Fort Kaskaskia State Historic Site

The people in the Garrison Hill Cemetery were removed by the state of Illinois from cemeteries in the town of Kaskasakia in the 1890s to save them from being destroyed by the Mississippi River. If you check their death dates you will see that they died at all different times in the 1800s. The little stones you are asking about indeed may be foot stones used to mark the far end of the grave.

Randolph County, Illinois

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I was out there a week ago and they were still working on it. I don't know when they will have it done but I would say soon. All the frame work was up.

Captain Russell Bissell's Company of the 1st Infantry (formerly 2nd Infantry) arrived at the hilltop containing the French fort in the fall of 1802. In 1803 they built an entirely new fort north of the French fort on Garrison Hill that they also named "Fort Kaskaskia". SIU Carbondale archaeologists discovered the remains of this fort in 2017 and are going to be excavating at both the French and American forts again this summer from May 23-June 2.

The US Infantry soldiers at the fort were Captain Russell Bissell's Company (80 men) of the 1st Infantry (formerly they were part of the 2nd Infantry before being transferred as a unit to the 1st Infantry). Bissell's Company had formerly been stationed at Cantonment Wilkinson, a ca. 1000 man strong camp in Pulaski County. Captain Amos Stoddard's artillery company (40 men) also was present. Neither company probably was up to full strength. The men recruited at Ft. Kaskaskia to join the Lewis and Clark Expedition came from both Bissell's (Infantry) and Stoddard's (artillery) company. One of the men recruited from Bissell's company was Sgt. Patrick Gass who wrote one of the journals of the expedition. Gass probably was recruited for his woodworking skills having been a carpenter before joining the Army.