An illustration of Devonshire Redoubt, Bermuda, 1614
A
redoubt is a
fort or fort system usually consisting of an enclosed defensive emplacement outside a larger fort, usually relying on
earthworks, though others are constructed of stone or brick.
It is meant to protect soldiers outside the main line of defense and can be a permanent structure or a hastily-constructed temporary fortification. Redoubts were a component of the military strategies of most European empires during the colonial era, especially in the outer works of
Vauban-style fortresses made popular during the 17th century, although the concept of redoubts has existed since medieval times. A redoubt differs from a
redan in that the redan is open in the rear, whereas the redoubt was considered an enclosed work.
The advent of
mobile warfare in the 20th Century generally diminished the importance of the defense of static positions and
siege warfare, though combat bases and
fire bases of the
Vietnam War, and
Forward Operating Bases of the
Iraq War and
Afghanistan can be seen as the descendants of this type of fortified position.
Historically important redoubts
Wars of the Three Kingdoms
During the
Wars of the Three Kingdoms redoubts were frequently built to protect older fortifications from the more effective artillery of the period. Often close to ancient fortifications there were small hills that overlooked the defences, but in previous centuries these had been too far from the fortifications to be a threat. A small hill close to Worcester was used as an artillery platform by the
Parliamentarians when they successfully
besieged Worcester in 1646. In 1651 before the
Battle of Worcester the hill was turned into a redoubt by the
Royalists, (the remains of which can be seen today in
Fort Royal Hill Park). During the
Battle of Worcester, the Parliamentarians captured this redoubt and turned its guns on Worcester. In so doing they made the defence of the city untenable. This action effectively ended the battle, the last of the
English Civil War.
Other important redoubts
See the
Battle of Poltava (1709), the
Battle of Yorktown (1781) where Alexander Hamilton led his only military command against a British redoubt, the
Battle of Bunker Hill (1775), the
Lines of Torres Vedras of the
Peninsular War (1809–1810), the
Battle of Borodino (1812), the
Charge of the Light Brigade (1854), the
Railroad Redoubt of the
Battle of Vicksburg (1863), and during
World War I the "
National Redoubt of Antwerp" (1914) as well as the
Hawthorn Ridge Redoubt (1916) are examples where redoubts played a crucial role in military history.
Other meanings
The word redoubt also occurs as a verb meaning "to dread, stand in awe or apprehension of: a person, nation, thing, or event. The word also denotes something respected, noted, distinguished, commanding respect, reverence, or apprehension.
See also
