Friday’s Full-Moon Fort Draws Large Crowd

The Annual Full Moon Fort Tour at Fort Phil Kearny was held on Friday, October 3rd & Saturday, October 4th, and the event was sold out.

A nearly full moon, often covered by scud clouds, illuminated the fort with its fitful light. The ‘travelers’ first came to two tents that were sleeping quarters and cooking area for two of the women at the fort.

They also talked about the food, or lack thereof, the game meat, deer, antelope and elk, was dry, and the vegetables were pretty much non-existence.

The next stop, after walking through several tombstones and bones, was the doctor’s tent. The narrator talked about some of the soldiers who recently died at the fort. One was wounded and infection set in and he died. There was another complain the food, and how lack of vegetables and fruit prevented scurvy. There was also talk of the wind, which was a problem at the fort.

The travelers now came to the sutlers store, which had been damaged by the wind.

The guide talked about the tepee, which was set up on the grounds, saying they had an entire village near the fort, most were Crow, but a few other tribes also came to the fort to trade.

At another scene, a soldier talked about what happens to one’s body with scurvy, which was a problem on the frontier forts, including Fort Phil Kearny. Scurvy is caused by not having enough vitamins C. He described how you bruise easier, your wounds heal slower, and then your limbs began to swell, and your teeth start to fall out, and eventually you die.

He also mentioned the boots that the army issued, they had slick soles, and there were not left or right foot, which made them very uncomfortable to wear.

One gruesome story at the fort concerned Photographer Ridgway Glover,

Another stop was at a wagon, drawn by an extremely bony horse, “Our poor horses here; way back when they had gallons of grain a day, but out here were don’t get the grain,” the guide said.

They were readying the wagon to take Lt. Grummond’s body home to Tennessee. Grummond’s ghost talked about his time at the fort, how they arrived on Friday the 13, dedicated the fort on Halloween, and on Dec. 21, the winter equinox, there was the deathly Fetterman fight. Possibly bad luck all the way around.

Grummond said that the group of 80 men followed Fetterman when he chased some Indian decoys up Lodge Trail Ridge.

After visiting with Grummond the guide led the ‘travelers’ back to the fort and the interpretive center, where there were refreshments waiting. The Full Moon Fort is an annual event and gives those attending a different way to experience the old fort.