Future President Zachary Taylor, as Colonel in Command of Fort Crawford, Issues Extra Whiskey to His Men Who Undertook Extra Duty, Likely Building the Fort

The names of the men are listed on the verso.

To hold land in the Midwest and guard settlers from the Native Americans, a string of forts was built along the Upper Mississippi River. One of these army outposts was in Prairie du Chien in present day Wisconsin. A fort was built there during the War of 1812. But constructed in a flood plain, by the late 1820s the Army concluded that the fort needed to be replaced by one in a more secure and less precarious location.

The construction of the second Fort Crawford began in 1829 under the direction of the new commander, Col. Zachary Taylor, later President of the United States. The new fort’s location on the mainland in Prairie du Chien was much more floodproof. In addition, to make the fort more weather-proof, it was decided to construct the structure using quarried limestone rather than wood. Use of this material and delays in federal funding resulted in delays to complete the new fort; it was not finished until 1835. Taylor was very anxious, during the construction period, to keep the work going as quickly as possible.

Document Signed “Z. Taylor Col. Comdg.”, Fort Crawford. “Return for extra whiskey for men on extra duty and fatigue at Fort. Crawford, Oct. 26, 1833. No. of men 39. No. of days 1. No. of gills 39. The Asst. Comy [commissary] of sub[stance] will issue agreeable to the above return.” Countersigned by Assistant Quartermaster Thomas Baylis Whitmarsh Stockton, who later commanded the 3rd Brigade, 1st Division, 16th Michigan Infantry in the Civil War as a colonel himself. A gill is 4 ounces. On the verso are listed the names of the 32 men on extra duty, 3 sergeants, 4 corporals, 25 privates, and a sergeant Thomson and 6 men “to the mill.”

The extra duty likely involved extra work to build the fort.

Interestingly, while assigned to Fort Crawford, Jefferson Davis, future Confederate president, met and fell in love with Sarah Knox Taylor, the daughter of his commanding office Zachary Taylor. Colonel Taylor disapproved of the relationship between Davis and his daughter, as he felt the life of an Army officer was too hard on wives and families. Davis resigned his commission in order to pursue his relationship with Sarah in Prairie du Chien. Upon discovering that Zachary Taylor still would not consent to their marriage, the couple eloped to Kentucky, where Davis married Sarah Taylor in 1835. She sadly died soon after, and Taylor never forgave Davis.