The sutler's store at Fort Abercrombie was a log building on the southeast side of the fort where civilian contractors sold goods the army would not or could not supply, including eggs, milk, cheese, vegetables, newspapers, tobacco, and cloth. It also served as a social gathering place for the garrison, where card games and billiards were played and alcohol was available. In 1863, after General Sibley's military expedition into Dakota Territory, Lucius B. Smith, surgeon of the 7th Regiment, Minnesota Volunteers, recorded an official visit to the fort by General Sibley, his staff, and field officers, during which the buildings and grounds were inspected and the lager beer, crackers, and cheese at the sutler's store were sampled and judged very fine. David McCauley was Fort Abercrombie's sutler in the early 1860s and was present during the siege in 1862; he also served as postmaster and as agent for the stagecoach company operating between the fort and St. Paul, Minnesota, and later founded McCauleyville across the river. In 1867, the position of sutler at military posts was changed to post trader, which functioned in much the same way but under stricter army oversight.