The Soldiers of Fort Mackinac: An Illustrated History

Fort Mackinac was home to more than 4,500 British and U.S. soldiers between 1780 and 1895. These soldiers constructed buildings and walls, drilled on the parade ground, marched sentry beats, and performed myriad maintenance and administrative duties in support of the fort’s strategic military function. That function varied greatly over the fort’s 115-year history. During the first half-century of its occupation the island fort protected and controlled the upper Great Lakes fur trade and ser...