How was Fort Randolph built?

There are no detailed descriptions or illustrations of Fort Randoiph being built. However, it is known from historic al reports that earthwork forts were roughly circular in shape and had outer ditches surrounding them. Fort Randolph was approximately 35 feet tall and 150 feet in diameter.

To begin constructing an earthwork fort, the first step was to define the fort's outer limits or the ditch. Standing along the planned line of the ditch soldiers used shovels and picks to begin to dig. The dirt dug up from the ditch would be thrown into a pile called parapet. To keep the parapet in place, a hard wall called a revetment was constructed, The revetment was made of such material as saplings, stone, brick and sandbags.

Layers of grass were used to cover the revetment. On top of the revetment, firing steps and guns platforms were added. There may have been four to five cannons at Fort Randolph. A central magazine, a round timbered structure covered with dirt to store ammunition and kegs of gunpowder, and a bombproof, used as a shelter against enemy fire, were also built.