Review the vocabulary words and their definitions and then try the game at the bottom of the page.
Fort Meigs Vocabulary Words
abatis. Felled trees, with small branches and leaves removed, placed as a defensive obstacle.
artifact. A material object of a culture such as a tool, an article of clothing, or a prepared food.
artillery. A branch of the military that uses weapons such as cannons and howitzers that fire large ordinace (cannon balls, bombs, grape shot, etc.).
battery. An artillery unit or the fortification constructed to defend such a unit.
blockhouse. A log building constructed in the shape of a square, rectangle, or cross. Used for defense, they could contain areas on the first floor for firing cannons and loopholes (small openings) on the second floor to shoot muskets from.
bombardment. An artillery attack.
bombproof. A structure built for housing and protecting and troops from enemy bombardment.
camp follower. A woman married to a soldier who followed the army performing duties such as washing clothes or serving in the hospital.
civilian. A person who is not in the armed forces.
democracy. A system of government in which political control is exercised by all the people, either directly or through their elected representatives.
Fort Meigs. A log and earth fortification constructed along the Maumee River in 1813.
fortification. Works or buildings erected to defend a position.
garrison. A place where soldiers are stationed.
Great Black Swamp. A swamp 40 miles wide (north to south) and 120 miles long that stretched from the shores of Lake Erie in Ohio into Indiana and began just south of Fort Meigs.
magazine. A structure built for the storage of ammunition.
militia. Male citizens who are trained to fight and help in state or national emergencies. (The forerunner of today's National Guard)
natural resource. A productive resource supplied by nature (e.g., ores, trees, arable land).
primary source. An account of an event by someone who was present at the event.
ration. A fixed allowance for food or provisions.
regular. A professional soldier whose main job is to serve in the military.
settlement. A group of settlers living in close contact.
settler. A person who moves to a new place to make a permanent home.
siege. The surrounding of a fortified place by an army trying to capture it.
soldier. A person who is a member of an army.
stockade. A a structure made of log walls tied together.
surrender. To give up.
territory. An area of land; the land and waters under the jurisdiction of a state, nation, or sovereign.
trade off. The sacrifice of one option for another when a decision is made.
traverses. Manmade earth mounds to protect troops against enemy fire.
uniform. Special or official similar clothes that member of a particular group, such as a soldier, wears to serve as a means of identification.
War of 1812. A war between the United States and Great Britain (1812 – 1814) as a result of British attacks on American ships. Sometimes call the "Second War of Independence" or "Madison's War".
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