Steve Blair wrote:

It's also worth remembering that one of the most frequently identified reasons for desertion in the Old Army was the number of construction and other work details piled on the troops. Many said they joined to be soldiers, not to build forts or dig ditches. Officers at the time complained loud and long about this, to no result.
They also weren't be clothed, fed, or paid with any sort of reliability -- and by the 1830s, the Army had eliminated the alcohol ration. So sure, maybe the soldiers said they were quitting because of the fort building, but I'd venture to say that it was more a case of that being the straw that broke the camel's back.

When all else was equal, commanders didn't have such a hard time getting the soldiers to build forts -- offer up a few jugs of whiskey as a bounty and the job got done post haste.

Regards,
Jill