Editing Pontoon bridge (section)

===Early modern period===

[[File:Parma's bridge over the Scheldt, built of ships - Schipbrug van Parma over de Schelde.jpg|thumb|Parma's bridge over the Scheldt in 1584, built of ships. 1616 illustration.]]
[[File:Virginia, Pontoon boat used by the Army of the Potomac - NARA - 533332.tif|thumb|Pontoon boat of the U.S. Army, 1864]]
[[File:pontoon bridge 1865.jpg|thumb|Pontoon bridge across the James River at Richmond, Virginia, 1865]]
[[File:Bridge of Boats on the Ravi River, Pakistan, 1895.gif|right|thumb|A bridge of boats over the [[Ravi River]] in British India, 1895]]

Before the [[Battle of Worcester]], the final battle of the [[English Civil War]], on 30 August 1651, [[Oliver Cromwell]] delayed the start of the battle to give time for two pontoon bridges to be constructed, one over the [[River Severn]] and the other over the [[River Teme]], close to their confluence. This allowed Cromwell to move his troops West of the Severn during the action on 3 September 1651 and was crucial to the victory by his [[New Model Army]].

The Spanish Army constructed a pontoon bridge at the [[Battle of Río Bueno]] in 1654. However, as the bridge broke apart it all ended in a sound defeat of the Spanish by local [[Huilliche people|Mapuche-Huilliche]] forces.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Historia general de Chile|last=Barros Arana|first=Diego|publisher=Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes|location=Alicante|chapter-url=http://www.cervantesvirtual.com/obra-visor/historia-general-de-chile-tomo-cuarto--0/html/ff2f1efc-82b1-11df-acc7-002185ce6064_69.html#I_15_|edition=Digital edition based on the second edition of 2000|volume=Tomo cuarto|language=es|chapter=Capítulo XIV|author-link=Diego Barros Arana|page=347|access-date=2019-08-05|archive-date=2019-10-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191019183409/http://www.cervantesvirtual.com/obra-visor/historia-general-de-chile-tomo-cuarto--0/html/ff2f1efc-82b1-11df-acc7-002185ce6064_69.html#I_15_|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Historia militar de Chile|last1=Pinochet Ugarte|first1=Augusto|publisher=Biblioteca Militar|year=1997|last2=Villaroel Carmona|first2=Rafael|last3=Lepe Orellana|first3=Jaime|last4=Fuente-Alba Poblete|first4=J. Miguel|author-link4=Juan Miguel Fuente-Alba|last5=Fuenzalida Helms|first5=Eduardo|edition=3rd|language=es|author-link=Augusto Pinochet|page=79}}</ref>
French general [[Jean Lannes]]'s troops built a pontoon bridge to cross the [[Po river]] prior to the [[Battle of Montebello (1800)]]. [[Napoleon]]'s [[Grande Armée]] made extensive use of pontoon bridges at the battles of [[Battle of Aspern-Essling|Aspern-Essling]] and [[Battle of Wagram|Wagram]] under the supervision of General [[Henri Gatien Bertrand]]. General [[Jean Baptiste Eblé]]'s engineers erected four pontoon bridges in a single night across the Dnieper during the [[Battle of Smolensk (1812)]]. Working in cold water, Eblé's Dutch engineers constructed a 100-meter-long pontoon bridge during the [[Battle of Berezina]] to allow the Grande Armée to escape to safety. During the [[Peninsular War]] the British army transported "tin pontoons"<ref>{{cite book |last=Porter |first=Maj Gen Whitworth |title=History of the Corps of Royal Engineers Vol I |year=1889 |publisher=The Institution of Royal Engineers |location=Chatham}}</ref>{{rp|353}} that were lightweight and could be quickly turned into a floating bridge.

Lt Col [[Charles Pasley]] of the [[Royal School of Military Engineering]] at Chatham [[England]] developed a new form of pontoon which was adopted in 1817 by the British Army. Each pontoon was split into two halves, and the two pointed ends could be connected together in locations with tidal flow. Each half was enclosed, reducing the risk of swamping, and the sections bore multiple lashing points.<ref name="think">{{cite web |url=http://www.thinkdefence.co.uk/2011/12/uk-military-bridging-floating-equipment/ |title=UK Military Bridging – Floating Equipment |date=11 December 2011 |publisher=thinkdefence.co.uk |access-date=6 December 2014 |archive-date=9 December 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141209045339/http://www.thinkdefence.co.uk/2011/12/uk-military-bridging-floating-equipment/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

The "Palsey pontoon" lasted until 1836 when it was replaced by the "Blanshard pontoon" which comprised tin cylinders 3 feet wide and 22 feet long, placed 11 feet apart, making the pontoon very buoyant.<ref name=think/> The pontoon was tested with the Palsey pontoon on the Medway.<ref>{{cite news |title=CW Pasley & T Blanshard article |newspaper=Army and Navy Chronicle |page=Volumes 3 No 18 page 273}}</ref>

An alternative proposed by Charles Pasley comprised two copper canoes, each 2 foot 8 inches wide and 22 foot long and coming in two sections which were fastened side by side to make a double canoe raft. Copper was used in preference to fast-corroding tin. Lashed at 10 foot centres, these were good for cavalry, infantry and light guns; lashed at 5 foot centres, heavy cannon could cross. The canoes could also be lashed together to form rafts. One cart pulled by two horse carried two half canoes and stores.<ref>{{cite news |title=CW Pasley letter dated 28 June 1836 |newspaper=Army and Navy Chronicle |page=Volumes 3 No 18 page 274}}</ref>

A comparison of pontoons used by each nations army shows that almost all were open boats coming in one, two or even three pieces, mainly wood, some with canvas and rubber protection. Belgium used an iron boat; the United States used cylinders split into three.<ref name=think/>

In 1862, the Union forces commanded by [[Major general (United States)|Major General]] [[Ambrose Burnside]] were stuck on the wrong side of the [[Rappahannock River]] at the [[Battle of Fredericksburg]] for lack of the arrival of the pontoon train, resulting in severe losses.<ref name="MJWII">{{cite book |last=Porter |first=Maj Gen Whitworth |title=History of the Corps of Royal Engineers Vol II |year=1889 |publisher=The Institution of Royal Engineers |location=Chatham}}</ref>{{rp|115}} <ref name="CWPB">{{cite web |url=http://www.wadehamptoncamp.org/pontoon.html |title=Civil War Pontoon Bridges |access-date=2015-10-22 |archive-date=2015-10-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151023213135/http://www.wadehamptoncamp.org/pontoon.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The report of this disaster resulted in Britain forming and training a Pontoon Troop of Engineers.<ref name=MJWII/>{{rp|116–8}}

During the [[American Civil War]] various forms of pontoon bridges were tried and discarded. Wooden pontoons and India rubber bag pontoons shaped like a torpedo proved impractical until the development of cotton-canvas covered pontoons, which required more maintenance but were lightweight and easier to work with and transport.<ref name=CWPB/> From 1864 a lightweight design known as [[Cumberland Pontoons]], a folding boat system, were widely used during the [[Atlanta Campaign]] to transport soldiers and [[artillery]] across rivers in the [[Southern United States|South]].{{citation needed|date=August 2015}}

In 1872 at a military review before [[Queen Victoria]], a pontoon bridge was thrown across the [[River Thames]] at [[Windsor, Berkshire]], where the river was {{convert|250|ft|m}} wide. The bridge, comprising 15 pontoons held by 14 anchors, was completed in 22 minutes and then used to move five battalions of troops across the river. It was removed in 34 minutes the next day.<ref name=MJWII/>{{rp|122–124}}

At [[Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin]], the [[Pile-Pontoon Railroad Bridge]] was constructed in 1874 over the [[Mississippi River]] to carry a railroad track connecting that city with [[Marquette, Iowa]]. Because the river level could vary by as much as 22 feet, the track was laid on an adjustable platform above the pontoons.<ref>Hegeman, J. "The Bridge That Floats", ''[[Trains (magazine)|Trains and Travel]]'' magazine, January 1952</ref> This unique structure remained in use until the railroad was abandoned in 1961, when it was removed.

The British [[Blanshard Pontoon]] stayed in British use until the late 1870s, when it was replaced by the "[[Sir Bindon Blood|Blood]] Pontoon". The Blood Pontoon returned to the open boat system, which enabled use as boats when not needed as pontoons. Side carrying handles helped transportation.<ref name=think/> The new pontoon proved strong enough to support loaded elephants and siege guns as well as military [[traction engine]]s.<ref name="MJWII"/>{{rp|119}}