A redoubt (historically redout)[1][2] is a fort or fort system usually consisting of an enclosed defensive emplacement outside a larger fort, usually relying on earthworks, although some are constructed of stone or brick.[3] It is meant to protect soldiers outside the main defensive line and can be a permanent structure or a hastily constructed temporary fortification. The word means "a place of retreat".[2] Redoubts were a component of the military strategies of most European empires during the colonial era, especially in the outer works of Vauban-style fortresses made popular during the 17th century, although the concept of redoubts has existed since medieval times. A redoubt differs from a redan in that the redan is open in the rear, whereas the redoubt was considered an enclosed work.[4]
An illustration of Devonshire Redoubt, Bermuda, 1614
During the English Civil War, redoubts were frequently built to protect older fortifications from the more effective artillery of the period. Often close to ancient fortifications, there were small hills that overlooked the defences, but in previous centuries, they had been too far from the fortifications to be a threat. A small hill close to Worcester was used as an artillery platform by the Parliamentarians when they successfully besieged Worcester in 1646. In 1651 before the Battle of Worcester the hill was turned into a redoubt by the Royalists, (the remains of which can be seen today in Fort Royal Hill Park).
During the battle, the Parliamentarians captured the redoubt and turned its guns on Worcester. In so doing they made the defence of the city untenable. That action effectively ended the battle, the last of the English Civil War.
From 1715 onwards, the Order of Saint John built a number of redoubts in Malta, as part of an effort to improve the coastal fortifications of the islands. They were built in the middle of bays to prevent enemy forces from disembarking and outflanking the coastal batteries.[5]
The design of the redoubts was influenced by ones built in the French colonies. In all, eleven pentagonal redoubts and a few semi-circular or rectangular ones were built. Most redoubts have been demolished over the years, but a few still survive, such as Briconet Redoubt, Saint George Redoubt and Ximenes Redoubt.[6]
Four tour-reduits were also built. These were redoubts built in the form of a tower, with rows of musketry loopholes. Three were around Marsaxlokk Bay, and one was located in Marsalforn, Gozo. The only one still in existence is Vendôme Tower in Marsaxlokk.[7]
The earth settles following the explosion of the mine beneath Hawthorn Ridge Redoubt on July 1, 1916
The American Revolution defenses at West Point, New York included several redoubts, forts, and the Great Chain with links weighing more than 100 pounds each that Continental Army military engineers stretched across the Hudson River. The purpose behind the West Point defensive system was to prevent the British Army and Royal Navy from gaining control of the Hudson and splitting New England off from the mid-Atlantic and southern states. The chain blocked the river, the forts were positioned to fire on ships attempting to approach the chain, and outlying redoubts were well placed to defend land routes into West Point.[10]
Examples where redoubts played a crucial role in military history:
A national redoubt is an area to which the remnant forces of a nation can be withdrawn if the main battle has been lost, or beforehand if defeat is considered inevitable. Typically a region is chosen with a geography favouring defence, such as a mountainous area or a peninsula, in order to function as a final hold-out to preserve national independence for the duration of the conflict.
^"Browse 1828 => Word REDOUT :: Search the 1828 Noah Webster's Dictionary of the English Language". 1828.mshaffer.com. 3 June 2012. Retrieved 3 June 2012.
^ ab"Online Etymology Dictionary: redoubt". Etymonline.com. Retrieved 6 September 2012.
^. Civil War Field Fortifications flair Website. September 2005. Archived from the original on 19 January 2010.
^. Civil War Field Fortifications Website. March 2003. Archived from the original on 9 January 2010.
^Debono, Charles. . Mellieha.com. Archived from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
^Spiteri, Stephen C. (10 April 2010). . MilitaryArchitecture.com. Archived from the original on 8 November 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
^(PDF). Mare Nostrum. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 May 2015. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
^Spiteri, Stephen C. (May 2008). (PDF). Arx – Online Journal of Military Architecture and Fortification (6): 30–46. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 November 2016. Retrieved 23 April 2015.
^Spiteri, Stephen C. . MilitaryArchitecture.com. Archived from the original on 16 January 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
^Ruppert, Bob (11 January 2016). "Redoubt No. 4: Lynchpin of Fortress West Point". Journal of the American Revolution. Retrieved 8 February 2016.
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August 26, 2023
redoubt, other, uses, disambiguation, redoubt, historically, redout, fort, fort, system, usually, consisting, enclosed, defensive, emplacement, outside, larger, fort, usually, relying, earthworks, although, some, constructed, stone, brick, meant, protect, sold. For other uses see Redoubt disambiguation A redoubt historically redout 1 2 is a fort or fort system usually consisting of an enclosed defensive emplacement outside a larger fort usually relying on earthworks although some are constructed of stone or brick 3 It is meant to protect soldiers outside the main defensive line and can be a permanent structure or a hastily constructed temporary fortification The word means a place of retreat 2 Redoubts were a component of the military strategies of most European empires during the colonial era especially in the outer works of Vauban style fortresses made popular during the 17th century although the concept of redoubts has existed since medieval times A redoubt differs from a redan in that the redan is open in the rear whereas the redoubt was considered an enclosed work 4 An illustration of Devonshire Redoubt Bermuda 1614 Contents 1 Historically important redoubts 1 1 English Civil War 1 2 Malta 1 3 Other important redoubts 2 National redoubt 3 See also 4 ReferencesHistorically important redoubts EditEnglish Civil War Edit During the English Civil War redoubts were frequently built to protect older fortifications from the more effective artillery of the period Often close to ancient fortifications there were small hills that overlooked the defences but in previous centuries they had been too far from the fortifications to be a threat A small hill close to Worcester was used as an artillery platform by the Parliamentarians when they successfully besieged Worcester in 1646 In 1651 before the Battle of Worcester the hill was turned into a redoubt by the Royalists the remains of which can be seen today in Fort Royal Hill Park During the battle the Parliamentarians captured the redoubt and turned its guns on Worcester In so doing they made the defence of the city untenable That action effectively ended the battle the last of the English Civil War Malta Edit Vendome Tower in Marsaxlokk It is the only surviving tour reduit in Malta From 1715 onwards the Order of Saint John built a number of redoubts in Malta as part of an effort to improve the coastal fortifications of the islands They were built in the middle of bays to prevent enemy forces from disembarking and outflanking the coastal batteries 5 The design of the redoubts was influenced by ones built in the French colonies In all eleven pentagonal redoubts and a few semi circular or rectangular ones were built Most redoubts have been demolished over the years but a few still survive such as Briconet Redoubt Saint George Redoubt and Ximenes Redoubt 6 Four tour reduits were also built These were redoubts built in the form of a tower with rows of musketry loopholes Three were around Marsaxlokk Bay and one was located in Marsalforn Gozo The only one still in existence is Vendome Tower in Marsaxlokk 7 During the siege of Malta of 1798 1800 Maltese insurgents built a number of fortifications to bombard French positions and repel a possible counterattack Most of the fortifications were batteries but at least two redoubts Windmill Redoubt and Zabbar Redoubt were also built In 1799 British forces also built San Rocco Redoubt and San Lucian Redoubt in Malta No redoubts from the French blockade survive today 8 In the late 19th century the British built a redoubt near Fomm ir Riħ as part of the Victoria Lines 9 Other important redoubts Edit The earth settles following the explosion of the mine beneath Hawthorn Ridge Redoubt on July 1 1916The American Revolution defenses at West Point New York included several redoubts forts and the Great Chain with links weighing more than 100 pounds each that Continental Army military engineers stretched across the Hudson River The purpose behind the West Point defensive system was to prevent the British Army and Royal Navy from gaining control of the Hudson and splitting New England off from the mid Atlantic and southern states The chain blocked the river the forts were positioned to fire on ships attempting to approach the chain and outlying redoubts were well placed to defend land routes into West Point 10 Examples where redoubts played a crucial role in military history Battle of Poltava 1709 Battle of Bunker Hill 1775 Battle of Saratoga 1777 Battle of Yorktown 1781 in which Alexander Hamilton led his only infantry command s assault against a British redoubt Lines of Torres Vedras of the Peninsular War 1809 1810 Harwich Redoubt 1809 1810 Battle of Borodino 1812 Charge of the Light Brigade 1854 Railroad Redoubt of the Battle of Vicksburg 1863 Battle of Plevna 1877 1878 Battle of Rorke s Drift 1879 During World War I National Redoubt of Antwerp 1914 German Hohenzollern Redoubt and Hawthorn Ridge Redoubt 1916 During World War II Vercors Plateau redoubt used by the Free French ForcesNational redoubt EditMain article National redoubt A national redoubt is an area to which the remnant forces of a nation can be withdrawn if the main battle has been lost or beforehand if defeat is considered inevitable Typically a region is chosen with a geography favouring defence such as a mountainous area or a peninsula in order to function as a final hold out to preserve national independence for the duration of the conflict See also EditList of military structures ReduitReferences Edit Browse 1828 gt Word REDOUT Search the 1828 Noah Webster s Dictionary of the English Language 1828 mshaffer com 3 June 2012 Retrieved 3 June 2012 a b Online Etymology Dictionary redoubt Etymonline com Retrieved 6 September 2012 Dictionary of Fortifications Redoubt Civil War Field Fortifications flair Website September 2005 Archived from the original on 19 January 2010 Field Fortification On The Trace Of Field Fortifications Civil War Field Fortifications Website March 2003 Archived from the original on 9 January 2010 Debono Charles Coastal Redoubts Mellieha com Archived from the original on 23 September 2018 Retrieved 23 April 2015 Spiteri Stephen C 10 April 2010 18th Century Hospitaller Coastal Batteries MilitaryArchitecture com Archived from the original on 8 November 2015 Retrieved 23 April 2015 Vendome Tower PDF Mare Nostrum Archived from the original PDF on 31 May 2015 Retrieved 23 April 2015 Spiteri Stephen C May 2008 Maltese siege batteries of the blockade 1798 1800 PDF Arx Online Journal of Military Architecture and Fortification 6 30 46 Archived from the original PDF on 26 November 2016 Retrieved 23 April 2015 Spiteri Stephen C Naxxar and its fortifications MilitaryArchitecture com Archived from the original on 16 January 2016 Retrieved 29 January 2016 Ruppert Bob 11 January 2016 Redoubt No 4 Lynchpin of Fortress West Point Journal of the American Revolution Retrieved 8 February 2016 Wikimedia Commons has media related to Redoubts Look up redoubt in Wiktionary the free dictionary Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Redoubt amp oldid 1164759275, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
