Fortification.—Surprise of Bergen-up-Zoom.—Six hundred British troops lay down their arms from a want of knowledge of fortification.—Fortified places in England and abroad.—On the origin of fortification.—The battering-ram.—Parapets.—Embrasures.—Square Towers.—Terraces or Ramparts.—Bastions.—Horn-works.—Curtains.—Maxims in fortification.—Old plan of fortifying a place.—Modern plan.—Periods of attack.—Investment or blockade described.—Parallels.—Circumvallation and countervallation.—What is necessary to ensure the reduction of a fortress.—Blockade of Pamplona.—A bombardment, siege, and storming party described.

“Well, now I am to describe to you a blockade and a bombardment, a siege, and a storming party; but you will understand them better if I say a word or two first about fortification.”

126“Oh yes! let us know something about fortification first.”

“Many sad instances of failure and loss have occurred from a want of knowledge of fortification. Without knowledge no place of defence is secure; fortresses require to be defended by strong minds as well as by strong walls. At the surprise of Bergen-up-Zoom, in 1814, a body of six hundred British troops laid down their arms merely because they had no officer with them who knew enough of fortification to conduct their retreat by the covered way. Had such an officer been with them every man might have safely made his escape.”

“What a pity!—every officer ought to understand fortification.”

“If an officer be at home, he can if he pleases see the fortifications at Dover, Portsmouth, Chatham and Plymouth; and if abroad, he may have, perhaps, the opportunity of inspecting the splendid works at Gibraltar, or Malta, or those in the East or West Indies, or in our American colonies. Fortification is the art of strengthening a place, so that a small number of men can defend it against the attack of a great number. Whether fortification was first used as a defence against the strong, the unjust, the revengeful, and ambitious, or used by them in furtherance of their designs, might be difficult to determine. The principal engine brought to bear against fortified places in ancient times was the aries, or battering-ram, made mostly of 127brass. This, formed at the end like the head of a ram, was suspended from a beam, and pushed violently against the walls by soldiers, who were hid in a covered carriage on which the battering-ram rested.”

“Ay! we have seen a picture of soldiers using the battering-ram.”

“Parapets with embrasures, or holes, in them, through which arrows might be shot, were introduced; and after them came strong square towers, erected from each other about a stone’s cast, but when gunpowder was invented these things were comparatively useless. Terraces, or ramparts with parapets, were adopted, as well as bastions. A bastion is a huge mass of earth, faced either with sods, brick-work, or stone. It stands out from the rampart, of which it, indeed, forms a principal part. What is now called a bastion was in old times called a bulwark.”

“We have seen the word bulwark in a sea-song—
‘Britain’s best bulwarks are her wooden walls.’”

“Yes, I remember the song. There were also ravelins, triangular works, projecting outwards; horn-works; two demi-bastions, joined by a curtin, and other works. A curtin, or curtain, is that part of the rampart which lies between the flanks, or sides, of two bastions; it is bordered with a parapet or elevation of earth. But perhaps I had 128better show you a drawing or two of a fortification, and then you will see all the parts.”

“The very thing! the very thing!”

“Here is a drawing of the old plan of fortifying a place when bows and arrows were used, before gunpowder was found out. You see the tower, the walls, the ditch, and the battering-ram.”

“Ay! we see the battering-ram has been at work, for the wall is broken sadly.”

“Before I show you the two other drawings I will explain to you that the principal maxims of fortification are these:—First, that every part of the works be seen and defended by other parts, 129so that the enemy cannot lodge anywhere without being exposed to the fire of the place.”

“Ay! that must be very necessary.”

“Secondly. A fortress should command all places round it, and, therefore, all the outworks should be lower than the body of the place.”

“That seems to be quite as necessary as the other.”

“Thirdly. The works furthest from the centre should always be open to those that are near.”

“Everything appears to be thought of in fortification.”

“Fourthly. The defence of every part should always be within the reach of musket-shot, so as to be defended both by ordnance and small fire-arms.”

“It must be a hard matter to take a fortress, when such pains are taken to make it strong.”

“Fifthly. All the defences should be as nearly direct as possible, for experience shows that soldiers are too apt to fire directly before them, whether they do execution or not.”

“What a deal of thought seems necessary!”

“Sixthly. A fortification should be equally strong on all sides, otherwise by being attacked in its weakest point its strength will become useless.”

“That is very plain. A weak part would be sure to be attacked if it were found out.”

“Seventhly. The more acute (sharp) the angle at the centre is, the stronger will be the place.”

130“We understand that, because it would throw off the cannon balls better.”

“And, lastly. In great places dry ditches are preferable to those filled with water, because sallies, retreats, succours, etc. are necessary; but in small fortresses wet ditches that can be drained are the best, as standing in need of no sallies.”

“And now, then, you will please to show us the other drawings of a fortification.”

“Yes, boys, you shall see them. Here is one; you may understand it pretty well by looking it over. The side of the ditch next the rampart is the escarpe, and the side next the country the counterscarpe.”
A B.     Level of the ground, or plane of site.
A C.     Rampart: interior slope of the rampart.
D E.     Terre-plein of the rampart.
F.     Banquette.
G.     Interior slope of the parapet.
H.     Superior slope of the parapet.
H I.     Exterior slope of ditto.
S L.     Revêtement, wall of the escarpe.
P.     Foundation of the revêtement.
R S.     Revêtement, wall of the counterscarpe.
S T.     Terre-plein of the covered way.
C.     Coping-stone, or cordon.
N.     Palisading, at the foot of, in the interior slope of the glacis.
Z B.     Glacis.
W.     Ditch.

131“We must puzzle it out, but it is not quite so plain as the other.”

“True, for it is not an easy thing to make everything clear on paper that belongs to fortification. Here is another drawing, showing you the tracing or outline of the works round a fortified place.”
1. Bastions.     Besides which there are the     Right face &nb............