Sure to become one of your favorites, this engaging volume describes the history of nearly fifty famous fortifications, from the heights of Quebec to the western frontier. Lavishly illustrated with seventy-one photographs and illustrations, this book devotes an entire chapter to each fort's unique history, including construction, important military events, famous commanders and battle strategies. Many forts changed possession several times. Here we learn what finally became of them, whether they were completely destroyed in battle, slowly decayed by the elements, reconstructed by enthusiasts or preserved for posterity by historians. If you enjoy visiting historic sites, take this book with you. From Fort Independence in Boston Harbor to Fort Vancouver at the mouth of the Columbia River; and from Ticonderoga to the Alamo, these bastions are the silent sentinels of our past.