The following essay was written by Norman Baker, a prolific writer and notable historian.1
Fort Loudoun adhered closely to the classic geometric formula used by military engineers of the period. It was positioned on the crest of the hill immediately north of and about 40 feet above the new town of Winchester. Its axis was oriented closely with the main street of the town and skewed a few degrees to the east. Prior to the erection of the fort, a considerable amount of earth fill had to be brought in order to provide a level base for the fort’s horizontal timber construction.
Interpretation of what Fort Loudoun looked like during the French & Indian War (left). Hill on Loudoun Street in present-day Winchester, Virginia (right).
The outline of the fort completed a square, with a bastion at each corner, 204 feet to the side, as measured from the farthest extension, the tips or salient angle of the bastions. Each bastion was designed with embrasures in the parapets for mounting six cannon, for a total of 24 weapons. The bastion faces, the widest and extended wall of the bastions, were 55 feet, while the flanks, connecting the faces to the walls of the fort proper, were 18 feet. The 55 feet for the faces of the bastions compares to 58 feet 3 inches when adhering strictly to the basic formula, where the faces are 2/7th the side of the fort square of 204 feet. The bastions were covered over to provide flooring for the cannon and for storage below. The Southeast Bastion was used as the fort’s magazine.
This video recreates the process of building Fort Loudoun.2
Historical Interpretation of Fort Loudoun’s Layout, created by Jim Moyer.3
The curtains of the fort, the walls or ramparts connecting the flanks of the bastions, were 78 feet. The base of the ramparts was 18 feet wide, constructed of outer and inner walls of interlocked horizontal hewn timbers, with the space between the walls filled with earth and stone. The ramparts of the curtains and bastions were raised to a height of about 16 feet, surmounted by parapets and banquettes. The outer rampart walls tapered inward about 17 degrees, while the inner walls were vertical. The inner and outer walls were joined by random interlocking timbers.
Five buildings were erected within and against the inner rampart walls of the fort. Three of these, against the north, east and west walls, were two-story buildings designed basically as barracks. Two, one and one-half story structures, were placed against the inner south wall, on either side of the fort’s gate, or “Front Porch.” The largest of the structures, the North Barracks, was about 18 by 85 feet, while the East Barracks and West Barracks were about 18 by 68 feet. Each of the barracks had large heating and cooking fireplaces at each end. The fort’s well was locat- ed on the north end of the West Barracks and between it and the North Barracks, opposite the Northwest Bastion. The two smaller structures inside the south rampart, on each side of the fort’s gate, were about 18 by 38 feet. The one on the east side of the gate was Colonel Washing- ton’s headquarters, while the building on the west side was a guard house and “prison.” The fort was designed to house a garrison of 450.
A sally port through the West Barracks was recommended for Fort Loudoun as a passage to a redoubt on the elevated ground beyond the small ravine west of the fort. The redoubt would provide protection against an enemy attempting to entrench siege cannon that could be brought to bear against the Northwest Bastion of the fort.
A ditch or moat was included in Washington’s plans for the perimeter of the fort, but the shallow soil covering the limestone hill stymied the com- pletion of this defense measure. Possible exceptions, at least for partial ditching, would have been limited to the areas where substantial earth fill was added to provide a level base for the projecting bastions.
Vauban, Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban (1633-1707), one of the most notable of the French fortification engineers, is credited with developing the style of the more sophisticated fortifications employed in Europe and transplanted to America during the eighteenth century. He used the latest scientific principles to ensure that each part of a fortification could receive protection from a neighboring bastion or wall. The basic principles of this style of fortification were incorporated by the French when constructing their forts in New France in America, including not only For- tress Louisbourg in Nova Scotia, but also, in its simplest form, Fort Duquesne on the Ohio. These principles were applied by Washington in his design of Fort Loudoun in 1756, just as did the designers of Fort William Henry and Fort Edward (New York) in 1755, Fort Augusta in Pennsylvania, and Fort Frederick in Maryland in 1756.
Glossary of Fortification Architecture
The following glossary was researched and written by Dr. Carl Ekberg.
Fortification (French [Fr] fortification), a military work usually constructed for defensive purposes. Fortress ( Fr forteresse), a large fortification or group of defensive works, often enclosing a town.
Bastion (Fr bastion), a pentagonal projection of a fortification, often though not always at a corner, and designed to provide a sweeping fire along the curtain walls.
Curtain (Fr courtine), a section of the outer wall of a fort, usually between bastions, and generally being close to vertical (outer wall at Fort Loudoun slanted inward about 17 degrees).
Glacis (Fr glacis), an area surrounding a fortification (usually sloped at major fortifications to deflect cannonballs), cleared of trees, shrubs, boulders and so forth, so that an advancing enemy had no natural cover.
Barracks (Fr, baraque= hut), a building used for lodging enlisted men (usually not commissioned officers), often but not always located within a fortification. Often used in plural form.
Quarters (Fr quartier), used usually in reference to officers’ quarters, often but not always located within a fortification. Generally used in plural form.
Headquarters (Fr quartier général), a commandant’s office, often but not always located within a fortification. Rampart (Fr, rempart), loosely, the main perimeter wall of a fortification, often surmounted by a parapet.
Parapet (Fr parapet), the walkway atop a rampart, or sometimes elevated above the rampart, used by soldiers when defending a fortification.
Magazine (Fr magasin), a secure facility, usually within a fortification and often located in a bastion, for storing weapons, gun- powder and other explosives.
Sally port (Fr saillie, Fr porte), a small, protected gate in a fortification’s wall, from which soldiers in the garrison might covertly sally forth in small counter-offensives or to effect reconnaissance.
Redoubt (Fr redoute, Italian [It] ridotto), an outlying work, independent of the main fortification, often planned in conjunction with a sally port.
Washington’s Well
When then Colonel George Washington proposed building a strong fort at Winchester he included a well in the plans. Even though the hilltop that he proposed as a site for the fort was mainly limestone bed- rock, a well was deemed essential.
To read more about Washington’s Well, see the following essays:
Baker, N. (2013, August). Winchester’s french & indian war foundation. French & Indian War Foundation. Retrieved from https://fiwf.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/FIWFNewsletteAugust2013.pdf. ↩︎
Moyer, J. (2014, April 25). Construction only 1. YouTube. https://youtu.be/57l4KXgfnZc?si=nb9soRQSQY05OZsv ↩︎
Moyer, J. (n.d.). Fort Loudoun’s Appearance. Fort Loudoun VA. https://jimmoyer1.wixsite.com/fortloudounva/fort-loudoun-s-appearance ↩︎
Straub, S. (2021, September 3). Fort Loudoun (Virginia) 3D video tour. YouTube. https://youtu.be/9-_Bn-2_cn8?si=bkII5Mp9jU9dwLPw ↩︎
