Page:Marching on Niagara.djvu/97

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CHAPTER IX


GATHERING AT FORT LAWRENCE


Fort Lawrence was little more than a fort in name only. It was a spot selected by the Morrises and others living within a radius of one to twentytwo miles, where they might congregate for. safety at any time when the way to Will's Creek or Winchester should be cut off.

The fort was located at a point where two small streams joined. Here the brushwood and trees had been cleared off for a distance of little over an acre. Some trees, running in a semi-circle from one brook to the other, had been left standing, and between these a rude stockade had been planted of logs, ten to twelve feet high and sharp-pointed at the top. Along the two watercourses were a series of rough rocks and on top of these other rocks had been placed, making a barrier almost as high as the wooden one opposite. In the wooden stockade and among the rocks, port holes were placed, so that those inside could command every avenue of approach with their firearms. To the whole there was

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