Station 5a — Keeping Warm
The winter at Fort Duffield was bitterly cold. Soldiers faced freezing rain, snow, and relentless winds sweeping across the ridge. Bennett described the men as “exposed, chilled, and worn by constant labor.”
A Unique Way of Keeping Warm
Fort Duffield tradition holds that the soldiers “found a unique way of keeping warm.” While Bennett does not describe the method directly, early Duffield researchers noted that troops sometimes built Crimean‑style heating trenches beneath their huts — a technique borrowed from the Crimean War.
A fire was built outside the hut. Heat traveled through a shallow trench under the floor, warming the interior without filling it with smoke. The chimney vented outside, keeping the cabin safe from sparks.
This system provided steady radiant heat and helped soldiers survive the freezing nights on the ridge.
The Crimean Oven
Improvised Heating
Soldiers built makeshift heating systems inside their huts. The most common was the “Crimean oven,” a compact field stove made from stone, clay, and salvaged iron.
Chimneys were constructed from mud‑plastered sticks or stacked stones. Smoke often leaked into the huts, leaving soldiers coughing and their gear coated in soot.
Wood Shortages
The steep hillsides around Fort Duffield were quickly stripped of trees for lumber and firewood.
- Daily firewood details
- Logs carried up the military road
- Wet wood smoked heavily
- Cold nights required constant tending
Winter Quarters
Huts were built from logs cut on the hillside. Roofs were made of split shingles, and floors were often bare earth.
Despite hardships, soldiers carved shelves, hung gear on pegs, and shared stories around the fire.
Health and Hardship
Pneumonia, frostbite, and respiratory infections were common.
Yet the soldiers endured and maintained the vital supply line feeding Union armies to the south.
Keeping Warm in 1861 vs. Today
- 1861 ridge was bare and wind‑exposed
- Drafty huts, scarce firewood
- Today the forest provides shelter
Conclusion
Station Eight tells the story of endurance. The men of Fort Duffield faced brutal weather with limited supplies, relying on ingenuity and determination to stay warm.