 With the implementation of the harbour and military port, Cherbourg became a port of war at the end of the 18th century, with a large garrison.In 1798, it had 1,332 men, or a tenth of the population, divided mainly between the barracks of the Abbey, current historical Service of the Navy, which housed 542 men of the 4th brigade and the Maurice Quarter, in the "Hôtel Epron de la Horie", home to 227 men.Numbers were brought to 3,000 men for the completion of the work, by a decree of germinal year XI.