Arbalest.In the ancient art of war, a cross-bow made of steel, set in a shaft of wood, with a string and trigger, bent with a piece of iron fitted for that purpose, and used to throw bullets, large arrows, darts, etc.
Arbalestina.In the military system of the Middle Ages, was a small window or wicket through which the cross-bow men shot their quarrels or arrows at an enemy besieging a fortified place.
Arbaletrier d’une Galere(Fr.). That part of a galley where the cross-bow men were placed during an engagement.
Arbalist, orArblast. A cross-bow man.
Arbela(nowErbil). A city in Asiatic Turkey; near here was fought the third and decisive battle between Alexander the Great and Darius Codomanus which decided the fate of Persia, October 1, 331B.C., on a plain in Assyria, between Arbela and Gaugamela. The army of Darius consisted of 1,000,000 foot and 40,000 horse; the Macedonian army amounted to only 40,000 foot and 7000 horse. The gold and silver found in the cities of Susa, Persepolis, and Babylon, which fell to Alexander from this victory, amounted to £30,000,000 sterling; and the jewels and other precious spoil belonging to Darius sufficed to load 20,000 mules and 5000 camels.
Arbourg.A city in Switzerland, whose citadel, which was constructed in 1600, is an important depot for military stores.
Arbrier(Fr.). Stock of a cross-bow.
Arc(Fr.). A bow; an arch in building.
Arc à Jalet(Fr.). A small cross-bow, used to throw bullets, etc.
Arc, Elevating.In gunnery, is an arc attached to the base of the breech parallel to the ratchets and graduated into degrees and parts of a degree. A pointer attached to the fulcrum points to the zero of the scale when the axis of the piece is horizontal. Elevations and depressions are indicated by the scale. Besides the graduations on the arc, the ranges (in yards) and the charges for shot and shells are given.
Arch.In military architecture, is a vault or concave building, in form of a curve, erected to support some heavy structure, or passage.
Archers.In military history, a kind of militia or soldiery, armed with bows and arrows. They were much used in former times.
Archery.The use of the bow and arrow; the practice, art, or skill of archers; the art of shooting with a bow and arrow.
Arch-gaye, orLance-gaye(Fr.). Alance used by the Gauls and Franks, which consisted of a sharp-pointed piece of iron attached to a light wooden handle.
Architonnerre(Fr.). A machine made of copper, which threw iron bullets with great force and noise; it was used in ancient times, being an invention of Archimedes.
Architrave.The master-beam, or chief supporter, in any part of subterraneous fortification.
Arch, Triumphal.In military history, is a stately monument or erection, generally of a semicircular form, adorned with sculpture, inscriptions, etc., in honor of those heroes who have deserved a triumph.
Arcis-sur-Aube.A small town in the French department of Aube; here a battle took place on March 20, 1814, between Napoleon and the allied forces under Prince Schwartzenberg. The battle, beginning with several skirmishes on the first day, and ending in a general engagement on the second day, when the French retreated over the Aube, was not in itself very important. But Napoleon now formed the plan of operating in the rear of the allies, and left the road to Paris open; assuming that they would not venture to proceed without attempting first to secure their rear. The allies marched, nevertheless, on the capital, and thus decided the campaign.
Arco.A metal composed of 70 parts of pure copper, 27 of zinc, and 3 of lead; used for the brass-work of small-arms.
Arcola(Lombardy). The site of battles between the French under Bonaparte, and the Austrians under Field-Marshal Alvinzi, fought November 15-17, 1796. The Austrians lost 18,000 men in killed, wounded, and prisoners, 4 flags, and 18 guns. The French lost about 15,000, and became masters of Italy.
Arcot(East Indies). This city (founded 1716) was taken by Col. Clive August 31, 1751; was retaken, but again surrendered to Col. Coote, February 10, 1760; besieged and taken by Hyder Ali, when the British under Col. Baillie suffered severe defeat, October 31, 1780. Arcot has been subject to Great Britain since 1801.
Arcubalist.SeeArbalest.
Ardalion.A river in Algeria. On the banks of this river in 398, Mascezil, a Roman general, defeated Gildo, a Moorish chieftain, then in rebellion against Rome.
Ardebil.A city in Persia; its citadel was constructed by French officers; captured by the Turks in 1827.
Ardres.A city in the department of Pas-de-Calais, France, it was dismantled in 1850. This city was captured by the Duke of Burgundy, brother of Charles V., from the English in 1377; a treaty was concluded here between Francis I. of France and Henry VIII. of England June 7, 1546; captured by the Spaniards in 1596; returned to France in 1598.
Area.In a military sense, is the superficial contents of any rampart or other work of a fortification.
Areoscope.An instrument used for analyzing the air of rooms; used in English medical corps.
Ares.The god of war in Greek mythology, corresponding to the RomanMars(which see).
Argaum.A village in the Deccan, near to which Gen. Wellesley (afterwards Duke of Wellington) totally defeated the army of Dawlut Rao Scindia in October, 1803.
Argelinos, orAlgerinos. The Spaniards so named the foreign legion, which was sent to them from Algiers by France, during the reign of Louis Philippe.
Argent.This word means silver in French, and is always used in heraldry to designate that metal. In engraving English shields the part designated as argent is left white.
Argentaria(nowColmar, Northern France). Where the Roman Emperor Gratian totally defeated the Alemanni and secured the peace of Gaul, 378.
Argentine Republic.Formerly the Confederation of La Plata, a South American federal republic, consisting of 14 provinces extending over an immense area of country. Buenos Ayres, one of its provinces, with the city of the same name, now the capital, seceded from the confederation in 1853, and was reunited in 1860. The country is remarkable chiefly for its internecine wars, revolutions, and struggles, incident to all the countries colonized by the Spanish race. SeeBuenos Ayres.
Argives.The inhabitants of Argos, a state of ancient Greece of which Mycenæ was the capital, and which was ruled by Agamemnon at the time of the Trojan war. The name is frequently used by Homer to signify the whole body of the Greeks.
Argos(nowPanitza). An ancient city of Greece; near here, in 272B.C., Antigonus Gonatas, king of Macedon, defeated the army of Pyrrhus, king of Epirus; the latter was killed.
Argoulet(Fr.). An ancient dragoon. Also an inferior sort of a musket made at Liege for trading with the negroes.
Arich(anc.Rhinocolura). A fortress in Lower Egypt. The French occupied this place in 1793, but were obliged to surrender it in 1800.
Aries(Lat.“a ram”). An ancient battering-ram. SeeBattering-ram.
Arizona.A Territory of the United States, originally part of New Mexico, organized February, 1803. For many years known for its Indian hostilities, and conflicts between the Indians and U. S. troops; also for frequent terrible massacres of whites.
Arkansas.One of the Southwestern States of the Union. It was settled by the French in 1685, and formed a part of the great tract purchased from the French in 1803 under the name of Louisiana Territory. It was organized as a Territory in 1819, and admittedas a State in 1836. Arkansas passed an ordinance of secession March 4, 1861; was the scene of several engagements during the civil war, and suffered its share of the hardships of that eventful period. The battles of Pea Ridge and Fayetteville were fought in its territory; Arkansas Post was captured in 1863; and Helena and Little Rock were taken the same year.
Arkansas Indians.A tribe of Indians allied to the Dakotas, who formerly resided on the Ohio. At present they number about 200, and live in the Indian Territory.
Arkansas Post.A village in Arkansas, on the Arkansas River, about 40 miles from its mouth, garrisoned by the Confederates during the civil war. The combined forces of Admiral Porter and Gen. McClernand made an attack upon the place January 11, 1863, and carried it by storm.
Arklow.A town in Ireland, where a battle was fought between the insurgent Irish, amounting to 31,000, and a small regular force of British, which signally defeated them, June 10, 1798.
Arles.A city in the department Mouths-of-the-Rhone, France; said to have been founded 2000B.C.; was formerly a powerful Roman city; sustained four memorable sieges against the Visigoths, in 425, 429, 452, and 457; besieged by Clovis I., king of the Franks, 508. The Count of Barcelona took possession of it in 1156, and Alfonso II., king of Aragon, in 1167.
Arlon.A town in the province of Luxembourg, Belgium. Here the French, commanded by Jourdan, defeated the Austrians in April, 1793, and again in April, 1794.
Arm.In a military sense, signifies a particular species of troops,—thus the artillery is an arm, and the cavalry, and infantry, etc., are each called an arm of the service. The word is also used to denote an instrument of warfare; a weapon of offense or defense.
Arm.To be provided with arms, weapons, or means of attack or resistance; to take arms.
Armament.A body of forces equipped for war;—used as a land force. All arrangements made for the defense of a fortification with musketry and artillery.
Armamentary.An armory; a magazine or arsenal.
Arm a Shot, To.Is to roll rope-yarns about a cross-bar shot in order to facilitate ramming it home, and also to prevent the ends catching any accidental inequalities in the bore.
Armatoles.A Grecian militia of Thessaly, instituted by Selim I. at the beginning of the 16th century, to oppose the raids of the mountaineers calledklephtes, or brigands. Later the Armatoles and Klephtes united against the Turks.
Armatura.In ancient military history signified the fixed and established military exercises of the Romans. Under this word is understood the throwing of the spear, javelin, shooting with bows and arrows, etc. Armatura was also an appellation given to the soldiers who were light-armed; and was a name also given to the soldiers in the emperor’s retinue.
Armature.Armor; whatever is worn or used for the protection and defense of the body.
Arm-chest.A portable locker for holding arms, and affording a ready supply of pistols, muskets, or other weapons. Also used in the military service for the transportation of rifles, revolvers, etc.
Arme Courtoise(Fr.). This arm was used in tilts or tournaments during the Middle Ages; it was a kind of sword with a ring or knob placed at the tip of the blade to prevent it causing a dangerous wound.
Armed.Furnished with weapons of offense or defense; furnished with the means of security or protection; furnished with whatever serves to add strength, force, or efficiency.Armed neutrality, the condition of affairs when a nation assumes a threatening position, and maintains an armed force to repel any aggression on the part of belligerent nations between which it is neutral.
Armentiers.A city of the department of the North, France; captured and burned by the English, 1339; pillaged by the French, 1382; destroyed by the Calvinists in 1566; occupied by Marshals de Gassion and de Rantzan, 1645; by Archduke Leopold, 1647; by the French in 1667, and remained a city of France in accordance with the peace treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1668.
Armes de Jet(Fr.). Missive weapons; offensive arms or instruments which act by propulsion, whether by the force of powder, steam, wind, or mechanism.
Armet(Fr.). A helmet or head-piece much in use in the 16th century, and worn with or without the beaver.
Armgaunt.Worn by military service; as, an armgaunt steed.
Armiger.Formerly an armor-bearer, as of a knight; an esquire who bore his shield and rendered other services. In later use, one next in degree to a knight, and entitled to a coat of arms.
Armilausa.A military uniform coat, worn by the Romans over their armor.
Armiludia.A name given by the Romans to the exercises of arms, and also applied to the day on which these exercises took place.
Armilustrium.This name was given by the Romans to a military festival which took place on the 19th of October annually. After review the soldiers offered up sacrifices for the success of the Roman arms.
Armipotent.Powerful in arms; mighty in battle.
Armisonous.Rustling in arms; resounding with arms.
Armistice.A cessation of hostilities between belligerent nations for a considerable time. It is either partial and local, or general. It differs from a mere suspension ofarms, which takes place to enable the two armies to bury their dead, their chiefs to hold conferences or pourparlers, and the like. The terms truce (seeTruce) and armistice are sometimes used in the same sense.
Armless.Without arms or armor.
Armlet.The name of a piece of armor for the arm, to protect it from the jar of the bow-string.
Armor.Defensive arms for the body; any clothing or covering worn to protect one’s person in battle. In English statutes, armor is used for the whole apparatus of war, including offensive as well as defensive arms. Thestatutes of armordirected what arms every man should provide. Armor has also been extensively used in England in plating important fortifications as those of Portsmouth, and also in Germany for the forts along the frontier.
Armor-bearer.One who carries the armor of another; an armiger; an esquire.
Armorer.The person who makes, cleans, or repairs arms.
Armorial.Belonging to armor, or to the arms or escutcheon of a family.
Armor Plates.From experiments of the effects of shot and shell on armor plates in England, the following results have been obtained: Where it is required to perforate the plate, the projectile should be of hard material, such as steel, or chilled iron, and the form best suited for this purpose is the pointed ogeeval. The resistance of wrought-iron plates to perforation by steel projectiles varies as the squares of their thickness. Hitting a plate at an angle diminishes the effect as regards the power of perforation in the proportion of the sine of the angle of incidence to unity. The resistance of wrought-iron plates to perforation by steel shot is practically not much, if at all, increased by backing simply of wood, within the usual limits of thickness; it is, however, much increased by a rigid backing either of iron combined with wood, or of granite, iron, brick, etc.
Till quite recently armor plates have been made of wrought iron only, as numerous experiments in England had served to show that notwithstanding the enormous resistance of steel to penetration it was unfit for armor plating,—the damage from the impact of shot not being localized as in wrought iron. The Italians were led, however, by the experiments with the 100-ton gun on targets of both metals at Spezzia, 1876, to adopt steel for their new ships, the “Duilio” and “Dandolo.” Since that time an armor compounded of steel and wrought iron has been introduced in England which bids fair to supersede all others. It is made by casting a heavy facing of steel upon wrought-iron plates. A section of this compound armor exhibits a gradual change of structure from the hard steel face to the soft iron backing. Its resistance to penetration is equal to steel, while in toughness and endurance under the blows of shot it resembles wrought iron.
To glance at some of the heaviest armor plating afloat, the English “Inflexible” carries a maximum thickness of 24 inches of iron, the Italian frigates mentioned above 21.5 of steel, the French “Admiral Duperré” 21.6 of iron, the Russian “Peter the Great” 14 inches of iron. In regard to the power of some of the most noted of modern guns, the 12-inch calibres used now by all leading nations will penetrate, at 1000 yards, 16 to 18 inches of iron. The 38-ton English gun of this calibre has penetrated (at shorter range) 22 inches of iron and 6 inches of teak backing. The 80-ton Woolwich gun will penetrate 23 inches of iron at 1000 yards. The largest Krupp, 72 tons, will penetrate 26 inches, and the 100-ton Armstrong 30 inches at the same distance. None of the guns mentioned would penetrate at a single shot the steel armor of the Italian ships, but any of them would destroy it in a number of rounds.
Armory.A manufactory, or place of deposit for arms. SeeArsenal.
Armory, National.The U. S. government establishment for the manufacture of small-arms at Springfield, Mass.
Arm-rack.A frame or fitting for the stowage of arms (usually vertical) out of harm’s way, but in readiness for immediate use. In the conveyance of troops by sea arm-racks form a part of the proper accommodation. Arm-racks are also used in soldiers’ barrack-rooms.
Arms.In a general sense, comprehend weapons both of an offensive and defensive character, but in the usual restricted sense they only embrace the former, and in modern warfare include the gun and bayonet, the rifle, the pistol, the carbine, the sword, the lance, cannon, etc., all of which are noticed under their respective heads. For punishment inflicted upon soldiers who sell or otherwise dispose of their arms, seeAppendix,Articles of War,17.
Arms.This term is used in heraldry to designate the devices borne on shields, and includes all the accompaniments, such as the crest, helmet, supporters, etc.
Arms, Bells of.Are tents, used in the English service, mostly of a conical shape, for containing the small-arms for each company in a regiment of infantry. The tent is frequently painted with the color of the facings of the regimental uniforms.
Arms, Stand of.A complete set for one soldier, as a rifle and bayonet, cartridge-box and belt, frequently the rifle and bayonet alone.
Armstrong Gun.The Armstrong gun as a breech-loading field-piece first attracted attention in England about 1850. About 1858 it was adopted by the British government. This gun was made of wrought iron, and consisted of a single coiled tube reinforced at the breech with two thin tubes, the outer one being a coiled tube, the innerbeing formed by bending a plate and welding the edges. The coiled tubes were formed by bending square bars of iron around a mandrel and welding the coils together. Tubes made in this way offer great resistance to tangential strains. The intermediate tube was designed to take up the longitudinal strain near the breech, and for this reason was made differently. The breech was closed with a vent-piece, slipped by the band into a slot cut in the piece near the breech, and held in its place by a breech-screw, which supported it from behind. This screw was made in the form of a tube, so that its hollow formed a part of the bore prolonged, when the vent-piece was drawn. Through the hollow screw the charge was passed into the chamber. The vent was formed in the breech-piece. This gun was a 3-inch 12-pounder, firing a lead-coated projectile. It was followed by the 40-pounder, 110-pounder, and other calibres. Muzzle-loaders were also made. The breech-loading apparatus did not prove entirely successful in large guns, and was accordingly discarded except for small calibres. The method of construction was changed for larger guns, and a plan adopted which has been adhered to ever since, and is that now used. The barrel or part surrounding the bore is made of steel tempered in oil; that portion at and in rear of the trunnions is enveloped by several layers of wrought-iron tubes, the number of layers depending upon the size of the gun. These tubes, instead of being joined at their ends by welding, are hooked on to each other by a system of shoulders and recesses. There are also projections fitting into corresponding recesses, which serve to prevent the tubes from slipping within each other. The tube which immediately surrounds the barrel opposite to the seat of the charge is called the breech-piece. It is made with its fibres and welds running longitudinally, so as to resist the recoil of the barrel against the head of the breech-plug, which is screwed into the breech-piece. The shunt system of rifling was first applied to muzzle-loading Armstrong guns, which have fewer grooves than the breech-loaders. The method of manufacturing originally proposed by Sir William Armstrong has been greatly modified by Mr. Fraser, of the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich. (SeeOrdnance, Armstrong Cannon). For some years large numbers of Armstrong guns were made at the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, under the supervision of the inventor. His works are now located at Elswick, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and are known us the Elswick Ordnance Works. To distinguish the system of gun-construction from the “Woolwich,” which it closely resembles, it is frequently called the “Elswick” system. The largest, as well as the most powerful guns ever made, are the 100-ton guns manufactured at Elswick for the Italian navy. SeeCannonandOrdnance, Modern History of.
Armstrong Projectile.SeeProjectile.
Army.A large and organized body of soldiers, consisting of infantry, cavalry, and artillery, completely armed, and provided with the necessary stores, etc., the whole being composed of companies, battalions, regiments, brigades, divisions, and corps, under proper officers, and the entire force being under the direction of one general, who is called the general-in-chief, and sometimes thegeneralissimo. Armies are distinguished by different appellations; as, acovering army, ablockading army, anarmy of obstruction, anarmy of reserve, aflying army, etc. An army is said tocovera place when it is encamped or in cantonments for the protection of the different passes which lead to a principal object of defense. An army is said toblockadea place when, being well provided with heavy ordnance and other warlike means, it is employed to invest a town for the direct and immediate purpose of reducing it by assault or famine. Anarmy of obstructionis so called because by its advanced positions and desultory movements it is constantly employed in watching the enemy.A flying armymeans a strong body of horse and foot, which is always in motion, both to cover its own garrisons and keep the enemy in continual alarm. For method of providing for armies, seeAppropriations.
Army Corps.SeeCorps d’Armée.
Army Regulations.This is the name of a work published by the War Department embodying all the acts of Congress, and the rules laid down by the President for the management of the army, both in peace and war. SeeRegulations.
Arnaouts, orArnouts, Corps des. Militia of Greece organized during the war of Russia against the Porte in 1769.
Arnheim.A fortified city in Holland; it was captured by the French in 1672; taken by storm by the Prussians under Gen. Von Bulow in 1815.
Arnott’s Pump.An ingeniously arranged machine for forcing pure air into buildings.
Arquebusade.Shot of an arquebuse. Also distilled water from a variety of aromatic plants, as rosemary, millefoil, etc., applied to a bruise or wound; so called because it was originally used as a vulnerary in gunshot wounds.
Arquebuse, orHarquebuse. An old fire-arm resembling a musket, which was supported on a rest by a hook of iron fastened to the barrel. It was longer than a musket, and of large calibre, and formerly used to fire through the loop-holes of antique fortifications.
Arquebusier.A soldier armed with an arquebuse.
Arques(Northern France). Near here the league army, commanded by the Duc de Mayenne, was defeated by Henry IV., September 21, 1589.
Arracan.A province of Northeast India. Arracan, the capital, taken by the Burmese, 1783; was taken from them byGen. Morrison, April 1, 1825. The subjugation of the whole province soon followed.
Arrah.A town in British India, in the presidency of Bengal, the scene of several exciting incidents in the Indian mutiny. The English troops gained a victory here over the mutinous Sepoys in 1857.
Arras(Northeast France). The ancient Atrebates; conquered by Cæsar in 50B.C.; captured and sacked by the Vandals in 407; captured by the Normans in 880; besieged by Charles VI. in 1414; captured by Louis XI.; held by the Austrians from 1493 till 1640, when it was taken by Louis XIII.; besieged by the Spaniards in 1654.
Arrawak Indians.A race or collection of tribes of Indians in Guiana, who were formerly numerous and powerful.
Array.Order; disposition in regular lines; hence, a posture for fighting; as, drawn up in battle array.
Arrayer.In some early English statutes, an officer who had care of the soldiers’ armor, and who saw them duly accoutred.
Arrest.The temporary confinement of officers in barracks, quarters, or tents, pending trial by court-martial, or the consideration of their imputed offenses previous to deciding whether they shall or shall not be tried. (SeeAppendix,Articles of War,65.) Private soldiers are usually placed under guard; by the custom of the service non-commissioned officers may be simply placed in arrest in quarters.
Arrest(Old Fr., nowarret). A French phrase, similar in its import to the Latin wordretinaculum; it consisted of a small piece of steel or iron, which was formerly used in the construction of fire-arms, to prevent the piece from going off. A familiar phrase among military men in France is,Ce pistolet est en arret, “this pistol is in arrest or is stopped.”
Arreste of the Glacis.Is the junction of the talus which is formed at all the angles.
Arretium.A city of the Gauls, now in the department of the Yonne, France, where the Gauls defeated the Romans in a bloody battle in 284B.C.
Arrow.In fortification, a work placed at the salient angles of the glacis, communicating with the covert way.
Arrow.A missile weapon of defense, straight, slender, pointed, and barbed, to be shot with a bow.
Arrow-head.The head of an arrow.
Arrow-wood.A species ofViburnum, from the long straight stems of which the Indians dwelling between the Mississippi and the Pacific make their arrows.
Arrowy.Consisting of arrows.
Arroyo del Molinos.A small town in Estremadura, Spain, near the river Guadiana, where Lord Hill, on the 28th of October, 1811, surprised and defeated the French under Gen. Gerard. Nearly 1500 prisoners were taken, including Prince d’Aremburg, Gen. Brun, one colonel, two lieutenant-colonels, a commissaire de guerre, and no less than 30 captains and inferior officers. It was altogether a most brilliant achievement.
Arsenal.A public establishment for the storage or for the manufacture and storage of arms and all military equipments, whether for land or naval service. In the United States there are 17 arsenals and 1 armory (Springfield, Mass.), situated at different points throughout the whole country convenient for the distribution ofmateriel, as follows: Alleghany arsenal, at Pittsburg, Pa.; at Augusta, Ga.; Benicia, Cal.; Fort Monroe, Va.; Fort Union, N. M.; Frankford arsenal, Philadelphia, Pa.; Indianapolis, Ind.; Kennebec arsenal, Augusta, Me.; New York; Pikesville, Md.; Rock Island, Ill.; Jefferson Barracks, Mo.; San Antonio, Texas; Vancouver, W. T.; Washington, D. C.; Watertown, Mass.; and Watervliet arsenal, West Troy, N. Y.
Arsouf(Syria). At a battle here Richard I. of England, commanding the Christian forces, reduced to 30,000, defeated Saladin’s army of 300,000 and other infidels on September 6, 1191. Ascalon surrendered, and Richard marched to Jerusalem, 1192.
Art, Military.Military art may be divided into two principal branches. The first branch relates to the order and arrangement which must be observed in the management of an army, when it is to engage an enemy, to march, or to be encamped. This branch is calledtactics. The same appellation belongs to the other branch of military art, which also includes the composition and application of warlike machines. SeeLogistics,Strategy,Stratagem,Tactics, andWar.
Arta, orNarda. A town in Albania. The Greek insurgents against the Porte were defeated here, July 16, 1822.
Artaxata.The ancient capital of Armenia; burned by the Roman general Carbulo, about 59.
Artemisium.A promontory in Eubœa, near which indecisive conflicts took place between the Greek and Persian fleets for three days, 480B.C.The former retired on hearing of the battle of Thermopylæ.
Articles of War.Are known rules and regulations, fixed by law, for the better government of an army. The articles of war of the United States consists of 128 articles. (SeeAppendix,Articles of War.) All that relates to the army not comprehended therein is published in general orders or in established regulations, issued from time to time from the War Department, copies of which are furnished and read to the troops. In England they may be altered and enlarged at the pleasure of the sovereign, but must be annually confirmed by Parliament under the Mutiny Act.
Artifice.Among the French, is understood as comprehending everything whichenters the composition of fire-works, as the sulphur, saltpetre, charcoal, etc. SeePyrotechnics.
Artificer.One who makes fire works, or works in the artillery laboratory, and prepares the shells, fuzes, grenades, etc. It is also applied to military mechanics, such as carpenters, blacksmiths, masons, etc.
Artificial Line of Sight.Is the right line from the eye to the object to be hit, passing through the front and rear sights. SeePointing.
Artillery.In a general sense, signifies all sorts of great guns or cannon, mortars, howitzers, petards, and the like, together with all the apparatus and stores thereto belonging, which are not only taken into the field, but likewise to sieges, and made use of both to attack and defend fortified places; also the officers and men of that branch of the army to which the care and management of such machines have been confided. (SeeOrdnance.) Artillery, in a particular sense, signifies the science of artillery or gunnery, which art includes a knowledge of surveying, leveling, geometry, trigonometry, conic sections, laws of motion, mechanics, fortifications, and projectiles. SeeBattery,Field Battery,Field Artillery,Siege Artillery.
Artillery Company, Honorable.A band of infantry, rifles, and artillery, forming part of the militia, or city guards of London, England. It was instituted in 1585; having ceased, was revived in 1610. In the civil war, 1641-48, the company took the side of the Parliament, and greatly contributed towards its success. The company numbered 1200 in 1803, and 800 in 1861. Since 1842 the officers have been appointed by the queen. On the decease of the Duke of Sussex, in 1843, the prince consort became colonel and captain-general. He died December 14, 1861, and the Prince of Wales was appointed his successor, August 24, 1863.
Artilleryman.A man who manages, or assists in managing, large guns in firing.
Artillery-park.The camp of one or more field batteries; the inclosure where, during a siege, the general camp of foot artillery, and depots of guns,materiel, etc., are collected.
Artillery, Royal Regiment of.Is the collective name for the whole of the artillery belonging to the British army. There was no regular regiment or corps of artillery soldiers in the British army till the time of Queen Anne, when the present royal regiment was formed. Since that period, from some anomaly which is not easily explained, all the additions have been made to the same regiment, instead of forming new regiments, to be combined into a division or corps. The regiment is now almost an entire army in itself, and to increase the anomaly, it comprises horse as well as foot. Formerly the foot was divided into battalions and companies, and the horse into troops, but these terms have been abolished, in favor of brigade and battery, which apply both to horse and foot artillery. The regiment now consists of 33,500 men, thus distributed:
Of the above, the field, garrison, and mixed are foot artillery. This force represents from 1200 to 1300 guns fully equipped for action. Of the foot artillery, the garrison batteries are readily converted to field batteries by the addition of a few drivers.
Artillery Schools.Are special schools for instruction and training in artillery, which are organized through all civilized countries. In the United States, an artillery school was established at Fort Monroe, Va., 1867. Its object is to train both officers and enlisted men in the construction and service of all kinds of artillery and artillery material, and in gunnery and mathematics as applied in the artillery service. For artillery schools in other countries, seeMilitary Academies.
Artillery, Systems of.SeeSystems of Artillery.
Artillery-train.A number of pieces of ordnance mounted on carriages, with all their furniture, fit for marching.
Arx.In the ancient military art, a fort, castle, etc., for the defense of a place.
Arzegages(Fr.). Batons or canes with iron at both ends. They were carried by the Estradiots, or Albanian cavaliers, who served in France under Charles VIII. and Louis XII.
Asapes.An inferior class of Turkish soldiers employed in sieges to work in intrenchments and perform other pioneer duty.
Asaraouas.A tribe in Algeria against whom the French undertook an expedition in 1837.
Ascalon(Syria). A city of the Philistines which shared the fate of Phœnicia and Judea. The Egyptian army was defeated here by the Crusaders under Godfrey of Bouillon, August 12, 1099; it was besieged by the latter in 1148, taken in 1153, and again in 1191. Its fortifications were destroyed through fear of the Crusaders, by the sultan, in 1270.
Aschaffenburg.On the Maine, Bavaria, Southwestern Germany; here, on July 14, 1866, the Prussians defeated the German Federal army, captured the town, and took 2000 prisoners.
Asculum(nowAscoli, Apulia, Southern Italy). Near it Pyrrhus of Epirus defeated the Romans 279B.C.Asculum, a city of the Piceni, with all their country, was conquered by the Consul Sempronius 268B.C.Andrea, general of the Emperor Henry VI., endeavoring to wrest Naples from Tancred, was defeated and slain in 1190.
Ashantees.Warlike negroes of WestAfrica. In 1807 they conquered Fantee, in which the British settlement of Cape Coast Castle is situated. On the death of their king, who had been friendly to the English, hostilities began; and on January 21, 1824, the Ashantees defeated about 1000 British under Sir Charles McCarthy at Accra, and brought away his skull with others as trophies. They were totally defeated August 27, 1826, by Col. Purdon. The governor of Cape Coast Castle began a war with them in the spring of 1863; but the British troops suffered much through disease, and the war was suspended by the government in May, 1864.
Ashburton Treaty.Concluded at Washington, August 9, 1842, by Alexander, Lord Ashburton, and John Tyler, President of the United States; it defined the boundaries of the respective countries between Canada and Maine, settled the extradition of criminals, etc.
Ashdod, orAzotus. An ancient city of Judea, identified with the site of the modernAsdood, about 12 miles northeast of Ascalon. It is celebrated by Herodotus as having stood a siege of 29 years from Psammatichus, king of Egypt (about 630B.C.). It was taken by the Assyrians under Tartan, the general of Sennacherib (713B.C.); taken and destroyed by Judas Maccabæus and his brother Jonathan; restored by Gabinius, and given by Augustus to Salome.
Ashdown, orAssendune. Now thought to be Ashton, Berks, England, where Ethelred and his brother Alfred defeated the Danes in 1171.
Asia Minor.SeeAnatolia.
Askeri Mohammedize.A name given to the Turkish regular troops organized according to modern tactics.
Aslant.Formed or placed in an oblique line.
Asow.An old fortified city in Southern Russia. Towards the end of the 14th century it fell into the hands of Timur; the Turks took possession of it in 1471; captured by the Cossacks in 1637; besieged without success by the Turks in 1641, they returned the following year with a large army to attack the city, when the Cossacks, thinking it impossible to hold the city against such a force, plundered and burned it; the Turks then rebuilt the city and fortified it; it was surrendered to Peter the Great in 1696; the city again came into the Turkish possession after the peace treaty on the Pruth. In the war between Turkey and Russia, Asow was besieged by Field-Marshal Munich; it surrendered to Gen. Lascy, July 4, 1736.
Aspe.A village in the department of the Lower Pyrenees, France, where a small detachment of the French army defeated 6000 Spaniards in 1792.
Aspect.An army is said to hold a menacing aspect, when by advanced movements or positions it gives the opposing enemy cause to apprehend an attack. A country is said to have a military aspect, when its general situation presents appropriate obstacles or facilities for an army acting on the offensive or defensive. An army is said to have an imposing aspect, when it appears stronger than it really is. This appearance is often assumed for the purpose of deceiving an enemy, and may not improperly be considered as a principalruse de guerre, or feint in war.
Aspern, Great.A town near the Danube and Vienna, where a series of desperate conflicts took place between the Austrian army under the Archduke Charles, and the French under Napoleon, Massena, etc., on May 21-22, 1809, ending in the retreat of Napoleon on May 22. The loss of the former exceeded 20,000 men, and of the latter 30,000. The daring Marshal Lannes was mortally wounded on May 22, and died May 31. The bridge of the Danube was destroyed and Napoleon’s retreat endangered; but the success of the Austrians had no beneficial effect on the subsequent prosecution of the war.
Aspic(Fr.). An ancient piece of ordnance which carried a 12-pound shot; the piece itself was 11 feet long, and weighed 4250 pounds.
Aspis.A large, round, or oblong shield which was used by the heavy infantry of the ancient Grecians.
Aspromonte(Naples). Here Garibaldi was defeated, wounded, and taken prisoner, August 29, 1862, having injudiciously risen against the French occupation of Rome.
Assagai, orAssegai. An instrument of warfare among the Kaffirs.
Assail.To attack with violence, or in a hostile manner; to assault, etc. SeeAttack.
Assailable.Capable of being assailed, attacked, or invaded.
Assas-Bachi.A superior officer of janissaries, who was also administrator of the police department in Constantinople, and presided over public executions.
Assassins, orAssassinians. Fanatical Mohammedans, collected by Hassan-ben-Sabah, and settled in Persia about 1090. In Syria they possessed a large tract of land among the mountains of Lebanon. They murdered the Marquis of Montferrat in 1192, Louis of Bavaria in 1213, and the Khan of Tartary in 1254. They were extirpated in Persia about 1258, and in Syria about 1272. The chief of the corps was named “Old Man of the Mountain.” They trained up young people to assassinate such persons as their chief had devoted to destruction. From them the wordassassinhas been derived.
Assault.A furious but regulated effort to carry a fortified post, camp, or fortress by personal attack, uncovered and unsupported. While an assault during a siege continues, the batteries of the besiegers cease, lest the attacking party should be injured. The party which leads the assault is sometimes called “the forlorn hope.”
Assaye.A small town in the province of Bahar, in the Deccan, celebrated for a battle fought in 1803, between the British army, 4500 strong, under the Duke of Wellington, then Gen. Wellesley, and the confederated armies of India, numbering 50,000 troops; the latter were completely routed, leaving 1200 dead on the field, with nearly the whole of their artillery. Such was the battle of Assaye, which established the fame of the greatest commander of the age, and fixed the dominion of Britain over prostrate India.
Asseerghur.A strong hill fortress, situated about 12 miles northerly and easterly from Burhampoor, India. It was taken from the Mahrattas by the British on two occasions; the first time in 1803, and finally in 1819.
Asseguay.The knife-dagger used in the Levant.
Assembly.A beat of the drum or sound of the bugle as a signal to troops to assemble.
Assens.A maritime town of Denmark on the island of Funen; here Christian III. defeated his insurgent subjects in 1535.
Asser.An instrument of warfare used by the Romans on their war ships; it consisted of a heavy pole with an iron head, and was used as a battering-ram against hostile ships. Other authorities assert that it was used to destroy the rigging only.
Assessment of Damages.In the English army, is the determination by a committee of officers of the value of the injury done to the barracks each month, in order that stoppages in liquidation may be made from men who have committed the damage.
Assidui Milites.Roman soldiers who served in the army without receiving pay.
Assignment.If, upon marches, guards, or in quarters, different corps of the army shall happen to join or do duty together, the officer highest in rank of the line of the army, marine corps, or militia, by commission, there on duty or in quarters, shall command the whole, and give orders for what is needful to the service, unless otherwise specially directed by the President of the United States, according to the nature of the case. SeeAppendix,Articles of War,122.
Assignment of Pay.By a non-commissioned officer or private, previous to discharge, is invalid. A transfer subsequent to the discharge is valid.
Assinaries, orAssinaires. Festivals which were instituted at Syracuse, in commemoration of the destruction of the Athenian fleet commanded by Nicias and Demosthenes.
Assinarus(nowFalunara). A small river in Sicily, near which the army of Nicias and Demosthenes was defeated 413B.C.
Assistant.In the English army, is the third grade in any particular branch of the staff, such as the quartermaster-general’s or adjutant-general’s. After the principal comes the deputy and then the assistant. In the United States it is the second grade in the staff branches of the army.
Assyria.A name which is usually appropriated to the first of what are known as the four great empires of the world, but which in geography nearly corresponds with the modern Koordistan. Its capital was Nineveh, of which the ancient ruins may still be traced. In 625B.C., Nineveh was destroyed by Cyaxares the Mede, and Assyria became a province of Media.
Astapa(nowEstepa). A city in the province of Seville, Spain; it was besieged by the Romans under Marius; the besieged slew their women and children and allowed themselves to be cut down to a man before they would surrender to the Romans.
Asta-Regia.A city of Spain (now in ruins); near here the prætor Caius Atinius gained a victory over the ancient Lusitanians, in 186B.C.
Asti, orAsta. A city in Piedmont, Italy. Chevert took its fortress in 1745.
Astorga(anc.Asturica Augusta). A city in Spain, which was taken by the French in 1810.
Astragal and Fillets. Are the mouldings at the front end of the chase, used in the ornamental work of ordnance.
Astrakhan(Southeast Russia). Capital of a province of the same name; it was captured by the Russians in 1554; besieged by the Turks in 1569, who were defeated with great slaughter; seized by the rebel Stenko Razin in 1670, who was soon dispossessed of it by his uncle Jacolof. The province was visited and settled by Peter the Great in 1722.
Astrolabe.An instrument for observing the position of the stars, now disused. A graduated ring with sights for taking altitudes at sea was also formerly so called.
Asturias.An ancient principality in Northwest Spain. Here Pelayo collected the Gothic fugitives, about 713, founded a new kingdom, and by his victories checked Moorish conquests. In 1808 the junta of Asturias began the organized resistance to the French usurpation.
Asylum, Royal Military.A benevolent institution erected at Chelsea, Middlesex, England, for the reception and education of the children of soldiers of the regular army. The first stone was laid by the Duke of York, June 19, 1801. The direction and control of the institution are placed in the hands of commissioners appointed by her majesty, the principals of which are the commander-in-chief, the secretary of war, the master-general of the ordnance, and other high officials connected with the government. In the selection of children for admission preference, in general, is given:—First, to orphans; second, to those whose fathers have been killed, or have died on foreign service; third, to those who have lost their mothers, and whose fathers are absent on duty abroad; fourth, to those whose fathers are ordered on foreign service, or whose parents haveother children to maintain. There is also a branch establishment at Southampton, for the maintenance and education of girls.
Asylum, Military.SeeSoldiers’ Homes.
As You Were.A word of command corresponding to the Frenchremettez vous, frequently used by drill instructors to cause a resumption of the previous position, when any motion of the musket or movement of the body has been improperly made.
Atabal.A kettle-drum; a kind of tabor, used by the Moors.
Ataghan.SeeYataghan.
Ataman.A hetman, or chief of the Cossacks.
Atchevement.In heraldry, is a term nearly equivalent to arms, or armorial bearings, and is often used in its abbreviated form ofhatchmentwhen speaking of the arms of a deceased person as displayed at his funeral or elsewhere.
Ategar.The old English hand-dart, named from the Saxonaeton, “to fling,” andgar, “a weapon.”
Ategna.An important city of ancient Italy. It was taken from the Republicans by Julius Cæsar, in 45B.C.
Atella(nowSan Arpino). A place in Italy, where the French under the Duke of Montpensier, general of Charles VIII., had to capitulate and surrender to Ferdinand II. of Naples, in 1496. The prisoners were transported to the island of Procida, where the majority of them, including the Duke of Montpensier, perished by contracting an infectious disease.
Ath.A fortified town in Belgium; it was ceded to France in 1668; fortified by Vauban; restored to the Spaniards in 1678; captured by the French under Marshal Catinat in 1697, but was restored in the same year by the peace of Ryswick. The allies under Field-Marshal d’Auvergne took it October 1, 1706. It remained in the possession of the Dutch till 1716, when it was given up to the emperor of Austria, with the remainder of the Spanish Netherlands. Louis XV. of France captured it in 1745. France lost it by the treaties of 1814-15.
Athanati.A corps of picked soldiers belonging to the ancient Persian army, 10,000 strong, which were called the “Immortals,” for the reason that, as soon as one of the corps died, another was put in his place.
Athenry.A town in Galway, Ireland; near here the Irish were totally defeated, and a gallant young chief, Feidlim O’Connor, slain in 1316.
Athens.A celebrated city, the capital of the modern kingdom of Greece, situated in the plain of Attica, about 4 miles northeast of the Gulf of Ægina. It was for several ages the centre of European civilization. The city is said to have been founded by Cecrops, and afterwards enlarged by Theseus, who made it the capital of the new state which he formed by uniting into one political body the 12 independent states into which Attica had previously been divided. A new era in the history of the city commences with its capture by Xerxes, who reduced it almost to a heap of ashes, 480B.C.This event was followed by the rapid development of the maritime power of the city and the establishment of her empire over the islands of the Ægean Sea. Her increasing wealth afforded her ample means for the embellishment of the city, and during the half century which elapsed between the battle of Salamis and the commencement of the Peloponnesian war, the Athenians erected those masterpieces of architecture which have been the wonder of succeeding ages. The city was captured by the Lacedæmonians in 404B.C., and was conquered by Sulla, the Roman general, 86B.C., after which it dwindled into insignificance as a maritime city. Its prosperity continued, however, under the Roman sway, and it continued to be famous as the centre of philosophy, literature, and art, many famous buildings having been erected there by foreign rulers after the decline of its power. During the Middle Ages it sunk into insignificance. It has successively belonged to the Goths, Byzantines, Bergundians, Franks, Catalans, Florentines, Venetians, and Turks. In 1687 the buildings of the Acropolis suffered severe injury in the siege of Athens by the Venetians under Morosini. In 1834 Athens was declared the capital of the kingdom of Greece.
Athlone.A town in Roscommon, Ireland, which was burnt during the civil war in 1641. After the battle of the Boyne, Col. R. Grace held Athlone for James II. against a besieging army, but fell when it was taken by assault by Ginkel, June 30, 1691. SeeAughrim.
Atilt.In the manner of a tilter; in the position or with the action of a man making a thrust. “To run a tilt at men.”
Atlanta.A city of Fulton Co., Ga., and the capital of the State. In its vicinity a battle was fought between the Federal forces under Gen. Sherman and the Confederates under Gen. Hood, July 22, 1864. The city was taken by Gen. Sherman on September 2, and held by him until November 15, when he set out on his famous “march to the sea.”
Atmidometer, orAdmometer. An instrument for measuring the rate of evaporation, used in English medical corps.
Atrebates.A Belgic people subdued by Cæsar, 57B.C.
Attach.To place, to appoint. Officers and non-commissioned officers are said to be attached to the respective army, regiment, battalion, troop, or company with which they are appointed to act.
Attache(Fr.). The seal and signature of the colonel-general in the old French service, which were affixed to commissions of officers after they had been duly examined.
Attack.Any general assault or onset that is given to gain a post or break a bodyof troops.False attack, a feigned or secondary movement in the arrangements of an assault, intended to divert the attention of an enemy from the real or principal attack. Such a movement has been sometimes converted into a real attack, and succeeded when the main assault, to which it was intended to be subsidiary, had failed.Attack of a siegeis a furious attack made by the besiegers by means of trenches, galleries, saps, breaches, or mines, etc., by storming any part of the front attack.To attack in front or flank, in fortifications, means to attack the salient angle, or both sides of the bastion.
Attack and Defense.A part of the sword exercise drill.
Attacking.The act of making a general assault or onset for the capture of a post, fort, etc., or the breaking of a body of troops. Previous to an assault on a fortified position, the artillery ought to support the other troops by a combined fire of guns, howitzers, and small mortars, so that, if possible, the fire may be simultaneous, as such diversity of projectiles would tend to distract the defenders, and prevent them from extinguishing any fires among buildings, besides throwing them into confusion at the moment of assault. In cases of surprise, when immediate action is required, this method cannot, of course, be practicable.
Attention.A cautionary command addressed to troops preparatory to a particular exercise or manœuvre.Gare-a-voushas the same signification in the French service.
Attestation.In the English service, is a certificate which is granted by a justice of the peace within four days after the enlistment of a recruit. This certificate bears testimony that the recruit has been brought before the justice in conformity to the Mutiny Act, and has declared his assent or dissent to such enlistment, and that (if according to the said act he shall have been duly enlisted) the proper oaths have been administered to him by the magistrate, and the sections of the articles of war against mutiny and desertion read to the said recruit.
Audenarde.SeeOudenarde.
Auditor, Second.An official connected with the Treasury Department, whose duties consist in examining all accounts relating to the pay and clothing of the army, the subsistence of officers, bounties, premiums, military and hospital stores, and the contingent expenses of the War Department, etc., and transmitting them with vouchers, etc., to the Second Comptroller for his decision.
Auditor, Third.To him is assigned the duty of examining all accounts relative to the subsistence of the army, the quartermaster’s department, and generally all accounts of the War Department other than those provided for; also all accounts relating to pensions, claims for compensation for loss of horses and equipments of officers and enlisted men in the military service of the United States, etc.
Auditor, Fourth.Examines all accounts accruing in the Navy Department, or relative thereto, and all accounts relating to navy pensions.
Auerstadt(Prussia). Here and at Jena, on October 4, 1806, the French signally defeated the Prussians. SeeJena.
Auget.A kind of small trough used in mining, in which the saucisson or train-hose is laid in straw, to prevent the powder from contracting any dampness.
Aughrim.Near Athlone, in Ireland, where, on July 12, 1691, a battle was fought between the Irish, headed by the French general St. Ruth, and the English, under Gen. Ginkel. The former were defeated and lost 7000 men; the latter lost only 600 killed and 960 wounded. St. Ruth was slain. This engagement proved decisively fatal to the interests of James II., and Ginkel was created earl of Athlone.
Augusta.A city and capital of Richmond Co., Ga., on the Savannah River. It was an important place at the time of the Revolution, and was captured by the English and Tories in 1779, but surrendered to Col. Henry Lee, of the Revolutionary army, June 5, 1781.
Augusta, orAgosta. A well-built and fortified city in the intendancy of Catania, in Sicily; near here, on April 21, 1676, a naval battle was fought between the French under Duquesne, and the Dutch and Spanish fleet under Ruyter, the advantage remaining with the French. Ruyter was wounded at this battle, and died a few days after at Syracuse.
Augusticum.A bounty that was given by the Roman emperors to their soldiers upon the latter taking the oath of allegiance for the first time, or upon a renewal of the oath.
Aulic Council.A term applied to a council of the War Department of the Austrian empire, and the members of different provincial chanceries of that empire are called aulic councillors.
Aumacor.A title similar to general-in-chief, which was given to the chief of the Saracens during the Crusades.
Ausen.A name given by the Goths to their victorious generals. This word in their language signifies “more than mortal,”i.e., demi-gods.
Aussig.A village in Prussia, where, in 1426, the army of the margrave Frederick von Meissen was defeated by the Hussites and Poles under Jakubko von Wrezezowecez and Prince Sigismund Koribut. The city was plundered and burned the same night by the Hussites.
Austerlitz(Moravia). Here a battle was fought between the French and the allied Austrian and Russian armies, December 2, 1805. Three emperors commanded: Alexander of Russia, Francis of Austria, and Napoleon of France. The killed and wounded exceeded 30,000 on the side of the allies, who lost 40 standards, 150 pieces of cannon, and thousands of prisoners; the French lossamounted to about 12,000 men. The decisive victory of the French led to the treaty of Presburg, signed December 26, 1805.