{"id":2263,"date":"2025-06-30T19:30:44","date_gmt":"2025-06-30T19:30:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nodanights.com\/?p=2263"},"modified":"2025-07-10T04:27:16","modified_gmt":"2025-07-10T04:27:16","slug":"small-forts-or-earthworks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nodanights.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/30\/small-forts-or-earthworks\/","title":{"rendered":"Small Forts or Earthworks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\ud83d\udd30 1. Did Patriots Build Small Forts or Earthworks Along the River?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u2705 Yes \u2014 but they were mostly temporary militia posts, river fords defenses, and field entrenchments, not full-blown European-style forts.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Along the Catawba River (esp. during 1780\u20131781), you\u2019d find:<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  • Pickett posts<\/strong>, lookouts<\/strong>, and log redoubts<\/strong> at major fords<\/strong> like:
    \n
      \n
    • Cowan\u2019s Ford<\/strong>
      <\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Beattie\u2019s Ford<\/strong>
      <\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Tuckasegee Ford<\/strong>
      <\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Sherrill\u2019s Ford<\/strong>
      <\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Patriot militias<\/strong> under leaders like General William Lee Davidson<\/strong>, Joseph Graham<\/strong>, and John Carruth<\/strong> set up temporary defensive lines<\/strong> and rally points<\/strong>.
      <\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • These were not permanent forts<\/strong> \u2014 but rather strategically placed defenses<\/strong> to delay, detect, and skirmish<\/strong> with British troops attempting to cross the river.
      <\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Earthworks, trenches<\/strong>, and breastworks made from logs and brush<\/strong> were used, often built by local militia, farmers, and even slaves pressed into service.
      <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      \ud83d\udd0e Archaeological signs of these may still exist<\/strong>, especially in wooded high ground near fords \u2014 like the flat-topped ridges with river views<\/strong> you’ve described.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n\n\n\n

      \ud83e\udea8 2. Did Native Tribes Build Stone Houses or Structures Along Creeks?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

      \u2705 Indigenous people \u2014 especially pre-Colonial Mississippian cultures (1000\u20131600 AD) \u2014 did construct semi-permanent settlements near rivers and creeks, but:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

      \u27a4 Stone construction was not typical of Southeastern tribes like the Catawba, Cherokee, or Saponi.<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
        \n
      • Most structures were wooden frames<\/strong> with wattle and daub<\/strong>, bark, or thatched roofing.
        <\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • However, some stone piles<\/strong>, rock walls<\/strong>, or foundation terraces<\/strong> can be found \u2014 especially in Cherokee territory<\/strong>, which sometimes included stone effigies<\/strong> or platforms<\/strong>.
        <\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • What you may be seeing as \u201cstone housing\u201d built into creek banks<\/strong> could be:
        \n
          \n
        • Rock shelters or overhangs<\/strong> used seasonally.
          <\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Colonial-era root cellars<\/strong>, mine tailings<\/strong>, or springhouses<\/strong>.
          <\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Stacked stone foundations<\/strong> left by early Scotch-Irish settlers<\/strong> or German farmers<\/strong> in the 1700s.
          <\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Or possibly stone burial cairns<\/strong> or boundary markers<\/strong> reused by early settlers.
          <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

          \ud83e\udded Many stone structures near water<\/strong> are post-contact (1700s\u20131800s)<\/strong> \u2014 especially in areas like North Charlotte<\/strong>, where Revolutionary militias, early settlers, and Native American presence overlapped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \n\n\n\n

          \ud83e\udde0 In Summary:<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
            \n
          • Yes<\/strong>, temporary fortifications<\/strong> and field defenses<\/strong> were built by militias near river fords to detect and delay British movements.
            <\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Stone structures<\/strong> along creeks are not typical Native dwellings<\/strong>, but might reflect early settler outposts, root cellars, or colonial modifications<\/strong> of Native sites.
            <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

            Your area near Northlake Mall, Gar Creek, and Old Wagon Road<\/strong> likely has a unique archaeological blend<\/strong> of Catawba\/Mississippian sites<\/strong>, Revolutionary defenses<\/strong>, and early settler infrastructure<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            \ud83d\udd30 1. Did Patriots Build Small Forts or Earthworks Along the River? \u2705 Yes \u2014 but they were mostly temporary militia posts, river fords defenses, and field entrenchments, not full-blown European-style forts. Along the Catawba River (esp. during 1780\u20131781), you\u2019d find: \ud83d\udd0e Archaeological signs of these may still exist, especially in wooded high ground near…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2263","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","texture-woo-product-list","opn-qv-enable","real-estate-elementor-woo-hover-","open-single-product-tab-horizontal","open-shadow-","open-shadow-hover-"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nodanights.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2263","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nodanights.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nodanights.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nodanights.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nodanights.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2263"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nodanights.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2263\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2264,"href":"https:\/\/nodanights.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2263\/revisions\/2264"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nodanights.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2263"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nodanights.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2263"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nodanights.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2263"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}