The broad ax., 1915-01-23
MILITARY SAPPING
Oriqin of the Trench Work Of the
Modern Battlefield.
bitches DUG BY PEASANTS.

Forced TO DO the Labor 20 Which SOL
diSrs Would Not steop-saPPsrs dno
Miners and Their Successors.
In stories and reports OF modern
battles the work of the sappers Is Of
ten mentioned. TO sap" or ''sapping
was an early. way Of approaching a
strongly fortified position by means Of
q ditch. II was also a very early form
of trench work. The fortified posi-
ions against which saps were employ
I'd were the stone walls Of castles or or
cities.
When the making of cannon had not
progressed so far that solid shot could
breach stone walls, but when cannon
were powerful enough to keep armed
men at bay or to destroy them. 1t be-
came necessary to make an approach
10 the walled position in a way which
was difficult to attack successfully and
for which at that time no way OF
checkmating had been thought Of by
the defenders. A narrow ditch was
dug in the direction of the wall to be
assailed. This ditch. which was wide
enough for one man to dig in. was
called a sap. the digger a sapper. ana
the end Of the ditch toward the enemy
was the saphead. AS the leading sap
per dug forward be protected himself
and the saphead In various ways, usu'
ally by pushing screen ahead OF him.
This screen was of various forms,
bag Of sand or a sheet Of metal In
elined to defect arrows or gun shots.
When the saphead had reached the
desired point the ditch would be wild
ened, the excavated earth forming a
parapet on each side, and the guns
would be brought so close to the wall
that they could not be reached by guns
mounted on the wall, for in the times
In which these conditions prevailed
walls were high and cannon crude and
they could not be sufficiently depressed
to reach an enemy at the foot OF the
wall.
Sapping was usually done by peas
ants impressed or hired for that serv
ice, because soldiers In the armies OF
the middle ages were more skillfuI
with weapons than with tools and the
work of digging trenches was beneath
their dignity. while it also savored Of
disIncIination to close with the enc
my. even though that enemy was be
hind stone walls with cannon-cannOn
at which men armed with modern
weapons would smile, but which IN
their day were weapons Of great effect.
Vauban. the great military engineer.
refined sapping and brought it into a
system by which any fortified place
could be approached, reached. mined
and preached.
These saps after awhile were dug IN
a number Of ways Many forms OF the
approach trench were devised On
covered trenches were cut forward. de
Elected at right angles and then cut
forward to be again detected further
along. each Of these reflections from
the straight course Of the trench form
ing a transverse for the protection Of
the trench. Some trenches were roof.
ed In with timber and earth as they
were cut forward, thus forming a
bombproOf covered way. Some saps
were cut or dug in the fashion Of a
tunnel. the surface Of the earth not
being disturbed at all. Double saps or
numerous parallel saps were dug close
up to the position to be attacked
Mining of castle and city walls or
city gates is as old as the use Of gun.
powder In war, and undermining" OF
n hof he
use Of gunpowder. When sapping had
become systematized and generally EN-
ployed In offensive operations against
fortified positions the military work OF
sapping and mining was combined and
Instead of being done by peasants Of
f'ciVilian" labor was committed to spe
lcial troops. These troops becamC
adept In this important work, and be
cause Of the extra labor involved and
the hazard Of this duty these. calleC
sappers and miners. were given high
Ier pay than other troops.
As the years and the centuries wen
by other duties were put upon thes'
troops-erectiOn Of field Notifications
erection Of many forms Of obstacles L
tmpede an aggressive enemy and holC
him under FIRE at q known range, de
gtructi0n Of bridges. construction o.
bridges, demolition Of buildings and
many other things. Gradually die sap
lpers and mines' duties became greatly
enlarged and refined. and In man!
armies they came to be called engi
neerA
In ali armies every soldier today doe
work that formerly fell TO the lAborini
and hard working sappers- Every sol
der today knows how to handle picl
and spade as wen a. to shoot rifle
pistol. magazine gun or cannon. Al
soldiers now dig trenches. gun pits AM
the Ike. but construction work. requiF
ing higher technical training. Il don
by the engineers. successors 70 the SAP
pers Of old In many kinds Of eOnstTuc
don the engineers may be aided b.
troops Of other branches and BY civil
lans, hired or impressed-WashingtO