This book is included in the Self Reliance Self Defense section.
"There are five things from which the soldier must never
be separated:
his gun, his ammunition, his knapsack, his rations for four days, and an intrenching tool"
Napoleon.
Preface
This text-book is prepared for the use of the cadets of the United States Military Academy while pursuing their course of studies in the subject of "military engineering."
The endeavor has been made to state concisely and plainly the principles upon which the "art of fortification" is based, and to give all information likely to be of practical use to a young officer while serving in the field. All unnecessary details have been avoided, leaving explanations and illustrations of that kind to be introduced into the class-room.
The elementary form of the work and the method of treatment of the subject are based upon the assumption that the readers of the book are beginners and know nothing of the principles of fortification.
West Point, N. Y.. February, 1880.
Table of Contents CHAPTER I. - General Principles and Definitions. 1. Definition of the term, position 2. Strong positions 3. Fortifications, their object 4. Classes of fortifications 5. Field fortifications 6. Kinds of field fortifications 7. General principles to be observed in the construction of fortifications 8. General methods followed to fulfill these conditions 9. Active and passive defence of a fortification 10. Definition of the term, ditch 11. The site of a work 12. The meaning of the term, intrenched position CHAPTER II. - Elements of the Profile of a Fortification. 13. The parapet 14. The terreplein 15. The profile 16. The berm 17. The ditch. 18. The foot of a slope, the crest, etc 19. The principal lines of the profile CHAPTER III. - Dimensions and Inclinations given to the Lines and Slopes of a Parapet. 20. Height that a parapet should have 21. Definition of the terms, command and relief 22. Thickness that a parapet should have 23. Width and height of banquette 24. Inclination given to the interior slope 25. Inclination given to the superior slope 26. Inclination of the exterior slope 27. Width and uses of a berm 28. The uses, and the dimensions of a ditch 29. Slope of scarp and counterscarp 30. Method of determining the dimensions to give the ditch 31. Method used in practice 32. The normal profile of a. field fortification CHAPTER IV. - The Trace of a Field Fortification. 33. Definition of the terms, trace and sub-crest 34. The kinds of fire to which a fortification, or a body of troops may be exposed 35. The salient and re-entering angles of a trace 36. The general principles to be observed in the selection of a trace 37. The reasons for observing these principles CHAPTER V. - Field Works. 38. Classification of field fortifications into field works and lines 39. Classes of field works 40. Open, and half-closed field works 41. Lunettes 42. Bastioned front 43. Closed field works 44. Redoubts 45. Star redoubts 46. Bastioned forts 47. Nomenclature of the bastioned fort 48. Sectors without fire, and dead spaces 49. Flanked dispositions 50. Relations existing between the different parts of a bastioned front 51. The least and the greatest exterior sides that can be used in bastioned fronts 52. Defects to be found in a bastioned fort 53. Defects of star forts CHAPTER VI. - Lines. 54. Different classes of lines 55. What is meant by a continued line 56. What is meant by a line with intervals Continued Lines 57. Different kinds of continued lines 58. Tenaille line 59. Redan line 60. Indented lines 61. Bastioned lines 62. Advantages and disadvantages of continued lines Lines with Intervals. 63. The positions occupied by the field works forming a line with intervals 64. Third line 65. The advantages and defects of lines with intervals compared with other kinds of lines CHAPTER VII. - The size of a Field Work, the number of its Garrison, and the Selection of its Trace. 66. The size to give to a field work. 67. The number of the garrison to defend a field work 68. The amount of space to be enclosed 69. The relation between the space, and the length of interior crest of a square redoubt when the number of the garrison is known 70. The things to be observed in the selection of trace CHAPTER VIII. - Construction of Field Works. 71. The operation known as "tracing" 72. The operation known as "profiling" 73. The method employed to construct the parapet 74. The time which is required to build a field work CHAPTER IX. - Revetments. 75. What is meant by the term, revetment 76. Kinds of materials used for revetments 77. Fascines, and their construction 78. Fascine revetments 79. Gabions, and their construction 80. Hurdle revetments 81. Revetments of timber 82. Revetments made of planks 83. Revetments made with casks, barrels, etc 84. Sand-bags, and their use in revetments 85. Sod revetments, and their construction 86. Pisa revetment, and its construction 87. Revetments of other kinds. CHAPTER X. - Defilade. 88. What is meant by defilade, and how a field work maybe defiladed 89. Plane of defilade, and its use 90. The amount of area to be defiladed 91. The method used to obtain the position of the plane of defilade 93. Front and reverse defilade 94. Methods used to defilade a work from reverse fires 95. The method used to determine the position of the plane of reverse defilade 96. The method of defilade by means of traverses 97. Defilade of a line. CHAPTER XI. - The Interior Arrangements made in a Field Work. 98. Classes of interior arrangements Arrangement of the Parapet. 99. Arrangement of the parapet for defence 100. Barbette fire of artillery 101. Method of constructing the trace of a barbette 102. Pan-coupe, when used 103. Embrasure fire of artillery 104. Method of constructing the trace of an embrasure 105. Direct and oblique embrasures 106. Comparative advantages and defects pertaining to barbette and embrasure fires 107. Bonnettes, and their uses 108. Loop-holes, and their object 109. Traverses, their kind and their construction 110. Construction of splinter-proof traverses 111. Platforms for artillery in field works Arrangements for Sheltering the Troops, etc. from the effects of the Enemy's Fire. 112. Bomb-proofs and splinter-proofs for the use of the garrison 113. Method of constructing bomb-proofs 114. Blindages 115. Construction of splinter-proofs 116. Powder magazines 117. Service magazines, their construction 118. Gun-shelters 119. Materials used in construction of shelters 120. Example of a bomb proof used in the field works surrounding the city of Washington in 1861-5 121. Example of a powder magazine used in the same works 122. The position to be given to shelters of this class in a field work Arrangements affording Communications, etc. 123. Passages leading into a field work, and where placed. . . 148 124. The method used to conceal the interior of the work from being seen through the opening in the parapet. 126. Barriers, to close the passages 127. Bridges to cross the ditch 128. Ramps, their uses and dimensions Arrangements for the Comfort and Health of the Garrison. 129. Nature of the arrangements to be made Other Interior Arrangements used. 130. Arrangements of a secondary kind 131. Block-houses, their dimensions and uses 132. Isolated block-houses 133. Stockades CHAPTER XII. - Arrangements made Exterior to the Parapet. 134. Different kinds used exterior to a parapet Ditch Defences. 135. Classes of defences used in the ditch 136. Caponnieres 167 137. Scarp and counter-scarp galleries Obstacles. 138. Two classes of obstacles 139. The ditches as obstacles 140. Abatis 141. Entanglements 142. Chevaux-de-frise 143. Palisading. 144. Fraises 145. Small pickets 146. Crow's feet, iron harrows 147. Military pits, deep and shallow 148. Slashing of timber 149. Torpedoes 150. Stone-fougasses 151. Shell-fougasses 152. Inundations 153. General uses of military obstacles CHAPTER XIII. - Application of Field Fortifications to Sites upon Irregular Ground. 154. The general considerations of the case 155. Three cases 156. Modification of profile caused 157. Modification of the trace 158. Defence of steep slopes 159. Defence of precipitous slopes 160. General plan of defence influences the engineer in the selection of the kind of works and the arrangement of these works to defend a position Bridge Heads. 161. Bridge-head, its meaning 162. The object to be attained by the use of a bridge-head. 163. Strong bridge-heads, their use 164. Bridge-heads called horn works, crown works, etc CHAPTER XIV. - Hasty Intrenchments. 165. Hasty defences 166. Shelter-trenches, or rifle-pits 167. Construction of shelter-trenches 171. Use of shelter-trenches as covered communications 172. Trace of a shelter trench 173. Shelters for artillery or cavalry 174. Defence of a house 175. Tambours 176. Machicoulis galleries 177. Expedients similar in principle to a machicoulis gallery 178. Use of stone walls, hedges, etc., in defence 179. The defence of woods 180. The preservation and destruction of roads 181. Intrenched field of battle and example CHAPTER XV. - Attack and Defence of Field Fortifications. 182. The attack, when an assault, when a siege ; 183. Open assault, three periods of 184. Preliminary operations and the artillery attack 185. The operations of the second period 186. The operations of the third period 187. Attack by surprise 188. Unexpectedness of attack important to success 189. Attack made by artillery only 190. Key point of position to be selected to attack 191. Defence of a field fortification 192. Memoranda furnished the commanding officers of the field works surrounding the city of Washington relative to the defence 193. Examples of attack and defence of field fortification 194. The conclusion to be drawn from the history of assaults upon field works in recent wars
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