HB-03: Princess Bastion Report: A Survey of the Area from the Right Reentrant Angle of the Princess Bastion to the Right Reentrant angle of the Brouillan Bastion, and the Relation of this Area to Cap Noir: Section III, Chapter 1

PRINCESS BASTION REPORT:
A SURVEY OF THE AREA FROM THE RIGHT REENTRANT
ANGLE OF THE PRINCESS BASTION TO THE RIGHT REENTRANT
ANGLE OF THE BROUILLAN BASTION, AND THE RELATION OF THIS
AREA TO CAP NOIR

Presently, only some illustrations are included here.
For all of them, please consult the original report in the archives of the Fortress of Louisbourg

Though several ideas had been put forth in 1751 concerning the possible ways of strengthening the works, the question eventually boiled down to whether two redoubts or two demi-lunes should be built. While Franquet and Governor Raymond favored the redoubts, Galissoniere and the Minister upheld the cause of the demi-lunes. It Was an unfair match, the latter twosome having the weight of the French Court on their side.

In 1741, when Franquet was first submitting his projects to the home government, he wrote that the advantages of a redoubt on Cap Noir were easy to see. The Crenelated Wall would receive needed cover; all the area between the Princess and Queen's Bastions would be protected; and the fire from the redoubt would reach as far as the capital of the King's Bastion. Because of the weakness of the Crenelated Wall, many repairs would be
necessary if the hilll were merely razed. [497]

Galissoniere was said to have felt that the redoubts would be subject to too many "inconveniences" to be worthwhile. The enemy would be able, it was claimed, to entirely ruin the redoubt with cannon fire, and the besieged French would not be able to protect its defenders or go to their aid. The negligence of one officer or the ill will of one guard would be sufficient to permit the enemy to destroy the communication between the redoubt and the city. If this were to happen, the outside of the Place would be in even greater danger. [498]

Apparently these words found their mark since, in two letters dated March 15, 1752, the Minister expressed the fears of the Court about the construction of redoubts. In one - to Raymond and Prévost - he said that the project involving the redoubts had been seen as having too many disadvantages, but the King wanted to do something to increase the defensive power of the landward fortifications at Louisbourg. Therefore, he wrote, it had been decided that two demi-lunes would be built before the Porte de la Reine and the Porte Dauphine. [499]

The second letter was addressed to Raymond alone. In it the Minister repeated the remarks sent him by Galissoniere, adding that the demi-lune project was also considered to be the less expensive of the two. Cap Noir would be lowered, he said, and the earth acquired from its destruction would be used to construct the demi-lune on the east side of the Fortress. The plans which Franquet had drawn up for such a project would be used, and the Governor and the Engineer were to decide what other work needed to be carried out. [500]

Franquet replied to the objections raised against the redoubts in May, 1752. First, he said, there was no danger of the redoubt being flanked by the enemy. Two faces of the structure would be flanked by the landward fortifications, while the other two would be so close to the sea that there would be no room for an attack to be formed. Secondly, there was no need to be concerned about the possibility of an officer or guard causing the capture of the redoubt. The one officer usually sent to detached works and some trustworthy troops would be sufficient to hold the redoubt, especially since it was not able to be surprised from any side. However, if it were thought necessary, precautions might be taken against the slackness of the troops. [501]

Thirdly, Franquet did not feel that the communication between the city and the redoubt would be in any danger. The flood that it would create and a ditch 7 to 8 pieds high, under the fire of the fort and the redoubt, would make that communication virtually unattackable. And lastly, the erection of the demi-lunes would necessitate the lowering of Cap Noir, but the materials provided by this demolition would not be suitable, in the Engineer's estimation, for use in the construction of other works. Therefore, the cost of the redoubts would not be more than that of the demilunes. [502]

Having failed to convince the home government of the wisdom of his proposals, Franquet was forced to set to work on the projects ordered by the King. [503] According to five plans from 1754-5-6, these projects were identical with those described in the preceding chapter in connection with Project VII. [504] However, the ideas presented and the works achieved often varied to a considerable degree. [505] (Plate 4; Figure 31)

Works Projected	Work Accomplished
Right flank to receive 5 new embrasures	Done.
Right face to be extended toward sea; the old loophole wall being torn down to allow face and its terreplein to proceed unobstructed.	Face extended, but old loophole wall not torn down and terreplein not extended
Firing to extend length of face.	Wide firing step formed along face, turning to face over loopwall. Extension of face given narrow firing step.
Parapet of face solid.	Parapet of face pierced by six embrasures.
Cavalier to be built behind face.	Cavalier project abandoned.
Old loophole wall and casemate, retired battery, small left face and flank, and cavalier done away with and a new left face and flank formed.	All retained. Postern opened through the old casemate.
Crenelated Wall greatly strengthened by creation of rampart and terreplein.	No change made in nature of wall. Caponnieres built at either end of crenelated curtain to be reached through posterns opened in the wall itself.
New profile weall to be built from the new left face along the new cavalier and the extended right face, across the ditch (the old batardeau having been removed), along the new contregard, to the extended covert way.	New profile wall built from the retired battery to the extended covert way. New wall pierced by three posterns. Old batardeau removed.
Contregard to be built in front of the right face. To have terreplein and two banquettes. Two flights of stairs lead to ditch.	Contregard formed, but extent of perfection not known. Probably only one banquette was formed, and one set stairs completed.
Demi-lune to be formed in front of the Porte de la Reine.	Demi-lune, but extent of perfection not knon.
Covert way to be extended toward sea and turned at left extremity to face sea.	Done.
Three places of arms to be formed. The two small reentrant places of arms to have sally ports in each face, two flights of stairs to ditch and two traverses. Salient place of arms to have a rounded terreplein and contrescarp, two curved flights of stairs, a sally port in the right face and two traverses.	Done.
The ditch to be enlarged so that there would be a ditch between the contregard and the demi-lune, and between these two works and the covert way.	New ditch formed, but not on same level as old. Deep part near covert way slopes up to level of gorge of demi-lune, Two caponniers formed - one on either side of the demi-lune. From these there was drop to old ditch.
Space between the extended covert way and seashore.	A caponnier facing south built from the extended covert way to shore.