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The Siege of Alicant, Spain in 1709. Caption bellow illustration: "The mine at last blew up; the rock opened and shut; the whole mountain felt convulsion, the governor and field officers, with their company, ten guns, and two mortars, were buried in the Abyss."

The Siege of Alicant

The Siege of Alicant, Spain in 1709. Caption bellow illustration: "The mine at last blew up; the rock…

The Appomattox Campaign (March 29, 1865 – April 9, 1865) was a series of battles fought in Virginia that culminated in the surrender of Confederate General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and the effective end of the American Civil War.

After Appomattox

The Appomattox Campaign (March 29, 1865 – April 9, 1865) was a series of battles fought in Virginia…

"In the thirteenth year of the reign of Nabuchodonosor, the two and twentieth day of the first month, the word was given out in the house of Nabuchodonosor king of the Assyrians, that he would revenge himself. And he called all the ancients, and all the governors, and his officers of war, and communicated to them the secret of his counsel: And he said that his thoughts were to bring all the earth under his empire. And when this saying pleased them all, Nabuchodonosor, the king, called Holofernes the general of his armies, And said to him: Go out against all the kingdoms of the west, and against them especially that despised my commandment. Thy eye shall not spare any kingdom, and all the strong cities thou shalt bring under my yoke. Then Holofernes called the captains and officers of the power of the Assyrians: and he mustered men for the expedition, as the king commanded him, a hundred and twenty thousand fighting men on foot, and twelve thousand archers, horsemen." Judith 2:2-7 DRA <p>Illustration of the vast armies of Nebuchadnezzar.

Army of King Nebuchadnezzar

"In the thirteenth year of the reign of Nabuchodonosor, the two and twentieth day of the first month,…

"The Battering Ram is an ancient military contrivance used for battering down walls. It consisted of a pole or beam of wood, sometimes as much as 80, 100, or even 120 feet in length."&mdash;(Charles Leonard-Stuart, 1911)

Battering Ram

"The Battering Ram is an ancient military contrivance used for battering down walls. It consisted of…

In 1189, Colchester was granted its first Royal Charter by King Richard I (Richard the Lionheart.) In 1648, during the Second English Civil War, a Royalist army led by Sir Charles Lucas and Sir George Lisle entered the town. A pursuing Parliamentary army led by Sir Thomas Fairfax and Henry Ireton surrounded the town for eleven and a half weeks, a period known as the Siege of Colchester. The Royalists surrendered in the late summer and their leaders Lucas and Lisle were executed in the grounds of Colchester Castle. A small obelisk marks the spot where they fell.

Fairfax Taking Possession of Cochester

In 1189, Colchester was granted its first Royal Charter by King Richard I (Richard the Lionheart.) In…

"Curtain, in Fortification, is the portion of rampart or wall between two bastions or two gates. In a regular siege, to batter down the curtain is one of the main operations depended on; and many of the external works constructed by the defenders are intended to frustrate, or at least embarrass, this operation. In the annexed cut, which shows a ground-plan of some of the elements of a regular fortification, FF' is the curtain; HAEF, a bastion. The component parts of the bastion are thus designated: AH and AE, two faces; EF and GH, two flanks; A, the salient; FG, the gorge; and H and E, the shoulders. mn is the rampart; mo, the parapet on the rampart; QPQ', the ditch; NO, the covery-way; RWR', the glacis; KLL', a ravelin." &mdash; Chambers' Encyclopedia, 1875

Curtain

"Curtain, in Fortification, is the portion of rampart or wall between two bastions or two gates. In…

An illustration of the besieging of a Dacian City.

Siege of a Dacian City

An illustration of the besieging of a Dacian City.

A Roman siege, led by Trajan, of a Dacian stronghold, a stone wall of protection.

Dacian Stronghold

A Roman siege, led by Trajan, of a Dacian stronghold, a stone wall of protection.

As June wore on, Grant pressed the siege with vigor. Johnston tried to help Pemberton, but could not. Grant proceeded to mine under some of the Confederate works to blow them up. One of these, known as Fort Hill Bastion, was in front of McPherson, ad on the afternoon of June 25 it was exploded with terrible effect, making a great breach, at which a fierce struggle ensued.

Blowing Up Fort Hill Bastion

As June wore on, Grant pressed the siege with vigor. Johnston tried to help Pemberton, but could not.…

Fort Pulaski was prepared for a possible infantry attack. However, Fort Pulaski never endured a direct land assault. With 36 guns, including the new James Rifled Cannon, Union troops began a long sustained bombardment of Fort Pulaski.

Breach in Fort Pulaski

Fort Pulaski was prepared for a possible infantry attack. However, Fort Pulaski never endured a direct…

The Siege of Fort Morgan occurred during the American Civil War as part of the battle for Mobile Bay in 1864.

Capture of Fort Morgan, Mobile Bay

The Siege of Fort Morgan occurred during the American Civil War as part of the battle for Mobile Bay…

Battle at Nashville between Union and Confederate forces.

Siege of Nashville

Battle at Nashville between Union and Confederate forces.

Detail from a larger engraving of the siege of Boulogne in 1544 during the campaigns of Henry VIII in France. The detail has a banner in the upper left corner that reads "Highe Bovilloigne" and another that labels one encampment, "The Duke of Al Berkinnys Campe". The detail is from the center of the larger image. Boulogne is at the top of the illustration and their are plumes of smoke and evidence of explosions. The Basilica of Notre-Dame de Boulogneis damaged. Canons are set up as trenches are dug outside the city. There are archers and men with rifles attacking. Several soldiers with spears breach one area of the city. A man is being hung. In the foreground, troops on horseback with spears and flags cluster near an encampment of tents.

Siege of Boulogne by King Henry VIII, Detail of Cowdray Engraving

Detail from a larger engraving of the siege of Boulogne in 1544 during the campaigns of Henry VIII in…

An aerial view of the siege of Château Gaillard, also called the Saucy Castle. Construction of the castle was begun by Richard the Lionheart in 1196. The castle was besieged by the French who are pictured encamped to the south of the castle with a siege tower and two catapults. The fortified town of Petit-Andely is pictured to the north in the background. The River Seine runs to the west.

The Siege of Château Gaillard, the Saucy Castle of Richard the Lionheart - Aerial View

An aerial view of the siege of Château Gaillard, also called the Saucy Castle. Construction of the…

"According to the poets, it was by stratagem that this famous city was at last overcome. They tell us that the Greeks constructed a wooden horse of prodigious size, and in the body of which they concealed a number of armed men, and then retired towards the sea-shore to induce the enemy to believe that the besiegers had given up the enterprise, and were about to return home. Deceived by this maneuver, the Trojans brought the gigantic horse into the city, and the men who had been concealed within it, stealing out in the night time, unbarred the gates and admitted the Grecian army within the walls." — Goodrich, 1844

Trojan horse

"According to the poets, it was by stratagem that this famous city was at last overcome. They tell us…

The Vicksburg Campaign was a series of maneuvers and battles in the Western Theater of the American Civil War directed against Vicksburg, Mississippi, a fortress city that dominated the last Confederate-controlled section of the Mississippi River. The Union Army of the Tennessee under Maj. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant gained control of the river by capturing this stronghold and defeating Lt. Gen. John C. Pemberton's forces stationed there.

Vicksburg during the Civil War

The Vicksburg Campaign was a series of maneuvers and battles in the Western Theater of the American…

During the siege, Union gunboats lobbed over 22,000 shells into the town and army artillery fire was even heavier. As the barrages continued, suitable housing in Vicksburg was reduced to a minimum. A ridge, located between the main town and the rebel defense line, provided a diverse citizenry with lodging for the duration. Over 500 caves were dug into the yellow clay hills of Vicksburg. Whether houses were structurally sound or not, it was deemed safer to occupy these dugouts.

Cave Life in Vicksburg

During the siege, Union gunboats lobbed over 22,000 shells into the town and army artillery fire was…

Union forces bombarded the city all night, from 220 artillery pieces and naval gunfire from Rear Adm. David D. Porter's fleet in the river, and while causing little property damage, they damaged Confederate civilian morale. On the morning of May 22, the defenders were bombarded again for four hours before the Union attacked once more along a three-mile front at 10 a.m.

Porter's Fleet Shelling the Batteries Vicksburg

Union forces bombarded the city all night, from 220 artillery pieces and naval gunfire from Rear Adm.…

An illustration of George Washington lighting a cannon at the siege of Yorktown.

George Washington at Siege of Yorktown

An illustration of George Washington lighting a cannon at the siege of Yorktown.

"A French watch tower of the fifteenth century in time of the siege. The tower is lighted by means of beacons and is protected by dogs. Ruins of such a tower can still be seen at Godesberger on the Rhine." -Bodmer, 1917

Medieval Watch Tower

"A French watch tower of the fifteenth century in time of the siege. The tower is lighted by means of…