Siege Warfare

The development of fortification has always been partly dictated by the type of siege tactics and equipment used against them. The basic techniques of siege craft established in the ancient world continued to dominate siege warfare until the introduction of the cannon, some techniques were still employed in this day and age. Basically, an attacker confronted by a wall has five options, if you include retreat. The are as follows; 1) Blockade "" to cut off supply of provisions and re-enforcements to the fortification. 2) Escalade "" to attack the wall using scaling ladders and or siege towers. 3) Breach "" to cause a breach in the wall by attacking the masonry of the wall using siege equipment (bore, ram, mouse). 4) Mining "" to cause a breach in the wall by undermining it, or combination of escalade, breaching and mining. 5) Retreat "" to retreat was also an option when attacked or threatened by a relieving force. (6) trickery- to gain access by means of ruse or treason. Weapons & Warfare.

Read More about Siege Warfare