The art of fortification, or architecture militaire as vvell offensiue as defensiue, compiled & set forth, by Samuell Marolois revievved, augmented and corrected by Albert Girard mathematician: & translated out of French into English by Henry Hexam

The 29 Plate, Figures 116, 117, 118, 119, & 120.

AT the ende of the said 200, or 250, foote, the entrenchment is kilspitted made by the souldiers for nothing, euery companie against his owne quarter, if it so falls out, which entrenchements are (as we haue said some 6, 7, or 8, foote more or lesse, as necessitie requires. For when one feares an Ennemie, it is needfull that the entrenchements be made stronger, and greater, them when there is no appearance to be attempted: in the midst of these entrenchments there maye be made spurrs, & redoubts on euery side of some 4, 5, or 6, rod, for the better defending of the said trenches: for from them they maye bed scouvered all alonge, and so by night or otherwise they maye hinder an vnexpected attempt, being distant one from an other some 40, or 50 rod, according to the greatnesse of the skirts of the trenches. The reason why one maketh these square redoubts is, because others cannot be so soone made, otherwise I should be of the opinion that one ought to make great flanks, and large skirts, to draw the more men to flancker thē, and not to entrench the inside (to wit in the entrenchments of the campe) as appeareth by the en∣trenchment A B C, Figure 116, which would make a better defense, if one should assault the squares D, E, F, G. It is true, that when one hath passed the entrench∣ment, that the space A & C, being open, would be sooner taken in then the square: but I leaue this to your consideratiō, if when ye haue lost your trenches, the square redoubts maye be kept, in regard of their smallnesse and the fewnesse of men that mans them, to wit, some 25, 30, or 40, men at the most: now for the better preven∣ting of such a danger, ye maye make the lines, and entrenchments D, F, leaving onely a gapp open of some 3, or 4, foote, for an entrance in and out vvith a draw∣bridge, and so this would be as difficult to be taken in as the whole squares; so that I should rather resolue to make the entrenchment of a Campe with skirts of demy∣squares: so much the greater on the outside (as is said) without makeing whole squares, or redoubts. For in so doing the defense would be much better, and the comming to defend it more commodious and easie. Those which finde the other manner better maye make vse of it, for my owne part I rather approue of these Demy-squares. The Entrenchments which are made without the enclossure of the Campe, as those which enclosse a towne, or for to cutt of the passage of an En∣nemie, to hinder their Victuals & such like things ought to be made with strongh redoubts as Prince Maurice did at the siege of the Grave, where the Ennemies army lay closse by his campe, not daring once to attempt the passage: because of the strongh entrenchment, which he had made by the said square-redoubts, being not further distant one from an other then some 50, or 60, rod, and about as much

also vpon the Entrenchment, which were made (as I haue said) in the forme of Bulwarks, and within them were the said squares, which in my opinion are excee∣ding good in such entrenchments, which are made without the circuit of the quar∣ter, especially, vpon the Avenues that they maye lodge in them some 25, or 30 men to gard them, & to hinder an Ennemies passage, but when one is not resolued to make the said entrenchments like Bulvvarks, there ought to be made at the least such square vvorks as the Figures 116, & 117, demonstrate, because they are wholly enclossed, having but one entrance as narrovv as possibly maye be, being advanta∣gious asvvell vvithout as vvithin. For as long as the Approches are not much advanced before, and about the towne, they maye send men vnto them, and occa∣sion many hindrances, if they be not vvell entrenched: The Figure 117, will giue vs clearely to vnderstand, that vvhich wee come to speake off, the square D, E, F, G, being the same of the squares of the Figure 116, which is an entrenchment running round about the tovvne, vvhich is besieged, and is as farre distant from it at the least as a muskett can vvell beare, beginning and ending at the entrenchment of the quarter; DE, is the outside of the Redoubt contayning 4, rod, or 48, foote; the space marked I, is the talud of the parapet; 2, the superficies thereof; 13, the foot∣banck; 5, the ditch eight foote broade, and 6 foote deepe, as ye maye more plainely vnderstand by the Figure 118, which is the Profile of the said entrenchment, where∣of the height, and the bredth are noted here, the bottome of the ditch being 2, foote vvide, and consequently euery side of the talud is the halfe of the height, or depth, the foote banke in the basis 3 foote, a foote high, and aboue 2•• foote. And there ought to be one the outside of the parapet an edge of some 2, foote, vvhich vvas forgotten in this Figure 118, but ye maye see it marked in the 120, A, T. And seing the said squares or Redoubts are chiefly made vpon the Advenues and passa∣ges, to hinder thereby the attempts of an Ennemie, vvhich secks as much as possi∣bly maye be to keepe a free passage, and entrance into the towne besieged: It is sometime (for ones better assurance) necessarie to vse the greatest care & perfe∣ction to hinder him; so that those squares be made like litle Bulwarks, as appeareth by the Figure 119, and then the sides of these square workes are greater then those aboue, according to the qualitie of the passage, their curtaines being at the least of those provisionall Forts some 4, rod, according to vvhich the other parts being proportioned as the table of our dimensions shevves, the faces F, C, & D, E, 3 2/5 rod, the flank C, A, 103, rod, and the line of the gorge 1. 22, rod, the Rampartas almost all other provisionall vvorks are onely made of 6, foote high at the least, and at the highest 9, or 10 foote, makeing the basis of 14, or 15, foote, and 3, or 4, foote of height vvith the ordinary taluds, vpon vvhich is made a parapett of 7, or 8, foote broade, & 5, or 6, foote high, with a footebanke some 3 foote with the taluds, accor∣ding to the quality of the ground, to wit, sometimes but a foote high, and asmuch Talude, and otherwhiles but halfe a foote onely, then one supputes hovv vvide the ditch vvilbe according to the said Rampart, being eueryvvhere 6 foote deepe or thereabouts: And vvhen one raises the rampart aboue 6 foote, vvhich is vsually made in provisionall fortresses, vvhereof the curtaine is 5, rod or more; I thinke it vvere not amisse, to make in the ditch a foote banke afect the fashion of a counter∣scharfe some; foote, that if neede be the muskettiers maye runn along it, raysing the parapet thereof aboue the plaine field, as much as the said rampart exceedeth 6 foote in heigth, or somevvhat lesse, as the draught shewes, which vve haue made thereof marked vvith the number 120, vvhere vve haue raised the parapet 2 foote higher then the field, as likevvise the edge of the ditch, and cutting the Talud of the ditch tovvards the same place some 3 foote, makeing together 5, foote, vvith

the allowance of a litle Talud, as commonly one giues to parapets, to serue as a parapet to the ditch, and there to be vnder covert, and seing there rests yet three foote, before ye come to the bottome of the ditch, ye maye make a second foot∣banke, a foote and a halfe high, that ye maye the better descend from the other to charge & discharg your muskett, while the other are a giving fire, and for to knovv the greatnesse of the parapets, and hovv vvide the ditch must be ansvverable to it, vve vvill make here this calculation thereof follovving.

Before vvee come to the supputation of the said profile (Figure 120) vve must set dovvne 6, in the place of a 5, for the line S, R. To marke out 10, for M, K, & an O omitted at the interfection of F, H, and of a paralell through E, to B, C.