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General Prideaux left Oswego for Fort Niagara he was well aware that the French would more than likely make an attack on the new fort Colonel Haldimand was building, consequently, he cautioned that officer to be on his guard at all hours of the day and night.

But Haldimand needed no word of warning. His military training was of a high order, and the very first thing he did before setting his men to work to cut logs for the new fort was to have them arrange the pork barrels, containing a large portion of their food, in a circle, and outside of this lay a dense mass of brushwood in such a fashion that to climb over or through it would be no easy task.

This "pork fort" as it was called later on, caused many a laugh, yet it proved no mean defense, as we shall soon see. Behind the barrels Haldimand planted such cannon as Prideaux had left him; and then went to work to build the fort proper without loss of time.