I am Philippe Regis Denis de Keredern de Trobriand, a man of many hats. A french aristocrat, lawyer, poet, and novelist, who accepted a dare to emigrate to the United States. I was commissioned and served in the Union Army and rose in the ranks to become a general. This service brought me to Dakota Territory where I was commander of Fort Stevenson from 1867 to 1870. It was here where I learned hard lessons that could only be taught by the harsh winters of the northern frontier.

I’ve experienced snow that lasts all day and night, with no indication of when it will stop. The bitter wind is constantly changing, shifting from the northwest to the northeast and to the east, cutting through my overcoat and winter gear. The temperature creeps up a few degrees during the day, only to drop back down at night, always remaining low. Being in a plank cabin, I haven’t suffered too much due to the cold, though I can’t say the same for those in tents. Little work on our winter quarters is being done in this weather, as it is nearly impossible to be exposed to the elements.

At one point, in late November, the battle against the grip of winter was dire. The fort experienced such extreme snow drifts, molded by the force of the wind, that all but swallowed parts of buildings. In one instance, the dining room had completely disappeared underneath a snow drift. The kitchen was in the same predicament, requiring those dependent on it to cut a passage five feet deep in order to get to the cook and pass provisions back and forth. Our milk cow was also trapped, the lean-to buried in snow. In frigid weather, twenty two degrees below zero in fact, you could hear shovels hard at work, chiseling away at the hard drifts, digging out the frozen fort. I was a prisoner in my cabin. The snow grew deeper and deeper as the relentless wind kept the temperature well below zero. The Missouri was completely frozen over. It was hard to believe we were still in the month of November. It seemed more like January or February. I had heard the winters here could be long and brutal and this definitely rang true for me.