The problem here was that these openings could be readily breached by enemy soldiers bearing tall ladders, a battle tactic known since the sixteenth century as “escalade.” Most of the fort’s cannon were thirty-two-pounders, each with a muzzle bore diameter of just over six inches, capable of firing a solid ball weighing—no mystery here—thirty-two pounds. The gun could also fire explosive shells that exited the barrel with a lit fuse; for close-order battle, it fired “canister” and “grape.” A round of canister shot, consisting of a can filled with small iron balls, was meant to hit the ground
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