SIEGE, in the art of war, the en campment of an army before a fortified place, with a design to take it. The method of encamping is very different in a siege from that observed on a march ; as in the former the army envi rons the place without cannon-shot, that nothing may enter. If the place be si tuated on a river, a detachment is sent to the other side, and bridges of com munication made, both above and below the town. The army also encamp with their backs to the town, with the bat talions and squadrons interlined ; and hating taken possession of all the heights, whence the enemy may be an noyed, the engineers trace the lines of circumvallation and contravallation ; eve ry regiment working at the place ap pointed them. See FORTIPCAT1ON. Cap tain James, in his Military Dictionary, has given the following rules, which ought to be adopted in sieges. The ap proaehes should be made without being seen from the town, either directly, ob liquely, or in the flank. No more works should be made than are necessary for approaching the place without being seen ; 1. e. the besiegers should carry on their approaches the shortest way possi ble, consistent with being covered against the enemy"s fire. All the parts of the trenches should mutually support each other ; and those which are furthest ad vanced, should be distant from those that defend them above 120 or ISO Wises, that is, within musket-shot. The parallels, or places of arms the most distant from the town, should have a greater extent than those which are the nearest, that the besiegers may be able to take the enemy in flank, should he resolve to attack the nearest The trench should be opened or begun as near as possible to the place, without exposing the troops too much, in order to accelerate and diminish the operations of the siege. Care should be taken to join the attacks ; that is, they should have communications, to the end that they may be able to support each other.
Never to advance a work, unless it be well supported; and for this reason, in the interval between the second and third place of arms, the besiegers should make, on both sides of the trenches, smaller places of arms, extending 40 or SO toises in length, parallel to the others, and constructed in the same manner, which will serve to lodge the soldiers in, who are to protect the works designed to reach the third place of arms. Take care to place the batteries of cannon in the continuation of the faces of the parts attacked, in order to silence their fire ; and to the end that the approaches, be. ing protected, may advance with great safety and expedition. For this reason the besiegers should always embrace the whole front attacked, in order to have as much space as is requisite to place the batteries on the produced faces of the works attacked. Do not begin the at tack with works that lie close to one another, or with rentrant angles, which would expose the attack to the cross fire of the enemy.
" Stores required for a month's siege are as follow :" powder, as the gargison is more or less strong, 8 or 900,0001b.; shot for battering pieces, 6,000 ; shot of a lesser sort, 20,000 ; battering can non, 80; cannons of a lesser sort, 40; small field-pieces for defending the lines, 20; mortars for throwing shells, 24.; mortars for throwing stones, 12; shells for mortars, 15 or 16,000 ; hand gre nades, 40,8i.10 ; leaden bullets, 180,000: matches in braces, 10,000; flints for muskets, best sort, 100,000: platforms complete for guns, 100; platforms for mortars, 60; spare carriages for guns, 60; spare mortar beds, 60: spare sponges, rammers, and ladles, in sets, 20; tools to work in trenches, 40,000.
Several hand-jacks, gins, sling-carts, travelling forges, and other engines pro per to raise and carry heavy burdens ; spare timber, and all sorts of miners' tools. mantles, stuffed gabions, fascines, pickets, and gabions.