The fort was constructed with palisaded walls of unpeeled logs, 10 to 12 inches in diameter, some split in half, set against the inner wall of a trench averaging 36 inches deep. Ditches on both the outside and inside of the fort wall supplied earth to heap against the stockade; the outer ditch hindered attackers from rushing the wall or sheltering at its base, while the inner dirt formed a parapet for gunners to stand on and fire over the wall. The log buildings, some not completed until January 1779, had floor joists laid directly on the ground, and some barracks had chimneys. Officers and enlisted men lived separately, as shown by differences in the quality of refuse found near each.