The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1905-06-23

I
ensuing Septem Der, was appoint
ed to the command of the troops
to be sent to Virginia, and Gen
eralisSimO of all his Maiesty's
troops on the North American
Continent.
On the 10Th of November he
arrived home to take command
of the expedition then forming
to embork for the American col
onieS. On November 30th he
left London for Portsmouth where
he embarked for Cork to hasten
the embarkation of the troops.
But with all of his imperious
energy and Impotence of DELAY,
it was not until the 14th of
January. l7j5, that his object
was effected. Determined to wait
no longer, Brad1ock with his
staff and a small! part of his
troops, returned to England in
the Centurion and sloop of war
Cruizer, and on the 21st of De
cember sailed from the Downs for
Virginia. leaving the main body
of the fleet to follow. On the
Goth of February. 1865, the little
squadron, consisting of the Cen
turiOn, the Norwich and the
Tyre, cast anchor in Hampton
Roads. 1t was under the com
mand of Commodore keppel.
A SKETCH OF FORT DU QUEsNE.
Having presented to our read
ers a biography of the leader of
the English forces III this expedi-
ton, we would consider our arti-
Gle incomplete, without giving a
similar sketch of the celebrated
frontier post against which it
was dispatched.
Fort DuQueSne was situated
upon the east side of the Monon
gahela, on tongue of land form-
ed by the Junction of that stream
with the Alleghaney. Though
faulty in its origina! construction
and small, it was built with i'm
mense labor, and had "a great
deal Of strong works collected in
a very little ROOM" Its shape
appears to have been a paralello-
gram, Its four sides facing very
nearly to the respective points
of the compass, but baStion at
each corner gave it a polygou
appearance. Its longest side was
fifty yards: its shortest forty.
The bastions were made of very
large square logs. to the height
of II feet, and compactly filled
in with earth to the depth Of
eight feet; thus leaving about
four feet of ramparts to shelter
the plateau.
The sides Of the fort nearest
the river being comparatively
protected by nature. were not
furnished with bastions. but a
strong stockade, twelve feet high,
and made of logs a foot in di.
ameter, driven pile wise into the
ground, extended from bastion to
bastion and completely enclosed
the area. This stockade was in
genuouSly matted across with
poles after the manner of basket
work, and loop holes. slanting
dOwnwardS, were cut through
them to enable the men to fire.
At distance of some four rods
from the walls, a shallow ditch
was dug completely surrounding
them and protected by a second
stockade, seven feet high, built
III a similar manner to the first.
and sOlidly embarked with earth.
Two gates opened into the fort;
the western from the water side.
and the eastern from the land.
Immediately between the easter
poSternS was sunk deep we'll,
whose diameter was the width of
the gateway. and over which a
drawbridge was placed, that at
night or in time of danger, was
drawn up with chains aud levers;
and these actually formed the
gate. Both portals were strongly
framed of square logs; but the
eastern gate opened on hinges.
and had wicket cut in it for or
binary use. Within the fort, and
close by the eastern gate. were
placed the magazine and kitchen,
the former twenty feet wide by
forty long, and but five feet high,
was built of heavy, hewed logs,
deeply sunk in the ground to
almost its full height, and its
roof plastered with a coating of
pOtter's clay, nearly four feet in
thickness. By this means, it was
comparatively secure from any
missile save bombs or red hot
shot thrown from the brow of the
adjacent hills. There were also
other buildings within the fort
all built of large aud substantial
logs. Two were store houses or
magazines; two others were bar
racks; another the commanders
residence; another a guard house
and prison. The hack of theSe