Spanish American War
The process of surrounding the strong points of an enemy and slowly cutting off all its contact with the outside world is known as “laying a siege”. The purpose of the siege is to deny the fortification’s defenders access to supplies and food and to restrict the space available to them until such time as the location can be taken by force. Sieges date back to biblical times, but the principles for taking a fortification were formulated by Sebastien le Pestre de Vauban (1633-1707), a French Military Engineer in the service at King Louis XIV of France. His method was to study drawings to decide how the siege could best be undertaken.
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San Juan National Historic Site, Fort San Cristobal, Norzagaray Street, San Juan, PR 00901
Telephone: (787) 729-6777
Last Update: March, 2000