In addition to the Army troops, the post had four civilian clerks, two masons, one saddlemaker, a shoemaker, a painter, a baker, and four laundry maids.
Devienne was born in Joinville, Haute-Marne, as the youngest of fourteen children of a saddlemaker.
His first book of poetry, Hands of the Saddlemaker received the Yale Series of Younger Poets Award.