THE HISTORY OF THE BERRY HEAD FORTIFICATIONS

ABBATIS

An improvised obstacle consisting of felled trees, stripped of their leaves, placed with their branches pointing towards the enemy.

BARBETTE

Guns are mounted en barbette when they fire directly over the parapet and not through an embrasure.

BASTION

A projecting part of a fortification, consisting of an earthwork, faced with brick or stone, or of a mass of masonry, in the form of an irregular pentagon, having its base in the main line, or at an angle, of the fortification; its 'flanks' are the two sides which spring from the base, and are shorter than the 'faces' or two sides which meet in the acute 'salient angle'.

CAPONIER

A defensive work which projects into or across the ditch and armed with musketry and carronades to sweep the ditch with fire.

CARRONADE

A short muzzle-loading gun used in fortifications to fire grape-shot.

CASEMATE

A vaulted masonry structure forming a bomb-proof housing for guns or barrack accommodation.

CORDOT

A decorative roll moulding applied near the top of the revetments of an escarp.

COUNTERSCARP

The outer wall of a ditch.

COUP DE MAIN

A sudden violent attack for the purpose of instantly capturing a position.

COVERED WAY

A path running round the top of the counterscarp which conceals troops placed there by a parapet.

CURTAIN

The portion of the main wall which joins two bastions.

EMBRASURE

An opening in the parapet for a gun to fire through.

ENFILADE

Fire directed from the flank of a line in order to rake its length.

ESCARP

The inner wall of a ditch.

FIELD WORK

Fortifications improvised in the course of a campaign.

FRAIZE

Palisades set horizontally at the top of the escarp as a further obstacle.

GALLERY

Galleries can be placed in the revetted walls of the escarp or counterscarp and provided with loopholes.

GLACIS

An artificially prepared slope leading up to the ditch: troops attacking the defences have to cross it, exposing themselves to the fire of the defenders.

GORGE

The rear face of a fortification.

MATTROSS

Assistant gunner.

MERLON

The wall which separates embrasures.

ORILLON

The recessed shoulder of a bastion, permitting a greater degree of flanking fire to be provided.

PALISADE

A fence composed of pointed wooden stakes.

QF

Quick-firing gun. A breech-loader; introduced in the 1880's.

RAVELIN

An arrowhead-shaped work used to protect a curtain or a gateway. Sometimes referred to as a Couvre Port.

REDOUBT

A small enclosed work without bastions.

REFUSED

The flanks of a rampart are said to be refused when they are angled back from the general alignment.

REVETMENT

Stone lining applied to the face of a ditch.

RML

Rifled muzzle-loader.

STAR FORT

Fort with a star-shaped trace.

TERREPLEIN

The area of rampart behind the parapet where the guns are mounted.

TRACE

Ground-plan of a fortification.

TRAVERSE

An earthwork bank on the terreplein placed at right angles to the parapet to provide shelter from enfilading fire.

TROUS-DE-LOUP

Obstacles consisting of pits with sharpened stakes in the bottom.