Most soldiers at Fort Ridgely were low-ranking enlisted men, and before 1861 most were foreign-born. Of 166 enlisted men counted in the 1860 census, 70 were from Ireland, 34 from Germany, ten from Great Britain, and 33 from the United States. The men enlisted for five years, and for many the military provided a first job in America and a way to learn the country's language and customs. Once their enlistments ended, many remained in the region. From 1853 to 1855 the garrison averaged one desertion a month, and in July 1855 alone 31 soldiers deserted. Nearby civilian towns such as New Ulm may have tempted some of the men, but the rate matched the national average, as the U.S. Army annually lost 15 percent of its forces to desertion. Reflecting the anti-immigration bias of the time, Fort Ridgely commandant Major Hannibal Day blamed the desertion rate on what he called the character of the rank and file, which he believed included criminals from Europe.