Nebuchadnezzar uses Euphrates River as defense
Nebuchadnezzar builds immense walls around Babylon, using the Euphrates and canals as defensive moats surrounding the inner castle.
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Khosr River diverted by Babylonians
A coalition of Egyptian, Median (Persian), and Babylonian forces attacks and destroys Nineveh, the capital of Assyria. Nebuchadnezzar’s father, Nabopolassar, leads the Babylonians. The converging armies divert the Khosr River to create a flood, which allows them to elevate their siege engines on rafts.
Assyrian king dries up enemy’s wells
Ashurbanipal’s inscriptions also refer to a siege against Tyre, although scholars attribute it to Esarhaddon. In campaigns against both Arabia and Elam in 645 B.C., Ashurbanipal, son of Esarhaddon, dries up wells to deprive Elamite troops. He also guards wells from Arabian fugitives in an earlier Arabian war. On his return from victorious battle against Elam, Ashurbanipal floods the city of Sapibel, and ally of Elam. According to inscriptions, he dams the Ulai River with the bodies of dead Elamite…
Assyrian king cuts off water of enemy
Esarhaddon, an Assyrian, refers to an earlier period when gods, angered by insolent mortals, created destructive floods. According to inscriptions recorded during his reign, Esarhaddon besieges Tyre, cutting off food and water.
Caesar attacks water supplies during siege of Uxellodunum
Caesar attacks water supplies during siege of Uxellodunum by undermining one of the local springs and placing attackers near the other. Shortage of water leads to the surrender of the Gauls.
Cyrus diverts the Euphrates
According to Herodotus, Cyrus invades Babylon by diverting the Euphrates above the city and marching troops along the dry riverbed. This popular account describes a midnight attack that coincided with a Babylonian feast.
Assyrians poison wells of enemies
Assyrians poison the wells of their enemies with rye ergot.
British attack New York’s water
British and Hessians attack the water system of New York. “…the enemy wantonly destroyed the New York water works’ during the War for Independence.
Napolean attempts to re-route Rhine River to harm Dutch
Napoleon orders the construction of a canal between Neuss and Venlo, to connect the Rhine and Meuse rivers, to divert trade from the Batavia Republic to the Southern Netherlands, then under French control. Three-quarters of the canal are completed, but work stops because of lack of funds.
Wells polluted in Saint-Domingue
A leader of the slave rebellion on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean, Toussaint L’Oueverture, says “The only resources we have are destruction and fire. Annihilate everything and burn everything. Block the roads, pollute the wells with corpses and dead horses.”