Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 9.djvu/488

 458 FORTIFICATION liaud, T is a powerful tower, LL a lunette, which in this case is revetted, but might have been made, as at the Malakoff, a simple earth-work c an underground com munication to ff, g, loopholed galleries for flanking the ditches. This sketch will show the general principle of defence involved in such works, but of course the form must vary in the hands of an able engineer, to suit the peculiarities of the ground. At the Malakoff the redoubt was made circular, but in principle it was strictly ana logous to the lunette. Siege of the Citadel of Antwerp. Plate XI, We shall now, as an example, give a sketch (abridged from the United Service Journal} of the attack on the cita del of Antwerp in 1832 -first, because this was the most regular and scientific siege which had taken place for many years ; and secondly, because as a practical operation an account of it must be more interesting and more instructive than any description of the formal theoretical plans which are usually drawn in the military schools. See Plate XI. Without entering into any detail of the complicated cir cumstances out of which the siege arose, in a time of general peace, it may be stated here that Great Britain and France, as joint guarantors of the integrity and independ ence of Belgium, having failed to procure the evacuation of Antwerp by means of negotiation, were obliged to have recourse to force. Hence the siege is to be viewed as an ejectment executed against the king of Holland, who had refused to renounce possession, unless compelled to do so. The French army employed to cover and conduct the attack of the citadel of Antwerp in November and December 1832 was placed under the command of Marshal Gerard, and amounted to 66,450 men, viz.: 54,000 infantry, 6000 cavalry, and 6450 engineers, artillery, and pontonniers, with 14,300 horses, and 144 pieces of siege and 78 of field artillery. On the 24th of November Marshal Gerard established his headquarters at the village of Berchem, about 2500 yards from the citadel, and issued orders to commence opera tions in the evening as soon as it became dark. The garrison of the citadel, under General Baron Cliasse, amounted to 4470 men, with 144 pieces of ordnance of all calibres, and abundance of ammunition and stores. It will be observed that a garrison of about 5000 men was opposed to the attack of a besieging army thirteen times its strength. At eight o clock P.M. on the 29th November, the French troops destined for this service, consisting of 18 battalions, 900 artillery, and 400 sappers, in all about 17,140 men, assembled at the depots of intrenching tools. The flank companies of these brigades, sup ported by twelve eight-pounders and a strong piquet of cavalry, formed the covering party under the direction of General Haxo, by whom and the officers of his department (the engineers) the first parallel and approaches were traced out, whilst General Niegre and the officers of artillery marked the sites of the projected batteries. The first parallel leaned on the covered-way of the right face of Montebello, and extended towards Kiel, its nearest point being about 325, and its farthest 435 yards from the advanced front of the citadel. The extent of the first parallel was 1870 yards, and that of the approaches 3750 yards. The communications from the right and centre debouched from the Malines Chaussee, in the village of Berchem, parallel to the road leading from that village to the Harmony and St Laurent ; the communication from the left commenced near the garden called Heinrich s ; whilst a fourth, on the extreme right, sprung from the covered-way of the left flank of Montebello, opposite to the first traverse. On the second night, from 30th November to 1st December, five approaches were pushed on in front of the first parallel, two in the direction of the capital of the Toledo bastion, two upon that of the Lunette St Laurent, and one, being the fifth, terminating in a place of arms on the extreme left. From the 1st to the 2d December two zig-zags were added to the approaches, one from the centre, in the direction of the gorge of St Laurent, and the other on the right, diverging towards the curtain, between the Toledo and Fernando bastions. The badness of the weather sadly incommoded the work men, and prevented the artillery getting the guns into battery. Between the 2d and 3d December four zig-zags were made in front of the approaches on the right and centre, and half a parallel was formed to complete the place of arms constructed on the left during the night of the 30th November. The heads of the zig-zags were advanced to within 135 yards of the glacis. The batteries Nos. ], 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 9 (see Plate XL), with two for mortars in the rear, were armed, and ready to be unmasked at a moment s notice. The arming of Nos. 7, 8, and 10, on the extreme left, was impeded by the difficulties of the ground. From the 3d to the 4th December, the second parallel was traced and commenced, its right leaning on the foot of the glacis of the counterguard, its centre and right 130 yards distant from the place of arms in the covered-way of the Toledo bastion, and its left towards the right of the covered-way of the St Laurent, at 90 yards from the crest, and 15 from the foot of its glacis. The length of the second parallel was 1250 yards, and with its approaches from the first parallel it occupied 3025 yards of ground. By the greatest exertions batteries Nos. 7, 8, and&quot; 10 were armed during the night. This completed the armament, and, at 11 A.M. on the 4th, the embrasures were unmasked, and the bat teries opened their fire from centre to flanks, and maintained it steadily during the day. From the 4th to the 5th of December an approach was pushed on from the second parallel, directly upon the salient angle of St Laurent, and an entry was made into the covered-way by a return to the left. The garrison discovered this, and opened a sharp fire from the lunette; a lodgment was, however, effected near the spot usually occupied by the first traverse. At this time the garrison suffered much from the fire of the besiegers. From the 5th to the 6th the lodgment made the previous night in the covered-way of the salient place of arms of St Laurent Avas prolonged as far as the first traverse. But the besieged kept up so vigorous a fire that the French engineers were obliged to renounce the flying and adopt the full sap. The zig-zag in the counterguard, being about three feet in width and four in depth, Avas conducted along the parapet, nearly to the extremity of the right flank, and within 130 yards of the counterscarp of bastions Toledo and Fernando ; and two lodgments, blinded Avith fascines, were made in the parapet for six guns to enfilade the covered-AA ay of the Toledo bastion. In the meantime a steady fire Avas kept against Kiel, the ravelin in its rear, aiid the Paciotto .bastion. From the 6th to the 7th a battery of 24-ponnders near the village of Burcht on the left and Hoboken on the right opened on the gun-boats Avhich flanked the French post at the Melk Huys. It Avas intended to assault St Laurent this eA r ening ; but as the lunette Avas found to be Avell pro tected by trous-dc-loiq the project was abandoned, and the regular method of descent, passage, and mine determined on. Between the 7th and 8th of December a shell penetrated the blindage of the laboratory, and, setting fire to the combustibles in it, caused considerable havoc. A battery for six mortars, E, on the right, noAV opened its fire ; another, F, also for six mortars, AA as traced behind the centre of the parallel ; and platforms for four mortars were laid near Montebello. The fire of these batteries was directed on the Toledo bastion and the buildings within it. On the previous day jets of flame had been seen to issue from the Great Barracks, and, in spite of every exertion, the building Avas entirely consumed by the evening of the 8th. From the 9th to the 10th of December the operations against St Laurent were reneAved with great activity, and the sap advanced to the crotchet of the second traverse, whilst that intended to debouch upon it from its right Avas likewise pushed on. The third parallel AA as opened 130 yards in adA ance of the second, its right de bouching be3 ond the Boom Chaussee, from the branch running into the coA r ered-AA-ay of the counterguard, and its left uniting with the boyau parallel to the foot of the glacis of St Laurent. The garrison suffered much from theA r ertical fire of the mortars and howitzers, especially the great mortar and the neAV-model eight- inch howitzers. Until the year 1822 the eight-inch howitzer in common use in France measured 3 feet 6 inches French, and weighed 1096 Ib, or tAventy-three times the weight of the loaded projectile, whilst its calibre was equal to a solid shot of 80 It), and contained 65 ounces of poAvder. The new-model hoAvitzer Avas an improvement on the Russian licorne and the Spanish heaA-y how itzer, perfected by Colonel Paixhans. The raft for the blinded descent into the ditch Avas brought up to the lodgment, and a second descent a del convert Avas commenced to the left of the first. The third parallel was improved and widened. A little after dusk on the 10th the besieged made a sortie, which was driven in, but not until damage enough had been done to occupy the French all the night of the 10th and the morning of the llth in repairing it. From the llth to the 12th three rafts Avere got ready, and placed in the descents to the ditch ; they Avere about 12 feet by 8. At dusk the miners returned to the escarp, and, in an excavation made the preA ious night, fixed tAVO petards, which, by their explosion, produced a fissure in the wall, and a serjeant having immediately entered the hole, commenced a gallery iinder the centre of one of the arches. At 11 A.M. on the 12th the battery H, on the extreme right of the second parallel, opened fire, which, combined Avith that from the others, told severely on the Toledo bastion. The miners still continued their Avork under the lunette St Laurent, and commenced chambers for three mines. The fourth parallel AA as widened during the day. BetAveen the 12th and 13th of December the miners were at Avork in the chambers under St Laurent, Avhich were not yet completed. On the right the covered-way of the left face of the Toledo bastion