ix? 



m.oi KALI: 





Ik* doubW ground that it was both inex|>edient and not warranted by 

 UM principle, of the law of nations. On the latter ground U, 

 doubt be found In company with all juriu of any name; the text 

 writers on the law of nations at this day are unanimous in their favour. 

 But upon the former, the inexpediency of such a oourae a* was pur- 

 sswd by oar government on that occasion, there is not now a di~ 

 opinion throughout the I mted Kingdom. It is universally condemned 

 as impoMtio end eborVeighted. 



(Whsaton, tlrmmtt of Imttnatimud Late ; Manning, Cammtnlarin 

 <m tlu Lm* / \aiia*i ; Hautefruillr, Drviti del .Vaiimu \eutra ; 

 Ortolan. Kflomali* dt la Jfrr ; Bmkenhoek, Qxtrttionei Jurit Pvllin; 

 Oratins. /* J*n Mi ft Putu.) 



i-K. This oonsista in surrounding a fortified pUc 

 troops, in order to prevent supplies of provisions or warlike 

 lrom enuring, end to compel the garrison to surrender from 



or the failure of their ammunition. The generality of the 



sad mil sieges were blockades, and two of the most memorable in 

 Grecian history were thoee of Plata* and Pydna. The former lasted 

 two years, and is remarkable for being the first of which any connected 

 lUjsfl* have been giveu. Pydna, in which city Olympian had taken 

 refuge, was closely invested by Caasander both by sea and land, and 

 did not anmnder till the garrison had suffered the utmost extremity of 

 famine. 



When f 01 U tests are situated on rocky eminences, whose sides are 

 nearly inaccessible by nature, or have been made so by human labour ; 

 when they are approachable only by narrow passes, and the surrounding 

 country is unfavourable for the execution of the works required in 

 carrying on a regular siege ; or when the besieging army is inadequately 

 supplied with siege materiel, their reduction is most conveniently 

 snV'Ud by a blockade, because they can be masked by a corps of 

 troop* not so numerous a* to diminish materially the strength of the 

 army in the field; and their garrisons, being necessarily small, are 

 unable to attempt any serious enterprise. 



In Europe, however, nearly all the old fortresses of this kind have 

 been suffered to go to ruin, the amallneas of their garrisons rendering 

 them wholly useless ; and therefore, since the end of the 17th century, 

 blockades bare been much lea* frequent than they were before that 

 time. During the continuance of the war which was carried on 1-y the 

 Germans and Venetians against the Turks, and which ended with the 

 peace of Carlowitz in 1698, several places were taken from the Turks 

 after having been long invested ; it was thus that, in Hungary, the fort 

 of Agria and the towns of Mongatz and Great Waradiu were taken by 

 UM Imperialist*, and that in the Morea, the Venetian general obtained 

 possession of Napoli di Malvasia. 



Fortified town* may be blockaded when mean* are wanting to 

 execute trenches and ricochet batteries ; and when besides the place 

 is known to be incompletely furnished with the necessary stores, and 

 to contain a numerous or disaffected population within its walls. In 

 such circumstances it may reasonably be expected that the place will in 

 time be surrendered, particularly if it be the seat of an extensive 

 commerce, or if the inhabitant* should be disaffected to their govern 

 ment. The loss occasioned by the stoppage of the usual channels of 

 trade ; the discomfort arising from being confined within the fortifi- 

 cations ; and, chiefly, the distress brought on by the scarcity and high 

 price of the necessaries of life, never fail to produce dissatisfaction and 

 even tumult among the citizen*; and in the end the commander of the 

 plapf la generally compelled by clamour, or induced by solicitation, t . 

 comply with the wishes of the people, and to deliver up his charge to 



In the establishment of a blockade, the outpost* of the garrison are 

 first driven as near as possible to the place, and the inhabitant* pre- 

 vented leaving ; bodies of troops are disposed in convenient situations 

 before all the accessible front* ; these are also strengthened at intervals 

 by redoubt, containing artillery, and if the place i* on the sea-coast, a 

 naval armament watches it on that side. Corps of cavalry and infantry 

 occupy any villages on the several roads by which it may be attempted 

 to throw supplies into the place ; small advanced posts also watch the 

 town closely, and maintain the communications between the different 

 divisions of the blockading corps, by which means any movement of 

 theganisoo may be Immediately discovered. 



The blockading corps should also be supported by a reserve, estab- 

 lished at a greater distance from UM place, to seize any convoy 

 yproerhlni wit" succours for the garrison, or repulse any relieving 

 force which may attempt to throw supplies into the place, or send 

 assistance to any portion of the blockading army which, being attacked 

 by a sortie in farce, msy require aid. 



On the other hand, in order to counteract as much as possible the 

 effort* of the enemy, all persons who cannot be rendered serviceable in 

 the defence, or who cannot lay in a sufficient supply of provisions for 

 their support during the probable continuance of the blockade, are 

 sent out of the town; UM necessary quantities of provisions and military 

 2" rt V F ra Z M ' *?* ' gou " >d m c " n t- shell-proof blindages, 

 U ^. b ? 6 !5 1 ^ nt U If"*** 1 *- 1 , consumption ofev^ry 

 article is carefully economised. The garrison should keep the field as 

 long a* pomhU, disputing with the enemy every spot which he may 

 endeavour to occupy, driving in all cattle, and laying waste the ooun- 



t 7'?? d l ^ -r 7 i ?i' T ^ r * ail f which *** * ""> ^- ** 



1 - nude whenever a hope of success presents itaelf without 



risking the loss of many men ; and every other means should be taken 

 as long as possible to prevent the enemy from establishing bis posts, or 

 forming redoubts about the place. 



In 1757 the King of Prussia blockaded Prague, s populous city, ami 

 garrisoned by 00,000 soldiers ; the investment continued six weeks, 

 during which time all the avenues were occupied, and several engage- 

 ment* took place. The history of the late Peninsular war affords, how- 

 ver. . >no of the best examples of reducing a fortified town by a blockade, 

 in that which the Duke, then the MarquU, of Wellington, caused to 

 lie established about r.ini|vliina in 1813. This town had a garrison 

 consisting of more than 4000 men, while the British army could spare 

 neither troops nor artillery sufficient to ensure its surrender by a siege. 

 Nine strong redoubts, each capable of containing a garrison of 200 or 

 300 men, with some field-pieces, were constructed on commanding 

 height*, at from 1200 to 1500 yards from the place, and served t 

 every sortie from thence, while the rest of the blockading force wax 

 quartered in the neighbouring villages, or bivouacked beyond the range 

 of the artillery of the fortress. Buildings near the latter were barri- 

 caded, and formed strong advanced posts ; the roads were blocked up 

 as usual, and small field-works covered the guards of the army. The 

 blockade continued three months ; and when Marshal Soult advance.! 

 to the relief of the town, notwithstanding that the Britiith troop* in 

 concentrating themselves to oppose him were necessarily drawn away 

 from the posts which they occupied, yet the precautions used 

 Mich, that no communication could take place between the garrison 

 and the French army, though the latter was almost within sight of the 

 ramparts. 



(See Lallciuaud, Trallt da Operation* Serondaira dt la (rturre ; 

 Joiuiui, TraiU da yrandtt Opfrat'om* Jlilitaint ; Colonel Sir J. T. 

 Jones, Journal* of Steyct in flpain.) 



BLOCKHOUSE (also written BLOCKHAUS), among u.; 

 edifices is, as the name implies, a building constructed chiefly of 

 timber ; if alone, it constitutes an independent fort ; if formed in the 

 interior of a field-work, it become* a retrenchment or red nit, and 

 serves to protect the defenders from the inclemency of the weather 

 when the work is occupied during a considerable time, or to prolong 

 the defence when the work is attacked ; and, after it is taken, sen en 

 as an interior retrenchment which may prevent the enemy holding the 

 works or enable the garrison to obtain a capitulation. Blockhouse* 

 have been principally employed in America, where from the abundance 

 of wood they could easily be constructed. They are either one or two 

 storied, but generally the former. 



When the blockhouse is to be employed only as a retrenchment, it* 

 plan U generally a simple rectangle, and ita walls consist of a single 

 row of piles or timbers, placed upright in the ground, or, as generally 

 made in America, of strong upright timbers at the angles, with walls 

 of horizontal timbers, halved and notched into one another at the 

 angles, where they overlap about six inches; these are pierced with 

 loop-holes, at the distance of three feet from each other, in order that 

 the building may be defended by a fire of musketry from within. 

 The roof is formed by laying timbers horizontally across the inclosed 

 area, and covering them with fascines and earth, or earth only. The 

 covering materials, when the work is intended to be bomb-proof, must 

 be at least four feet thick, since the shells fired from field-howitzers 

 penetrate into earth nearly to that depth. The entrances, when 

 formed in the walls, are protected by inclined blindages, or by 

 palisades, planted close together in their front, and pierced with loop- 

 holes ; but occasionally the entrances are in the roof, and access to 

 them is then obtained by means of ladders. 



The interior breadth of the building should be about eighteen feet, 

 in order to allow a passage between the two rows of bedsteads : these 

 are placed with their heads to the side walls, and serve as banquettes 

 on which the men may stand to fire through the loop-holes when the 

 latter are much elevated above the floor, which they should be to 

 prevent the enemy firing in through them. 



Two-storied blockhouses are constructed usually by making an 

 ordinary rectangular blockhouse with walls sufficiently strong to 

 support an upper story of the same construction, which is put on 

 askew, or with ita sides parallel to the diagonals of the lower one. By 

 this means a fire is obtained in front of the salients or along the 

 capitals of the lower story, and the portions of the upper story which 

 necessarily project over the lower one, being pierced with loop-hole* 

 downwards, act as a machicoulis and supply the want of a flanking 

 fire. These, however, can only be used advantageously in situation-* 

 where they will not be exposed to artillery fire. 



Reduita of this kind are nearly indispensable in situations com- 

 manded by heights, when consequently the interior of the principal 

 work is so subject to the plunging fires of the <IM my, that the 

 defenders could not otherwise find shelter, and then the side-wall* 

 should be thick enough to resist a fire of artillery. In other circum- 

 stances it would be advisable that the parapets of the principal work 

 should conceal the radii it from the view of the enemy: for v.hi.l, 

 purpose the roof of the latter should be kept u low as possible 

 in this case, in order to afford sufficient height in the interior, which 

 should not be less than eight feet, it may be necessary to sink tin; 

 floor below the natural Urel of the ground. 



In mountainous country the blockhouse possesses great advantage.-, 

 over an ordinary field-fort, inasmuch as the interior of the latter would 



