One of the things that makes Fort Knox unique are its two glacis (Glacises? Glacese? Glacia?), one of granite and one of brick. This, the granite one, faces the north and protects the fort as a whole, and Battery D in particular, from a direction from which it seems unlikely that an enemy might come, but it's hard to fault the decisions of Joseph Totten.
A glacis served a dual purpose for a starfort: It was meant to absorb and/or deflect incoming enemy artillery fire, but it was also meant to keep an advancing enemy in full view of the fort's defenders for as long as possible, enabling the swift and efficient slaughter of that attacking force. In this case however, such a rough, stepped glacis appears to have the absorbtion/deflection scheme as its intent.
A glacis served a dual purpose for a starfort: It was meant to absorb and/or deflect incoming enemy artillery fire, but it was also meant to keep an advancing enemy in full view of the fort's defenders for as long as possible, enabling the swift and efficient slaughter of that attacking force. In this case however, such a rough, stepped glacis appears to have the absorbtion/deflection scheme as its intent.
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