Changing Patterns of Status among White Soldiers and Africans at Brimstone Hill Fortress

Summary

British occupation of Brimstone Hill Fortress on St. Kitts from 1690 to 1854 developed in response to local conditions relating to the economics and organization of enslaved labor and to the strategic needs of maintaining a military garrison. The use, size, placement, and chronology of structures, and their associated material culture show that African slaves differed depending on ownership and military status, whereas branch affiliation (Ordnance, Medical, Artillery, or Infantry) and to a lesser degree marital status among officers and enlisted men characterized white troops. The housing conditions and diet for small numbers of African workers was comparable to enlisted white soldiers and for black soldiers too as their numbers increased and they replaced white soldiers in the post emancipation era.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 81st Annual Meeting, Orlando, FL (2016)   •
• Built Environments of Enslaved Experience in the Caribbean

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Spatial Coverage