jf Several distinguished Authors, who have treated of the
^j|:t of attacking and defending fortified places, tecommead tliat
the parapet of the 1 st parallel should be reveted with fascines,
as rf presented in^g-. 3 ; so that the parapet being strengthen-;
ed, the security of the troops whom it covers may be still great-
er. But whether the parapet be reveted or pot, these troops will
in most cases be sufficiently secured after the parallel has been
Itrought to its proper dimensions ; and therefore, such an ad-
ditional security as they might acquire from a revetment tteing



DEFENCE OF PLACES. 37

represents a sectioa of this parallel, the parapet
a is made 4 ft 3 in- high, under the supposition
that thefire of the besieged place is moderately
plunging. But if the parallel, or any part of
it, shx)iild be exposed to a very plunging fire,
the parapet must be raised higher in that part
than abovesaid ; whereas, on the contrary, its
height may be diminished in defiladed grounc|.
The interior slope b of the parapet stands at
an angle of about 45° with the natural ground ;
so that troops can conveniently pass over the
parapet for the purpose either of marching out
of the parallel, in order to attack such a sally as
may happen to advance towards it, or returning
to the banquette, if they had been repelled, and
from thence keeping off the sally by their fire.
The berm c, 1 8 or 20 in. wide, forms the ban-
quette*, and is supported by a slope which.
made, \vould not be an advantage capable of compensating
for the material inconvenience occasioned by the increase of la-
bour and the considerable number of fascines that the forming
of the revetment would require.
