NOTE: While the grassy area surrounding the monument at Fort Amanda has long been thought to be the footprint of Fort Amanda, that may not be entirely correct. Fort Amanda was built in two phases; Phase 1, the original fort was built in 1812 by Kentucky troops (yellow lines) and Phase 2 the size of the fort enlarged in 1813 by Ohio militia troops. This blog is based on my research that suggests the northwest end of the fort was actually 132 feet (blue dotted lines) further to the northeast as seen in the picture below. I will repost at a later date, the blog showing details of how I came to this observation.:
If you've ever been to Fort Amanda, as you were strolling back to the monument taking in the serene nature of the place, the beautiful trees and the history, did you ever wonder; "Wonder where the soldiers went to the toilet?" Probably not, but the fact is, toilets were a part of everyday life for the men at Fort Amanda and if you're a regular follower of my posts you know that I'm OCD when it comes the detail about the fort, even the most minute ones you've probably guessed, I was determined to find them.
There Were Rules
First of all, you couldn't just wander into a nearby woods and leave your "deposit," there were rules for where, when and even how you could do that.
The Where
During the period, toilets were called "sinks." Placement of sinks was a very serious matter for obvious reasons, including health issues. Other concers were, odors, not polluting food or water supplies and avoiding the occasional misfortune of stepping into a "deposit" while foraging in the woods.
The When
Yes, there were even regulations on where and when you could use the sinks outside the forts walls. Fort Meigs (Perrysburg, Oh) was a very large fort and under attack at times by the British and the Indians so it was very dangerous for soldiers to venture outside the fort walls to use a sink. To compensate for that, a general order was issued at Fort Meigs in 1813 that shows there were sinks built both outside the fort walls. That same order warned that violating that order could result in a very unpleasant consequences. It read in part:
“Sinks must be made (outside) the pickets
to be used in the day and others within to be used at night and for the sick
always. The filth about the camp must be immediately cleaned up. Each Corps
must attend to that part which it occupies and such others as may be assigned
to it by the principle Quartermaster. Any Person after 3 o’clock this evening
who shall be found easing himself in any other way than in a sink either in or
outside of the pickets shall be made to do the duty of a camp color man and
employed in removing the filth for one week.”
A sergeant in 1812 may have said it this way:
"OK, listen up. If you need to relieve yourself during the day, use the sinks outside the for walls. If you need to do it at night or if you're sick use the ones inside the fort.You're responsible for cleaning up your own mess. If you're caught relieving yourself anywhere but in a sink after 3 in the afternoon either inside or outside the walls, you'll be assigned to collecting and emptying chamber pots and sink buckets for a week.
The How
A 19th Century Military Field Throne
Sinks themselves were basically nothing more than six foot long
trench, three feet wide and 4 or 5 feet deep, however, there were options The
more elaborate sinks had upright poles lashed together in the shape of an “X”
placed at each end of the trench with
another pole lashed to them that spanned its length forming a seat.
After each use,
the men were expected to cover their “deposits” with a layer of dirt.
The Downside of a Having a Private Toilet
When the War of 1812 broke out, General James Winchester was given command of the Army of the Northwest. After some political maneuvers, the command was eventually given over to Gen. William Henry Harrison. The Kentucky troops loved Harrison but no so much for Winchester. A soldier named William Northcut of the Kentucky Bourbon Blues Light Dragoons recalled the following incident involving Winchester's trip to the sink.
“….all despised him (Winchester), and were continually playing some of their tricks off on him. At one encampment they killed a porcupine and skinned it and stretched the skin over a pole that he used for a particular purpose in the night, and he went and sat down on it, and it like to have ruined him. At another encampment they sawed his pole that he had for the same purpose nearly in two, so that when he went to use it in the night, it broke in two and let his Generalship, uniform and all fall backwards in no very decent place, for I seen his Regimentals hanging high upon a pole the next day taking the fresh air.”
At another encampment they sawed his pole that he had for the same purpose nearly in two, so that when he went to use it in the night, it broke in two and let his Generalship, uniform and all fall backwards in no very decent place, for I seen his Regimentals hanging high upon a pole the next day taking the fresh air.
So Where Were the Sinks Located at Fort Amanda
At Fort Meigs
the rule of thumb was that sinks were to be located at least 100 yards away and
downwind from the main encampment. The
diagram below shows where I think the sink area was located and why.
Area A: A sink on the edge of the ravine would not
have been practical because of the sloped sides and dangers of falling down. Plus it would have
been upwind of the main encampment making life inside the fort even more
unpleasant.
Area B: This
area would have been a high traffic
area. There were sheds built outside the
fort walls for storage, etc. Several
artifacts have been found in the area that suggesting that there may have been
workshops, a blacksmith shop and other storage buildings. The road leading up from St. Marys would have
been through the Area B.
Area C: There were animal pens and slaughtering near
Area C and the ramp leading down to the boat loading area ran adjacent to this
area so there would have been little room for many sinks in that area, plus its a steep slope down to the river.
Area D: This area seems the most logical place for sinks or groups of sinks. It is downwind of the fort, away from high traffic areas as well as being both geographically and expediency-friendly as well as air-quality-friendly, if you get my drift (again, no pun intended).
Historic sites sometimes have a "sterile" feel to them as if humans were not even part of the equation. I've studied Fort Amanda most of my life and have come to know the men and women of the story very well. While this blog was meant to amuse and educate, my hope is that when visitors go to the Fort Amanda park, they take a little time to reflect on the fact that the fort was manned by human beings with human feelings and yes, human with bodily functions.
