Built between 1877 and 1879, Les Roches battery is part of the French fortifications in the east and the Lomont defensive hub. It stands at 614 metres above sea level on the edge of a cliff that made it inaccessible on its north and west sides; two moats dug on the east and south sides are dominated by the ramparts. The battery was designed to be able to keep watch over the Doubs valley, the road from Vesoul to Saint-Hippolyte and the Écot, Ecurcey and Blamont plateaux. It was also intended to prevent the Mont-Bart fort from being bypassed to the south.

This fortification could accommodate up to 246 soldiers. Its armament was reinforced by an ancillary artillery battery. Fort des Roches could communicate via an optical device with the Fort du Salbert in Belfort, the Fort du Mont-Vaudois in Héricourt and the Fort du Mont-Bart to the south of Montbéliard. The battery at Fort des Roches quickly became outdated due to advances in artillery technology. It was not modernised, as many other forts were from 1888 onwards. Abandoned by the army, the fortification was reacquired by the town of Pont-de-Roide in 1977, and restored. Since then, the ASPIR association has breathed new life into the building by organising group tours retracing its history.