Last Updated: February 16, 2008 at 13:08 EST