Imagine for a moment you live in 1835. It’s graduation from West Point, and you are nervous as you open the envelope with your first assignment.
Fort Howard, Territory of Wisconsin.
Do you need to consult a map? Or are you familiar with your geography enough to know you’ll be at the junction of the Fox River and Green Bay?
You’ll find a thriving fort, a small town, and much forest. Will the Native Americans remain friendly? Will one of the many fevers put you in the hospital? Can keep your shooting skills sharp leading hunting parties? Or will your work be mundane — watching supplies, grooming horses, or supervising the guards?
No matter what the Army has in store for you — you can be certain that the winters will be long and the summer mosquitos plentiful.
Sounds like a good place to have a supply of books. Your choices would have been more limited than today. Religion, army manuals, naturalist’s journals, and a few novels.
I’m glad I live now and can read a sweet romance set in 1851 and consider it historical. New Dreams will be just right. But I wouldn’t mind reading while sitting on one of the many porches facing the parade ground. https://amzn.to/3vWydWE
