Besieging

Besieging is a military tactic in which an attacking force surrounds and isolates a fortified place to compel surrender without a direct assault. The aim is to deny the defenders access to relief, supplies, and communication, while applying pressure through deprivation, bombardment, and disruption of defense works. A besieged place may fall when the defenders are unable to hold out or decide to capitulate under the terms offered by the besiegers.

Besieging typically involves encirclement, control of lines of supply and retreat, and the construction of siege works. Methods include blockade of roads and ports, field works such as trenches and ramparts, and assaults on fortifications with artillery or mining. Mining and sapping are used to undermine walls or foundations; bombardment can erode defenses over time. In large campaigns, besieging forces may build circumvallation (a ring of defenses around the target) to prevent relief and contravallation (to shield their own lines from potential relief) as needed. If possible, armies also attempt to provoke a relief force or to force a breakout by the defenders.

Outcomes depend on logistics, morale, disease, and the strength of garrisons. Prolonged sieges can devastate civilian populations through famine and bombardment, even if the fortress is not stormed. Historically, sieges have played a central role from ancient to early modern times and continue to occur in various forms in modern conflicts, though their military value has often diminished with increased mobility, air power, and long-range artillery. Notable examples include the sieges of Jerusalem (587 BCE), Orleans (1429), Vienna (1529 and 1683), Leningrad (1941-42), and Stalingrad (1942-43).