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

The 1727 projection of the Dauphin Bastion depicts the barracks which was to be constructed within the interior of the works. According to this plan the building was to be situated near the middle of the left face, a few feet to the right of the powder magazine. Rectangular in shape, it was to meet on its west side the back of a ramp which would run parallel to the left face and on its south side the interior revetment of the face's rampart. An accompanying profile indicates that the latter actually formed the south wall of the barracks. Some measurements can be obtained by scaling the profile. [214] (Plate 1)

During the summer of 1729, work was done on the barracks. [215] By December of that year, the building was completed. [216] Nothing further is known of the barracks' construction. It should be noted, however, that when built, the barracks was located near the left shoulder angle, to the left of the powder magazine.

Plans are not always consistent in their depiction of the barrack's physical features, and the only descriptive document available was composed in 1751. This reference may be used to some degree since the building probably did not change drastically when required, but caution should be observed.

A 1729 profile, when scaled, reveals the width of the barracks to be 24 pieds, [217] a figure very close to the 25 pieds cited in 1751. [218] Among the other dimensions of the barracks obtained from the profile are: [219]

According, to the 1751 reference, the length of the barracks was 48 pieds. [220]

Three possibilities for the placement of doors and windows are offered by the plans (the 1727 projection accepted).

A hipped roof consistently appears on the plans of the barracks. According to plan evidence and the 1751
reference, the roof was covered with shingles. [224] A decorative fleur de lis appears to have adorned the
roof at either end. [225] (Plates 2,3 and 5)

As projected in 1727, the magazine was to be a rectangular building - somewhat smaller than the barracks - situated near the left shoulder angle of the Dauphin Bastion. Its south wall would meet the interior revetment of the rampart of the left face. According to this plan, a hipped roof would top the building. [230] (Plate 1)

Work was begun on the magazine in 1729, [231] and by the end of that year, the structure was raised and ready to receive its vault. [232] Masonry for this vault was among the materials listed in March of 1730 as necessary for the completion of the Bastion. [233] By July, 1730, the officials were able to report
that the magazine was nearly ready to have its roof put in place. [234] Despite the progress that was being made, however, it was reported that the building would not be ready for use for 3 or 4 years. The humid climate and the thickness of the masonry were said to be preventing the removal of the arches which held
the vault. The vault itself was said to be made of flat-stone and brick. [235]

Only two years later, St. Ovide wrote that the magazine - whose capacity was 250 barrels - was nearly ready for use. If the minister wished to send 200 barrels during 1733, he declared, the powder would be kept dry. [236] His optimism was contradicted by Le Normant who said that, while this magazine was better than any other in the place, it was not sufficiently dry to store large quantities of powder in a satisfactory state of preservation. [237] Whether any powder was sent for storage in this magazine in 1733 is not known.

By October, 1741, Verrier had concluded that the magazine in the Dauphin Bastion would be too small to hold all the powder which would be required when all of the batteries were completed. [238]

The only source for the dimensions of the magazine is, unfortunately, the 1751 document previously cited. According to this reference, the building was not quite square, measuring 30 pieds 6 pouces by 34 pieds 8 pouces. The exact thickness of the walls is not known, but the building was considered to be bomb proof. [239] Also unknown is the precise distance between this building and the barracks. The plans vary too much to be of help.

The roof of the magazine appears to have been gabled. Shingles apparently were used for the outer layer of the roof's covering. [240] Views show a decorative fleur de lis on the north end of the roof. [241] One pre-construction plan indicates the presence, on the north side of the building, of a door with a vent on either side. [242] Two other plans depict only the door. [243]

The west side of the soldiers' corps de garde was, it would seem, the revetment of the right face of the Dauphin Bastion. For this reason, the part of that revetment which extends from the south wall of the corps de garde to the Gate will be treated along with the building itself.

Written references to the corps de garde are few indeed. In August, 1729, it was noted that work on this building. at that time the only corps de garde scheduled to be built in the Bastion, had gotten underway. [244] Four months later the soldiers' corps de garde was said to be completed. [245]

It appears from four plans that there were two sets of double loopholes opened in the west wall of the corps de garde. [246] These were set in a short distance from the inside of the room. The thickness of the wall was, most likely, responsible for this feature. The small size and odd shape of the openings were, it
would seem, dictated by their strategic location. For the purpose of these loopholes was to provide additional protection for the Dauphin Gate.

More conventional in size and shape were the windows opened in the building's north wall. One on either side of the door, these windows were narrower on the outside than on the inside. The window located west of the door appears to have been a good deal smaller than its counterpart. [247] (Figure 10) A view accompanying another plan indicates that there were two windows on the west side of the door, and none on the other side. [248] One other plan suggests that there was only one window, and it was situated to the east of the door. [249]

Three plans of the Dauphin Gate and environs present a very puzzling feature. There appears on these plans a second row of loopholes in the west wall above those already described. [250] Two plans indicate that there were two sets of double loopholes directly above the others. [251] The one exception shows the wall to be pierced by two sets of triple loopholes. [252] Since this last plan seems to be accurate on most counts, it may also be reliable on this point. The ten loopholes shown to the left of the Gate added to the two which, as will be seen, were located in the west wall of the officers' corps de garde make a total of twelve loopholes guarding the approach to the Gate. And it was just that number which was give by Bigot in 1745. [253] How these upper loopholes were reached is not known.

Provision for a fireplace on the west side of the corps de garde is indicated on several plans. [254] On one view the chimney seem to be emerging mysteriously from the revetment to the left of the Gate. Most likely, this illusion arises from the fact that the fireplace, and hence the chimney was set into the revetment in the corps de garde. The chimney was probably hidden from view by the roof or some covering on the inside of the wall. Only the top of the chimney would then have been visible. [255] (Figure 9)

A porch, supported by five pillars, seems to have been located in front of the north side of the corps de garde. [256] There is no view which clearly shows the porch as it met the roof of the corps de garde, but it would seem that the porch roof sloped down from that of the corps de garde.[257] The plans are almost unanimous in depicting the roof of the corps de garde itself to be flat. If this were the case, and the top of the porch did meet that of the corps de garde , the building must have been approximately 11 pieds high. Such a height would have left little room within the building for a second story from which the upper loopholes might be manned. A flat roof, however, might have served as a convenient surface from which the approach to the Gate could be protected.

In 1751 it was stated that the corps de garde of the soldiers was constructed of masonry and topped with a roof of shingles. This same reference specified that the building measured 22 pieds 3 pouces by 19 pieds 6 pouces. [259] There is no earlier statement of the building's dimensions. However, a 1733 plan does provide a partial floor plan and an outside view of the corps de garde which may be scaled. [260] (Figures 9,10)

Floor Plan	Pieds	Pouces
Thickness of north wall	3	1
Length of north wall to east window - inside	2
Width of east window - inside	3	10
Length of north wall from east window to door - inside	4
Width of door - inside	4
Length of north wall from door to west window - inside	2	6
Length of north wall from west window to west wall - inside	1	10
Width of west window - inside	2	10
Length of north wall to east window - outside	2
Width of east window - outside	3
Length of north wall from east window to door - outside	5	1
Width of door outside	3
Length of north wall from door to west window - outside	3	4
Width of west window - outside	1	9
Length of north wall from west window to west wall - outside	2	1
Length of west wall from north wall to north inset - inside		10
Thickness of west wall	7	6
Width of first north loophole - inside	2
Width of second north loophole - inside	1	10
Thickness of insets in west wall	2	11
Length of west wall from north inset to fireplace	2	1
Width of fireplace	5
Length of west wall from fireplace to south inset	2
Thickness of loopholes	4	7
Width of first loophole of south inset - inside	1	10
Width of first loophole of north inset - outside		3
Length of west wall between loopholes of north inset - outside	2
Width of second loophole of north inset - outside		5
Length of west wall from second loophole of north inset to first loophole of south inset - outside	10	5
Width of first loophole of south inset - outside		5
Width of porch - Outside	7	2
Width of porch - inside	6	2
Length of porch - outside	20
Length of porch - inside	19	2
Length of wall from porch to end of wall	4	4
Outside View
Width of porch - outside	5	10
Height of porch - center	7
Height of porch - side	6
Height of roof of porch above beam	3	10
Width of beam		6
Width of roof of porch - bottom	8	7

Nothing was said of the officers' cords de garde until October, 1733 at which time it was noted that work on this structure, located to the right of the Dauphin Gate, had been completed. [261] The building does not appear on any plans drawn before 1733. [262] There are several plans which show a set of two loopholes opened in the revetment to the right of the Gate. These were set into the wall, the area behind them apparently forming a covered shelter from which the guards would fire. [263] From all appearances, this wall became the west wall of the new corps de garde, the other three walls being added on to it.

The officers' corps de garde is consistently portrayed with a partially hipped roof. That is, the building, would have been topped with a typical hipped roof had the structure not been built against the revetment. Other features of the building can be obtained from only one plan and one document. (Figures 7,8)

The overall measurements of the officers' corps de garde were, according to the 1751 reference, 16 pieds 6 pouces by 15 pieds. [271] More specific, though perhaps less accurate, measurements can be scaled from the 1733 plan. [272]

	Pieds	Pouces
Distance from south wall to end	5	10
Length of south wall from west wall to window - inside	1	10
Width of window - inside	3	6
Length of south wall from window to door - inside	4
Width of door - inside	3	5
Length of south wall from door to east wall - inside	1	11
Thickness of south wall	2
Length of south wall from west wall to window - outside	2	2
Width of window - outside	2	10
Length of south wall from window to door - outside	5
Width of door - outside	2	8
Length of south wall from door to end - outside	4
Length of east wall from south wall to window - inside	2
Width of window - inside	3	2
Length of east wall from window to north wall - inside	6	10
Thickness of east wall	2
Length of east wall from south wall to window - outside	4	2
Width of window - outside	2	6
Length of east wall from window to end - outside	10	4
Length of north wall from east wall to first loophole - inside	1	2
Width of first loophole - inside	1	10
Length of north wall from first to second loophole - inside	3	2
Width of second loophole - inside	1	9
Length of north wall from second to third loophole - inside	3	3
Width of third loophole inside	1	10
Length of north wall from third loophole to west wall - inside	1	10
Thickness of north wall	3
Length of north wall from east wall to first loophole - outside	3	10
Width of first loophole - outside		5
Length of north wall from first to second loophole - outside	4	7
Width of second loophole - outside		7
Length of north wall from second to third loophole - outside	4	8
Width of third loophole		7
Length of north wall from third loophole to end - outside	9	2
Length of west wall from north wall to fireplace - inside	1	1
Width of fireplace	2	10
Length of west well from fireplace to inset - inside		8
Width of inset	4	11
Depth of north side of inset	4
Depth of south side of inset	3	10
Length of wall on either side of loophole - inside	1	4
Width of loophole - inside	2	3
Depth of loophole	3	4
Length of west wall from inset to south wall - inside	2	6
Thickness of west wall	7	2
Length of west wall from north wall to loophole - outside	9	10
Width of loophole - outside		6
Outside View
Width of east wall - base	17	2
Height of south wall	7
Width of east wall at roof line	16
Height of roof	6	6
Height of window on east side	4	2
Width of window on east side	2	3

	Pieds	Pouces
Height of walls	8
Height of foundation - south side	5
Height of foundation - north side	4
Width of foundation - south side	5
Width of foundation - north side	4	6
Height of roof	12

	Pieds	Pouces
Width of the building at floor	20	2
Width of the building at roof line	21	6
Height of the building	8
Height of roof	9