Fortifications have been around for as long as there have been wars. Gun powder and cannons had the greatest effect on their design. Forts (from the Latin for strong) were designed to replace castles. Forts could use cannons and at the same time protect the defenders from cannon balls. The entire design was set up to create a crossfire that attacking soldiers could not avoid. Attacking soldiers would have two cannons pointed at them from the fort's corners or bastions.
Like almost everything invented during the Renaissance (1400s), Italians came up with the idea for bastion forts. It was a French gentleman that spread the idea. His name was Vauban and he worked for Louis XIV (1600s). Vauban was responsible for giving the parts of a fort their French names. Ravelin, Redoubt, Lunette, Redan, Demi-bastion; they all are raised areas of ground with a point on one or more sides with a cannon or cannons put on top. These piles of dirt slow down or ricochet cannon balls and the ditch that now surrounds the pile can be filled with dangerous pointy obstacles that also have French names. Palisade, Fraise, Chevaux de Frises, Abatis ; essentially logs and branches that have been sharpened.
The inside of a fort was a self contained community designed to survive long sieges. The barracks, storehouses, kitchens and repair shops were built as forts within a fort and could be defended. Larger fortifications that contained a town were considered a fortress; Fortresse Louisbourg in Nova Scotia is an excellent example. If you think that Monsieur Vauban was stealing ideas from Italian engineers do not be too hard on him. The Italian engineers were taking many ideas from their Roman ancestors who built forts all over Europe 2000 years ago.
Canadian forts have some unique differences in their design. Many European fortifications incorporated water obstacles and moats but with winter temperatures moats become skating rinks. European forts and castles have gates that open out, to prevent an enemy from smashing them in. However, if it snowed heavily, some soldiers had to climb over and through pointy obstacles to clear the snow in front of the gate. Many Canadian forts have gates that open in but they have been reinforced to make them as strong as outward opening gates.
Roman Legionaire, Iroquois Warrior, Japanese Samurai or French Engineer; the factors in planning fortifications were the same. The fort should be placed on high ground along an important transportation route. It needed a water supply and food supplies for the garrison of soldiers and civilian refugees. The fort had to offer protection from projectile weapons and be surrounded by layers of obstacles. Raised platforms were placed in the corners of the fort to fire on attackers.
