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Shoreham Fort |
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Caponiers
The Caponiers are sited on south, east and west of the fort, giving the men inside a full view along the Carnot wall and ditch. Each of the windows or rifle slits are where the men would stand, making almost impossible for the persons attacking to get a clear shot, but giving the soldiers defending a wide range of views. The reason that Shoreham Has Caponiers in replacement to bastions, was due to the theory that, if cannon fire hit the shingle on the beach in front of the fort, it would then ricochet the pebbles into the bastions then hitting the men. Caponiers with there roofed design would prevent this. Both the east and west Caponiers had another purpose, they were the water closets (toilets) for the men. The west Caponier being for the officers and the east for the other men. If you look closely inside the east Caponier you can still see where the slate dividers once were, giving the soldiers a little more privacy from the other men. Once they had used there buckets they would empty them in a pit next to the Caponier door.
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