Military
5
Fort McHenry’s main entrance was the weakest part of the fort’s walls and the most vulnerable point in its defenses. Fearing a British land attack, the defenders built the wedge-shaped Ravelin in 1813 to protect the entrance by splitting an enemy assault against the main gate. The fort’s star shape allowed cannons to be mounted on each bastion, or point, to catch an enemy in a deadly crossfire, while a surrounding ditch, or dry moat, protected both the walls and the 600 U.S. infantry troops.
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Baltimore, Maryland · United States
