construction of the fort began on october 5, 1756. de brahm's design was more elaborate than a typical frontier fort. the fort was diamond-shaped with bastions at the corners, each of which contained three cannons. as the fort was built on a hill slope, two of the bastions were atop the hill, and two were closer to the bottom, with the walls sloping downward. the bastions were named for the king of england, the queen of england, the prince of wales, and the duke of cumberland. the walls were in length, and surrounded by a ditch, a yard deep and wide, which was planted with a honey locust hedge.