Bombardment

Bombardment is an attack upon a fortress or fortified town by means of shells, red-hot shot, carcasses, rockets, &c., to destroy the fortifications, burn the houses, and kill the people. It is most likely to be successful against a place destitute of bomb-proof cover; or one having a large civil population. A bombardment is a cruel operation, especially when, as is often the case, it is directed against the civilians and their buildings, as a means of inducing or compelling the governor to surrender the place, and terminate their miseries. It requires little engineering science; whereas a regular siege, which is a much slower process, requires the aid of engineers to direct the attack against fortifications, guns, and soldiery, leaving the inhabitants and buildings untouched. In modern times, a bombardment is generally adopted as an adjunct to a siege, distracting the garrison by an incessant fire from mortars and heavy guns day and night. At Sebastopol, for instance, the mortars fired shells into the centre of the city, while the forts were cannonaded by the siege-guns. A bombardment is more frequently a naval than a military operation, and in that case is undertaken without an investment, or any intention of capturing the place, but simply with the object of destroying it. The stores required for a vigorous bombardment are immense. Thus, in 1759 Rodney threw 20,000 shells and carcasses into Havre; in 1792 the Duke of Saxe-Teschen threw 36,000 shot and shell into Lille in 140 hours; in 1795 Pichegru threw 8000 shells into Mannheim in 16 hours; and in 1807 the English threw 11,000 shot and shell into Copenhagen in 3 days. In January 1871 the Germans, bombarding Paris and its forts, threw 10,000 shells daily into the place, of which 500 fell in the city itself. The siege and bombardment of Strasburg in August and September is also memorable. The bombardment of the forts of Alexandria by the British fleet on the 11th July 1882, is a recent example of the effect of the enormous modern shells. It was directed against the fortifications with the intention of destroying them, and not against the town, though the latter was set on fire in several places by these far-ranging projectiles. The forts were silenced in 24 hours.