Cavalry forts were constructed with different designs and features, and most 19th century forts were nothing more than two buildings built in opposite directions. Soldiers who were a part of the cavalry regiments had to build the forts with available resources like wood and stone. Most forts were constructed out of wood, and many of the building techniques used to construct them were practices from Europe. English, Spanish, French and Dutch immigrants who settled in America brought their knowledge of construction with them, and they used this knowledge as they erected forts throughout the country.
Cavalry soldiers built palisade walls, which were used in Europe long before the settlers arrived in America. Most forts didn't contain palisades walls unless they were needed to keep out Native American warriors for a long period of time. To construct them, soldiers used timber with pointed shafts and combined it with mud, limestone and wood chips. They dug trenches and set the completed palisade sections into the ground. This process continued until the entire fort was surrounded by a wooden wall.
Corner notching is a technique that was sometimes used to construct buildings on the grounds of the cavalry fort. This method locked logs together by cutting out "V" shapes at their ends in order to interlock the pieces. False notching used spikes or pegs to connect logs together to form a wall, and this method for constructing colonial buildings was sometimes employed as well. Notching techniques were used to build structures for permanence, but in reality many cavalry forts during the Colonial era and the era of Western expansion were not made for permanence. They were hastily constructed and soon abandoned after they were completed.
Some cavalry forts were constructed and maintained as permanent bases, in some cases growing into modern-day cities. Forth Worth, Texas, is an example of a city that used to be a permanent cavalry fort. Originally, this fort was occupied and abandoned like many other installations, but it was reoccupied. When it was determined that the fort would be used as a permanent point for military operations and as a resupply area for settlers heading west, permanent buildings were erected around it. Each group of settlers used construction techniques particular to their culture. They whitewashed the walls to prevent rotting and insect infestation, employed different styles and methods for framing, and covered the walls with various materials that included planks and plasterboard.
