Medieval Glossary

Outworks

In fortification, outworks are minor defenses constructed beyond the main body of a work, for the purpose of keeping the enemy at a distance, or commanding certain salient points which it is undesirable that the enemy should occupy. Such works include ravelins, lunettes, hornworks, crown-works, demi-lunes, tenailles, etc. They occur in certain necessary order, as a ravelin before the curtain and tenaille, a hornwork before a ravelin, and so on.

Related term(s): Lunette; Hornwork; Crown-work; Demi-lune; Tenaille; Ravelin
Category: Castles and Fortifications
Added: 09.03.05
Source information: Wilhelm, Thomas. A Military Dictionary and Gazetteer. Philadelphia: L.R. Hamersly & Co., 1881. 400.

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