"Britain again found itself at war with France in 1793 with the outbreak of the French Revolutionary Wars (1793 to 1802). This precipitated the construction of a number of additional fortifications to defend Halifax, the Royal Navy’s principal base in North America. Fort Ogilvie was erected during the summer of 1793 on a high promontory 70 feet above sea level, overlooking Black Rock Beach at Point Pleasant. Its purpose was to augment Point Pleasant Battery in defending the main channel entrance to the harbour. The fort was named after Brigadier James Ogilvie, the British Commander-in-Chief of the Nova Scotia district from 1787 to 1794. Its initial design was as a masked barbette battery, with the guns firing over a raised parapet which also concealed them until they were brought into action. It consisted of a 130-foot long East-facing crescent-shaped earthen battery with an 80-foot straight extension on its left flank. Six 24-pounder smooth bore cannons were mounted on newly introduced traversing platforms, which featured a radial stone racer for the rear truck (wheels) of the carriage to run along, making traversing faster and offering a greater arc of fire. The guns had an effective range of about 1,200 yards, which covered out to about mid-channel. There was also a furnace for heating shot and a powder magazine, along with a guard house to the rear." -Halifax Military Heritage Preservation Society