FORTIFICATION. 



not fail to surround such ill-judged de- 

 tachments, and to a certainty carry them 

 oft' during the night. Admitting this 

 principle, the fleche 9 would be subject 

 to the foregoing evil, if there were not a 

 strong body of troops stationed in the 

 counterguard 7, or the flank ofthe crown- 

 work, from which detachments could be 

 sent without delay. 



Lunettes are generally constructed by 

 producing their faces at about one half 

 the length of the raveline which they 

 flank at right angles ; their own flanks are 

 drawn perpendicular to the face of the 

 bastion which commads them, generally 

 falling about the middle of such face. 

 See the lunette s, opposite the bastion D. 

 Sometimes the lunette is separated, by a 

 narrow fosse, from the body of the rave- 

 line ; in other instances, its face joins 

 that ofthe raveline ; the fosse being arch- 

 ed over, and a battery placed on the arch, 

 by which the ditch of the raveline is 

 secured. The face of the lunette gives a 

 direct fire towards the glacis, before the 

 salient angle ofthe bastion 5. 



Tenaillons, (signifying piercer's, or 

 claws,) are sometimes made on each side 

 of a raveline, and even beyond them a 

 small detached raveline, or a bonnet, is 

 sometimes added. The rule for con- 

 structing a tenaillon is, to prolong the 

 other face of the raveline, thereby to 

 make its front, and to determine the 

 length of that front, by a flank drawn per- 

 pendicular to the centre of the face of 

 that bastion before which the tenaillon 

 stands; as is seen in the tenaillon R, stand- 

 ing in front ofthe bastion 4, and covering 

 tjhe face of the raveline K. 



Redoubts standing in ravelines, being 

 intended as a resort for the troops driven 

 from the defences of its faces, and requir- 

 ing great strength of defenders, should 

 invariably be casemated throughout, in 

 the most substantial manner ; they may 

 not only mount batteries on their ram- 

 parts, which should command those of 

 the ravelines wherein they are placed, 

 but they may be pierced below with 

 abundance of loop holes, and with em- 

 brazures for cannon, provided the ditch 

 be of a sufficient depth and width to pre- 

 vent assault, and that the interior of the 

 raveline be, as it ought, perfectly level, 

 and contain nothing to conceal the ene- 

 my : in each redoubt there should be a 

 small expense magazine, and in every 

 outwork one or more wells should be 

 made, if practicable, of sufficient capaci- 

 ty to supply plenty of water. 



Redoubts made to flank other works 



can have no fixed rule ; theyfare general- 

 ly placed to most advantage, and their 

 fronts are always disposed towards those 

 parts ofthe exterior which stand in need 

 of such support. In some places, as at 

 Q, they are made more to cover a weak 

 point, than with any immediate view to 

 protracting the assault : the want of a re- 

 doubt, or some other work, on the other 

 side of the bastion O, serves to prove the 

 utility of that at Q; it being evident, that 

 could an enemy's battery be placed any 

 where about C,C, thatis, in a position 

 to batter the bastion 3, the greater part 

 ofthe defences ofthe principal would be 

 subjected to mischief ; and that, as the 

 approaches should advance upon the gla- 

 cis, the ravelines N, and O, would be in a 

 measure cut oft' from all connection with 

 the curtains S r, u v. We suppose the 

 crown -work M not to exist. 



We now come to speak of that crown- 

 work; it is a limb of immense impor- 

 tance, and should be rendered as strong 

 and efficient as possible. This kind of 

 fortification is built on various accounts, 

 viz. to occupy ground which, being left 

 at the disposal of an enemy, might prove 

 of considerable injury to the body of the 

 place ; to enclose buildings that could not 

 be included within the principal ; to de- 

 fend a promontory, or a projection, cover- 

 ing a harbour; to prolong a line of works, 

 and other causes which locality would 

 suggest. When, however, a piece of 

 ground, which stands higher than could 

 be commanded from the works of the 

 principal, is,to be occupied, a crown-work 

 would be improper : in such case, a cita- 

 del is advantageously made on the supe- 

 rior ground; observing, that in lieu of a 

 raveline being at N, there should be a 

 complete defensive face, appertaining to 

 the citadel, commanding the works of the 

 fortress, which, instead of presenting de- 

 fences along the centre face B C, should 

 rather lay open to the batteries of the 

 citadel. These latter should command 

 the whole interior of the polygon, and 

 be well casemated throughout, for the 

 safe lodgment of all the garrison, and 

 for the safe keeping of provisions and 

 stores for six months at least. The instan- 

 ces on record of citadels holding out for 

 a long time should render their use more 

 common, especially where the ground fa- 

 vours their command of allthe other works. 



Although we have in tracing the de- 

 filement of the ramparts, from the point 

 <J>, to the centre ofthe polygon E, laid it 

 down as a general rule, that the as- 

 cent of the works should assimilate to 



