Existing comment:
The Rebel Positions Near Clarksville
(Now in Possession of National Troops)
1. Gateway of Fort Severe.
2. Magazine of Port Severe.
3. Forty-two pound guns not in position.
4. Barracks.
5. Steam tow-host.
6. U.S. Gunboat Cairo.
7. U.S. Gunboat Conestoga; (flag ship.)
8. Nashville, Clarkesville and Louisville Railroad Bridge.
9. Barracks Fort Clark.
10. Magazine
Fortifications:
A fort is a defensive earthwork or wall used to protect a town, castle, or military position. Forts have been built of logs, stones, bricks, concrete, or simply mounds of earth. The strategy of a fortification is to enable a small number of soldiers to hold out for a period of time while inflicting significant casualties on the enemy.
The parapet, or embankment, is used to shelter troops from enemy fire, enabling them to use their weapons in relative safety. One obstacle to hinder the advance of the enemy is a ditch located in front of the parapet.
Builders of earthen forts, such as Ft. Defiance, were aware that shot would penetrate ordinary earth at the distances described below (quoted from "A Complete Treatise on Field Fortifications" written in 1836.)
musket ball ... 1 foot, 6 inches
6 pound shot ... 3-1/2 to 4-1/2 feet
9 pound shot -- 6-1/2 to 7 feet
12 pound shot -- 8-1/2 to 10 feet
18 and 24 pound shot -- 11-1/2 to 13 feet |