| Terms for the Castillo de San Marcos in the Presidio of St. Augustine |
| bartizan or guérite - A projecting cylindrical form, usually located high up on the corner of a fortified structure, which served as a lookout or watchtower. bastion - 4 sided salient which projects from the scarp of a fort battlement - a wall or parapet placed on the top of a fort with open places for shooting cannons. bombproof - a room built to resist destruction by bombardment bonnet - a cap - or v-shaped work, raised in front of a fortification salient to shield it from frontal fire. coping - the highest or covering course of a wall. Cordon - the ornamental projecting course of stone where the parapet wall joins the scarp counterscarp wall opposite the scarp; moat wall covered way - area between the moaat and the exterior embankment (glacis) covered from enemy fire by this embankment. curtain - the wall connectiing two bastions. embrasure - an opening in a wall or parapet, through which cannon are fired en barbette - artillery positioned to fire over a parapet rather than through an embrasure in the parapet field of fire - area in front of an earthwork that can be covered by weapons firing step - (banquette) the raised step or bank along the inside of a parapet gate - entrance - sallyport glacis -- the embankment or slope from the covered way twoard the open country gorge - the throat or entrance into a bastion parade - (piazza) the enterior ground surface of the fort - serves as a parade area or assembly area parade wall - the enterior wall of a rampart which surrounds the parade area. parapet - a wall raised above the main wall or rampart of the fort to protect the defenders from attacking fire. portcullis - a grating to close the entrance of a fortification ravelin - (Demie lune) an outer defense or detached fortification raised before a curtain, and before the gate as a shield sally port - exit for troops, gate sap trench - (Governor Moore, 1703) trench dug by the besieger to get close to the enemy's line scarp - front slope of the rampart or main wall of the fort shot furnace - A furnace for heating solid cannon shot prior to firing at ships. The hot shot would set fire to the rigging, sails and wooden decks all susceptible to fire terreplein - horizontal surface in rear of the parapet which guns may be mounted traverse - barrier across part of a defensive area to give protection from enfilade fire. turret - a small and slender tower, sometimes projecting from the main rampart. water battery - A battery consisting of two or more guns that is nearly level with the water. |