Geospatial Mapping of the Landward Section of Mount Independence Project Grant #GA-2287-16-020 A Cooperative Project between the American Battlefield Protection Program and the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation Jess Robinson, PhD 2018 Acknowledgements The author and the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation (VDHP) wish to thank the National Park Service, American Battlefield Protection Program and specifically Kristen McMasters, for her assistance through the grant cycle. We also wish to extend our thanks to the Mount Independence Coalition for their support and encouragement. Additional thanks are gratefully extended to: Mike Broulliette, John Crock, PhD, Kate Kenny, Otis Monroe, Brett Ostrum, and Melissa Prindeville for their help with this project. ii Table of Contents Acknowledgements ......................................................................................................................... ii Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................... iii List of Figures ................................................................................................................................. v Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 1 Mount Independence Physical Geography ..................................................................................... 1 Historical Background .................................................................................................................... 5 KOCOA Analysis ........................................................................................................................... 9 Key and Decisive Terrain .......................................................................................................... 10 Observation and Field of Fire .................................................................................................... 11 Observation ............................................................................................................................ 11 Fields of Fire .......................................................................................................................... 11 Cover and Concealment ............................................................................................................ 11 Cover ..................................................................................................................................... 11 Concealment .......................................................................................................................... 12 Obstacles ................................................................................................................................... 12 Natural Obstacles ................................................................................................................... 12 Reinforcing Obstacles............................................................................................................ 12 Avenues of Approach/Withdrawal ............................................................................................ 12 Data Sets ....................................................................................................................................... 14 LiDAR Coverage ....................................................................................................................... 14 University of Vermont Consulting Archaeology Program Mapping Work .............................. 17 Unmanned Aircraft System Flights ....................................................................................... 17 GPS Locations ....................................................................................................................... 24 Ground-level Photogrammetry .............................................................................................. 24 Georeferenced Maps and Excavation and Locus Plotting ........................................................ 26 Georeferencing ...................................................................................................................... 26 Locus Numbers and Presumed Functions ............................................................................. 39 Data Synthesis ............................................................................................................................... 42 Interpretations ............................................................................................................................... 47 iii Conclusions and Recommendations ............................................................................................. 47 References Cited ........................................................................................................................... 49 Appendix A: Geospatial Mapping of Archaeological Features along the Landward Section of Mount Independence, Vermont (ABP P Grant # GA 2287-16- 020), University of Vermont Consulting Archaeology Program Technical Report .................................................................... 52 iv List of Figures Figure 1. Satellite image of Mount Independence (center), Orwell, Rutland County, Vermont, and Fort Ticonderoga, Ticonderoga, New York (top), with Lake Champlain between them. Downloaded from VCGI, June 2018. ......................................................................................................................................... 3 Figure 2. Illustration of Mount Independence and nearby fortifications and waterbodies. Illustration courtesy of the Mount Independence archives. ............................................................................................. 4 Figure 3. Illustration of the caissons and the “Great Bridge” built by the American engineer Jeduthan Baldwin between Mount Independence and Fort Ticonderoga. Illustration courtesy of the Mount Independence archives. ................................................................................................................................. 6 Figure 4. Mount Independence elevation contours with prominent KOCOA features and fields of fire indicated. ..................................................................................................................................................... 13 Figure 5. LiDAR hillshade overlaid with a LiDAR digital elevation model of the Mount Independence area. The color shifts indicate elevation changes. ....................................................................................... 15 Figure 6. LiDAR hillshade overlaid with a LiDAR digital elevation model the Mount Independence. The color shifts indicate elevation changes. Contour lines show additional detail. ........................................... 16 Figure 7. High-resolution orthoimage of the southern portion of Mount Independence constructed from UAS photographs. ....................................................................................................................................... 19 Figure 8. Interpolated high-resolution digital surface model (DSM) of the southern portion of the Mount made through UAS data. ............................................................................................................................. 20 Figure 9. Close up view of digital surface model (DSM) showing an unidentified earthen feature not readily discernable from the ground. Numbered loci in yellow are explained below................................. 21 Figure 10. Close up view of digital surface model (DSM) showing an unidentified earthen feature not readily discernable from the ground. Remnant plow lines and trees along a probable farm wall are also visible. ......................................................................................................................................................... 22 Figure 11. Three-dimensional view of point cloud generated from UAS flight data. The location of the second battery is indicated. Image reproduced from UVM CAP’s technical report. See Appendix A. ..... 28 Figure 12. Three-dimensional view of the second battery generated through photogrammetry. Image reproduced from UVM CAP’s technical report. See Appendix A. ............................................................. 25 Figure 13. 1968 Bowie and Robinson map of documented features on the Mount overlying modern LiDAR imagery. ......................................................................................................................................... 28 Figure 14. 1992 map depicting documented features on the Mount overlying modern LiDAR imagery generated by Starbuck et al. ........................................................................................................................ 29 v Figure 15. Composite georeferenced maps overlying modern LiDAR imagery of the Mount. .................. 30 Figure 16. Starbuck et al. (1989) map of blockhouse #3 (Locus 105) georeferenced and plotted in its actual location on the Mount. ...................................................................................................................... 32 Figure 17. Vector polygon shapes made from the Starbuck et al. (1989) map of blockhouse #3 (Locus 105). ...........................................................................................................................................................