Falun Gong Forbearance at the Castillo de San Marcos, St. Augustine, Florida
The Spanish in Saint Augustine knew well
That some day France’s warships would loom
Near. Cannons would attack. Attempts to quell
Disaster were required to meet the boom
Of French destruction of Spain’s wooden fort.
They needed a castillo made of rock.
Such stuff did not exist. Another sort
Of strength was needed to survive the shock.
They built thick walls with what they had to hand,
Coquina, soft and friable. Each wall
Was huge from front to back. Each could withstand
The onslaught—it was hoped—and would not fall.
..French ammunition crashed right in. The walls
….Just ate it, swallowed up the cannonballs.
https://www.nps.gov/casa/learn/historyculture/construction.htm