Milford chronicle., 1915-04-23
MILITARY SAPPING
Origin of the Trench Work of the
Modern Battlefield.
.DlTcHES 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.

/ aNGEe N0hNd wv ONSCk 0afRNAo NhA
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
a 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 at bay or to destroy them, it be-
came necessary to make an approach
to 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 o sapper. and
the end of the ditch toward the enemy
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 a 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 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 skillful |
with weapons than with tools and the |
work of digging trenches was beneath |
their dignity while it also savored Of |
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,
roGnod aunfnr hVOrfurhf info 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
trench were devised. Un
covered trenches were cut forward, de-
fected at right angles and then cut
forward to be again detected further
along. each of these dehections 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
walls was practiced in war before the
use of gunpOwder. When sapping had
become systematized and generally en-
DlOyed in offensive operations against
fortified positions the military work Of :
sapping and mining was combined and
instead of being done by peasants or
civilian" labor was committed to spe
,ial troops. These troops became
ldept in this important work, and be-
,ause of the extra labor involved and
The hazard of this duty these. called
'appers and miners. were given high
er pay than other troops.
As the years and the centuries went
~ other duties were put upon these
-roops-erectiOn of field Notifications.
erection of many forms of obstacles to
impede an aggressive enemy and hold
him under fire ut a known range, de-
ItructiOn of bridges. construction of
bridges. demolition Of buildings and
many other things. Gradually the sap
)ers and miners duties became greatly
enlarged and refined. and in many
lrmies they came to be called engi-
leers.
In all armies every soldier today does
work that formerly fell to the laboring
ind hard working sappers. Every sol
lier today knows how to handle a pick
ind spade as well as to shoot a rife.
PISTOL. magazine gun or cannon. All
ioldiers now dig trenches, gun pits and
he like. but construction work, requir-
ng higher technical training, is done
" the engineers. successors to the sap
,ers of old. In many kinds Of construc-
ion the engineers may be aided by
rOops of other branches and by civil
ans, hired or impressed Washington Z
star.
Good Advice. III