The Ravelin

This wedge-shaped outwork protected the fort's sally port from enemy fire and helped control access to the star fort. The U.S. Army built the original ravelin in 1813, and the structure was modified to its present dimensions in 1837. The ravelin and dry moat provided a first line of defense against a land attack, though none ever came. In 1814 the ravelin stood like a brick island in a dry moat, with removable bridges connecting the star fort with the outside world. Its triangular design offered enemy soldiers no place to take cover from the star fort's guns, and two doors along the rear scarp walls lead to an underground magazine where gunpowder and ammunition were stored just after the Civil War.

Baltimore, Maryland · United States