I don't think they were that interested in the dead ground issue- after 
all they weren't in a conventional European war facing trained sappers. 
The fort could be seen as a compromise of resources and functions- a 
matter of contingency over theory-  but they didn't need much to keep 
the natives at bay and can only have hoped to gain time to evacuate if a 
major Spanish force arrived. English Civil War defences were not  a lot 
better but had generally had an earthen bank to resist artillery. 
However, as you suggest the place where you would have elaborated the 
defence is on the James river side which is of course gone for ever.


paul



Dan Gamble wrote:
> Carl,
> I work at Jamestown and am writing my thesis on James Fort and yes its
> desighn baffles me also. You are right about the dead space issue on the
> northern bulwark but the two southern bulwarks might have had a different
> configuration. Possibly a hornwork or crown work configuration that would
> have enhanced their fire power. Unfortunately, most of these bulwarks have
> dissapeared due to erosion. So we may never know.
> -----Original Message-----
> From: HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of
> [log in to unmask]
> Sent: Monday, February 05, 2007 12:58 PM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Vauban-Jamestowne
>
>
> Hi, Paul  -
>
> If Spanish shipping was the issue, then the Jamestowne fort design baffles
> me.
>
> In lookng at it form the point of view as defending against warships, the
> whole siting and design then makes little sense to me.
> They built the fort with its long, and weak, wooden wall at the edge of and
> parallel to the river, thereby exposing it to the heavier broadside of a
> ship's guns.  And, as designed, they would not even have been able to bring
> the full weight of their own cannon to bear.
>
> Oh, well...
>
> At the SHA, there was a professor there from, I think, the Univ. of
> Leichster.  The U. offers a distnace learning PhD program which would have
> allowed me to focus on my military interests.  US schools seem to have
> dismissed the distance learning opportunites at that level.  Bottom line
> was, however, that at 3,000 pounds tuition a term, it was just a pipe
> dream.
>
> Cheerio!
>
> Carl Barna
> Lakewood, CO
>
>
>
>              "paul.courtney2"
>              <Paul.courtney2@N
>              TLWORLD.COM>                                               To
>              Sent by:                  [log in to unmask]
>              HISTORICAL                                                 cc
>              ARCHAEOLOGY
>              <[log in to unmask]                                     Subject
>              >                         Re: Vauban-Jamestowne
>
>
>              02/05/2007 10:22
>              AM
>
>
>              Please respond to
>                 HISTORICAL
>                 ARCHAEOLOGY
>              <[log in to unmask]
>                      >
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Point taken but as Martins Hundred shows they could have used triangular
> bastions which were well established on the Continent. The fort design
> at Jamestown was clearly chosen- they must have known all about the
> theory of triangular bastions at this date from both military books and
> experience- and they were presumably geared as long suggested to firing
> at Spanish shipping
>
> paul
>
> [log in to unmask] wrote:
>   
>> Paul -
>>
>> Jamestowne did not have triangular bastions, but curved ones, which left
>> dead zones that could shelter attackers.  Vauban's angular bastion
>> construction eliminated that flaw.
>>
>> Carl Barna
>> Lakewood, CO
>>
>>
>>     
>
>