Sentence:  It was late February before the expedition entered the Coldwater, early March before it approached the Tallahatchie. Here it encountered afresh felled trees like endless bundles of <WSD>jackstraws</WSD>, thrown vigorously, crossed under water at every imaginable angle. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  (usually plural) One of the pieces used for the game variously called jackstraws or pick-up-sticks.