Military
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The Spanish built the star-shaped Castillo de San Marcos in the late-1600s in response to the advent of the cannon. Its complex form allowed a battery of cannons on the gun deck to create interlocking fields of fire, while diamond-shaped bastions produced crossfire to repel attackers. From the bastions and curtain walls, cannon fire could deter or engage an advancing army, and a wide ditch at the base of the fort left invaders exposed to musket fire from above. Thick walls and a rising slope deflected incoming cannonballs, and despite attacks, the Castillo de San Marcos was never conquered.
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