The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1915-01-22
MILITARY SAppINC
Origin of the Trench Work of the
Modern Battlefield.
bitches DUG BY PEASANTS.

In the Middle Ages Civilians Were
Forced to Do the Labor to Which Sol
diers Would Not Stoop-Sappers and
Miners and Their Successors.
In stories and reports of modern
battles the work of the sappers is Of
ten mentioned ITO sap" or "sapping''
was an early way of approaching a
strongly fortified position by means of
ditch. 1t was also a very early form
of trench work The fortified posi-
tions against which saps were employ
ed were the stone walls of castles or of
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 al bay or to destroy them, it be-
came necessary to make an approach
TO the walled position in 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, and
was the saphead. AS the leading sap
per dug forward he protected himself
and the saphead in various ways, usu-
ally by pushing a screen ahead of him.
This screen was OF various forms, a
bag of sand or sheet of metal In
clined 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 anG
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 oil
the middle ages were more skillfu
with weapons than with tools and The
work of digging trenches was beneath
! their dignity. while 1t also savored Of
a Discrimination TO close with the enc
my, even though that enemy was be
/ hind stone walls with cannon-cannor
at which men armed with moderI
weapons would smile, but which IL
/ their day were weapons Of great effect
Vauban. the great military engineer
refined sapping and brought it into 6
/ system by which any fortified place
could be approached, reached, mined
/ and preached
These saps after awhile were dug IL
number of ways. Many forms of the
I approach trench were devised Un
covered trenches were cut forward. de
fiected at right angles and then cu1
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 oil
the trench Some trenches were roof
ed in with timber and earth as they
were cut forward, thus forming q
bombproot covered way Some saps
were cut or dug in the fashion of q
tunnel. the surface OF the earth moi
being disturbed at all Double saps ol
numerous parallel saps were dug close
up to the position to be attacked.
Mining of castle and city walls OF
city gates is as old as the use of gun
powder IN war, and undermining oil
walls was practiced in war before the
use of gunpowder. When sapping hac
become systematized and generally EN-
ployed in offensive operations against
fortified positions tile military work OF
sapping and mining was combined and
instead of being done by peasants oil
civilian" labor was committed to spe
adept in this important work, and be
cause OF the extra labor involved and
the hazard of this duty these called
sappers and miners were given high
er pay than other troops
AS the years and the centuries weni
by other duties were put upon these
troops erection Of field Notifications
erection of many forms of obstacles to
impede an aggressive enemy and hold
him under fire at d known range. de-
structiou of bridges. construction OF