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Historic District in St. Augustine in St. Johns County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
 

Defense in Depth
⎯⎯⎯
Capas de defensas

Castillo de San Marcos National Monument

 
 
Defense in Depth / Capas de defensas Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, December 12, 2018
1. Defense in Depth / Capas de defensas Marker
Inscription.
Defense in Depth (English)
Enemy troops would have encountered an obstacle course of rising slopes, low walls, and ditches before reaching the Castillo's walls. The Spanish built this extensive defensive system to help protect the fort.

The ravelin, a wedge-shaped structure, shields the entrance. The moat and covered way enable soldiers to move around the fort, protected from enemy fire. The glacis limits how much of the fort the enemy can see or strike.

Moat The Castillo’s moat was typically kept dry.
Ravelin The ravelin protects the weakest part of the fort – the entrance.
Traverse An earthen embankment to provide additional cover for soldiers in the covered way.
Covered Way This area between the moat and the glacis provided cover from enemy fire for soldiers moving around the fort.
Glacis The Spanish built this long slope to protect the fort’s lower walls and moat from enemy cannon fire.

Capas de defensas (Spanish)
Al acercarse, cualquier enemigo se encontraría una serie de obstáculos con una ancha pendiente de tierra, muros bajos y un foso amplio antes de tocar las murallas del castillo. Los
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españoles construyeron este gran sistema de defensa para proteger la fortificación.

El revellín, estructura con forma de cuña, protege la entrada. El foso y el camino cubierto permiten que los soldados se muevan alrededor de las defensas sin peligro de tiros enemigos. El glacis limita la vista de artilleros enemigos.

Foso El foso típicamente se mantenía seco.
Revellín El revellín protégé el punto más debil del Castillo – la entrada.
Través Una barrera levantada en el camino cubierto para proporcionar proteccion contra el fuego enfilado.
Camino cubierto Esta zona entre el glacis y el foso protegía tanto los fusileros al igual que las murallas de impactos de artillería enemiga.
Glacis Este declive protegía los sectores inferiores de las murallas y el foso de los cañonazos del enemigo.
 
Erected 2018 by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: ArchitectureColonial EraForts and CastlesHispanic Americans.
 
Location. 29° 53.833′ N, 81° 18.709′ W. Marker is in
Marker detail: Castillo de San Marcos diagram image. Click for full size.
2. Marker detail: Castillo de San Marcos diagram
St. Augustine, Florida, in St. Johns County. It is in the Historic District. It can be reached from the intersection of South Castillo Drive (Business U.S. 1) and Cuna Street, on the right when traveling north. Marker is located on the Castillo de San Marcos National Monument grounds, along the sidewalk on the south side of the fort, near the main entrance, overlooking the San Pedro Bastion. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1 South Castillo Drive, Saint Augustine FL 32084, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in First Coast and in Greater Jacksonville. It is also in the American South. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Under Continuous Attack / Bajo ataques continuos (here, next to this
Defense in Depth Marker (<i>wide view; related marker on right; San Pedro Bastion in background</i>) image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, December 12, 2018
3. Defense in Depth Marker (wide view; related marker on right; San Pedro Bastion in background)
marker); Engulfed in Flames / Devorada por las llamas (within shouting distance of this marker); St. Peter's Bastion (within shouting distance of this marker); Crumbling Coquina / Piedra frágil (within shouting distance of this marker); Covered Way (within shouting distance of this marker); Well (within shouting distance of this marker); Firing Steps (within shouting distance of this marker); Ramp (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in St. Augustine.
 
Another marker is no longer nearby. Castillo de San Marcos National Monument (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been confirmed missing).
 
More about this marker. Marker is a large rectangular composite plaque, mounted horizontally on waist-high metal posts.
 
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Castillo de San Marcos National Monument
 
Also see . . .  Castillo de San Marcos National Monument. A monument not only of stone and mortar but of human determination and endurance, the Castillo de San Marcos symbolizes the clash between cultures which ultimately
Defense in Depth Marker (<i>wide view; related marker on right; moat & main gate in background</i>) image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, December 12, 2018
4. Defense in Depth Marker (wide view; related marker on right; moat & main gate in background)
resulted in our nation. Still resonant with the struggles of an earlier time, these original walls provide tangible evidence of America’s remarkable history. (Submitted on December 13, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.) 
 
Castillo de San Marcos San Pedro Bastion, South Wall and Moat (<i>wide view from near marker</i>) image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, December 12, 2018
5. Castillo de San Marcos San Pedro Bastion, South Wall and Moat (wide view from near marker)
Castillo de San Marcos Covered Way, between moat and glacis, on west side of fort image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, December 12, 2018
6. Castillo de San Marcos Covered Way, between moat and glacis, on west side of fort
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on August 20, 2020. It was originally submitted on December 10, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 492 times since then and 39 times this year. Photos:   1. submitted on December 12, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.   2. submitted on December 13, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.   3, 4. submitted on December 12, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.   5, 6. submitted on December 19, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.
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Jul. 15, 2026