Redan
Encyclopedia
Redan is a term related to fortifications. It is a work in a V-shaped salient
angle toward an expected attack. It can be made from earthworks or other material.
The redan developed from the lunette
, originally a half-moon-shaped outwork
; with shorter flanks it became a redan.
The Russians used redans on their left at the Battle of Borodino
against Napoleon
. A small redan whose faces make an obtuse angle with a vertex towards enemy is called flèche
, an arrow in French
. The Bagration flèches
were three redans backwards in echelon
. The Shevardino Redoubt
(another redan) was erected as an early warning post a mile in front of the Bagration flèches.
architecture commonly associated with golf architect Charles B. Macdonald
. The term alludes to the "Redan" type of fortification. Specifically, a Redan hole has a green which that downward and away from the point of entrance, typically the front right portion of the green. Links golf is played on the ground as much as in the air and, consequently, the green slopes away from the golfer playing to the green from the tee or fairway. Thus, it is often played in an indirect manner; that is, the player plays somewhat away from the target and then allows contours to direct the golf ball to its final resting point.
Macdonald's oft-quoted description from Scotland's Gift: Golf is as follows:
Take a narrow tableland, tilt it a little from right to left, dig a deep bunker on the front side, approach it diagonally and you have a Redan.
This definition serves well to explain the basic concept. Macdonald built his original American Redan as the fourth hole at the National Golf Links of America, commonly known as NGLA. He and his design cohorts, Seth Raynor and Charles "Steamshovel" Banks built a Redan or a reverse version of it at nearly every course that they constructed. It is a design element that has been copied by modern architects frequently - most notably the husband wife team of Pete and Alice Dye and Tom Doak. The design element can be used as a green complex of any "par" hole - a par 3 most commonly, but it may also be used as a par 4 or par 5 green complex.
Many Redan holes are flanked by a variety of deep bunkers, in the typical arrangement one fronts on the left side. The original "Redan" is the 15th hole on the West Links of North Berwick
. A frequent feature is a somewhat raised portion of ground with or without a bunker to the right (in a traditional Redan) side of the green which can be skillfully used to propel the ball onto the green and nearer the hole by the more skilled golfer. Redan holes in which the green is visible from the tee can produce a particular excitement for the golfer as the ball tracks its way to the hole. At the original Redan design in North Berwick, Scotland, the green is invisible (or blind) from the tee. The NGLA version, more the inspiration for modern copies than the original hole, introduced this concept of green visibility to the design. Many golf architecture connoisseurs feel that the NGLA hole is the perhaps the greatest example of this design, exceeding the original.
shared its name with the famous hole on the golf course, while there is also a Redan Inn in Chilcompton
, Somerset
. A street in Shepherd's Bush
, London
is named Redan Street, and the pub on the corner of Queensway
and Westbourne Grove
, London W2, is named The Redan. Its sign carries an illustration from a Napoleonic era battle. An area of Maryhill, Glasgow was known as 'The Redan' for many years and there is a closed down pub called 'The Redan' close to this area on Maryhill Road, Glasgow.
The census-designated place
of Redan, Georgia
was likely named for the redans built in the area during the Atlanta Campaign
of the American Civil War
.
Redan
is also a southern suburb of the regional city of Ballarat in central western Victoria, Australia. It was named for the fortifications used during the battle at Sevastopol in the Ukraine during the Crimean War.
Salients, re-entrants and pockets
A salient is a battlefield feature that projects into enemy territory. The salient is surrounded by the enemy on three sides, making the troops occupying the salient vulnerable. The enemy's line facing a salient is referred to as a re-entrant...
angle toward an expected attack. It can be made from earthworks or other material.
The redan developed from the lunette
Lunette (fortification)
In fortification a lunette was originally an outwork of half-moon shape; later it became a redan with short flanks, in trace somewhat resembling a bastion standing by itself without curtains on either side...
, originally a half-moon-shaped outwork
Outwork
An outwork is a minor defense, fortification, built or established outside the principal fortification limits, detached or semidetached. Outworks were developed in the 16th century, such as ravelins, lunettes , caponiers to shield bastions and fortification curtains from direct battery...
; with shorter flanks it became a redan.
The Russians used redans on their left at the Battle of Borodino
Battle of Borodino
The Battle of Borodino , fought on September 7, 1812, was the largest and bloodiest single-day action of the French invasion of Russia and all Napoleonic Wars, involving more than 250,000 troops and resulting in at least 70,000 casualties...
against Napoleon
Napoleon I of France
Napoleon Bonaparte was a French military and political leader during the latter stages of the French Revolution.As Napoleon I, he was Emperor of the French from 1804 to 1815...
. A small redan whose faces make an obtuse angle with a vertex towards enemy is called flèche
Flèche
A flèche is used in French architecture to refer to a spire and in English to refer to a lead-covered timber spire, or spirelet. These are placed on the ridges of church or cathedral roofs and are usually relatively small...
, an arrow in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
. The Bagration flèches
Bagration flèches
Bagration flèches , are certain historic military earthworks named after Pyotr Bagration who ordered their construction. They were the pivotal Russian strongholds on the left flank during the Battle of Borodino in 1812. Located south-west of Semyonovskoye village, flèches consisted of two...
were three redans backwards in echelon
Echelon formation
An echelon formation is a military formation in which members are arranged diagonally. Each member is stationed behind and to the right , or behind and to the left , of the member ahead...
. The Shevardino Redoubt
Redoubt
A redoubt is a fort or fort system usually consisting of an enclosed defensive emplacement outside a larger fort, usually relying on earthworks, though others are constructed of stone or brick. It is meant to protect soldiers outside the main defensive line and can be a permanent structure or a...
(another redan) was erected as an early warning post a mile in front of the Bagration flèches.
The "Redan hole" in golf
A Redan hole or Redan is an aspect of golf courseGolf course
A golf course comprises a series of holes, each consisting of a teeing ground, fairway, rough and other hazards, and a green with a flagstick and cup, all designed for the game of golf. A standard round of golf consists of playing 18 holes, thus most golf courses have this number of holes...
architecture commonly associated with golf architect Charles B. Macdonald
Charles B. Macdonald
Charles Blair Macdonald was a major figure in early American golf. He built the first 18-hole course in the United States, was a driving force in the founding of the United States Golf Association, won the first U.S...
. The term alludes to the "Redan" type of fortification. Specifically, a Redan hole has a green which that downward and away from the point of entrance, typically the front right portion of the green. Links golf is played on the ground as much as in the air and, consequently, the green slopes away from the golfer playing to the green from the tee or fairway. Thus, it is often played in an indirect manner; that is, the player plays somewhat away from the target and then allows contours to direct the golf ball to its final resting point.
Macdonald's oft-quoted description from Scotland's Gift: Golf is as follows:
Take a narrow tableland, tilt it a little from right to left, dig a deep bunker on the front side, approach it diagonally and you have a Redan.
This definition serves well to explain the basic concept. Macdonald built his original American Redan as the fourth hole at the National Golf Links of America, commonly known as NGLA. He and his design cohorts, Seth Raynor and Charles "Steamshovel" Banks built a Redan or a reverse version of it at nearly every course that they constructed. It is a design element that has been copied by modern architects frequently - most notably the husband wife team of Pete and Alice Dye and Tom Doak. The design element can be used as a green complex of any "par" hole - a par 3 most commonly, but it may also be used as a par 4 or par 5 green complex.
Many Redan holes are flanked by a variety of deep bunkers, in the typical arrangement one fronts on the left side. The original "Redan" is the 15th hole on the West Links of North Berwick
North Berwick West Links
One of two golf courses within North Berwick, the West Links is by far the more renowned. It regularly holds various championships and is used as a qualifying venue when The Open Championship is held at Muirfield...
. A frequent feature is a somewhat raised portion of ground with or without a bunker to the right (in a traditional Redan) side of the green which can be skillfully used to propel the ball onto the green and nearer the hole by the more skilled golfer. Redan holes in which the green is visible from the tee can produce a particular excitement for the golfer as the ball tracks its way to the hole. At the original Redan design in North Berwick, Scotland, the green is invisible (or blind) from the tee. The NGLA version, more the inspiration for modern copies than the original hole, introduced this concept of green visibility to the design. Many golf architecture connoisseurs feel that the NGLA hole is the perhaps the greatest example of this design, exceeding the original.
Place names
At the time of the Crimean War, several public houses in Britain adopted the name. The Redan Inn (now The Quarterdeck) in North BerwickNorth Berwick
The Royal Burgh of North Berwick is a seaside town in East Lothian, Scotland. It is situated on the south shore of the Firth of Forth, approximately 25 miles east of Edinburgh. North Berwick became a fashionable holiday resort in the 19th century because of its two sandy bays, the East Bay and the...
shared its name with the famous hole on the golf course, while there is also a Redan Inn in Chilcompton
Chilcompton
Chilcompton is a civil parish and village in Somerset, England, situated in the Mendip Hills two miles south of Midsomer Norton and 2.5 miles south-west of Westfield, close to the A37 .-History:...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
. A street in Shepherd's Bush
Shepherd's Bush
-Commerce:Commercial activity in Shepherd's Bush is now focused on the Westfield shopping centre next to Shepherd's Bush Central line station and on the many small shops which run along the northern side of the Green....
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
is named Redan Street, and the pub on the corner of Queensway
Queensway (London)
Queensway is a bustling cosmopolitan street in the Bayswater district of west London. It contains many restaurants , pubs, letting agents, and high street stores...
and Westbourne Grove
Westbourne Grove
Westbourne Grove is a retail road running across Notting Hill, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, a section of west London, England. It runs from Kensington Park Road in the west to Queensway in the east, crossing over Portobello Road...
, London W2, is named The Redan. Its sign carries an illustration from a Napoleonic era battle. An area of Maryhill, Glasgow was known as 'The Redan' for many years and there is a closed down pub called 'The Redan' close to this area on Maryhill Road, Glasgow.
The census-designated place
Census-designated place
A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
of Redan, Georgia
Redan, Georgia
Redan is a census-designated place in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2010 census, the CDP had a total population of 33,015. It is an affluent predominantly African American community in eastern DeKalb County....
was likely named for the redans built in the area during the Atlanta Campaign
Atlanta Campaign
The Atlanta Campaign was a series of battles fought in the Western Theater of the American Civil War throughout northwest Georgia and the area around Atlanta during the summer of 1864. Union Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman invaded Georgia from the vicinity of Chattanooga, Tennessee, beginning in May...
of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
Redan
Redan, Victoria
Redan is an inner suburb of Ballarat, Victoria, Australia immediately south of Ballarat Central. The population at the 2006 census was 2,958....
is also a southern suburb of the regional city of Ballarat in central western Victoria, Australia. It was named for the fortifications used during the battle at Sevastopol in the Ukraine during the Crimean War.
Further reading
- "New York State Military Museum and Veteran's Research Center", Glossary: Redan, NYS Division of Military and Navy Affairs
- Dictionary of Fortifications: Redan, Civil War Field Fortifications Website