North Redoubt

At Fort Montgomery, a redoubt was a strong point in the fort’s walls, and the North Redoubt was one of three such positions. Two of its walls projected outward so enemies approaching the fort would be exposed to cannon and musket fire from the redoubt. About 15 feet outside it was a two-foot-deep ditch that would have slowed an attacker. The lower portions of the walls were made of earth faced with stones, and, if built like other parts of the fort, the upper portions were faced with bundles of saplings called fascines. Along the inside of the walls was a banquette, or firing step, where soldiers could stand to fire over the wall. The redoubt probably held a few 6- or 12-pounder cannons, and archeologists found charred wood at its point that was probably the remains of a cannon platform. Finds including pothooks, a fork, bottle glass, ceramics, teapots, and bone scraps also suggest that soldiers gathered there to eat and socialize.

Highlands, New York · United States