Siege

The Second Siege Yorktown – 1862 Part II

Operations Siege 36 Min Read

A rough balance was restored with the arrival at Yorktown of John Bell Hood’s Texas brigade from Johnston’s army. Hood’s men had a sizable number of British-made Enfield rifles and knew how to use them. When the Yankee sharpshooters grew too bold, the Texans would slip into the forward picket line for what they liked to call a little squirrel…

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Byzantine Sail Siege Viking 14 Min Read

The Rus’ and the Byzantine Empire

George Majeska The Beginnings Relations between Rus’ and the Byzantine Empire centered at Constantinople (modern Istanbul) were not always friendly. Already in the early ninth century, Viking Rus’ had apparently pillaged the Byzantine city of Amastris on the Black Sea coast of Asia Minor, and by the 830s the Byzantine…

Crusades Medieval Siege 17 Min Read

Granada 1491

June–December 1491 Forces Engaged Castillian: Unknown. Commander: King Ferdinand. Moorish: Unknown. Commander: King Muhammed XI (Abu Abdullah, Boabdil). Importance Ferdinand’s successful siege brought to an end Moorish control over Spain, ending a conflict that had lasted almost 700 years. Historical Setting The Iberian Peninsula has long been the site of…

Ancient Warfare Siege 13 Min Read

Ancient Siegecraft

Military engineers invented the techniques for overcoming the defenses of fortified cities. One of the earliest inventions was the battering ram, which dates from at least 2500 b. c. e. 15 By 2000 b. c. e. the battering ram was found in almost all armies of the ancient world. The…

Ottoman Sail Siege 17 Min Read

FALL OF CONSTANTINOPLE 1453

Date: February–May 1453. Location: on the Sea of Marmara, modern Istanbul. Forces Engaged: Turkish: 80,000 men. Commander: Sultan Mohammed II. Byzantine: less than 10,000 men. Commander: Emperor Constantine XI Paleologus. Historical Setting Constantine the Great established the city of Constantinople as his capital in 323. He occupied the former city…

British Siege 4 Min Read

Toulon, 1793

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Japanese Siege Weapons

Early Fortifications Although fortifications were constructed in Japan prior to the feudal period, frequent conflicts…

The Medieval Siege

In ancient times, cities often had strong walls around them, and warfare against these cities…

Plataea 428 BC

The long war was marked by cruelties and breaches of honor on both sides, particularly…

Siege of Venice (August 1848–August 27, 1849)

Austrian fleet bombarding rebellious city of Venice during siege in 1849, by Giovanni Battista Borghesi…