If sieges lasted for months what did the attackers/defenders do all day?

[The Nutty Pig]

Question is in the title

[TheBoberton]

Attackers: Sat around, watched the castle/city, sat around, burned down neighboring undefended castles/cities, looted, prepared weapons, sat around, maintained equipment, drilled, sat around, pillaged, raped, sat around.

That sort of thing. Plus a lot of sitting around watching for defenders trying to escape/attack the sieging army.

Defenders: Sat around, watched the enemy, sat around, attempted to mess up whatever preparations they had to storm the walls, sat around, starved, died of diseases.. basically the same thing as the attackers, but it sucked more.

Spoiler

Note: These is my relatively uninformed conclusions from what an army could logically do whilst relatively chained to a single location. Do not take what I say as fact, as I could be entirely wrong, and they simply spent all their time sitting around.

[close]

[Jelly]

Wanked.

[TheBoberton]

That too.

[Duuring]

Attackers wouldn't burn down cities or farms they occupied. They bivouacked in them - Which is why the defenders often came out, penetrated the siege lines, took some loot (foot and such), set fire to the buildings and then ran back.

[TheBoberton]

I don't believe I ever mentioned farms. And again, I'm not well (Read as "at all") educated on siege warfare. All I know is that you throw large rocks at his wall, then when it comes down you run inside and take all his valuables and women.

[Duuring]

Well, that's the most basic plan.

It gets rather interesting when the city that is besieged has civilians of the same nationality as the besiegers.

Anyway, soldiering is boring, cold, and hard work. They mostly just sat down, kept guard, cleaned their kit (out of boredom) and waited for something to happen.

[Riddlez]

(foot and such).

Spoiler

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[Millander]

At the 9 month siege of Petersburge Both sides spent their times shooting each other and dying of decease.

[AeroNinja]

At the 9 month siege of Petersburge Both sides spent their times shooting each other and dying of decease.

Disease*

[KillerMongoose]

It depends on the nationality/military.

If they're Spanish they probably pillaged and raped

If they're English they probably waited for their foreign allies to break the enemy lines first

If they're French then they're either lead to victory by Napoleon, they don't finish the siege because their government was overthrown, or they've already surrendered

If they're Belgian they probably pulled an unexpected victory out of nowhere

If they're Polish they charge them with horses

If they're Dutch they either bought the city for less than it was worth or sold it for twice what it was worth

If they're Portuguese they sit around and eat fish and pretend they aren't to Spain what Mexico is to the US

If they're Austrian they've probably killed each other by now (Karansebes)

If they're Italian they'll wait for their bigger, stronger allies to bail them out

If they're Montenegrin... who cares, Agovich will make a detailed forum post about it anyway

If they're American then they scrape out a close victory and publish 3 songs, 14 poems, 22 stories, and 2 new national anthems about it

All of this is assuming the setting is between 1600-1800s

[Turin Turambar]

Yep, and we Germans just stormed the castle and won lika bozz.

[König]

If they're Belgian they probably pulled an unexpected victory out of nowhere

Why am I somehow not surprised to find this here? 

[Hyderus]

If they're Dutch they either bought the city for less than it was worth or sold it for twice what it was worth

This could be historical accurate! 

[KillerMongoose]

If they're Belgian they probably pulled an unexpected victory out of nowhere

Why am I somehow not surprised to find this here? 

Reference: Golden Spurs, Battle of Turnhout, Battle of Haelen, and more

Yep, and we Germans just stormed the castle and won lika bozz.

Oh, I forgot the Germans, yeah they probably just sent in Elite Sausage Commandos to kill everything inside the fort, they're known as the  Fallwurstjaegeren. Unfortunately for the Germans, their allies end up getting their poop punched in and surrendering and suddenly they get a flying donkey kick from every nation ever and are defeated... for now.

If they're Dutch they either bought the city for less than it was worth or sold it for twice what it was worth

This could be historical accurate! 

It most certainly is!