PART II Design details, building features
Embrasure von
HMSCentaur auf Flickr
This part, as well as part III will focus on a fort that would be either completely constructed during the late 18th century or at least maintained and operated around that time. As you’ve read in part I, the fortifications had to adapt to the new standards in siege-weaponry.
A prominent example for this would be the embrasures. Originally, embrasures would be long, vertical holes in the defensive wall or tower with a small alcove behind it where the archer could repair his bow and store the arrows and that allowed to fire in a ballistic curve. Embrasures of the 19th century are designed for muskets and similar firing weapons. Most of them would be “key-hole-embrasures” that allowed for a wider angle to aim and shoot.
CASEMATE01 von
HMSCentaur auf Flickr
Another important feature of our fort would – of course – be the defensive artillery. The cannons would be not too far away from the gun-powder magazine and positioned in a manner that would cover the most likely areas for an attack against the fort. The cannons would be aligned in so called batteries – series of cannons of the same calibre that would allow for a continuous bombardment of the enemy. Typically there would be between 10 and 25 guns in a battery, depending on the calibre. More guns would be technically possible but of no good use as the fog from the fired shots would take most of the aiming sight.
batteries 01 von
HMSCentaur auf Flickr
Batteries would be positioned behind reinforced, low embrasures and normally featured regular gun carriages (“lafette”) that would also be used on ships of the time. This allowed for hot guns to be replaced by unused and for a repositioning of the cannon.
Trace italienne von
HMSCentaur auf Flickr
Many batteries, including those at shores or harbours, would be protected by a casemate (probably ancient Greek: “chásma”= crevice). A Casemate is a complete emplacement, a fortified and specially armoured area for the cannons. It features thick walls and a stable roof. Casemates of the 18th century would be positioned in or under the bastion. In an ideal Trace Italienne the Casemate would be on top of the ground bastion (or star) but under the first level bastion. If the Trace Italienne features more than one bastion on top of the ground level, there could be casemates under every level up to the citadel.
Asjustment carriage 01 von
HMSCentaur auf Flickr
Despite the frequently shown and popular Lego turning turret for the cannon, this technique was very uncommon until the later 19th century, when regular cannons would be replaced by full-grown artillery that would be too heavy to be carried, anyway.
Later and bigger bastions could feature casemates that included cannons on an adjustable carriage. These cannons had a higher percision and firing rate thanks to a movable carriage under the cannon that could be moved by a hoist. In order to quickly replace a damaged carriage or cannon the hinge for the rail and the carriage could easily be lifted off the construction.
Citadel von
HMSCentaur auf Flickr
The citadel is the strongest part (and most of the time the smallest) of the fort. The citadel will most likely house the commander of the fort and the quarters of the officers. It has its own entries and batteries as well as an own armoury and ideally an additional cargo area and a well. Many citadels would have a semaphore-tower.
Some parts of fortifications remained the same over the centuries as they are essential for the operations conducted in the fort: an own supply of fresh water from a river but ideally from a well is a basic requirement. The safer the well is the better. All the rooms and installations for entertaining a standing garrison have to be in such a fort: quarters, officers’ quarters, a kitchen, a canteen, an armoury, an infirmary, detention cells, a smithy, a small shop, a laundry and a chapel as well as a small tavern.
Postern von
HMSCentaur auf Flickr
Postern 1 von
HMSCentaur auf Flickr
In order to get safely to any part of a bastion that is under attack one would use a network of posterns. These roofed or embedded, narrow accesses and corridors can be found next to or inside walls and lead to every important section of the bastion. Not only do they provide cover against enemy fire but they also conceal the movements of the bastion garrison as it is very well possible to get from the citadel to the outer walls without exiting the postern network.
blockade offset von
HMSCentaur auf Flickr
In order to protect that network against intruding enemy forces, there normally are blockade offsets at all key junctions and at the entries to important areas. These simple pairs of grooves at both walls would be used to cant blockade beams and fill the gaps with even more blockade material. If everything else fails, the blockades can still be set on fire.
PART III Equipment
As individual the location and purpose of a fort would be, as different would be the equipment used. However, some of the rooms and machines used in forts are often or always the same.
Designated areas for the different ranks would be a normal thing in any military installation. There would be quarters for the commanding officer and a dining room for him. The second officer in command would get his own quarters, as well. In bigger garrisons there could be enough room to give the other senior officers their own quarters, too. The junior officers would, just like on ships of the time, be housed together in small sleeping areas.
The non-commissioned officers and the soldiers would be housed in barracks that are located near the most important parts of the fort: the entries, the batteries and the weapon holds.
In bigger forts there would also be designated canteens. In smaller forts, the soldiers would eat in their barracks. Thus, the kitchen would traditionally be located near the barracks and beside the food storage (a place that would be guarded at all times as it also holds the alcohol).
The infirmary would be consistent with the medical standard of the late 18th century: beds for wounded, a crude surgery-room, a quarantine-area for people that would be infected with contagious disease.
Hot rounds von
HMSCentaur auf Flickr
Especially in Spanish shore batteries (in the late 18th century also in British and French installations) there would often be an oven near the batteries in order to prepare hot round shots – these would be scorching cannon balls made from iron or stone that would be put with care into the cannon and shot at attacking vessels. The hot cannon balls could easily enflame the sails, the dry wood of the hull or even the powder hold. However, in order to avoid setting off the propelling charge too early, there would be a wet stopper made from cloth put between the propelling charge and the hot cannon ball.
The gunpowder magazine would be either underground or in the very middle or the most secluded part of the fort in order to avoid getting hit during a battle.
Semaphores von
HMSCentaur auf Flickr
A semaphore would be in any fort that will get in contact with ships or other installations or settlements that have semaphores – Semaphores are optical long range communication systems that were perfected in the late 18th century – they feature either coloured flags or large arms that can be positioned differently in order to relay certain messages or single letters. The message would be received by the next semaphore and re-transmitted again until it reaches its destination.
Defensive procedures against invading forces would be a part of any fort. The famous boiling oil would still be spilled on the enemy soldiers but could now be distributed through a complex network of gutters that would often be hidden in order to lure more soldiers into the trap.
Some of those gutters could also serve another purpose when filled with burning oil – they would proof to be effective firewalls, especially against attacking cavalry or soldiers carrying mortars.
Edited by Horry, 24 June 2012 - 08:47 PM.
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