4th. Methods of defilement employed. Determination of the different planes of barbettes, of their ramps, of the profiles of the gorge, &c. Construction of embrasures.
5th. Means made use of in practice for determining the distance of the salient of the work to the dangerous point on which it is defiladed.
[V.—PROGRAMME OF PERMANENT FORTIFICATION, AND THE ATTACK AND DEFENSE OF PLACES.]
The course of instruction in Permanent Fortification and the Attack and Defense of Places, is divided into three parts, viz:—
| No of lectures to | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Artillery | Engineers | ||
The first part consists of the study of theConstruction of existing Fortifications, and it is common to the twoservices; it comprises, | 10 | 10 | |
The second partcontains principles of the Art of Fortification, divided into threes, of which the | 1st relates to Fortification on levelground | 19 | 19 |
2nd relates to Fortification on hillyground | 19 | 26 | |
3rd relates to general questions ofFortifications | 4 | 5 | |
Third part relates to the Attack and Defense ofPlaces, | 24 | 24 | |
| Total number of Lectures, | 76 | 84 | |
The first part contains a description of the various works of permanent fortification, their respective uses, and the changes that have been successively made in them, together with a short history of ancient fortification prior to the invention of powder, and the changes introduced by the use of fire-arms.
The systems of Errard, Beville, Pagan, Vauban, Cochorn, and Cormontaigne.
The first of the second part describes the principles on which the various parts of a front of fortification on level ground, and according to Cormontaigne’s system, are regulated, such as the command, relief, defilement, form, length, and material of which the various parts should be constructed; the modifications required by the absence or presence of water; the changes which are necessary as regards exterior or advanced works, and ending with a comparison of a front of fortification according to Cormontaigne, with a modification of the same system introduced by the French engineers.
The second commences with the principles of defilement and its application under various given circumstances, proceeds with the description of an imaginary work founded on certain given data, and furnishes the data of its proposed construction. It then supplies the theory relating to mines, and their use in the attack, defense, and destruction of places, and points out the particular duties of engineers in fortified places, and the proper and most efficient manner of carrying them on.
The third relates to the preparation of projects for the improvement of inefficiently fortified places, and to the utility, particular organization, and proper position of fortified places on a frontier line. It then explains the necessity for military law in providing for the security of fortified places and districts along the frontiers of a state.