Caponier
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A caponier is a type of defensive structure in a fortification. Fire from this point could cover the ditch beyond the curtain wall to deter any attempt to storm the wall. The word originates from the
Rifle port inside a caponier, Fort Napoleon, Ostend, Belgium.
A caponier covered with a layer of earth, Sacavém Fort, Portugal.
Interior of caponier at Fort de Bois l'Abbé
Caponier, Fort Napoleon, Ostend, Belgium
Counterscarp
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A scarp and a counterscarp are the inner and outer sides, respectively, of a ditch or moat used in fortifications. Attackers must descend the counterscarp and ascend the scarp. In permanent fortificat
Caponier
…fire from a single caponier. Caponiers are often wedge shaped so that they can fire down both angles of the ditch. An alternative to the caponier is a counterscarp battery, dug into the outer face of the corner of the ditch, giving a similar field of fire. Reached by a tunnel from within the fort, it does not have…
Counterscarp of a Napoleon era polygonal fort (Fort Napoleon, Ostend). Counterscarps had become vertical by this time. The housing at the bottom of the ditch is a caponier from where the defenders could fire on attackers that managed to climb down into the ditch, while being protected from cannon fire themselves.
The counterscarp gallery at Southsea Castle in Portsmouth, England