Pace(Lat.passus). In its modern acceptation, is the distance, when the legs are extended in walking, between the heel of one foot and that of the other. Among disciplined men the pace becomes one of constant length, and as such is of the utmost value in determining military movements, the relative distances of corps and men being fixed by the number of paces marched, and so on. The pace varies in different countries; in the United States it is 28 inches direct step, and 33 double step; in Great Britain 30 inches direct step, and 33 double step. With the Romans the pace had a different signification; the single extension of the legs was not with them a pace (passus), but a step (gradus); their pace being the interval between the mark of a heel and the next mark of the same heel, or a double step. This pace was equivalent to 4.84 English feet.
Pack and Draught Animals.All animals which are used as beasts of burden and of draught, and all artillery horses are considered under this head. Taking the usual effect of a man’s daily labor as unity, a horse can carry a load on a horizontal plane 4.8 to 6.1 times, and a mule, 7.6 times greater than a man. Taking a man with a wheel-barrow as unity, a horse in a four-wheel wagon can draw 17.5, and in a cart, 24.3, and a mule in a cart, 23.3 times greater burden. On account of the peculiar build of a mule he is a superior pack-animal to the horse. There are from 91 to 130 draught horses required for a field-battery; for siege-train about 1900 (seeSiege-train); and 8 for a siege-gun. The load allotted to a light artillery horse is 700 pounds; to a heavy field artillery horse, 800 pounds; and to a siege artillery horse, 1000 pounds, including weight of carriages. It is less than that drawn by a horse of commerce, in consequence of bad roads, bad forage, rapid movements, and forced marches. A team of four horses can draw, with useful effect, including the weight of carriage, 2400 pounds; six horses, 3000 pounds; eight horses, 3600 pounds; and twelve horses, 4800 pounds. It is usual to estimate the weight of a carriage exceeding 1200 pounds as part of the load. A pack-horse can carry 250 to 300 pounds 20 miles a day; and a draught horse, 1600 pounds 23 miles a day, weight of carriage included. Usually a horse can draw seven times as much as he can carry. An ordinary march is about 15 miles at 21⁄2miles per hour for six hours; this must depend upon the condition of the horses, state of the roads, and various other circumstances. Horses starting fresh, and resting after their work, may, on tolerable roads, perform 2 miles in half an hour; 4 miles in one and a half hours; 8 in four, and 16 in ten hours. The daily allowance of water for a horse is four gallons. For the daily ration of forage supplied to animals in the U. S. service, seeForage. An army requires to be accompanied by several thousand pack-animals, sometimes horses, but preferably mules; and in Asia, commonly camels, or even elephants. In battle, the immediate reserves of small-arm ammunition are borne in the rear of divisions by pack-animals; the heavy reserves being in wagons between the army and its base of operations.
Buffalo.—An animal of the ox tribe, very important and useful to man. It is a native of the East Indies, where it has long been domesticated, and from which it was carried to Egypt and the south of Europe. It was introduced into Italy about the close of the 6th centuryA.D., is now very generally used as a beast of draught and of burden in that country, as it is also in India; it is also used in the latter country by the military as a beast of burden.
Bullock.—This beast is admirable for slow draught, especially over rough roads, or through forests, or other places where there are no roads at all. Bullocks stand fire better than any other animals, and used to be employed in India for draught in field-batteries. They must not be hurried; their ordinary pace is from 2 to 21⁄2miles an hour. If used over hard roads, they require shoeing. They want but little care, and thrive well on poor food. They attain their prime at six years, age to be known by annular swelling on horns, allowing three years for first ring, and one for each of the others. They are used in many parts of India as pack-animals, when they carry a load of 200 pounds.
Camels.—These animals are used in East India from three to sixteen years of age; about 7 feet high (to top of hump), about 8 feet long from nose to tail; pace about 2 miles an hour, kept up steadily for the longest marches; load for work on service about 400 to 450 pounds. They thrive well upon leaves of trees, and can go without water longer than any other animal. During temporary halts the laden camel can kneel down and rest. They are admirably adapted for carrying long articles, such as scaling-ladders, pontons, etc. The camel is at home in the desert and works well in the plains of India; it is unsuited for hilly countries.After rain in clay soil, and over rocks and stony places, they split up and are consequently useless there. They are good for fording rivers that are deep but not rapid, and where the bottom of the river is shifting sand, the passage of a number of camels over it renders it hard and firm. The average weight of the camel is about 1170 pounds.
Elephant.—A gigantic animal of the orderProboscidea, is the largest and heaviest of existing quadrupeds, and is celebrated for sagacity and docility. The ancient Carthaginians and other nations employed elephants in war, not only as beasts of burden but as combatants. These animals formed part of the army which Hannibal led across the Alps, and they are said to have decided the victory at the battle of Trebia. For a long period the elephant was as important an arm of war as the artillery of modern nations. Seleucus is said to have had more than 100 elephants at the battle of Ipsus. The elephant is the king of beasts of burden, becoming fit for work at twenty years of age, and lasting well to fifty and even sixty years of age. The load for steady work varies from 1680 to 2240 pounds exclusive of the pad; pace from 3 to 31⁄2miles an hour; when laden can keep up well with infantry in their daily marches; full grown his height is from 10 feet to 11 feet; is most tractable in disposition, is invaluable during marches in countries flooded by rain for extricating carts, guns, and wagons that have stuck in the mud. They are now used in India for the draught of guns in siege-trains; before such guns are taken under fire it is necessary to have the elephants taken out and replaced by bullocks, as the former cannot be made to stand fire. The average weight of an elephant in India is about 6600 pounds. They are often used in hilly countries to carry mountain guns on their back.
Lama, orLlama.—Is a most useful South American quadruped of the familyCamelidæ. It was in general use as a beast of burden on the Peruvian Andes at the time of the Spanish conquest, and was the only beast of burden used by the natives of America before the horse and ass were introduced by Europeans. From the peculiar formation of its feet it can walk securely on slopes too rough and steep for any other animal. The burden carried by the lama should not exceed 125 pounds, and its rate of traveling is about 12 to 15 miles per day.
Mule.—This is an excellent draught animal and almost rivals the horse for general military purposes. Their common load, including weight of pack-saddle, is from 200 to 250 pounds; height varies from 13 to 16 hands. They will eat almost anything, and require less careful management than the horse; the mule from the male ass and the mare is the best; their voices take after the sire. The real value of the mule is felt most strongly in mountainous countries.
Packer.A man whose duty it is to place and adjust the loads of pack-animals and to take charge of them upon the march. As packing requires long training and experience, packers are usually hired when needed.
Packing.Is the act of making up and adjusting the load of a pack-animal. It may be considered one of the arts.
Pack-mule.Mule used for carrying a pack.
Pack-saddles(Sp.aparejos). Are variously fitted, according to the objects to be carried; some for provisions or ammunition; others for carrying wounded men, tents, and, in mountain warfare, even small cannon. The one in general use in the U. S. army (calledaparejo) is 4 feet 9 inches long by 2 feet wide.
To “set up” an aparejo.—Prepare straight, smooth sticks, from1⁄2to 1 inch in diameter (wild-rose stems are the best, but any tough elastic wood will answer), and the coarsest grass that can be obtained. The grass should be cut green, free from flower-stalks, and dried slowly in the shade. Place the aparejo upside-down; take four sticks 1 inch in diameter, cut them to fit tightly, two in the width and two in the length; place one in each end, and one in each side of the compartment. Then place sticks1⁄2to3⁄4of an inch in diameter, cut to fit tightly, lengthwise of the compartment at intervals of 2 inches. Shake the grass thoroughly, and place layer after layer on the sticks without displacing them, until the compartment is as full as it can be stuffed with the hand. Great care is necessary to insure an equal distribution of the grass in the compartment. The corners are stuffed as hard as possible, a sharp stick being used for the purpose. When the aparejo is stuffed, it should be put on the mule for which it is intended, and the crupper adjusted.
Anaparejo cinchais canvas, 72 inches long and 20 wide, folded so as to bring the edges in the centre of the cincha. A semicircle of strong leather pierced with two holes is stitched on one end, and two loops of strong leather on the other.
Thelatigo strapis strong bridle leather, 72 inches long, 11⁄2inches wide at one end and tapering to1⁄2inch at the other. The wide end has holes punched in it. The aparejo cincha and latigo strap are used to tighten the aparejo.
Under the aparejo is placed a saddle-blanket, and a corona, or upper saddle-blanket; the latter is made by stitching two or three folds of old blanket or other woolen cloth together. It is the same size as the saddle-blanket and used over it.
Thehammer-clothis made of matting or canvas, of a size to exactly cover the aparejo. Two pieces of hard wood 20 inches long, 2 inches wide, 11⁄2inches thick, flat on one side, round on the other, and beveled to an edge at the ends, are placed 6 inches from the ends of the cloth. They have leather caps stitched over their ends. The hammer-cloth is used over the aparejo and under the aparejo cincha.
Thesling-ropeis of half-inch rope, 16 feet long.
Thelash-ropeis of one and a fourth inch hemp rope, 32 to 36 feet long; one end spliced to the cincha ring, the other end served.
Thecinchais strong canvas, 33 inches long by 11 inches wide; two rectangular pieces of strong leather 8 inches long by 51⁄2inches wide are stitched on one end, one on either side; in one of these pieces of leather there is a slit through which a hard-wood hook is passed and firmly fastened with a leather thong. There is a ring 3 inches in diameter securely stitched in the other end of the cincha.
There is also a pack-cover made of canvas, 5 feet square; and a blind made of leather, with strings and loop of the same material. The aparejo when securely placed on the pack-animal is a very serviceable pack-saddle, and cannot readily be displaced.
Pack-train.A number of loaded pack-animals with their drivers. Pack-trains are employed in mountainous countries or regions impassable for vehicles to carry supplies for armies. The mule is more generally serviceable in this work than the horse.
Padua(anc.Patavium, It.Padova). A town of Italy, capital of the province of the same name. It is surrounded by walls and ditches, and is fortified by bastions. Patavium was founded by the Trojan chief Antenor, and according to Strabo, it could send an army of 120,000 men into the field. The Patavians were constantly at war with, and successfully withstood, the Cisalpine Gauls; and in 301B.C.they also defeated Cleonymus the Lacedæmonian, who had unexpectedly landed at the mouth of theMedoacus(the modern Brenta), and attacked them. Patavium fell eventually under the power of Rome, though it seems to have retained a semblance of independence. In 452 its prosperity came suddenly to an end, when it was taken and destroyed by Attila; and in 601 it was again taken and burnt to the ground by Agilulf, king of the Longobards. It rose, however, from its ashes, and in the 10th century it had already become, as it has continued, one of the most important cities of Upper Italy. In 1164 Padua formed, with Verona, Vicenza, and Treviso, a league for the protection of their liberties against Frederick I. (Barbarossa); in 1167 it joined the great Lombard League; and by the peace of Constance in 1183 had at length its liberties acknowledged. In 1239, Eccelino da Romano made himself master of it, and after having practiced unheard-of cruelties, in 1256 he was driven out and defeated by a crusade formed against him by most of the towns in Upper Italy. After a period of stormy independence, Padua in 1337 fell under the sway of the house of Carrara, who held it till the year 1405, when it was taken by the republic of Venice, with which, in 1797, it passed into the hands of Austria, by the treaty of Campo Formio. In 1866 it was ceded to Napoleon III., and by him transferred to the kingdom of Italy.
Pæones.A powerful Thracian people, who in early times were spread over a great part of Macedonia and Thrace. Their country was called Pæonia. The Pæonian tribes on the lower course of the Strymon were subdued by the Persians, 513B.C.; but the tribes in the north of the country maintained their independence. They frequently invaded and plundered the territories of the Macedonian monarchs; but they were eventually subdued by Philip, the father of Alexander the Great. After the conquest of Macedonia by the Romans, 168, the part of Pæonia east of the Axius formed the second, and the part of Pæonia west of the Axius formed the third of the four districts into which Macedonia was divided by the Romans.
Pæstum(anc.Posidonia, It.Pesto). Anciently a Greek city of Lucania, in the present Neapolitan province of Principato Citeriore, on theSinus Pæstanus, now the Gulf of Salerno. It was founded by the Trœzenians and the Sybarites some time between 650 and 610B.C.It was subdued by the Samnites of Lucania, who named it Pæstum, and slowly declined in prosperity after it fell into the hands of the Romans, who established a colony here about 273B.C.In 210B.C.it furnished ships to the squadron with which D. Quintus repaired to the siege of Tarentum; and in the following year it was among the eighteen colonies which still professed readiness to furnish supplies to the Roman armies. In the 10th century it was burnt by the Saracens, and the site is now occupied by the modern village of Pesto.
Pageant.In ancient military history, a triumphal car, chariot, or arch, variously adorned with colors, flags, etc., carried about in public shows, processions, etc. Also gorgeous show or spectacle.
Pagræ(nowPagras,Bagras,Bargas). A city of Syria, on the eastern side of Mount Amanus, at the foot of the pass called by Ptolemy the Syrian Gates, on the road from Antioch to Alexandria, the scene of the battle between Alexander Balas and Demetrius Nicator, 145B.C.
Pah.The name of the stockaded intrenchments of the New Zealanders.
Pah-Ute Indians.A tribe of aborigines of Shoshone stock, who, to the number of 2000, reside on two reservations in Nevada. (SeeIndians and their Agencies.) They are a peaceable race, but are low down in the scale of civilization.
Pailler(Fr.). An ancient body of French militia. The soldiers belonging to it were probably so called either from the circumstance of their wearing straw in their helmets, in order to know one another in action, or because they were accustomed to set fire to the habitations of their enemies with bundles of straw, which they always carried with them for that purpose.
Paladin(Fr.). A name given to thoseancient knights who were either what the French callcomtes du palais, “counts of the palace,” or princes lineally descended from Charlemagne and other old kings.
Paladin.A term originally derived from the counts Palatine, or of the palace, who were the highest dignitaries in the Byzantine court, and thence used generally for a lord or chieftain, and by the Italian romantic poets for a knight-errant.
Palæsta(nowPalasa). A town of Epirus, on the coast of Chaonia, and a little south of the Acroceraunian Mountains. Here Cæsar landed his forces when he crossed over to Greece to carry on the war against Pompey.
Palæstra.In Grecian antiquity, a public building where the youth exercised themselves in the military art, wrestling, running, etc.
Palais Royal.A heterogeneous mass of buildings on the eastern side of the Rue Richelieu, in Paris, composed of a palace, theatres, public gardens, shops, cafés, etc. The old palace was built between 1624 and 1636 on the site of the Hôtel Rambouillet by Cardinal Richelieu, who, at his death, bequeathed it to Louis XIII. It was taken possession of by the republican government, and used for the sittings of the tribunes during the Reign of Terror. The palace was sacked by the mob during the revolution of 1848.
Palanka.A species of permanent intrenched camp attached to Turkish frontier fortresses, in which the ramparts are revetted with large beams, rising 7 or 8 feet above the earthwork, so as to form a strong palisade above.
Palanquin(Hind.palki). A vehicle commonly used in Hindostan, China, Japan, and other Asiatic countries by travelers. The palanquin in use in Hindostan is a wooden box, about 8 feet long, 4 feet wide, and 4 feet high, with wooden shutters, which can be opened or shut at pleasure, and constructed like Venetian blinds for the purpose of admitting fresh air, while, at the same time, they exclude the scorching rays of the sun and the heavy showers of rain so common in that country. At each end of the palanquin, on the outside, two iron rings are fixed, and thehammals, or palanquin-bearers, of whom there are four, two at each end, support the palanquin by a pole passing through these rings. Traveling in this mode is continued both by day and night, and the palanquin is accompanied by a train of attendants, who carry the traveler’s clothes and whatever articles he may not immediately need. Similar modes of traveling have been at various times in use in Western Europe, but only for short distances. The Romanlectica(“litter”), the Frenchchaise à porteurs, and the English sedan-chair were the forms of vehicles most in use, and the two latter were in general use in towns till they were superseded by coaches, etc. The Roman litter was one of the criteria of its owner’s wealth, the rich man generally exhibiting the prosperous condition of his affairs by the multitude of the bearers and other attendants accompanying him.
Palatinate, The(Ger.Pfalz). A name applied to two German states, which were united previously to the year 1620. They were distinguished as the Upper and Lower Palatinate. The Upper now forms apart of the kingdom of Bavaria, and the Lower a part of Rhenish Prussia, situated on both sides of the Rhine, between Worms and Carlsruhe. By the peace of Lunéville (1801), the Duke Maximilian of Zweibrücken was compelled to cede a portion of the Rhenish Palatinate to France, a part to Baden, a part to Hesse-Darmstadt, and a part to Nassau. Treaties of Paris of 1814 and 1815 re-assigned the Palatinate lands beyond the Rhine to Germany, Bavaria receiving the largest share, and the remainder being divided between Hesse-Darmstadt and Prussia.
Palatine.A town of Montgomery Co., N. Y., on the north side of the Mohawk River. Near here, at Stone Arabia, an engagement took place October 18, 1780, between the Tories under Johnson and the Continental militia under Col. John Brown, in which the latter were defeated and their leader slain.
Pale.In heraldry, one of the figures known as ordinaries, consisting of a horizontal band in the middle of the shield, of which it is said to occupy one-third. Several charges of any kind are said to be “in pale” when they stand over each other horizontally, as do the three lions of England. A shield divided through the middle by a horizontal line is said to be “parted per pale.” The pallet is the diminutive of the pale, and is most generally not borne singly. Three pallets gules were the arms of Raymond, count of Provence. When the field is divided into an even number of parts by perpendicular lines, it is called “paly of” so many pieces. When divided by lines perpendicular and bendways crossing, it is called “paly bendy.” An endorse is a further diminutive of the pallet, and a pale placed between two endorses is said to be endorsed.
Pale.In Irish history, means that portion of the kingdom over which the English rule and English law were acknowledged. There is so much vagueness in the meaning of the term, that a few words of explanation appear necessary. The vagueness arises from the great fluctuations which the English authority underwent in Ireland at various periods, and from the consequent fluctuation of the actual territorial limits of the Pale. The designation dates from the reign of John, who distributed the portion of Ireland then nominally subject to England into twelve counties palatine, Dublin, Meath, Kildare, Louth, Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford, Waterford, Cork, Kerry, Tipperary, and Limerick. To this entire district, in a general way, was afterwards given the designationof the Pale. But as it may be said that the term is commonly applied by the writers of each age to the actual English territory of the period, and as this varied much, care must be taken to allude to the age of which the name Pale is used. Thus at the close of the reign of Edward III., the English law extended only to the four counties of Dublin, Carlow, Meath, and Louth. In the reign of Henry VI., the limits were still further restricted. In a general way, however, the Pale may be considered as comprising the counties of Dublin, Meath, Carlow, Kilkenny, and Louth. This, although not quite exact, will be sufficient for most purposes.
Paleagas.SeePolygars.
Palembang.A Dutch province in the island of Sumatra, comprehending the former kingdom of that name. In 1811 the Dutch had merely a commercial factory at Palembang, when the sultan began hostilities against them; and in order to insure their entire destruction, under pretense of conveying them safely to Batavia, sunk during the night the ships in which they had embarked by means of holes previously made. The Dutch regained Palembang in 1816. The Dutch factory was cannonaded by the sultan’s forces in 1818, and the country remained in rebellion until 1821, when it was entirely conquered by the Dutch. The sultan still retains his title, but the supreme power is exercised by a Dutch regent, who resides at Palembang, the capital.
Palermo(anc.Panormus). A fortified city of Sicily, situated on the north side of the island. Palermo is of Phœnician origin, and is first brought into notice in 480B.C., when the Carthaginians under Hamilcar made it their headquarters against Himera. How it came into their hands we have no means of knowing; but it continued for a long time to be their principal naval station, and the capital of their possessions in Sicily. With the exception of a short time, about 276B.C., when it was taken by the Greeks, it continued to be the headquarters of the Carthaginians, until it was taken by the Romans during the first Punic war (254B.C.). When Sicily was conquered by the Goths, Palermo, along with the rest of the island, fell into their hands; but it was recovered by Belisarius, and the Byzantine empire retained possession of it till 855A.D., when it was taken by the Saracens, and made the capital of their Sicilian possessions. The Vandals and afterwards the Arabs made it the capital of the island, and after the Norman conquest it continued to be the seat of the king of Sicily. It still remained the royal residence under the Aragonese kings; but the court was removed (1269) after Sicily became united to the kingdom of Naples. In 1860 the inhabitants flocked to the standard of Garibaldi, and in the same year the city was annexed to the new kingdom of Italy.
Palestine, orHoly Land. A country of Asia, lying along the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea, and occupying the southwestern part of Syria, which is included within the limits of the Turkish empire. It now forms the modern pashalic of Beirut or Beyrout, and part of the pashalic of Damascus. This is the country in which the principal events recorded in Scripture took place. When it was conquered by the Israelites, Joshua divided this and a portion of the country to the east of the Jordan among the twelve tribes. It was conquered, however, by the kings of Assyria, who carried captive, first Israel and then Judah, into the eastern provinces of their empire. After the conquest of Babylon by Cyrus, the Jews were allowed to return to their country, to rebuild their temple, and re-establish their ecclesiastical constitution. Judæa thus continued a province of Persia until Asia was invaded by Alexander the Great, to whom it submitted without resistance. The Jews were again exposed to oppression from some of the Ptolemies, who attempted to enforce the adoption of the idolatrous worship of the Greeks on the Jewish people. The Jews, however, under the guidance of the Maccabees, offered a most determined resistance to the Egyptian monarch who sought to deprive them of the exercise of their own religion, and Judæa once more became an independent country. It subsequently fell under the dominion of Rome, which established the Herods as tributary kings. It was at this crisis that Judæa became the theatre of those great events which form the foundation of the Christian faith. The Jews, however, having repeatedly rebelled against the authority of the Romans, Titus entered Judæa with a large force in 70, and after a long siege, during which the Jews endured terrible hardships and privations, he took Jerusalem, and razed it to the ground. The temple which had been twice rebuilt, after having been burnt by Nebuchadnezzar and plundered by Antiochus, was again destroyed. More than 1,100,000 Jews perished in the siege and destruction of the city, and about sixty-five years after the Jewish people were banished from Judæa by a decree of the emperor Hadrian. The country continued to form a part of the Roman empire until it was divided into the Eastern and Western empires, when Palestine became a province of the former. Although it was frequently invaded by the Parthians, Persians, and Saracens, it was held by the emperors of Constantinople until it was wrested from them by the last-named people in 638. It then fell under the sway of the Mohammedans, in whose power the land remained until 1099, when the Holy Land was recovered by the Crusaders, and erected into a Latin kingdom under Godfrey de Bouillon. This kingdom lasted till 1187, when it was conquered by Saladin, on the decline of whose kingdom it passed through various hands, till, in 1517, it was finally swallowed up in the Turkish empire.
Palestrina(anc.Præneste). An episcopal city of the present kingdom of Italy, built upon the site of one of the most ancient as well as powerful cities of Latium. We first hear of Præneste as member of the Latin League; but in 499B.C.it quitted the confederacy and joined the cause of the Romans. In 380B.C.the Prænestines, having rejoined their ancient allies, waged war against Rome; but were completely routed on the Allia by T. Quintus Cincinnatus, and beaten back to their own gates. They took a prominent part in the famous Latin war, 340B.C.Having given shelter to the younger Marius in the year 82B.C., this city was besieged by the forces of Sulla, and on its being taken, all the inhabitants were put to the sword. A military colony was then established in their place, and soon the city began to flourish anew. The town became the stronghold of the family of Colonna in the Middle Ages; but was given to the Barberini family by Urban VIII.
Palestro.A village of Piedmont, 12 miles southwest from Novara. It is famous as the scene of a battle between the Sardinians and Austrians in May, 1859. On May 30 the Piedmontese drove the Austrians from this village, and on May 31 defended it with great bravery against an Austrian attack. The Piedmontese in the battle of May 31 were assisted by 3000 French Zouaves, and on that occasion the Austrians lost 2100 men killed and wounded, 950 prisoners, and 6 pieces of cannon. On July 1 the allies entered Novara.
Palgaut.A city of India, in the south of Hindostan, captured by the British in 1790.
Palisade.To surround, inclose, or fortify with stakes or posts.
Palisades.Are strong palings 6 or 7 inches broad on each side, having about one foot of their summits sharpened in a pyramidal form. They are frequently placed at the foot of slopes as an obstacle to the enemy. A large beam or lintel, sunk about 2 or 3 feet, is often used to unite them more firmly. Their tops should be a foot above the crest of the parapet behind which they stand, and in field fortifications they form a very good obstruction, if protected from artillery. An expeditious mode of planting them is to sink a small ditch, about 2 feet 6 inches deep and the same breadth, and to nail the ends of the palisades to a piece of timber, or the trunk of a tree laid on the bottom of it, and then fill in the earth, and ram it well. The palisades should be 9 or 10 feet long, so that when finished, the ends shall be at least 7 feet above the ground. They may be made out of the stems of young trees of 6 or 8 inches diameter; but stout rails, gates with the ends knocked off, planks split in half, cart-shafts, ladders, and a variety of such things will come into play, where more regular palisades are not to be had. If the materials are weak, a cross-piece must be nailed to them near the top, to prevent their being broken down, and they must not be placed so close together as to cover an enemy.
Palliser Gun.SeeOrdnance, Construction of.
Palmyra.The name given by the Greeks to an ancient city of Upper Syria. It occupied a fertile oasis, 140 miles east-northeast from Damascus. Palmyra was, in the time of Solomon, a bulwark of the Hebrew kingdom against the wandering hordes of Bedouins. After the fall of Seleucia, it became a great commercial centre, and greatly increased both in wealth and magnificence after the time of Trajan, who subjected the whole country to the Roman empire. In the 3d century, Odonathus, a Syrian, founded here an empire, which, after his murder, rose to great prosperity under his wife, Zenobia, and included both Syria and Mesopotamia; but this was not of long duration, for the Roman emperor Aurelian conquered it in the year 275, and the city was soon after almost entirely destroyed in revenge for the slaughter of a Roman garrison. It never recovered from this blow, although Justinian fortified it anew. The Saracens destroyed it in 774, and in 1400 it was plundered by Tamerlane. A village called Tedmor, inhabited by a few Arab families, now occupies its site.
Palo Alto.A noted battle-field, situated near the southern extremity of Texas, between Point Isabel and Matamoras, about 9 miles northeast of the latter. Here, on May 8, 1846, the Americans, numbering 2111, under Gen. Taylor, defeated 6000 Mexicans, commanded by Gen. Arista. The loss of the former was 32 killed (among whom was the brave Maj. Ringgold), and 47 wounded; that of the latter, 252 killed.
Paludamentum.Was a garment worn by the Romans, and differing little, if at all, from the chlamys. It was worn by the officers and principal men in time of war, who were therefore calledpaludati, and this distinguished them from the common soldiers, who, because they wore thesagum, were called thesagati. Thepaludamentum, which was generally white or red, came down to the knees, or lower, was open in front, hung loosely over the shoulders, and was fastened across the chest by a clasp.
Paly.In heraldry, divided into four or more equal parts by perpendicular lines, and of two different tinctures disposed alternately.
Pamphylia.An ancient district on the south coast of Asia Minor, with Cilicia on the east and Lycia on the west. It was originally bounded on the inland or northern side by Mount Taurus, but was afterwards enlarged, so as to reach the confines of Phrygia. The inhabitants—a mixed race of aborigines, Cilicians and Greek colonists—spoke a language the basis of which was probably Greek, but which was disfigured and corrupted by the infusion of barbaric elements. Along with Phrygia and Lycia, it fell to the share of Antigonus onthe partition of the Macedonian empire. It afterwards passed successively into the hands of the Græco-Syrian princes, the kings of Pergamus, and the Romans.
Pamplona, orPampeluna. A fortified town of Spain, the capital of the province of Navarre, on the Arga, 39 miles southeast from St. Sebastian. Pamplona was called by the ancientsPompeiopolis, from the circumstance of its having been rebuilt by the sons of Pompey in 68B.C.It was taken by Euric the Goth in 466, by the Franks under Childebert in 542, and again under Charlemagne in 778, who dismantled it. It was subsequently for a time in possession of the Moors, who corrupted the name Pompeiopolis into Bambilonah, whence the modern Pamplona. In the 11th century the three districts of the town were separately fortified. The continual intestine contests of these three fortresses caused Carlos III., in the beginning of the 15th century, to destroy the interior walls and strengthen the common bulwarks; he also erected a citadel, in the defense of which, against André de Foix, in 1521, St. Ignacio was wounded. It was taken by a stratagem by the French under D’Armagnac, and remained in their power until recaptured after a blockade by Wellington in 1813. In the civil war that followed the death of Ferdinand VII., Pamplona was the strong place of the liberals. The citadel was seized and held for a short time by O’Donnell in September, 1841.
Pan.That part of the lock of a musket, pistol, etc., which holds the priming powder, the necessity of which is superseded by the use of percussion-caps.
Pan.The distance which is comprised between the angle of the epaul and the flanked angle in a fortification.
Pan.A name well known among the shepherds of antiquity, and frequently used by modern writers in their rural fictions. In military history it signifies a man who was lieutenant-general to Bacchus and his Indian expedition. He is recorded to have been the first author of a general shout, which the Grecians practiced in the beginning of their onsets in battle.
Pan Coupé.The short length of parapet by which the salient angle of a work is sometimes cut off.
Panache(Fr.). A plume worn upon the crest of an ancient helmet; military plume or feather.
Pancarte(Fr.). An ancient exercise or tournament, which was performed in the Roman amphitheatre, when strong athletic men were opposed to all sorts of enraged animals.
Pandoor.SeePandour.
Pandosia(nowCastel Franco). A town in Bruttium (which see) near the frontiers of Lucania. Lævinus, the Roman consul, was defeated at Pandosia by Pyrrhus, king of Epirus, 280B.C.
Pandour(fromPandur, a mountainous district of Hungary). The name has been applied to that portion of the light-armed infantry in the Austrian service which is raised in the Slavonian districts on the Turkish frontier. The Pandours originally fought under the orders of their own proper chief, who was called Harun-Basha, and rendered essential service to the Austrians during the Spanish War of Succession, and afterwards in the Seven Years’ War. They originally fought after the fashion of the “free lances,” and were a terror to the enemy, whom they annoyed incessantly. Their appearance was exceedingly picturesque, being somewhat oriental in character, and their arms consisted of a musket, pistol, a Hungarian sabre, and two Turkish poniards. Their habits of brigandage and cruelty rendered them, however, as much a terror to the people they defended as to the enemy. Since 1750 they have been gradually put under a stricter discipline, and are now incorporated with the Austrian frontier regiments.
Panic.A sudden fright; especially, a sudden fright without real cause, or terror inspired by a trifling cause, or misapprehension of danger; as, the troops were seized with a panic; they fled in a panic. These terrors are attributed to Pan, as some say, because when Osiris was bound by Typho, Pan and the satyrs appearing, cast him into a fright; or because he frightened all the giants that waged war against Jupiter; or, as others say, that when Pan was Bacchus’s lieutenant-general in his Indian expedition, being encompassed in a valley by an army of enemies far superior to them in number, he advised the god to order his men to give a general shout, which so surprised the enemy that they immediately fled from their camp. And hence it came to pass that all sudden fears impressed upon men’s spirits without any just reason were, by the Greeks and Romans, calledpanicterrors.
Panic-stricken.Struck with a panic or sudden fear; as, the troops were panic-stricken.
Paniput, orPaneeput. A town of British India, capital of a district of the same name in the territorial division of Delhi, Northwest Provinces, 78 miles north of Delhi, and 965 miles northwest of Calcutta. The neighborhood of Paniput, lying in the great military highway between Eastern India and Afghanistan, has been at various times the field of great battles. Thefirstgreat battle of Paniput was fought in 1526, and gained by Mirza Baber, the ex-ruler of Ferghana, at the head of 12,000 Mongols, over Ibrahim, the emperor of Delhi, whose unwarlike array numbered 100,000 men, with 1000 elephants. This victory seated Baber on the throne of Hindostan as the first of the “Great Mogul” dynasty. Thesecondgreat battle was fought in 1556 by the Mongols under Akbar, grandson of Baber, and third of the Mogul emperors, against Hemu, an Indian prince, who had usurped the throne of Delhi. Hemu’s army was defeatedwith great slaughter, and himself slain. Thethirdbattle was fought on January 14, 1761, between Ahmed Abdalli, ruler of Afghanistan, and the till then invincible Mahrattas. The Jats, who had been forced to join the Mahrattas, deserted to the Afghans at a time when victory seemed to be declaring for the former; and this act of treachery, together with the loss of their leaders, threw the Mahrattas into confusion, and in spite of their most resolute valor they suffered a total defeat. They left 50,000 slain on the field of battle, including all their leaders except Holkar, and 30,000 men were killed in the pursuit, which was continued for four days. It was at Kurnaul, a town a little to the north of Paniput, that Nadir Shah of Persia, in 1739, won the celebrated battle over the Mogul emperor, which placed Northwestern India at his feet.
Pannels.Are the carriages upon which mortars and their beds are conveyed upon a march.
Pannier.A shield of basket-work formerly used by archers, who set them up in their front. Also a basket, usually slung in pairs over the back of a beast of burden to carry a load. The term is also applied to leather bags to be used in the same way, and especially to cases for carrying medicines.
Pannonia.A province of the ancient Roman empire, bounded on the north and east by the Danube, on the west by the mountains of Noricum, and on the south reaching a little way across the Save; and thus including part of modern Hungary, Slavonia, parts of Bosnia, of Croatia, and of Carniola, Styria, and Lower Austria. The Pannonians (Pannonii) were a brave, warlike people. They maintained their independence of Rome till Augustus, after his conquest of the Illyrians (35B.C.), turned his arms against them; they were shortly afterwards subdued by his general Vibius. In 7, the Pannonians joined the Dalmatians and the other Illyrian tribes in their revolt from Rome, and were with difficulty conquered by Tiberius, after a desperate struggle, which lasted three years (7-9). The dangerous mutiny (14) of the Roman troops which were garrisoned in Pannonia was with difficulty quelled by Drusus. Fifteen legions had to be assembled against the Pannonians, who mustered 200,000 warriors. Great numbers of the Pannonian youth were drafted into the Roman legions, and proved, when disciplined, among the bravest and most effective soldiers in the imperial army. Pannonia was subsequently divided into Upper and Lower Pannonia. Upper Pannonia was the scene of the Marcomannic war in the 2d century. In the 5th century it was transferred from the Western to the Eastern empire, and afterwards given up to the Huns. After Attila’s death, in 453, the Ostrogoths obtained possession of it. The Longobards under Alboin made themselves masters of it in 527, and relinquished it to the Avari upon commencing their expedition to Italy. The Magyars, or Hungarians, took it in the end of the 9th century.
Panonceau(Fr.). An ancient name for an ensign or banner.
Panoply.Complete armor, or harness.
Papagos.A tribe of Indians closely allied to the Pimas, who reside on a reservation on the Santa Cruz River, in Arizona. They were converted to Christianity by Spanish missionaries at an early date, and are a peaceable and industrious race.
Papal States, orStates of the Church. A territory, or rather group of states in Central Italy, formerly united into one sovereignty, with the pope for its head. The Papal States were bounded on the north by the Po, on the south by Naples, on the east by the Gulf of Venice and Naples, and on the west by Modena, Tuscany, and the Tyrrhenian Sea. Detached portions, as Benevento and Pontecorvo, lay within the Neapolitan territory. About 720, Gregory III. having quarreled with the emperor Leo the Isaurian, declared the independence of Rome. In 726, Pepin le Bref compelled the Lombard king to hand over Ravenna, Rimini, Pesaro, Fano, Cesena, Urbino, Forli, Comacchio, and fifteen other towns to the pope, who now assumed the state of a temporal sovereign. Pepin’s example was followed by his son Charlemagne. In the 11th century the Normans greatly aided to increase the papal temporal authority, and in 1053 the duchy of Benevento was annexed. In 1278 the emperor Rodolf I. confirmed the popes in the acquisitions thus obtained, defined the boundaries of the Papal States, and absolved their inhabitants from their oath of allegiance to the empire. Sixtus IV. in the end of the 15th century annexed the Romagna to his dominions. By the victory of the French at Marignan (1515), the very existence of the papal power was threatened. In 1598 the possessions of the house of Este, viz.: Ferrara, Comacchio, and a part of the Romagna, were seized by Pope Clement VIII.; and the Papal States received their final additions in Urbino (1623), Ronciglione, and the duchy of Castro (1650). The Romagna was seized by Napoleon in 1797, and incorporated in the Cisalpine Republic; and in the following year Rome was taken by the French, and the Papal States erected into theRoman Republic. Pius VII., in 1800, obtained possession of his states, but they were almost immediately retaken by the French. In 1814, the pope returned to his dominions, and was formally reinstated by the treaty of Vienna. In 1830, the people of Ancona and Bologna rose in rebellion; they were put down by the aid of an Austrian army. The Bolognese again rebelled; and this revolt supplied Austria with a pretext for occupying the northern Legations, and the French at the same time garrisoned Ancona. Occasional risings took place from time to time up to 1846. In 1848, the people rose, and Pius IX. fled to Gaeta, whilst Rome was proclaimed a republic. He wasrestored and his subjects reduced to submission by the arms of France, Austria, Naples, and Spain. The Austrians held the Legations in subjection to the pope’s authority till 1859; the French occupied Rome in his behalf till 1870. In July, 1859, the four northern Legations (the Romagna) taking advantage of the withdrawal of the Austrian troops, threw off the papal authority, and proclaimed their annexation to Sardinia, which was formally acknowledged by Victor Emmanuel in March, 1860. The pope now raised a large body of troops, appointing Lamoricière, an eminent French general, to command them, for the purpose of resisting any further encroachments on his dominions; but the news of Garibaldi’s success in Sicily and Naples produced revolt in the Legation of Urbino and in the Marches, the people proclaiming Victor Emmanuel. The Sardinians accordingly marched into the Papal States, defeated Lamoricière, who retired into Ancona, where he was compelled to surrender with his whole army. The revolted provinces of Umbria, Urbino, and the Marches, and part of Frosinone were annexed to Sardinia. In September, 1870, the remaining states were occupied by the Italian troops, and the pope was removed from temporal power. On October 2, 1870, the people pronounced their annexation to the kingdom of Italy, with which the territory of the States of the Church was incorporated by decree of October 9, and Gen. Marmora appointed governor of the new provinces.
Papegai(Fr.). A popinjay; a bird made of wood or pasteboard, stuck upon a lance, and used as a mark when practicing with the bow, cross-bow, musket, etc.
Paper Shell.SeePyrotechny.
Paper Time-fuze.SeeLaboratory Stores.
Paphlagonia.Was a country of Asia Minor, separated from Pontus on the east by the river Halys (Kizil Ermak), and from Bithynia on the west by the river Parthenius (Bartan-Su), and bounded on the north by the Euxine, and on the south by Galatia. Its limits, however, were somewhat different at different times. The Paphlagonians are supposed to have been of Syrian, or at least of Semitic origin, and were a wild and warlike people. Crœsus made Paphlagonia a part of the kingdom of Lydia, and Cyrus united it to Persia; it subsequently became part of the empire of Alexander the Great, and afterwards of the kingdom of Pontus, was included in the Roman province of Galatia, and in the 4th century of the Christian era was made a separate province by Constantine.
Papilio(Fr.). A square Roman tent for eight men.
Parachute Light Ball.A thin shell, the upper half of which is blown off by the charge at a certain height. The lower half filled with composition, which is kindled by the explosion, is kept floating in the air by means of a small parachute, which is set free when the upper half of the shell flies off.
Parade.Signifies in its original sense a prepared ground, and was applied to the court-yard of a castle, or to any inclosed and level plain. From the practice of reviewing troops at such a spot, the review itself has acquired the name of parade.
Parade.To assemble troops in a uniform manner for the purpose of regular muster, exercise, and inspection. The parades are general, regimental, or private (troop, battery, or company), according to the strength of the force assembled.
Parade.In camp, is that spot of ground in the front of each encampment, between the camp colors, on the right and left wings.
Parade, Dress.A parade which takes place in the U. S. army at the troop or retreat on each evening, when the soldiers appear in full uniform and under arms.
Parade, Evening.The hour generally fixed for the evening parade is at sunset. When troops are encamped, the signal for evening parade is given from the park of artillery, by the discharge of a piece of ordnance called the evening gun.
Parade Guard Mounting.The parading of the soldiers who are to go on guard.
Parade, Morning.In every garrison town, fortified place, and camp, as well as in every town through which soldiers pass, or occasionally halt, a certain hour in the morning is fixed for the assembling of the different corps, troops, or companies, in regular order.
Parade Officer.An officer who attends to the minutiæ of regimental duty, but who is not remarkable for military science.
Parade Rest.A position of rest for soldiers, in which, however, they are required to be silent and motionless, used specially at parade; also, the command for the position.
Parade, Troop.Morning parade(which see).
Parade-ground.The piece of ground on which soldiers are paraded.
Parados.An elevation of earth which is effected behind fortified places, to secure them from any sudden attack that may be made in reverse.
Parætonium, orAmmonia. Formerly an important city on the northeast coast of Africa. It was a strong fortress; restored by Justinian, and continued a place of some consequence till its complete destruction by Mehemet Ali in 1820.
Paraguay.A republic in South America, discovered by Sebastian Cabot in 1526; conquered by Alvarez Nuñez in 1535, and civilized by the Jesuits, who in 1608 commenced their missions there, and established an exclusive government, which they held until their expulsion in 1768. Paraguay rose against the Spanish yoke in 1811, and achieved its independence. Paraguay was recognized as an independent state by the Argentine Confederation in 1852, and byGreat Britain in 1853. On November 11, 1864, hostilities between Paraguay and Brazil began, when a Brazilian steamer was captured as an intruder on Paraguayan waters; in the same year Brazil was invaded by the Paraguayans, and on April 14, 1865, Lopez (president of the republic) invaded the territories of the Argentine Republic, which immediately made alliance with Brazil. In September, 1865, the army of Lopez was defeated. The war continued almost without intermission until 1870, when Lopez was killed. Since that time Paraguay, though nominally independent, has been almost completely under control of Brazil.
Parallels.Are trenches cut in the ground before a fortress, roughly parallel to its defenses, for the purpose of giving cover to the besiegers from the guns of the place. The parallels are usually three, with zigzag trenches leading from one to another. The old rule used to be to dig the first at 600 yards’ distance; but the improvements in artillery have rendered a greater distance necessary, and at Sebastopol the allies made their first trench 2000 yards from the walls. The third trench is very near to the besieged works, and from it saps and zigzag approaches are directed to the covert way. SeeSiege.
Paramount.The highest in rank or order; the chief.
Parapets(Ital.parapetto, “breastguard”). In fortifications, are breastworks, walls, or bulwarks of earth, brick, wood, iron, stone, or other material. The battlement around a flat roof, or the railing of a bridge is also called a parapet. The parapets of field-works are always made of earth, which is also largely used in permanent fortifications. Earth has great advantages for this purpose, being readily obtained, easily handled, and affords good cover on account of the absence of splinters and flying fragments when struck by a shot. The presence of rock or large gravel in the earth is objectionable for this reason. Of the different earths, sand, hard clay, tufa, etc., resist penetration better than rich soils. The profile of the parapet is determined by its location and purpose. The earth to form it is taken from the ditch, which is sometimes in front and sometimes in rear. In inclosed works, or works built at leisure, the ditch is always on the outside, leaving the natural surface for the parade. Works built hastily, or under fire, have the ditch on the inside. In this way cover is more rapidly obtained. This form of parapet is used in all the trenches in siege operations and the temporary lines thrown up on the field of battle. Thecommandof a parapetis the height of the interior crest above the site. For isolated works the command should be at least 8 feet, as the chances of a successful resistance increase with the command. The profile of a parapet is a section taken at right angles to its length. In infantry parapets thebanquetteis the bank of earth in rear of the parapet, on which the troops stand to deliver their fire. This is usually about 4 feet wide, and about 4 feet 3 inches below the interior crest. The height of the banquette depends upon the command of the parapet. Theinterior slopeof the parapet, against which the soldier leans in firing, has a slope of 3 on 1. To support the earth at this inclination a revetment of sand-bags, fascines, gabions, sod, pisa, or plank, is used. Thesuperior slopeof the parapet is usually 1 on 6. It should be steep enough to give a fire just above the farther edge of the ditch, but not so steep as to weaken the parapet. Theexterior slopeis 1 on 1, or the natural slope of the earth. If it is made steeper than this it will be beaten down by the projectiles of the enemy; if less steep, it will offer a less obstacle to open assault. Theberme, or space between the foot of the exterior slope and the edge of the ditch, is objectionable, in offering a breathing-place to the enemy in the assault, but it is usually necessary to prevent the weight of the parapet from crushing in the scarp. The dimensions of the ditch are regulated by the amount of earth necessary to form the parapet. The scarp and counterscarp are made as steep as the stiffness of the soil will allow. As a general rule, the depth of the ditch should not be less than 6 feet, and its width should not be less than 12. The greatest width is regulated by the superior scope of the parapet, the line of which produced should not pass below the crest of the counterscarp. In excavating near a salient it will be found that more earth is furnished than in re-enterings. On this account the width of the ditch is usually made variable, being less at the salients than elsewhere.
The thickness of a parapet is the horizontal distance between the interior and exterior crests. This thickness should be one-half greater than the penetration of the projectiles it is designed to resist. As the rifled guns now in use have much greater penetration than the smooth-bores of former times, a proportionate increase in the dimensions of parapets has become necessary. The parapets of semi-permanent field-works are usually calculated to resist the fire of siege-guns; those of permanent works to resist the most powerful ordnance in use. The trenches so much used in modern times to cover operations of armies in the field are shallow ditches, with the earth thrown outwards.
Parasang.A Persian military measure, sometimes assumed as a league, but equal to about 4 English miles.
Parbuckle.To hoist or lower by means of a parbuckle.
Parbuckles.Are 4-inch ropes, 12 feet long, with a hook at one end and a loop at the other. To parbuckle a gun, is to roll it in either direction from the spot in which it rests. To do this, place the gun on skids, and if it is to be moved up or down a slope, two 41⁄2-inch ropes are made fast tosome place on the upper part of the slope, the ends are carried under the chase and breech of the gun respectively, round it and up the slope. If the running ends of these ropes are hauled upon, the gun ascends; if eased off, it descends. If the ground is horizontal, handspikes only are necessary to move the gun.
Parcourir(Fr.). In a military sense, to run over the ground during an action. This word is particularly applicable to those movements which are made by general officers, officers commanding brigades, etc., for the purpose of encouraging their soldiers in the heat of an engagement.
Pardon and Mitigation of Sentences.SeeAppendix,Articles of War,112.
Parga.A town of European Turkey, eyalet of Yanina, stands on a rocky peninsula on the shore of the Mediterranean, and is defended by a citadel which is nearly impregnable. It has played a part of some importance in history since the beginning of the 15th century. It maintained its independence, under the protection of Venice, from this period till the fall of the Venetian power in 1797, when it was for a short time garrisoned by the French. Ali Pasha, the governor of Yanina, obtained command of it in 1800, and in 1814 besieged it, on account of the inhabitants refusing to submit to his rule; and as the French would not defend them, the inhabitants applied for aid to the British, who took possession of the citadel. Parga was finally given up to Turkey by the treaty of 1819; but the inhabitants, not wishing to come under the Ottoman sway, migrated to the Ionian Islands, and the town was then occupied by the Turks.
Paris(anc.Lutetia Parisiorum). The metropolis of France, and after London, the most populous city in Christendom, is situated on both sides of the Seine, and is surrounded by walls and a strong line of fortifications. When Cæsar conquered Gaul, he rebuilt Lutetia, which had been nearly destroyed through the obstinacy of the Celtic tribe who here had their stronghold, and it rose to be a place of considerable importance during the 500 years of Roman dominion. In the beginning of the 5th century it suffered much from the northern hordes, and ultimately fell into the hands of the Franks, headed by Clovis, who, having embraced Christianity, made it his residence in 508. In 845 the city was ravaged by the Normans, and in 845 and 920 suffered from famine; in 885 it was gallantly defended by the Count Eudes and the Bishop Goslin against the Danes; in 1231 it was rebuilt; and in 1411-18 suffered by the factions of the Armagnacs and Burgundians; taken by the English in 1420, and retaken by the French in 1436; on August 24, 1572, the massacre of St. Bartholomew occurred; in 1589-90 Henry IV. vainly besieged it, and he entered it in March, 1594; surrendered to the allies on March 30, 1814. Paris was the scene of many revolutions from July, 1830, to February 22, 1848. The following are the great treaties of Paris: Between England, France, Spain, and Portugal, cession of Canada to Great Britain by France, and Florida by Spain, on February 10, 1763; between France and Sardinia; the latter ceding Savoy, May 15, 1796; France and Sweden, whereby Swedish Pomerania and the island of Rugen were given up to the Swedes, who agreed to adopt the French prohibitory system against Great Britain, January 6, 1810; on April 11, 1814, Paris capitulated, and Napoleon renounced the sovereignty of France; the convention of Paris, between France and the allied powers, the boundaries of France to be the same as on the first day of January, 1792; peace of Paris ratified by France and all the allies on May 14, 1814; convention of St. Cloud, between Marshal Davoust, Wellington, and Blücher, for the surrender of Paris, July 3, 1815, and the allies entered it on July 6; treaty of Paris, between Great Britain, Austria, Russia, and Prussia, styling Napoleon the prisoner of those powers, and confiding his safeguard to England on August 2, 1815; establishing the boundaries of France, and stipulating for the occupation of certain fortresses by foreign troops for three years, on November 20, same year, and the treaty of Paris, confirming the treaties of Chaumont and Vienna, same day; treaty between Russia and Turkey, England, France, and Sardinia, March 30, 1856; another between England and Persia, March 4, 1857; the treaty between the European powers, Prussia, and Switzerland, respecting Neufchâtel, May 26, 1857; and the convention between France and Italy for withdrawal of French troops from Rome, September 15, 1864. In the late war with Prussia the armies of France having been defeated by the Germans, on August 7, 1870, Paris was declared in a state of siege. On September 4, a republic was proclaimed and a “provisional government of national defense” instituted under the presidency of Gen. Trochu. On September 20, Paris was invested by the Germans, and communication was kept up with the outer world by means of pigeons and balloon mails. On October 30, riot reigned in Paris, and the members of the provisional government were arrested and held prisoners for several hours. On November 28, 300,000 troops supported by 700 field-pieces, divided into three corps, were concentrated at points around the city under Gen. Trochu as commander-in-chief. Early in January the bombardment was begun, and continued most of the month without serious injury. The city, nearly reduced to starvation and threatened with intestine commotion, surrendered on January 28, with 1900 pieces of artillery, 180,000 prisoners, a forced contribution of 200,000,000 francs having been levied by the enemy. The National Assembly having ratified the preliminaries of peace on February 28, the German troops, who, to the number of 30,000,had occupied a quarter of Paris, quietly withdrew. The terms of peace proving distasteful to the populace, Paris was soon plunged into political chaos, and sanguinary conflicts followed between the government of the Commune, or Red Republicans, and the Versailles government under the presidency of Thiers.
Park.The space occupied by the animals, wagons, pontons, and materials of all kinds, whether of powder, ordnance stores, hospital stores, provisions, etc., of an army when brought together; as, a park of wagons; a park of artillery; a park of provisions; engineer park, and the like.
Park.To bring together in a park, or compact body; as, to park the artillery, etc.
Parley.An oral conference with an enemy. It takes place under a flag of truce, and usually at some spot—for the time neutral—between the two armies.To beat a parley, is to give a signal for such a conference by beat of drum or sound of trumpet.
Parma.A kind of round buckler used by the velites in the Roman army. It was 3 feet in diameter, made of wood and covered with leather. Its form was round, and its substance strong; but Servius on the Æneid, and even Virgil, say that it was a light piece of armor in comparison with the clypeus, though larger than the pelta.
Parma.A city of Italy, situated on a river of the same name, about 72 miles southeast of Milan. It is supposed to be of Etruscan origin, but is first mentioned as a Roman colony, having become of considerable importance in the time of the republic. It took a prominent part against Antony in 43B.C., and was in consequence taken by that general and plundered by his troops. Under Augustus it received a fresh colony, and it again rose to be one of the principal towns of this populous and flourishing part of Italy. In 377 a colony of Goths was settled in the territory of Parma by order of Gratian; Attila devastated and plundered it; and it was taken by Narses in his wars against the Goths and their allies. In 1247, Frederick II. besieged it without success. It subsequently became a prey to feudal lords, and afterwards fell into the hands of the popes. Parma is now part of the province of Æmilia, in the kingdom of Italy, to which it was annexed March 18, 1860.
Parma, Battles of.An indecisive engagement took place at Parma, June 29, 1734, between the confederated armies of England, France, and Spain and the Austrians; and on June 19, 1799, the French under Macdonald were routed by the Russians under Suwarrow, with a loss of 4 generals and 10,000 men.
Paroi(Fr.). A stout wooden frame having long, sharp-pointed stakes driven into it horizontally; it is placed upon the parapet to oppose scaling parties.
Parole.A watch-word differing from thecountersign(which see) in that it is only communicated to officers of guards, while the countersign is given to all the members. The parole is usually the name of a person, generally a distinguished officer, while the countersign is the name of a place, as of a battle-field. It is also the declaration made on honor by an officer, in a case in which there is no more than his sense of honor to restrain him from breaking his word. Thus, a prisoner of war may be released from actual prison on his parole that he will not go beyond certain designated limits; or he may even be allowed to return to his own country on his parole not to fight again during the existing war against his captors. To breakparoleis accounted infamous in all civilized nations, and an officer who has so far forgotten his position as a gentleman ceases to have any claim to the treatment of an honorable man, nor can he expect quarter should he again fall into the hands of the enemy he has deceived.
Paros.One of the larger islands of the Grecian archipelago, situated west of Naxos. In ancient times, it is said to have been colonized by Cretans, and was very wealthy and powerful. It submitted to the Persians; and after the battle of Marathon was assailed ineffectually by Miltiades, who received here the wound of which he soon after died. After the death of Xerxes, Paros came under the supremacy of Athens, and shared the fate of the other Cyclades.
Parrain(Fr.). In military orders, the person who introduces or presents a newly-elected knight. The term is also used to signify the comrade who is selected by a soldier who is condemned to be shot to bind the handkerchief over his eyes.
Parrott Gun.SeeOrdnance, Construction of.
Parrott Projectile.SeeProjectile.
Parry.To ward off; to stop or to put or turn off; to prevent; as, to parry a thrust, a blow, or the like, or anything that means or threatens harm.
Parry.A defensive movement in sword and bayonet exercises; also a command; as,tierceparry,quarteparry, etc.
Parrying.The action of warding off the push or blow aimed at one by the other.
Parsees, orGuebres. The followers of Zerdusht, dwelt in Persia till 638, when, at the battle of Kadseah, their army was decimated by the Arabs, and the monarchy annihilated at the battle of Náhárand in 641. Many submitted to the conquerors (and their descendants are termed Guebres), but others fled to India, and their descendants still reside at Bombay (where they are termed Parsees), where they numbered 114,698 in 1849.
Parsons Gun.SeeOrdnance, Construction of.
Parsonstown(anc.Birr). A considerable inland town on the river Brosna, in King’s Co., Ireland, 69 miles west-southwest from Dublin. Birr was the scene of many important events, both in the Irish and in the post-invasion period. The castle, which wasanciently the seat of the O’Carrols, was granted by Henry II. to Philip de Worcester; but it frequently changed masters, and even alternated between English and Irish hands. Through the entire period of the civil wars it was constantly disputed, until after 1690, when the Parsons family was finally established in possession of the castle and adjoining lands. Parsonstown is a large military station.