The military presence at the time was primarily in the form of cavalry. On the map we show where the major forts were located, but there were also many tiny outposts that are not shown. The sections that follow give an outline of how they operate in the context of the game.
The forts formed a nucleus for the ranches and communities that relied on them for security. In the fort could be found a General Store as well as a source of safety. The usual fort housed an eighty man garrison, not including officer and support personnel (blacksmiths, saddle makers, etc.). The usual firearm of the military was the reworked for cartridge version of the Springfield rifle. This was the trap door model of .58 caliber. The usual pistol was the .44 caliber Colt or Remington. Officers were sometimes issued the double acting Starr .44.
I have added some actual Fort plans not included in the original game.
37.2
Patrols
The patrols that originated from the forts were very regular and ranged up to one hundred miles from base, depending upon the size of the district in their area of responsibility. The usual run was about sixty miles in a loop. Any travelers might expect to be stopped, questioned, and at times searched if they have wagons and are near an Indian tribal area. Whiskey and arms peddlers were not overly favored at the time, especially if they were suspected of trading with the Indians.
The supply trains to the forts were scheduled to arrive about once a month, There could be from six to twelve wagons and a patrol escort ranging from ten to forty men (not including officers). There might be one or two officers with each train at a rough ratio of one officer for each twenty men on patrol. It can be assumed that any patrol escorting a train transporting a Gatling gun had a forty man escort.
