H B 6 - DAUPHIN BASTION: PRELIMINARY REPORT (1720 - 1745) BY MARGARET FORTIER

NOTE:
Presently, the illustrations and graphs are not included here.
For these, please consult the original report in the archives of the Fortress of Louisbourg

Information concerning the construction and maintenance of the left face of the Dauphin Bastion is scarce indeed. The one feature which would tend to set it apart - that is, the presence of a section of a barbette on its terreplein - belongs more properly under another heading and will be dealt with subsequently.

A 1727 projection of the left face indicates that the parapet of the face was to be considerably wider than that of the flank. On the same plan a banquette is shown extending the full length of the face. A small platform, apparently intended for use at the "right face" of the Bastion, occupies the northwest end of the terreplein. At a point near the middle of the face, a ramp leads up to the terreplein of the rampart from the interior of the Bastion. Two buildings - a powder magazine and a barracks - appear flush against the interior revetment of the face's rampart [44] (Plate 1)

A profile accompanied the above and when scaled, it revealed some of the projected dimensions of the
left face.

According to this profile the interior revetment of the rampart was to constitute the south wall of the barracks. Also, apparent on the profile was the presence of a cordon stone beneath the parapet. [45]

It was reported in June of 1728 that part of the left face had been excavated. [46] Work continued apace, and by November the face stood from 13 to 15 pieds high, requiring only its parapet to bring it to full height. [47]

Beginning in 1728, the plans show a "V" shaped barbette at the salient angle of the Bastion, the point of the "V" directed outward.. The left side of the barbette extended a short distance down the face. The plans differ as to how the presence of this work affected the banquette and, terreplein of the left face. The various possibilities will be discussed in a subsequent chapter of this report. (Plates 2-5, Figure 14)

There is at least one point on which the post-construction plans are in complete agreement. All show the parapet of the face to be much wider than the parapet of the left flank. The absence of dimensions for the flank makes it impossible to determine the precise difference.

One of the early plans includes a profile taken through the left side of the face. Though it, too, bisects the
barracks building, it was not taken at the same spot as the projected profile of 1727. The earlier profile was taken some distance to the right of the later one. The reason for this lay in the reversal of the two buildings' positions within the Bastion. The powder magazine had. been projected fairly close to the left flank with the barracks to its right, but now it was the barracks which occupied the area nearest the flank.

Measurements can be obtained by scaling this profile. However, extreme caution should be observed in using, the dimensions obtained since the profile is very small and crudely drawn. It was obviously intended more as a representation of details than as a source of dimensions [48] ( Plate 3)

	Pieds	Pouces
Height of interior revetment of rampart	7
Width of the interior revetment of rampart	3
Width of the terreplein from interior revetment	18
Width of the slope of banquette	3	6
Height of the slope of banquette	3	6
Width of banquette	4
Height of the interior revetment of the parapet - outside	8
Height of the interior revetment of the parapet - inside	11
Width of the interior revetment of parapet	3
Height of the superior slope of parapet	2
Width of superior slope of parapet	20
Width of revetment at base of cordon	7
Width of the parapet at base of cordon	4
Height of parapet - outside	7
Height of parapet - inside	7	6
Width of revetment at base	11
Width of foundation of revetment	12
Height of foundation of revetment	2
Height of revetment to base of cordon	21

According to this profile, the barracks possesses a south wall independent of the face's interior revetment. It would seem, however, that the two walls actually do come in contact with each other. Again the presence of a cordon stone below the parapet has been clearly indicated.

A 1730 profile taken at the other end of the left face also offers an opportunity for obtaining measurements providing more than a modicum of caution is observed in accepting them. Differences between this profile and the one preceding are highly probable since they were taken at opposite ends of the wall. But, here too, the profile is quite small and imperfectly drawn so that it is impossible to determine the true cause of
discrepancies between the two profiles [49] (Plate 4)

	Pieds	Pouces
Height of slope of the terreplein	6	6
Width of the slope of the terreplein	4
Width of the terreplein	18
Height of the slope of the banquette	3	6
Width of the slope of the banquette	5
Width of the banquette	5	6
Height of the interior revetment of parapet - outside	4
Height of the interior revetment of parapet - inside	12
Width of the interior revetment of parapet	4
Height of the superior slope of parapet	3
Width of the superior slope of parapet	19
Width of parapet at top of cordon	3
Width of revetment at top of cordon	7
Width of revetment at base	10
Width of foundation of revetment	11
Height of parapet above cordon - outside	6
Height of foundation of revetment	7
Height of revetment to top of cordon - outside	18

The masonry walls of the left face of the Dauphin Bastion were suffering from the ravages of the weather in much the same manner as the walls of the flanks. Rough casting was used here also, the process being completed by October of 1737. [50]

During the 1745 siege, the French opened embrasures in the left face. One large and two small mortars were placed there to beat against the English batteries. A 1745 plan shows the face pierced by three larger-than-usual embrasures. The one closest to the salient angle would be reached from the barbette.
A provisional siege work appears across the width of the Bastion from the circular battery to the parapet of the face. [51] The number and placement of the embrasures in the face are substantiated by three other plans from that year. [52] A fourth 1745 plan shows three embrasures in the face, but two, not one, are reached from the barbette. [53]

	Pieds	Pouces
Height of the interior revetment of the rampart	9
Width of the interior revetment of the rampart - base	5
Width of the interior revetment of the rampart - top	3
Width of the terreplein - from interior revetment	13	6
Height of first step up from terreplein	1
Width of first stet up from terreplein	1
Height of step up to banquette	1
Width of banquette	5
Height of parapet above banquette	5
Width of parapet	8
Width of revetment at cordon	7	6
Width of revetment at base	9	6
Width of foundation of revetment	11
Height of foundation of revetment	5
Height of revetment - total	25
Height of revetment - outside	20