A fort's gun count becomes a manpower and logistics calculation. One hundred cannon might require about five hundred gunners, another large body of infantry for the walls, and further personnel for ammunition, supply, engineering, maintenance, and medical work. A rough total is about 1,500 people for a properly supported hundred-gun position. Trincomalee instead surrendered a garrison of only 679 across a strategically important complex with more than one hundred captured guns. Weapons listed on a plan were not equivalent to a defensible harbour unless trained people and supporting systems could keep them in action.
Notable Point · 1:40:31-1:44:48
A hundred fort guns needed far more than gunners
Trincomalee's impressive gun count concealed a manpower deficit because artillery, infantry, supply, engineering, and medical support all had to be provided.