In February 1813, Captain Daniel Cushing of the 2nd U.S. Artillery wrote from Fort Meigs, Ohio, where soldiers were constructing the fort, that the men had placed a twelve pound cannon in the lower blockhouse and that General William Henry Harrison expected an attack every night. During his time there, Cushing survived a British siege in early May 1813 that lasted just over a week and another attempted siege and attack late that July. At Fort Meigs, blockhouses stood along the exterior palisades of the fort; they could also stand alone or be built inside a fortification. Typically made of timber, they often had a second story projecting over the first floor to better defend the area below, with walls pierced by loopholes for troops to fire through, and if strong enough, the second floor could hold artillery. Blockhouses proved reliable and were used in the French and Indian War, westward expansion, early Florida conflicts, and the Civil War.