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1676 tr. G. Guillet de Saint-Georges Acct. Voy. Athens iv. 382 The Troops that are daily designed for the Guard of the Trenches, are relieved every twelve hours: And when an Oda is appointed for the whole day, the Chorbaggi takes one half of them to mount the Trenches [Fr. pour monter la Tranchée], and twelve hours after is relieved by the Oda Baschi with the other moity.

1684 tr. J. Donneau de Visé Diary Siege of Luxembourg 9 The Besieged (at the time we went to releive the Trenches) set Fire to the Houses of a part of the Fauxbourg of Paffendal.

1693 tr. Present State Europe Oct. 370 Tis resolv'd that these 26 battalions shall relieve and mount the Trenches in their turns.

1706 Phillips's New World of Words (new ed.) (at cited word) To Mount the Trenches, is to go upon Duty in them. To Relieve the Trenches, is to relieve those that have been upon Duty there.

1762 Gen. Hist. Sieges V. 138 To mount the trenches, is to go into them upon duty; and when fresh men supply the place of others, it is called relieving the trenches.

1801 Field of Mars (new ed.) II. at Lisbon On the last of August the Prince of Holstein Beck relieved the trenches; and each battalion was ordered to furnish six waggons to carry stones near the batteries, to throw the same with mortars into the enemy's works.

1862 F. Sayer Hist. Gibraltar x. 210 The garrison shall continue in the town without any correspondence with the Spanish troops, who till further orders shall continue to mount the trenches without committing any hostilities.

1915 A. G. Heath Lett. (1917) 24 June 80 Relieving the trenches—at night, of course—is rather an anxious and awkward business till one is used to it.

1953 Jrnl. Royal Soc. Antiquaries Ireland 83 68 The system was for three or four regiments (according to strength) to mount the trenches at one time. These were relieved every twenty-four hours—subject, of course, to the exigencies of the fighting.