LINE. 



thrown up to ftop the progrefs of an army ; but the term 

 is nioft commonly appHed to the line which covers a pal's 

 that can only be attacked in front. For conftrufting fuch 

 a line in the place moft convenient for the purpofe. let a 

 rope be run quite acrofs the way along^the intended place 



top, feven or eight feet deep, and the fides of the ditch are 

 flopcd, fo as to leave only fix feet breadth at bottom ; the 

 breait-work, or parapet, is about feven feet thick on the 

 top or crown, and feven or eight feet high. The heights, 

 depths, and breadths, of the feveral parts of a line well 



of the line, pegging it to the ground at the diftance of every defigned and finifhed, are exhibited in Plate VI. Fortification, 



four or five yards ; and at the diilance of about ten or 

 twelve feet before the line, towards the enemy, let fuch 

 another line or row of flakes be carried in a pofition pa- 

 rallel to the firlt rope. When the labourers are properly 

 ranged within thefe limits, let them dig up the earth in this 

 breadth, and throw it on the other fide of the firit rope, 

 until a bank of about five or fix feet thick, and fix or feven 

 feet high, be raifed, floping the fides according to the decli- 

 vity neccflary for the earth's rolling naturally down the 

 bank ; and let the digging be continued till the ditch is 

 about five or fix feet deep, the breadth of the bottom being 

 about one-third of the breadth flaked out at top : the bank 

 may be rendered more firm by being trod or rammed down. 

 Llet the inner fide of the bank be pared with the fpade mto 

 fuch a flope, as a man flanding upright may eafily touch 

 with his arm extended flraight before him ; and at the iopt 

 of this bank, let a foot-bank or Hep be raifed, of fuch a 

 height, as a man flanding on it may eafily fire his m.u&et 

 over the bank, or let it be about four feet and a half lower 

 than the top of the bank or breaft-work. A gentle flope 

 may alfo be m.ade to the foot-bank, that the troops may 

 more eafily afcend it ; and let the crown or top of the 

 breaft-work be Hoped fo, that a muflvet laid fiat on it may 

 ftrike the ground xvith its fliot, about five or fix feet be- 

 yond the ditch. The bank or breaft-work will, in this 

 cafe, feture the troops behind the lines from the enemy's 

 fire ; and when they ftand on the foot-bank, they are more 

 than two-thirds covered, and, confequently, the troops 

 within may maka three of their ftiots tell for one of the 

 enemy ; and by going off the foot-bank, they may be quite 

 covered, while they load again ; fo that with this advantage, 

 they are in no great danger of being forced from the fines, 

 unlefs the enemy are greatly fuperior in number and 

 cannon. 



The following Table ftiews the dimenfions of lines com- 

 monly conftrucled, and the rate of expence attending the 

 conftruftion of them. 



The day's work here is for one yard in length ; and in 

 the firft, a hundred men will complete a hundred yards in 

 length of this kind of lines in one day ; two hundred men 

 in half a day, &c. The lines above defcribed are called 

 temporary lines, and chiefly ferve a prefent emergency. 

 When lines are thrown up at leifure, and defigned for longer 

 duration, then the ditph is ufually eighteen feet broad at 



Vol.. XXI. 



fs,- 3' '" which I L reprefents the ground line, or furface 

 ot the place ; A B the breadth of the ditch at the top ; 

 C D Its breadth at the bottom ; F A C the flope or fcarp 

 of the parapet and ditch ; 'D B K the counterfcarp ; £ F 

 the top or crown of the parapet or breaft-work ; E G the 

 inner flope of the parapet ; H G the top of the foot-bank ; 

 H I the flope of the foot-bank ; and B K L a fmall flooing 

 bank, called the glacis. This fedlion or profile inav be 

 drawn, by laying off in the ground-line, from any fcale of 

 equal parts, the diftances i a = 6 feet, ab = ^,'bc — i-i, 

 r ^ =. 7, </ A =: 4^, A /= 6, /^ = 6, ^ B = 6, and 

 B L := 5 feet. Through a, b, c, < ,/, g, B, draw lines per- 

 pendicular to I L. Make a H = 2^ feet = i G, <r E = 7 

 feet, dT = 6,fC = 8 feet =: ^ D. Draw I H, H G, 

 G E, E F, F A C, C D, and D B, which continue, till it 

 meets the line F L, and the profile is conftrufted. 



When lines are made to cover a camp, or a large traft 

 of land, where a confiderable body of troops is pofled, the 

 work is not made in one ftraight, or uniformly bending line ; 

 but at certain diftances, the lines project in faliant angles, 

 called redents, redans, or flankers, towards the enemy. 

 The diftance between thefe angles is ufually between the 

 limits of two hundred and two hundred and fixty yards ; 

 the ordinary flight of a mu.&et-ball, point-blank, being ge- 

 nerally within thofe limits ; although muflvets, a little ele- 

 vat-jd, will do efFeftual fervice at the diftance of three hun- 

 dred and fixty yards. In Plate VI. Fortification, fig. 4, 

 are fliewn the forma of the ufual hnes, where the figures 

 CAB, c ab, are the redents or flankers ; A C, A B, ar, 

 a b, the faces ; C B, r b, the gorges ; A D, a J, the capi- 

 tals ; ByJ the curtin; and the angles CAB, cab, the 

 faliant or flanked angles. The diftance of the faliant angles 

 is about two hundred and forty yards at a mean; the length 

 of the capital is ufuaUy between forty and fifty yards, and 

 the length of the gorges is alfo about fixty or feventy 

 yards. 



To make a plan of lines with redents ; draw the line 

 EEEE, &c. (Plate VI. ForfifieaUon,fg.^,) in fuch a. 

 manner, that, wherever there is a bend or angle, it may be 

 either at once, twice, or thrice, &c. the length of about 

 two hundred and forty yards from one another ; fo that 

 there may be a redent where there is an angle. In this 

 fine, lay ofi" the diftance of two hundred and forty yards 

 from E to E, E to E, &c. reckoning from the bends to- 

 wards each end, whether it happens that the line will or 

 will not be exactly meafured by a repetition of the two hun- 

 dred and forty yards. At each point, E, draw the capital 

 E F in a perpendicular pofition to the diredion of tiie fine 

 in that point, and make the capitals about forty or fifty 

 yards long. On each fide of E, take the half gc:ges E G, 

 EG, each of about thirty or thirty-five yards, and draw the 

 faces F G, F G ; and thus the out-lmc, or mafter-Iine, of 

 the curtins and redents is formed. Parallel to each curtin 

 and face draw lines, within, at the diftances from the mafler- 

 line of feven feet, eight feet, twelve feet, and eighteen feet ; 

 then the breadth of feven feet reprefents the plan of the 

 parapet, that of one foot its inner flope, that of four feet 

 the top of the foot -hank, and that of fix feet the foot-bank 

 flope. On the outiide of the niaftcr-line, draw lines at the 

 dirt..nce of lo^, 16^, and 22^ feet parallel to each curtin 

 and face ; and thefe will reprefent the plans of the fcarp, 



N ' ditch. 



