If the assault has been repulsed, or if the lodgement has not been made in such a way as to be occupied by the men, and if they have been compelled to leave it, the at tack is to be renewed as before. If any apprehensions are entertained of the enemy's mines, it will be neccessary to send the miners to lay a mine and to burst it, in order to form the intrenchment or lodgement there with more ease, or to force the enemy to leave it before the assault has taken place. Works in the gorge of an outwork or a bas tion, will frequently prove great impediments to the be siegers, and therefore they should be molested by shells, or be undermined, and thus rendered assailable. But if neither of these be sufficient to force a work to surrender, a breaching battery is to be constructed before the lodge ment made on this work, in the same manner as before directed, and then a regular assault is to take place, as observed of outworks or a bastion. A fortress which is taken by assault is sometimes given up to plunder ; but this very seldom happens in modern times. If, however, it should be the case, and the assault has succeeded, the gates are immediately to be opened, and patroles of cavalry are sent to preserve order. This last precaution becomes more necessary if the enemy retires to the citadel. If no plundering is allowed, heavy contributions may often be raised, and divided among the soldiers.
If a fortress has capitulated, or surrendered by a treaty, one gate is directly to be occupied, but no person allowed to pass without a proper passport. The articles in the treaty and capitulation are executed, and an inventory made out of all stores, provisions, &c. taken possession of. Of these articles, farther notice will be taken in a subsequent part of our subject. Should the garrison, however, by some means or other, force the besiegers to raise the siege, it is done as secretly as possible. The stores of ammuni tion are all fired away, or left behind ; and the guns of light calibi'es continue their file, till all the large ones are withdrawn. The former are then brought off, followed by the garrison of the trenches. All that is left is then set fire to, or destroyed, and pieces of ordnance are spiked and rendered totally unfit for use.
The siege of a fortress situated on a mountain is more difficult than if situated in a plain, as the trenches will frequently be so completely commanded from the fortress, as to render the progress of the works on that side im practicable. In this case those parts must be attacked, where advantage can be taken of ravines, hollow ways, or other local circumstances.
Fortresses situated in a moor, or surrounded with water, so as to communicate only with firm ground round it, by darns or small necks of land, are to be attacked on those parts, and a sappe may be conducted on them, so as to approach covered. To make the parallels longer, or to
construct batteries upon, or by the side of these clams, sacks filled with earth may be usefully employed ; the passages made over these earth-sacks are covered with boards, or fascines, to ensure a firm footing, and that they may be fit for carrying guns.
If the water round a fortress be so deep as to carry boats with guns, either these, or batteries built on rafters or floats of wood, are to be stationed at proper places to bombard the fortress. This is also to be clone from several points, where the fire can reach the fortress, in order, if possible, to destroy the stores and provisions there.
Fortresses situated on a ston) or rocky soil are difficult to be attacked, and the works round them can only be con structed by earth or wool-bags, and by fascines.
Should a town have a citadel, it will be neccessary to consider, before commencing the attack, whether the ci tadel or the fortress is to be assailed first. In all cases where the citadel commands the fortress, and where it will not be much more difficult to attack it than the town, the first efforts should be directed against the citadel, and not against the fortress. When a fortress is to be attacked in form, the operations may frequently be shortened, by form ing a brusque attack, or beginning with the construction of the third parallel as the first works of the trenches, and afterwards making a communication from that to the camp. The attack proceeds then regularly, and ricochett batteries, as well as dismounting and breaching batteries, are con structed as before.
The last method of attacking a fortress is by tirailleurs. Batteries are constructed at a great distance, and mounted with mortars and guns of large calibres. As soon as these batteries have begun their fire, a chain of tirailleurs is formed all round the fortress, who approach the works, covering themselves by the excavations and elevations of the ground, or by the pits, ditches, hollow ways, ravines, trees, houses, walls, hedges, Sic. Sic. From such places they fire at every one who appears on the rampart, or any other of the enemy's works. The tirailleurs should always take aim, and avail themselves of every circumstance that may direct their fire with effect. In general, they have little to fear from the fire of the garrison ; but if necessary, they are still better covered, by giving them wool-bags, or by constructing a parallel for them, and also by combining their operations with a brusque attack. These tirailleurs always approach the fortress by degrees, and inclose it as much as possible, until the covered-way can be taken by storm ; and the attack is afterwards continued as circum stances may require.