The Archaeology of French and Indian War Frontier Forts

“The best compilation of work about the French and Indian War to date.”—James Parker, coauthor of __Archaeology at Fort Mims__ “Provides images of life on the expanding American frontier of the mid-eighteenth century. A unique and significant discussion of the French and Indian War.”—Clarence R. Geier, coeditor of __Huts and History: The Historical Archaeology of Military Encampments during the American Civil War__ Fort Ticonderoga, the allegedly impenetrable star fort at the southern end of Lake Champlain, is famous for its role in the French and Indian War. From barracks to bastions, many other one-of-a-kind forts were also instrumental in staking out the early American colonial frontier. This collection of essays presents an overview of the fortifications that guarded the frontiers and borderlands between Native Americans, French settlers, and Anglo-American settlers. Civilian, provincial, or imperial, the fortifications examined here range from South Carolina’s Fort Prince George to Fort Frontenac in Ontario and Fort de Chartres in Illinois. As Europeans and colonists struggled to control the lucrative fur trade routes of the northern boundary, these strongholds were part of the first serious arms race on the continent. Contributors to this volume reveal how the French and British adapted their fortification techniques to the special needs of the North American frontier. By exploring the unique structures that guarded the borderlands, this book reveals much about the underlying economies and dynamics of the broader conflict that defined a critical episode of the American experience. Explores How European Forts Were Adapted For The Special Needs Of The North American Frontier. Introduction / Lawrence E. Babits -- Clash Of Empires / R. Scott Stephenson -- Forts On The Frontier: Adapting European Military Engineering To North America / James L. Hart -- Fort Prince George, South Carolina / Marshall W. Williams -- Fort Loudoun, Tennessee : Defensive Features And Artifactual Remains / Carl Kuttruff -- Fort Dobbs, North Carolina: How Documents And Artifacts Led To Rebuilding The Fort / Lawrence E. Babits -- Fort Loudoun, Virginia: A French And Indian War Period Fortification Constructed By George Washington / Robert L. Jolley -- The Second Fort Vause: A Crucial French And Indian War Fort In The Roanoke Valley Of Virginia / Kim A. Mcbride -- To Preserve The Forts, And The Families Gathered Into Them: Archaeology Of Edwards's Fort, Capon Bridge, West Virginia / W. Stephen Mcbride -- Fort Loudoun: A Provincial Fort On The Mid-eighteenth-century Pennsylvania Frontier / Stephen G. Warfel -- Style Wars In The Wilderness: The Colonial Forts At Crown Point / Charles L. Fisher And Paul R. Huey -- Fort Frontenac, Kingston, Ontario, Canada / Susan M. Bazely -- Michilimackinac, A Civilian Fort / Lynn L. M. Evans -- War And The Colonial Frontier: Fort De Chartres In The Illinois Country / David J. Keene -- Conclusion / Lawrence E. Babits. Edited By Lawrence E. Babits And Stephanie Gandulla. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [261]-286) And Index. Fort Ticonderoga, the allegedly impenetrable star fort at the southern end of Lake Champlain, is famous for its role in the French and Indian War. But many other one-of-a-kind forts were instrumental in staking out the early American colonial frontier. On the 250th anniversary of this often-overlooked conflict, this volume musters an impressive range of scholars who tackle the lesser-known but nonetheless historically significant sites from barracks to bastions. Civilian, provincial, or imperial, the fortifications covered in this book range from South Carolina's Fort Prince George to Fort Frontenac in Ontario and to Fort de Chartres in Illinois.These forts were built during the first serious arms race on the continent, as Europeans and colonists struggled to control the lucrative fur trade routes of the northern boundary. The contributors to this volume reveal how the French and British adapted their fortification techniques to the special needs of the North American frontier. By exploring the unique structures that guarded the borderlands, this book reveals much about the underlying economies and dynamics of the broader conflict that defined a critical period of the American experience. Based on papers presented at the Society for Historical Archaeology meeting in Williamsburg, Virginia, the chapters in this edited volume detail results of archaeological investigations at several fortifications associated with the French and Indian War (1754-1763). The fort sites extend from the southern frontier (the Carolinas and Tennessee) to the Great Lakes and encompass individual farmsteads as well as colonial posts projecting imperial power in disputed zones. While most of these forts were short lived, some, such as Michilimackinac and Frontenac, survived for extended periods. This text does not claim to present a complete archaeological overview but is instead topically representative of work being done on both major and minor French and Indian War fort sites. Generalized comparison of artifact assemblages is included, along with a glossary and an extensive bibliography of the period’s archaeological resources