Instructions: Review the list of activities in a soldier's daily life at Fort Meigs and then try the game at the bottom of the page.
A Soldier's Day
Life for soldiers was more than just battles. Most of their time was spent marching or living in camp. Soldiers at Fort Meigs followed a schedule, kind of like you do when you go to school. This schedule told the soldiers when to wake up, when to eat, when to work, and even when to get ready for bed!
Here is a typical day for a soldier:
4:00 A.M. – Reveille (wake up) The firing of a cannon signals the musicians to sound reveille on their fifes and drums, waking the soldiers for the day's activities.
5:00 A.M. - Morning Parade The soldiers assemble for role call, general orders for the day are read, and fatigue duties are assigned. One hour of drilling follows. On some occasions, the men stand at attention until sunrise, before roll call, general orders, and drill.
7:00 A.M. - Breakfast The fife and drum call the soldiers to breakfast, playing "Peas Upon a Trencher."
8:00 A.M. - Fatigue work The fatigue duties outlined in the general orders for the day begin. The fife and drum play "Pioneers March," "Wood Call," and "Water Call" to direct the fatigue parties.
10 A.M. - Officer's Drill The fifes and drums sound "Officer's Call," signaling company officers to report for drill. It is important for officers to maintain their skills, so as to instruct and command their men.
12:00 Noon - Dinner (what we call lunch) The fifes and drums play "Roast Beef of Old England" to announce the meal. Fatigue details continue after the soldiers finish eating.
4:00 P.M. - Drill All troops not on duty report for a second drill session. This session lasts about two hours.
7:00 – 8:00 P.M. - Supper As with the noon meal, the fifes and drums play "Roast Beef of Old England" to announce supper.
Sunset - Retreat Parade The garrison assembles for roll call and a brief drill session, along with a colors ceremony.
9:00 PM- Tattoo (bedtime) The tattoo signals the end of the day's activities. No soldiers, unless other wise assigned to some duty, is allowed outside of the fort after the retreat, and no one is allowed outside his tent after tattoo. At Fort Meigs, the tattoo was sounded at 9 p.m. from May 20 to September 20, and at 8 p.m. during the remainder of the year.
A Soldier's Daily Life Game
Please note: This game requires the latest version of the Flash Player plug-in. If you do not have the plug-in installed on your computer, it is available for free from Adobe.
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