The camp of the army is to be regularly inspected, in caTler that every possible improvement may be made for the greater security and convenience of the troops. The ma gazines and stores of materials and instruments necessary for the seige, arc to be made at different places, that the enemy, by their position, may not discover to what part of the fortress an attack will be directed. In entering upon a seige, the principal object of the commander is to see that a good communication is kept up between all the parts of the army,.and that the necessary bridges have been con structed. Care is to be taken that these bridges are suffi ciently large, and, if possible, there should always be two together, one of which may still be of use, even if the other should be damaged. But in the construction of these bridges, the besieging army should endeavour, as much as possible, to place them out of the reach of the enemy.
Should an army of the enemy be expected, the country round the camp is to be fortified, if it appears advantageous ; but care is to be taken not to inclose the army too much, lest its movements should by these means be embarrassed. Single but strong forts appear to be far more advantageous than any other, and are, therefore, more frequently adopted. A besieging army may also be covered by an army of ob servation, or a corps whose business it is to watch tl.e ene my's movements, and either to protect the besieging army from an attack, or at least to give timely information if an attack is to be expected.
Circumstances must determine, whether the army of observation, or the besieging army, should be the sronger. If the army of the enemy is numerous, the army of ob servation is to be the larger. In most cases, however, it should, in the first instance, be the smaller, as it may easily be reinforced when necessary. Besides, the beseiging ar my must never be very weak, lest it should fatigue the sol diers too much, and expose them to the attacks of a nu merous garrison. To defend them from such an attack, strong but inclosed works, which cover each other, may be raised round the fortress, especially in such places as se cure the communication with the different parts of the ar my, and at a convenient distance for mounting guns.
In making arrangements for a siege, a most important consideration is, to determine the position of depots and military stores. These should never be at so great a dis tance, as to produce any inconvenient delay in procuring the necessary supplies, of which a sufficient quantity must be collected before the siege commences. The first arti
cle required is ordnance. With this, therefore, and with eve ry thing necessary to render it effective, the army must be amply provided the moment it has taken up its position. The quantity that may be necessary in any given case, depends upon the strength of the fortress, and other circumstances, which will be considered afterwards. Next to ordnance, fascines, or rods and brambles for making fascines, are pe culiarly necessary. These are either 8 or 12 feet long, and serve to construct parapets, traverses, &c. and sometimes also to fill the fosse, in order to pass it. The great num ber of fascines generally wanting during a siege, may sometimes be procured near a fortress, if sufficient wood of this kind is to be had in its neighbourhood, as they may be transported by land or water to those places, where the depots of these and similar materials are formed.
Gabions are also wanting for the construction of particul lar works, and therefore it is necessary to have either a number of them in readiness, or the rods of which they arc constructed. Hurdles made of rods are also used in form ing revetements, supporting all excavations of the ground, and covering bridges, which are to be made over small rivulets. It is equally necessary, in many cases, to have blinds and moveable parapets, for the purpose of covering the men who use small arms.
In the construction of earth works, a great variety of tools are necessary, such as shovels, spades, fasciae knives, saws, hatchets, hammers, drills, &c. and of coarse a suf ficient number of these must be kept in the magazines or depots.
The park of artillery is placed as close to a fortress as possible, always taking cere that it be not molested by the enemy's fire. The most advantageous position is when it is covered by a height, or rising ground, and at the same time well protected by the troops from the sallies of the garrison, and the attack of an army, to relieve the fortress. The park of artillery is always to be placed in a certain order. The heaviest guns should be stationed in one or two lines, the mortars and howitzers on each side of them, and those of light calibres at the wings. Every article belong ing tp each piece, including the horses, carts, Ecc. must be placed in a line close behind it.