13
Swiss sapper in service to Napoleonic France (thelemmy.club)
submitted 1 month ago by PugJesus@piefed.social to c/historyart@piefed.social
2 comments fedilink hide all child comments
top 2 comments
sorted by: hot top new old
[-] Tar_alcaran@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 month ago

An axe seems like a shitty tool for earthworks. Though a useful one for stakes and abatis...

[-] PugJesus@piefed.social 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Sappers of the Napoleonic army were often of the more destructive side of military engineering - getting gates, fences, and blockages open for the rest of the troops was a major function of their's!

A sapper having bashed loose a farmhouse (used by British troops as a makeshift fortification) gate at Waterloo:

this post was submitted on 21 Apr 2026
13 points (100.0% liked)

HistoryArt

757 readers
99 users here now

This magazine is for sharing artwork of historical events, places, personages, etc. Scale models and the like also welcome!

MORE COMMS ON THE HISTORYVERSE:

founded 10 months ago
MODERATORS
Deceptichum@quokk.au
PugJesus@piefed.social