Guthorm Kavli: Norges festninger – fra Fredriksten til Vardøhus, 1987 (translation by Elin Galtung Lihaug in 2001) p. 164-165

Gyldenløve had already in 1673 started building a fort on the western side of the Glomma by the Terning river near Elverum. This was finished in January 1676 and Gyldenløve was present during the mounting of the cannons. The original name of this fort was Elverum skanse but in 1684 the name was changed to Terningskansen. It consisted of an outside wall with bastions of 32 meters in quadrangle, blockhouses for the garrison and a gunpowder warehouse. The garrison had at its most powerful point in time 230 men. On the east side of Glomma, just across the river from Terningskansen, Hammersborg fort was established in 1683 by count Wedel Jarlsberg. Due to its isolated localation it was well suited to control both the strait at Grindalen and also the road from Hernes which the Swedes would have to use for a possible attack in Norway.

In the account of king Christian V's travels in Norway in 1685 it says that the fort itself has only a low wall around it, in some places built partly as bulwarks. At that time the fort was renamed Christiansfjeld by royal decree. Within an area of 63 by 95 meters a round tower was built for cannons which could shoot in all directions. Underneath were vaults for ammunition. There was also room for blockhouses and warehouses. In 1709 the fort was upgraded to a large extent. At this time an outer wall (retrenchment) with "tenaljer" was built on an area of 170 by 220 meters. Somewhat later, in 1716, a passage behind the rampart with stone pillars was established as well as battlements which until that time had been missing on the fort, and the rocks were blasted except for those immediately outside the walls of the fort. At that time Christiansfjeld fort had 264 men.

In the period of peace after The Great Nordic War the king was of the opinion that the small forts were more a burden than a benefit. The decision to demolish Christiansfjeld was taken in 1742 and carried out three years later. But when war again broke out, it was decided in 1811 that Christiansfjeld should be rebuilt and be garrisoned. Before such building was started, the Grindal fort at the strait over Glomma at Grindalen was built (1809-11). This was a not too small fort made of sod and stone with blockhouses, ammunition warehouse and room for 100 men. During a short period there was hectic activity on both sides of Glomma. After the peace in Kiel in 1814 there was very strong activity at the Grindal fort during some months. But already in December 1814, the Kongsvinger commandership was told to accept the furniture and fittings from these forts and hand them over to the civilian authority.

Even though Christiansfjeld did not have a history of war, it became a point where people in the Elverum area gathered for historic events - as for example the 17 May celebration in 1840 when cannons for salute were borrowed from Terningskansen. At 12 o'clock the mayor of Elverum, captain Hans Øvergaard, received the fuse for the ignition powder and put it in the ignition hole. The result was that the cannon fired and Øvergaard was killed. By that accident the fort had its only fatality.

The (drawing on p. 164) is of the Christiansfjeld fort. On the upper level, designed with two "hornverk", the round tower is situated as well as barracks, food storage house and the Commander’s premises. On the lower level was the retrenchment with several "tenaljer", stable, bakery with oven, barracks for the soldiers and two guard houses. The drawing is filed in the Riksarkivet.