Editing Blockhouse (section)

{{Short description|Type of fortification}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2014}}
[[File:FortEdwardWindsorNovaScotiaCanada.JPG|thumb|Completed in 1750, [[Fort Edward (Nova Scotia)|Fort Edward]] in [[Nova Scotia]], [[Canada]] is the oldest remaining military blockhouse in [[North America]].]]
[[File:Donjon chateau a motte saint sylvain.jpg|thumb|upright|Reconstructed [[Europe]]an wooden [[keep]] at [[Saint-Sylvain-d'Anjou]], [[France]], has a strong resemblance to a [[North America]]n western frontier log blockhouse]]

A '''blockhouse''' is a small [[fortification]], usually consisting of one or more rooms with [[Loophole (firearm)|loopholes]], allowing its defenders to fire in various directions.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Spiteri|first1=Stephen C.|author-link1=Stephen C. Spiteri|title=Illustrated Glossary of Terms used in Military Architecture|journal=ARX Supplement|page=637|url=http://www.militaryarchitecture.com/index.php/Journals/illustrated-glossary-of-military-architecture-terms.html|date=2010|publisher=MilitaryArchitecture.com|access-date=2 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170603174909/http://www.militaryarchitecture.com/index.php/Journals/illustrated-glossary-of-military-architecture-terms.html|archive-date=3 June 2017|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref> It is usually an isolated fort in the form of a single building, serving as a defensive strong point against any enemy that does not possess [[Siege engine|siege equipment]] or, in modern times, [[artillery]], [[air force]] or [[cruise missile]]s. A fortification intended to resist these weapons is more likely to qualify as a [[Fortification|fortress]] or a [[redoubt]], or in modern times, be an underground [[bunker]]. However, a blockhouse may also refer to a room within a larger fortification, usually a [[artillery battery|battery]] or redoubt.