Life at Fort Sedgwick was marked by fraud and corruption, bravery and daring-do, triumph and tragedy, in conditions considered unlivable where pleasures were few and the nearest bath was the South Platte River. Those who did not survive were buried in a cemetery on a hill just south of the fort, and in 1891 their bodies were transferred to Fort McPherson Military Cemetery in Nebraska; today a flagpole marks the cemetery grounds. By 1869, Indians could no longer roam at will in eastern Colorado, and Fort Sedgwick had outlived its usefulness. In May 1871, the post was abandoned and most of its buildings were removed for use at other military installations.