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THE KING'S - QUEEN'S CURTAIN WALL AND THE OUTER WORKS

BY

JEAN HANKEY

December 1967

(Fortress of Louisbourg Report H B 9)

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

THE OUTER WORKS

In front of the King's-Queen's curtain there was a series of structures designed to cover the wall and keep the enemy at a distance. Situated lower than those of the body of the place, they can be protected by the fire from the ramparts of the place. Fire from the ramparts should be able to sweep the ditch, the covert way, and the glacis. In theory, the superior slope of the parapet, when produced, should pass within four feet of the edge of the counterscarp. The glacis is high enough to cover the escarp from the distant fire of the enemy and the view of the enemy. [Major G. Philips, Elementary Course of Field and Permanent Fortification. (London: Pardon and Son, Paternoster Row, 1874), 146-147.]

With the completion of the curtain wall, the French worked to complete the "enceinte de la ville." The enlargement of the ditch provided the necessary earth for the covert way, parapet and glacis. During the working season of 1738, Verrier planned to finish excavating the sixty-nine toises remaining in the ditch. After the foundation for the counterscarp was dug out, the wall was to be erected from the flanked angle of the King's bastion to the Princess bastion. [55]

By June of 1738, Verrier could report to the French ministry that the walls of the counterscarp and parapet were well advanced. He expected the masonry to be finished by the first of September. The excavation of the ditch was progressing well and there remained only the sections near the right shoulder angle of the Queen's bastion and near the centre of the ditch. In a month, this work would probably be finished. [56]

By the end of that year, the courterscarp and stairs to descend into the ditch were finished. The parapet of the covert way and the glacis were finished as far as the King's place d'arme. During the next year, the banquettes were to be finished and palisades planted on the covert way. [57] By August of 1739, the parapet of the place d'arme was finished [58], and the masonry of the parapet of the covert way was entirely finished by September. [59] By 1740, Verrier could write that "Les glacis de l'enceinte sont perfectionés de sorte qu'il n'y reste plusieurs a faire en dedans ny en dehors ..."

• The Ditch

The ditch in front of the King's-Queen's curtain was first a dry one, it would appear. In 1727 [61] and 1731 [62], proposals were made for a "Rigolle faits parallement à la courtine pour l'écoulement des eaux du fanc gauche." A pond appeared for the first time in the 1749-3 Map [63]. By 1757 [64], it stretched across the entire ditch.

On the 1737-6 [65], 1740-3 [66], 1758-28 [67] and ND-69 [68] maps, there appear to be either rivers or drainage canals in the ditch that would direct the water towards the pond in front of the Princess Bastion.

During the second siege, traverses were built in the ditch near the left shoulder angle of the King's Bastion. On the 1757-11 map [37], there is a large traverse built near the right traverse of the place d'arme and joined to another opposite the right shoulder angle of the King's Bastion by line of palisades. The following maps show a similar situation: 1758-12a [69] , 1758-15 [70] , 1758-19 [71], 1758-21 [72] , 1758-22 [73], 1759-1 [74], and 1761-1 [2a]. [For further detail and reference see B.C. Bickerton's Report, King's Bastion General Report, under the heading "Ditch." ] On the 1758-14 map [75], there is a large rectangular structure near the left shoulder angle of the King's Bastion and part of a similar structure is indicated on the 1758-16 map [50]. The 1758-18 map shows a small traverse parallel to the left flank of the King's Bastion. [76]

• The Bridge

A bridge is first shown on the 1745-1 map. [77] It crosses the ditch from the exit of the postern tunnel to the centre of the gorge of the place d'arme rentrante. The width of the ditch at this point according to the Franquet cross-section of 1751 is twenty-five toises,one pied. six pouces. [28] From the 1758-17 [78] , 1758-22 [73] maps, and the 1758-18 enlargement [34], the bridge appears to be of wood and to be mounted on wooden pilings. In 1755, Franquet wrote that "il a été etabli en charpente un ponte de communication a la premier poterne dont on a parle et un autre sur le milieu de la courtine." [79] Poilly in his 1750 Siege Journal describes "un pont sur chevalets" [80] built to cross the marsh in front of the curtain.

Vauban recommended that when such a bridge was built that it should be of wood so that it could be easily cut down to hinder the advance of the enemy. [[81]: Sébastian Le Prestre de Vauban, The New Method of Fortification As Practised by Monseigneur de Vauban (trans. A. Swall, London: S&E Ballard in Little Britain & C., 1778), 166-7.] The building described by Franquet in 1751 was probably a guard house intended for this purpose. [32]

• The Counterscarp

The amount of information available on the outer works is limited. Features like the counterscarp, the covert way, the parapet, and the glacis should be relatively constant for the entire landward enceinte. Thus, it is possible to find material that discusses the condition and state of the outer works in general and a few references to the particular area in front of the King's-Queen's curtain. As an archaeological report has been done by John Marwitt on the Outer Works of the King's Bastion, many of his conclusions should also apply to the outer works of the Second Front.

The counterscarp was constructed of rubble stone. In 1746, Knowles wrote that the counterscarp was in worse condition than the body of the place. [16] In 1749, Boucher wrote that the wall had collapsed in
several places from the capital of the King's Bastion to that of the Queen's. [46] He recommended that the wall should be roughcast, one pied, one pouce thick. [This reference is difficult to interpret] In 1751, Franquet noted the counterscarp. was the same here as the previous front, and also in bad condition [82] and should be repaired. [47] It is impossible to say what repair work was done, if any. In 1758, the counterscarp was said to be "en desordre" [80] and "écroullée presque partout n'ayant en Beaucoup d'Endroit que Six a Sept pieds." [52]

The projected dimensions in 1732 - scaled from the 1732-4 profile of the King's-Queen's curtain. [6]

Verrier in 1736 made a general statement concerning the walls of the counterscarp: "et ensuitte établir les murs de la contrescarpe, ces murs seront de deux pieds d'épaisseur et huit pieds de haut." [83]

Boucher in 1749 estimates the height of the counterscarp to be roughcast as one toise, one pied, six Pouces. [46]

Franquet's profiles of 1751: [28]

Slope given in Franquet's profiles is 1/6.

• The Covert Way

"The covered-way affords a concealed position in advance of the ditch, in which troops can assemble for the purpose of making sorties; it also allows a close and grazing fire of musketry to be brought to bear on the glacis, it renders a surprise difficult., and makes the operation of 'crowning the glacis' by a besieger a work of great difficulty. It has been found from experience to be one of the most useful while it is the least costly work of defence." [Major G. Philips. Elementary Course of Field & Permanent Fortification, page 146]

A line of palisades projecting above the crest of the glacis, protect it from a direct assault. The width of the terreplein of the covert way is limited so that it is not possible for the enemy to build a battery there to hammer against the escarp wall.

However., the covert way of the fortress of Louisbourg was overlooked, enfiladed, and could be seen from behind. [84] In 1758, Le Chevalier Johnstone wrote that 

"there cannot be a fortified town in a worse situation than Louisbourg: it is commanded all round by heights  ... All the walls of masonry, the embrasures, the counterscarp, and the parapets, were tumbled down into the fosses which were filled up with rubbish; the palisades were all of them rotten-in many parts of the covert way they were crumbled away on a level with the ground, and there was scarce any vestige of glacis which had not been destroyed by grazing there." 

However, after an alarm in 1758 prior the siege, "the palisades, platforms, and canon carriages were renewed; the fosses cleared of rubbish; ... the glacis were repaired . . ." [84]

In 1751, Franquet wrote that the covert way opposite the left face of Queen's bastion was five toises,, four pieds broad, and should be reduced to five toises. [82] The parapet should be reveted with masonry and grass, the terreplein lowered, and the glacis raised with earth. For the other branch of the covert way, he recommended that the parapet be raised with masonry and grass, and the terreplein, banquette, and glacis be raised with earth. [49]

In 1756, Franquet worked to put the covert way into a state of defense. [86[ The crest from the Queen's bastion to the left reentrant angle of the round place of arms was raised. [87] In 1758, the covered way was reported to be "en bon etat" [88], but Drucourt did report in his Siege Journal that the covert way between the Dauphin bastion and the place of arms right of the demi-lune before the Princess curtain could be seen from behind and had been damaged by canon shots. [89] Traverses were erected on the terreplein of the covert way to give the soldiers some protection. [see maps 1758-16 [50], 1758-18 [76], and footnote 36]

The Covert Way:

• The Parapet of the Covert Way 

It is constructed of rubble stone. [16] In 1746, Governor Knowles commented that the facing of the parapet was worse than that of  the counterscarp and of the body of the place. [16] In 1751, Franquet wanted to move the revetement forward for the section opposite the Queen's bastion. The parapet of the other branch and of the place of arms was to be raised. [28[

The projected dimensions in 1732 scaled from the 1732-4 profile of the King's-Queen's curtain.

Slope given as 1/6

• Palisades

In 1737, general instructions concerning the nature and installation of the palisades were given:

"Les palissades pour les chemins Couverts ou autres Endroits ou le besoin Exigera d'en planter, seront de bois de pin bien droit coupe en bonne saison, Car toutes cesses que lon aura coupe sur pieds mort, ne seront pas Recevables elles quront dix pieds de longueur, sur six pouces de diametre Celles qui seront au dessus desd. dimensions seront retribuées on les posera distentes les unes des autres à deux pouces ou plus suivant la scituation dont elles  feront frond arretées par une lambourde triangulaire de cinq à six pouces qui sera Encastrée d'un pouce dans les palissades Et lesd. lambourdes arrettés par un cloud, sur chaque des palissade, Elles seront Enterrées par un de leur bouts de trois pieds dans la banquette du chemin couvert tout cet ouvrage Execute suivant le profil et larrangement que L'Ingenieur fera, L'Entrepreneur sera tenu de faire le deblay et le remplay des Rigoles pour la plantation desd. palissades, Et sera paye à la toise Courante tout compris ... ". [90]

Boucher in 1749 estimated the need for 222 toises of palisades for the covert way between the capital of the King's Bastion and that of the Queen's. [91] In 1751, Franquet stated that there were palisades along both branches of the covert way, along the two faces of the place of arms and along the traverses. The length of the palisades is given as "de 8pi 1/2 de longueur", and "Toises Courantes de Palissades de 11 pi 1/2 de Longueur." It would appear that two lengths were used. For the second front, two hundred toises of palisades, 8 1/2 pieds long were needed and 20 toises of the longer palisades. [92] [See Appendix A]

• Glacis

Franquet in 1751 wanted to raise the glacis with earth. His profiles give the length of the glacis in front of the left branch of the covert way as 22 toises, 4 pieds; in front of the place of arms as 40 Toises; and in front of the right branch of the covert way as 25 Toises, 2 Pieds, 6 Pouces. [28] His memoire on the glacis is difficult to interpret. [93]

• Place d'arme rentrante

The place of arms was intended as a place of assembly for the troops prior to their making a sortie outside of the fortress. The place d'arme rentrante in front of the curtain wall was formed of two faces, and protected by the two traverses at each re-entrant angle on the terreplein of the covert way. Stairs at the gorge gave access to the ditch and there was a sortie in the right face which provided a means of passage to the countryside.

In 1751, Franquet proposed that the parapet of both faces should be reveted with grass and masonry. Its terreplein, banquette, and glacis should be raised with earth and the traverses repaired. [47] At the salient angle, part of its terreplein and glacis were sunk more than four pieds. [82] On August 10th, 1756, Franquet wrote that the place of arms required a great deal of work. It had sunk three and a half pieds and had to be raised. [85] The salient angle had sunk four pieds so that the faces could be seen along their entire length. The terreplein was raised and the masonry revetment of the two faces was re-established on pilings. [86] During the attack on Louisbourg in 1758, a palisaded retranchment was built to improve the defenses. [94, 36] [See maps 1758-28 [67], 1758-12a [69], 1758-19 [7l], 1758-18 [76], and 1759-1 [79]]
38.

Most of the plans show a sortie through the right face of the place d'arme. Only on the 1751-17 map is there shown a second sortie through the left face. [95] The 1746-7 map shows a road leading away from the exit of the sortie. [96]

At the entrance to the sortie, there was probably a large barrier. [See Appendix B for toise] This gate could prevent the enemy's easy access to the place d'arme. It is possible that there were also small gates to control passage around the traverses. [See Appendix B]

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