Handbook of American Indians North of Mexico Volume 30, PT. 1 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1907 Excerpt: ... theearly tiguresof these forts represent them as having a single entrance between overlapping ends of the stockade; there is one, however (Underbill. News from America, 1638), which shows two overlappings. When first seen by the whites most of the villages from Florida to the Potomac were protected with surrounding stockades, which are represented in De Bry as single with one opening where the ends overlap. The construction of these surrounding palisades was practically the same, whether they inclosed a single house or 50 houses. In some sections a ditch was usually dug, both within and outside of the palisade. A few of the forts in s. New England were square, but the circular form generally prevailed ( Willoughby in Am. Anthrop., vm, no. 1, 1906). The fortress built by King Philip in the swamp at South Kensington, R. I., consisted of a double row of palisades, flanked by a great abatis, outside of which was a deep ditch. At one corner a gap of the length of one log was left as an entrance, the breastwork here l)eingonly 4 or 5 ft high; and this passage was defended by a well-constructed blockhouse, whilst trie ditch was crossed by a single log which served as a bridge. Stockaded villages were also common as far w. aa Wisconsin. Stone walls, which C. C. Jones considered defensive, have been observed on Stone mtn., Mt Yona, and other peaks of N. Georgia. De Soto found stronglv fortified villages in his passage through the Gulf states and Arkansas. Vancouver (Voy., in, 289, 1798) mentions villages on Kupreanof id., situated "n the summits of steep, almost inaccessible rocks and fortified with strong platforms of wood laid upon the most elevated part of the rock, which projected at the rides eo as to overhang the declivity. At the edge of the platform th...