B R E 



inoircs Mltit. torn. il. Cxfar (!e B. O, lib. ii. TlmcrJ. 

 Hi!t. lib. ii. Arriaii tic exp. Alex. lib. i. Diodums Sic. 

 Hift. lib. XX. Plutarch in Sylla. Appian. dc Ikl. Mithriil. 

 L^ius Iliil. lib. xxi. Polyb. de Folard. RoUin Hill. 

 Anciennc. 



Iti inndtrn warfare, breaches are fi)nirtimcs elTifted by 

 balterinji; the place with cannon, fometinies by fpringiricr of 

 mines, and iiftentinies by a combination of botli. In the for- 

 mer caft, batteries for ni-iUing a breach in the body of th« 

 place, and mining tlie defences, are generallv ere,^ed upon the 

 covert way, after the beiieged have been driven from all 

 their exterior fortificAtions. As the ravelin is to be attacked 

 firil, and is Hanked or defended by the faces o*' the ballions 

 oppofite to its ditoli, the tiill batteries erciiUd are to rnin 

 the defence of the diteli, and to make breach in the ravelin. 

 Each of ihelc batteries flioidd contain four or five 24 

 ponnders at lead. Sometimes the batteries raifcd againii 

 the ravelin are aifo ufed to batter the faces of the ballions ; 

 but as this cannot be done without breaking tlie wall of tiie 

 ravelin too near th.- faliant angle, it will be nuich better to 

 erecl batteries for that purpole, although if the faces ol the 

 protedling ballions were vvell enfiladed by the guns of the 

 firll parallel, firing a ricochet, there would be no occafion tor 

 any others, W'hllll thefe batteries are erecting, frefli ones 

 mull be made to rnin the flanks of the ballions, of as many 

 guns as can be placed oppofite to them, as alfo fome to' 

 play again 11 the oppofite faces. The bell place for tfi^eCl- 

 jng breaches, both in the ravelin and baflious, is about 15 

 fathoms from the faliant angle ; fo that battering on both 

 fides of tlie angle the breach will become fpacious and large ; 

 whereas, on the contrary, were the breach made too 

 near the angle, it would become too fmall and incom- 

 modious. 



All thefe batteries are made on the ridcce of th.e glacis, 

 within three fathoms of the covered way, which interval 

 ferves to conllruft the parapet or epaulcment ; and as the 

 guns which are to effect a breach fliould fire as low as the 

 bottom of the ditch, the embrazures muft be made Hoping 

 downwards accordingly. The guns intended to make 

 breach (hould always fire together, or in falvo's, and as 

 nearly in the fame place as pofTible, and continue fo till the 

 wall is quite pierced, which may be known by the earth's 

 falling. They muft begin firing at firll as low as they can, 

 and batter the wall nearly in an horizontal line, as far as the 

 breach is intended to be made ; afterwards fire fomething 

 higher, in the fame manner as before, and continue fo to 

 do till the wall tumbles down ; for (hould they fire at firil 

 too high, the rubbilli would cover the lower part of the 

 wall, fo as not to be broken afterwards, and the breach 

 thus become impradlicable. The wall being broken down 

 as far as is neceii'ary, the counterforts muft be beat down 

 likewife, which, as they advance farther into the earth than 

 the wall itfelf, will be fooneft demolifhed by firing at them 

 obliquely. 



The other, and the (horteft way to make a breach, is to 

 pierce the wall with guns, fo as to make a hole for two or 

 three miners to lodge themfelves in it, who are fent over the 

 ditch as loon as it is dark (in boats, if the ditch is full of 

 water), and make three or four fmall mines under the para- 

 pet, which, when fprung, will at once open a breach fuf- 

 ficiently large, and wanting nothing but to be cleared in 

 order to give an aflault. The breach eSefted by battering, 

 however, certainly cofts lefs men than that accomplilhed by 

 mines, becaufe, in cafe of a dry ditch, the ncceflary efta- 

 bhftimcnts there to fuftain the miner are avoided; and, if 

 the folFe is filled with water, the ruins of the breach partly 

 choak it up. 



B R E 



The breach btinjr made, and the cfTcfls of the mine 

 clearly dillingnifluible, however pniflicable it may appirr, it 

 is not prudent to hazard a general afTuilt immediately ; fter 

 the mine has been fprung. It is neccfTary that il 11 ould 

 be well examined by hardv and rtfolule men, who (hould, 

 if poiiible, gain the top of the breach, reconnoitre the pof. 

 turc of the garrifon, ijid difcover what precautions they 

 may have taken in different places, to c(UUilcraiM the effcd* 

 of a (loini. All breaclies made in tlie body of a place, or 

 in tile more important outworks, (liould be widened as much 

 as the ground will admit of, fo as to oppofe to the enemy 

 a greater front than that by wiiich he can advance to drive 

 out the befiegers. A prafticable breach ()U;^ln to be fif- 

 teen or twenty falhoins wide. This, once inade, and the 

 proiHid levelled, with all materials and tools at hand, the 

 troops dtlluied to mount the breach difpofed ready for the 

 allault, and otheis drawn up to fupport them in cafe of 

 need, the guns and mortars (hould begin to fiie brin<ly on 

 all the defences of the place which flank the front attacked, 

 both direiftly, and enfilading them by the ricochet batteries ; 

 and a great number of fhells and ftones fhould be thrown 

 into the ravelin or ballion, and its defences. This having 

 continued for iome hours, the fignal is given for ceafing to 

 fire; and the troops marching to the alTault, charge the gar- 

 rifon vigoroufiy, and oblige tlicm to retire. After this, the 

 workmen, headed by an engineer, advance to mak&a lodgment 

 on the upper part of the breach, which, when partly done. 

 the troops retire behind it, ready to repulfe the beficged i^- 

 they (hould return, which they will not fail to do as long 

 and as often as they can. But when this lodgment is once 

 fo far advanced as to be in a condition of receiving a good 

 number of troops, the befieged will have it no longer in 

 their power to dillurb them by open force, and therefore 

 they will make ufe of their mines, as the laft refource left 

 them, if they have not been prevented beforehand, either 

 t^o blow up the lodgment, or any other place where they 

 perceive a body of men. 



When the inner intrencliments have not been ruined by 

 the bombs or mines, which may be the cafe when they are 

 furnilhed with rcvetements, or have not been fnfficiently re- 

 connoitred, other proceedings become necefiary. Lodg- 

 ments (liould be carried on by faps along the parapet, to get 

 pon"enion of the traverfes, if the beficged have made any to 

 (lielter themfelves from the ricochet batteries. Thefe lodg- 

 ments muft themfelves be well traverfed, from the enfilades 

 to which they are unavoidably cxpofed, and joined by others 

 acrofs the work, which ferve as a fort of parallels to diflodge 

 the garrifon from their intrenchments. If the befieged are 

 retrenched upon the two flanks of the bailion, or at its. 

 gorge, which, it is to be prefumed, is the cafe, when the 

 explofion of the mines does not entirely drive him out of the 

 work, it will be expedient to make capacious lodgments on. 

 the breach, extend it by means of fourneaux and fmall aiines, 

 and render its accefs prafticable and cafy, even for heavy 

 artillery, which it may be neceffary to mount in battery ou 

 the top of the breach, in cafe that the bombs fail in driving 

 the garrifon out of their retrenchments. If there fhould be 

 any pallifades placed either round thefe retrcnchaicnts, or 

 ferving for retrenchments themfelves, they muft be broken 

 dovvn with the guns from fome battery that can play upon 

 them ; or, if this cannot be done, fmall mines mull be car- 

 ried underneath tp blow them up. 



Thefe are neceffary precautions againft the obftinacy of a 

 governor or garrifon, who are determined to defend them- 

 felves to the laft extremity, and which, on fuch an occafion, 

 muft never be neglefted. For an aflault given hallily and 

 inconfiderately after fpringing a mine, and which a prudent 



and 



