FORT NECESSITY
New Light on Washington's Fort Necessity
A Report on the Archeological Explorations at Fort Necessity National Battlefield Site 		NPS Logo

TABLE OF CONTENTS

COVER

Cover design by Hiram R. Haggett

PREFACE

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

INTRODUCTION

PART I. BACKGROUND

Construction of Fort Necessity and Events Leading up to the Battle at Great Meadows
How Fort Necessity Got Its Name
The Triangle Versus Diamond-Shape Controversy
Great Meadows Since the Battle

PART II. ARCHEOLOGICAL EXPLORATIONS

Previous Explorations
     The 1901 Project
     The 1931 Project
The Setting
Objectives
Excavating Procedure
1952 Preliminary Explorations
     Plan of Attack
     Trench "A"
     Trench "B"
     Trench "C"
     Trenches "D" and "E"
     Summary
     A New Stockade Theory
1953 Explorations
     Summary of Procedure and Results
     The Circular Stockade
     The Storehouse
     Other Features Associated with the Stockade
     The Entrenchments
     Great Meadows Run
Furnishings and Equipment
     General Comments
     Weapons
          Small Arms
          Cannon
     Other Military Equipment
     Horses and Wagons
     Tools and Implements
     Clothing and Uniforms
     Personal Effects
     Indian Objects
Conclusions

PART III. RECONSTRUCTION OF FORT NECESSITY

Archeology and Reconstruction
Limiting Factors
The Reconstruction

NOTES

APPENDIXES

1. Villier's Account of the Battle at Great Meadows
2. Washington's Account of the Battle at Great Meadows
3. Governor Dinwiddie's Official Account of the Battle
4. Deposition of John Shaw
5. Description of the Battle Written by Washington in 1783
6. Report of 1931 Explorations

REFERENCES



ILLUSTRATIONS
Frontispiece. Washington's 1754 expedition
1. Conjectural plan of Great Meadows in 1754
2. Freeman Lewis survey made in 1816
3. Map published in Jared Sparks, The Writings of George Washington, 1837
4. Map published in W. H. Lowdermilk, History of Cumberland, 1878
5. Map published in George D. Albert, The Frontier Forts of Western Pennsylvania
6. Survey made by Robert McCracken
7. Plan of Fort Necessity as developed in 1932
8. Plan of Fort Necessity as developed in 1954
9. Survey made by Harry R. Blackford, 1931
10. 1952 exploratory trenches
11. Simplified Profile — Trench "A"
12. Simplified Profile — Trench "B"
13. Simplified Profile — Trench "E"
14. Exploratory Trench "D" inside 1932 stockade
15. Exploratory Trench "E" inside 1932 stockade
16. Location of excavations of 1931, 1952 and 1953
17. Charred remains of stockade posts
18. Second section of water-preserved post ends
19. First section of water-preserved post ends
20. Close-up of portion of first section of water-preserved post ends
21. Detailed plan of explorations in vicinity of circular stockade
22. Cross-section and plan of stockade trench
23. Typical water-preserved stockade post ends
24. Log, 13 feet long, found in bottom of inner ditch of earthworks
25. Typical cross-section through 1932 stockade
26. Cross-section (parapet conjectural) of 1754 earthworks and earthworks constructed in 1953
27. Military specimens
28. Miscellaneous objects recovered in excavations
29. View of 1932 stockade
30. View of Fort Necessity as reconstructed in 1953 and 1954
31. Possible shed-type appearance of original log storehouse
32. Probable construction of original stockade
33. Erecting stockade and log cabin in 1954
34. Erecting section of circular stockade in 1954
35. View of Fort Necessity as reconstructed in 1954
36. View of reconstructed fort

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Last Updated: 04-Mar-2009