Fort Phil Kearny, 1866

Fort Phil Kearny is the location of the majority of the action in the novel. Set in the Dakota Territory, the fort is initially built by Colonel Carrington and his train of soldiers and builders, including Michael and Tom O'Driscoll. The site of the fort is unfavorable in the view of many experiences soldiers as it is in a valley, leaving it vulnerable to attack by the Sioux. The Fort is well-made, however, featuring a hospital barracks, a blacksmith, and quarters for the troops. A "hog house", or brothel, exists outside the walls of the fort and is run by the sutler until his murder. Captain Molloy, Sergeant Kohn, Jonathan, and Rawson arrive at the fort a short while into the novel and begin their investigation into the triple murder of the sutler, the sutler's wife, and their servant. While there, they find many of the...