"TYW Siege Fortifications" Topic

I am new to the group and building up a library. I am interested in siege fortifications used during the TYW. A lot of times all I can find are references to earthworks being prepared and subsequently attacked.
My question is were such 'earthworks' actually only made of earth with wooden supports for cannon embrasures and to support internal 'walls' and the face to the enemy were just packed earth? Or, were the made of packed earth but covered with wood planking, including those walls facing the enemy?

Many thanks

Dave

My understanding is the first of your options, that is, earth with wood for embrasures and the face was packed earth. Usually, at the start of work, the line of the works would be marked then the grass cut to form sods. These sods would be kept to face the external wall of the works, the grass was still alive and would help to bind the earth and stop it being washed away. Wood planking was always in short supply due to the time and effort taken to cut trees, season them and then cut them into planks. Sometimes this short supply could be relieved by dismantling houses and other buildings and the floorboards, doors, tables, etc. used but this was very unpopular with townsfolk and farmers the army was supposed to be defending.

The typical form of wooden support used in earthworks was various forms of wattling link as it could be made from freshly cut wood not to mention that you could use wood in such as branches that would have been useless for planking.

Gabions were an essential part of siege works if the army had the time and skill to make them.

Hasty earthworks would more often than not lack any form of woodens supports as the focus was on getting the best/largest possible ditch and wall before the enemy attacked rather than creating a more durable fortification.

This article can be downloaded as a PDF and should answer any question you might have about TYW fortifications: "Building a Model of a Field Fortification of the Thirty Years' War near Olbramov (Czech Republic)". link