John Baldwin with his wife and two daughters must have established their store prior to 1826. The location of the Baldwin Store marked the site of the later town of Many, Louisiana, which derives its name from Colonel James B. Many. Baldwin’s Store, Tavern, Inn and Blacksmith Shop comprised the area of the Stille home and the present sites of the Sabine State Bank & Trust Co., and The Peoples State Bank in Many. During this period Manuel and Jose Chellettre operated the “Two Brothers’ Freight Line” between Natchitoches and Nacogdoches. Also at this time the firm of Barr and Davenport had a freight line service between the same two destinations. The newspaper also listed the names of the steamboats which were vying for the Natchitoches-Texas trade: _The Florence_, _The Superior_, _The Alexander_, _The Chesapeak_, _The Courtland_, _The Eliza_, _The Governor Shelby_, _The Hornet_, _The Kiamechi_, _The Plaquemine_, _The Raven_, _The Teche_, _The Telegraph_, _The Shepardess_ and _The Arkansas_. Henry Stoker, having received a government land grant, had by now established his home, and he enlarged his holdings by trading eleven horses for land belonging to several families of the Adais Indians who were living near his homestead. Fort Jesup during its existence trained such men as Second Lieutenant Phil Sheridan, Lieutenant Thomas Lawson, Captain Bragg, Lt. L. B. E. Bonneville, Lt. James E. Goins, Captain Davie E. Twiggs, Capt. J. Hardee, and Lt. Rufus Ingalls. These men during the war between the states, became generals either for the North or the South. Lieutenant U. S. Grant, who was stationed at Camp Salubrity near Grand Ecore, was often a visitor at Fort Jesup. [Illustration: Map of Area Around Camp Sabine—1836] Such important men as David Crockett, James Bowie, Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston; and such famous scouts as Ben S. Lilly and “Big Foot” Wallace visited there. Because they were welcomed and entertained at Fort Jesup, accusations were made by the Spanish that Fort Jesup was a meeting place for those planning the overthrow of the Mexican government. And this may very well have been true, for supplies necessary for the conduct of the war for Texas independence undoubtedly passed through Fort Jesup. There is evidence that the United States did render secret support to the fighting Texans in their struggle for independence. This fort at such a strategic location could have blocked revolutionary movements in this frontier area if it had chosen to do so. Because of this Fort Jesup became recognized as the heart of the Texas-Mexican revolution. The garrison at Fort Jesup assisted by checking the border Indians of Louisiana, Arkansas and northern Texas, who may have otherwise aided the Mexican forces against the retreating Sam Houston just before the Battle of San Jacinto. The Gaines Military Road, 1827-1828