The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1870-09-21
The FOrtificationS.

va
seems to me, prove highly disas
: trous. The French capital is :
fortified city of the first order
Every mcans known to the science
Of engineering, all the aids which
experience could give and the skill
OF clever generals suggest, have
been applied to the works around
Paris-works which have beer
shown with pride for somo years
past. Yet; in modern warfare, ii
is still au open and disputed ques
tion how far, if at oil, the best de-
rised tortifca:ious, the finest sys.
tenn Of bastions, ssLients and cur.
talns are superior to the earth.
works which may be thrown up
in few weeks time. Even the
strongest fortresscs have fallen
again and again. "Uerc, Sire
said Eauban, handing the keys OF
Ferduu to the King, "is a fortress
which all my art would not suffice
to takc;" yet Eauban lived to sec
that very fortress taken three
times. 1t was this same Vauban
who first conceived the idea Of sur
rounding Paris with a double for
tilted enccinte, and to make it play
an important part in the defence
OF the country. Thus we see that
during and since the reign of Louis
AE the state Of things which cx-
lists to-day was not only conceived
but freely discussed. Louis NV
refused to grant the money neccs-
sary tor the commencement of the
plans proposed by Vauban, aud it
was only in 1888 that a system Of
permanent Notifications was be-
gun. In that year Marshal Soult
demanded from the Chamber Of
Deputies credit of thirty-fvc
millions for the purpose Of putting
Paris IN state of defence. After
much trouble the money was
granted, aud seventeen pontagonal
forts wore established, eleven upon
tho right bank of the Seine and
six upon the left. These were the
Ordinary detached casemate forts,
! Of no manner Of use at the present
day, and cast aside as early as the
year 1910 for the present perfected
system. This consists Of two lines
Of Notifications surrounding the
city; the first a series Of detached
works, capable Of being provision
cd and of being used for the pur-
pose of rctarding the enemy; the
second, the most complete line OF
works, around the entire city,
which ever resulted from engi-
nceriug skill. The Notifications
Of this second line are all Fashioned,
and comprise, first, tho zono of fire,
Of about throe hundred yards,
cleared Of all things which could
shelter an onomy, and within
which no means are loft for the
construction Of carthworks by
night; SECOND, the military ground,
or zone Of tortiticAtion proper, eu-
brAcing countcrscarp, fosse, cscurp,
the glacis and bouquette, with al
most every other term employed
in engineering. The line is a zig.
gag, with sharp salient angles it
connects the strong bastions with
each other, and forms an uubroken
line round the greater part Of the
city. Anything moro formidable
than these works would be difficult
to imagine. Necessarily the line
is broken at the points where the
public roads divcrgc, but here the
line is doubIy strengthened by a
series of outworEs, mounted with
heavy cannon, the approaches to
whIch-are covered by both case
mate and barbcttc guns. The |
bastlons are really fully armed and !
equipped forts. with cascmates and |
loopholcs for muskctry and upon
the whole line guns arc mounted |
en- darbett", and there are broad |
g|acis where batteries Of howitzcrs,
field guns or Of the deadly mitrail-
leur could be used with terrible
effect. The ditch isncarIy twenty
feet in width; tho walls Of the
scarp, on an average, along the
curtain, ten feet in height and four
lee, III thickness-thc bastious, Of
course, being higher. thicker,
stronger and more heavily armed
than the rest. Thus We see that
the zigzag allows of a double fire
upon any given point in the zone,
while the same point is swept by
two or more Of the bastlons. With
some experience in the matter of
fortlfcations, l am free to confess
that this line Of works seems to be
utterly beyond escalade, and when
once beneath the walls, (if he ever
does get there | do not think that
The Crown Prince would bo rash
enough to order an assault. Upon
his formidable line Of works guns
If all calibre are mounted, the
1eavy cannon sweeping the ap-
)roachcs tothc town. 10 attempt (
siege within the radius covered
" these guns would be simply
nurdcrous. 10 establish a COM ]
olcte blockade beyond their range
would require a million of men. {
There would be a line Of eighteen
niles to maintain, placing the be-
! q ,rin r. orr,,- bo1.on6 tho cpho,o |