The following is the tonnage allowed in the British service to the military officers of the ordnance embarked for foreign service, for their camp equipage and baggage:
TONNE,Fr.A tun. It likewise signifies a large cask or vessel which is used for stores and ammunition.
TONNEAUXMeutriers,Fr.Casks which are bound together with ropes, or circled round by iron hoops, and are filled with gunpowder, pebbles, &c. The particular method in which these casks are prepared may be seen in Tom. II. page 218,Des Œuvres Militaires.
TOOKSOWARS,Ind.The vizir’s body of cavalry.
TOOLS, used in war, are of many denominations and uses, aslaboratory tools,mining tools,artificers tools, &c. which see.
TOPARCH, (Toparque,Fr.) The principal man in a place.
TOPARCHY, (Toparchie,Fr.) Superintendence; command in a district.
TOPAS,Ind.This name was originally given by the natives of India to a native Portuguese soldier, on account of his wearing ahat; contra-distinguished from theHindusandMahomedanswho wearturbans.
TOPE,Ind.A small wood or grove.
Tope,Ind.A gun.
TOPEE,Ind.A hat.
TopeeWalla,Ind.A person who wears a hat.
TOPEKHANA,Ind.The place where guns are kept; the arsenal.
TOPGI-Bachi. Grand master of the Turkish artillery. This appointment is one of the most important situations in the gift of the Porte. It is generally bestowed upon a relation to the Grand Signor, or upon a favorite to the Grand Visier.
The name is derived fromtope, which, in the Turkish language, signifies cannon, and fromBach, which means lord, chief or commandant.
The person next in command to the Topgi-Bachi is calledDukigi-Bachi, or master of the Topgis, who are both cannonneers and founders. The latter are paid every month by a commissary of their own, whom they call Kiatib.
TOPGIS, sometimes written Topchis. A name generally used among the Turks to signify all persons employed in the casting of cannon, and who are afterwards appointed to the guns. It is here necessary to observe, that on account of the vast extent of the Ottoman empire, the Turks do not attach much heavy ordnance to their armies, especially when they carryon their operations from one frontier to another. This is owing to the scarcity of draught-horses, and to the natural obstacles of the country. So that they seldom carry into the field guns above eight or twelve-pounders.
But when it is their design to form any considerable siege, they load camels with all the materials requisite for casting cannon. A certain number of Topgis accompany them, and the instant the army takes up its quarters near to the spot where the attack is to be made, they set to work and cast pieces of ordnance of every species of calibre or bore.
The Turkish cannon is extremely beautiful and well cast. The ornamental parts consist of plants, fruits, &c. for it is expressly forbidden in the Koran to give the representation of any human figure upon fire-arms, particularly upon pieces of ordnance; the Turks being taught to believe that God would order the workman to give it life, or would condemn him to eternal punishment.
The Turks are very awkward in constructing platforms for their batteries, and are almost ignorant of the art of pointing their pieces. From a consciousness of their deficiency on this head, they encourage Christian artillerymen and engineers to come amongst them; but until the year 1798, they seldom viewed them but with a jealous eye, and always gave the preference to renegadoes. General Koehler, with a few British officers belonging to the train, joined their army in 1800 for the purpose of acting against Egypt.
TOPIKHANNAH,Ind.A house for keeping guns, an arsenal, armory.
TOPOGRAPHER. A person skilled in viewing, measuring, and describing ground.
Topographical Engineers.A body of military men which are now become essential in war.
Topographical Depot.The following short sketch of the only institution of this kind which is peculiar to France, will explain its nature and origin. Louvois minister of Louis XIV. in 1668 undertook to reform all the departments of government; and the war department among the rest. His death interrupted his design which was nevertheless afterwards pursued upon the peace of Utrecht in 1713: when all the military papers were classed, under different heads, and tables of contents to each prepared, amounting to 2700 volumes. These papers embraced all military subjects from 1631 to that time.
In 1696 a corps called “engineers of camps and armies” was instituted; who in 1726 were called “geographical engineers” employed with the staff in drawing plans, &c. But their drawings were used only in the camp, until 1744, when d’Argenson improved the corps and established them at Versailles. It was from this depot thatVoltaireobtained all the materials which render his concise sketches of history more accurate and preferable to any other, who has not made use of his materials.
In the seven years war, theHotel de la Guerrewas erected at Versailles, it was completed in 1760. Berthier who was the intimate friend of marshal Saxe was appointedchief geographical engineer; and he collected a vast body of charts, drawings, and topographical sketches on the Rhine, Hesse, Westphalia, Hanover, &c.
But some idea of former insufficiency may be had from the following anecdote taken from memoirs of marshal Rochambeau (the same who served with Washington) published at Paris in 1809: the marshal was an officer under marshal Richelieu at the attack on Minorca during the seven years war, which he thus describes—“When the marshal left Versailles to proceed on the expedition, there could be found only one plan very old of Port Mahon, in the military depot, and this was merely a draft of Fort St. Philip. M. de Valliere, a minister of that day, who was much better adapted to be a man-midwife than a chief of the war depot, was consulted, and said that 24 pieces of heavy ordnance and 15 mortars would be sufficient to lay the place in ashes. At Toulon, Richelieu had some discourse with a captain of a merchant ship who had been prisoner at Port Mahon, who said the duke’s plan of St. Philip was no more like it than the Bastile. This intelligence induced the duke to take 14 pieces of artillery and 7 mortars more. But what was our astonishment when on the first sight of Fort St. Philip we discovered works bristled with arms and fortifications presenting 140 embrasures with their tompions out.”
There can be no greater ignorance than this in military affairs, excepting the ignorance of the British at Walcheren in 1809, who did not know that the channel which formerly made Cadsand an island, and separated it from the continent, had been filled up and become terra firma for 25 years preceding.
By an arret of 1769 the topographical board was again revived, but fell into neglect. St. Germain made them one corps with the engineers; but they were again separated in 1777. M. de Vault who had been the soul of the institution for 40 years, ever since 1750, died in 1790, he had digested all the materials of the wars down to the year 1763 in a military historical manner, they amounted to 125 volumes. It came under the care of his colleague M. Beaudoin, who died, and was succeeded by general Mathieu Dumas, until the revolution; when the war depot in 1791 was removed to Paris for safety and for use. Colon, Desdorides, Lacuer, and Carnot, were active in it; Carnot for his own advantage and convenience formed out of this a private topographical cabinet, to which may be attributed the developement of thosegrand combinations, which put fourteen armies in motion and maintained their co-operation in a manner which has astonished mankind, and laid the foundation for those congenial achievements which have since subverted all previous axioms in tactics and prostrated and encircled Europe.
But the want of topographers being so much felt in the early campaigns of the revolution no doubt stimulated Carnot to render it perfect. Accordingly the corps was new organized, three companies were formed, and each composed of 12 artists and a considerable number of pupils or assistants to each. These were employed on the topography of Bavaria, Suabia, &c. the materials collected in Italy, Piedmont, Spain, Naples, Egypt, and St. Domingo. The grand map of France by Cassini; the chart by Ferraris of the Netherlands, and Piedmont by Borgonio, were engraved under the inspection of this corps. During the war all topographical materials were collected with zeal. General Dupont (who has been since made prisoner in Spain) considerably improved and enriched it; Ernout who was lately commander of one of the French W. I. islands, was for a time at the head of this depot; its organization was completed in 1795. General Clarke, having been educated in this corps, was placed at the head of it in the year 1800. A library was established and 8000 volumes appropriate to the subject added by him. In 1801 it was enriched with all that the campaigns of Bonaparte procured.
But the most important of its works was a plan of France upon a combined projection of 4 points of view taken on the banks of the Rhine, 24 topographical engineers under Franchot the astronomer accomplished this. The organization was further improved on a project of general Clarke; general Andreossi afterwards succeeded, and under his care numerous charts were engraved and published.
The following is an abstract of the contents of the depot. 2700 volumes ancient archives; 8000 select additional volumes; 900 rolls of modern topographical plans; 131 volumes and 78 rolls modern narrative, each of which is composed of at least 50 individual memoirs; 4700 engraved maps; 7400 manuscript plans of battles, marches, encampments, &c.
It furnished to the army before 1804, engraved maps 7278; manuscript plans and drawings 207; 61 atlases, and upwards of 600 narrative memoirs.
In the early formation of this and other scientific establishments, in the talents which directed and the liberality that provided them, we see one of the real causes why France is superior in war to all other nations.
TOPOGRAPHY. Inmilitary history, a description or draught of some particular place, or small tract of land, as that of a fortification, city, manor or tenement, garden, house, castle, fort, or the like; such as engineers set out in their drawings, for the information of their prince or general. Hence a topographical chart—Carte Topographique.
TOPSYTURVY. Upsidedown, or, as our old authors more properly wrote it, (to use Mr. Tooke’s words in his Diversions of Purley,) Up so down; bottom upward. It corresponds with the French term,Sans dessus dessous; without top or bottom:i. e.a situation of confusion, in which you cannot discern the top from the bottom, or say which is the top and which the bottom. When a battalion is so awkwardly managed, either through the ignorance of the chief who gives the several words of command, or through the dullness of the officers and soldiers who are to execute them, that the grenadiers get where the light infantry should stand, and the rest of the companies out of their proper fronts and positions, such a battalion may be said to be topsyturvy. There is a sea-phrase in familiar use among the military, which means the same thing, viz. tocapsize,renverser.Chavirer quelque chose, comme une embarcation, &c. To turn upside down, as to capsize a piece of ordnance. Hence, figuratively, to capsize a battalion, which means the same as to club a battalion. SeeTo Club.
TOQUE,Fr.A velvet cap with the sides turned up, and flat at the top. TheCent Suisses, or the French king’s Swiss body guard, wore thetoqueduring the French monarchy.
TOR. A tower or turret.
TORCHES, (Torches,Fr.) In military matters, are lights used at sieges, &c. They are generally made of thick ropes, &c.
TORCHIS,Fr.Mud-clay, with which cottager’s huts, &c. are made in most countries.
TORE,Fr.SeeTorus.
TORUS. In architecture, a large round moulding used in the bases of columns.
TORLAQUI. A sort of priest in Turkey.
TORNADO. A Portuguese word which is used on the southern coasts of Africa, to express furious whirlwinds that are often fatal to mariners and seamen. Dr. Johnson calls it generally, a hurricane; a whirlwind.
TORPEDO. A military machine for defence, invented by Mr. Robert Fulton, an American; there are various kinds adapted to positions and methods of defence or attack; the machine is a case of copper, oblong, and containing 100 lbs. or more of powder; to the end of the case is a kind oflockabout the size of a parlor door brass lock, inside of which are clock works so formed as to be set to any number of seconds or minutes required, which being expired, the gunpowder in the case is exploded, and all above is torn to pieces by the explosion.
TORSE,Fr.This word means literally, twisted. In architecture it signifies a pillar, the body of which, or the part between the base and the capitals is surrounded with concave and convex circular lines.
TORTOISE. SeeTestudo.
TORTS,Fr.SeeWrongs.
TORTUE,Fr.Literally means tortoise. It likewise signifies the testudo, or tortoise, a warlike machine which was used among the ancients.
TORTUEd’hommes,Fr.A particular formation which was formerly adopted by the besieged when they made a sortie.
TORTUEde Mer,Fr.A sort of vessel which has its deck raised in such a manner, that it resembles the roof of a house, beneath which soldiers and passengers may conveniently stand or sit with their baggage in bad weather.
TOSHAKhanna,Ind.Store-room, wardrobe.
TOSTE,Fr.A rowing bench in a boat. It is likewise calledToste de Chaloupe.
TOUCH-HOLE. The vent through which the fire is conveyed to the powder in the chamber of a gun.
TOUR,Fr.Turn. This word is likewise used by the English in military matters, as tour of duty.
TOURà feu,Fr.A light house.
TOURde bâton,Fr.By-profits. SeeBaton.
TOURNAMENT. From the old French wordtournoi, which is derived Fromtourner, to turn. An exercise of mock battle formerly practised, wherein princes and gentlemen afforded specimens of their dexterity and courage in public places, by entering the lists and encountering all opposers. They were well mounted on horseback, clad in armor, and accoutred with lance and sword; first tilted at one another, and then drew their swords and fought hand to hand.
These exercises being designed to make the persons, who practised them, expert in the art of war, and also to entertain the court, the arms were in a great measure rendered so far innocuous that they could not kill the combatants. For this purpose the points of the lances and swords were broken off; but notwithstanding this precaution, frequent mischief occurred. In consequence of which the Pope prohibited all sorts of tournaments, under pain of excommunication.
Tournaments had their origin from the ancient gladiatory combats, and not from the usage of the northern people, as is commonly believed. In Cicero’s time they were called by the Greek name Anabatis; because their helmet in a great measure obstructed their seeing.
TOURNEE,Fr.A circuitous journey made for the purpose of inspection, &c.
Le Général fit uneTOURNEEpour examiner les avant postes. The general went round to examine the outposts.
Tourneà gauche,Fr.A tool used by carpenters, masons, and other artizans, in turning screws, saws, &c.
TOURNER,Fr.To turn. In military matters it signifies to get upon the flank or in the rear of any object you propose to attack.
Tournerun ouvrage,Fr.In fortification, to turn a work. This is effected by cutting off its communication with the main body of the place, and taking possession of the gorge.Tourner le flanc, to turn the flank.Tourner l’aile droite ou l’aile gauche, to turn the right or left wing.Tourner un poste, une montagne, to get into the rear of a post, mountain, &c.
TOURNIQUET,Fr.A turnstile. It likewise signifies a swivel or iron ring.
Tourniquet,Fr.Among artificers, a species of firework composed of two fusees, which, when set fire to, produces the same effect as theSoleil Tournant.
Tourniquet, (Tourniquet,Fr.) In surgery, an instrument made of rollers, compresses, screws, &c. for compressing any wounded part so as to stop hæmorrhages.
The common Tourniquet is very simple, consisting only of a roller, which, with the help of a small stick, serves to stop the effusion of blood from large arteries, in amputation, by forcibly tying up the limb. The things required in this operation are, a roller of a thumb’s breadth, and of an ell in length; a small cylindrical stick, a conglomerated bandage, two fingers thick and four long; some compresses of a good length, and about three or four fingers breadth, to surround the legs and arms, and a square piece of strong paper or leather, about four fingers wide. By the British regulations published in 1799, for the better management of the sick in regimental hospitals, every surgeon and assistant surgeon is directed to have, among other surgical instruments, a certain number of tourniquets; and serjeants, &c. are to be taught the method of using it.
In May, 1798, two tourniquets were directed to be sent to each English regiment, the rest are to be made by the men of the regiment; and besides one to each person who will be taught the use of it, it is necessary to have four for every hundred men.
The non-commissioned officers, band, and drummers of every regiment, are to be taught the manner of applying it according to instructions sent down from the surgeon general’s department.
TOURNOIS,Fr.Tournament.
TOURSMobiles,Fr.Moveable towers. These were made use of in remote ages; and although the invention of them has been attributed by some to the Greeks and by others to the Romans, it does not belong to either; for we read of moveabletowers in Ezekiel. The curious may derive much information on this head from the Chevalier Folard in his translation of Polybius, page 536, tom. ii. SeeMoveable Towers.
TOURSbastionnees,Fr.SeeTower bastions.
Toursisolees,Fr.Detached towers; such as are made in forts, or stand upon the coast to serve for lighthouses.
Toursterrieres,Fr.Large pieces of wood which are used in mechanical operations to convey or remove heavy burthens.
LaTOURBEmenue,Fr.The common people, the rabble.
TOURBILLON,Fr.Whirlwind, vortex. The French likewise call a water-spout by this name.
Tourbillonde feu,Fr.SeeSoleil Montant.
TOURELLE,Fr.A turret.
TOURILLON,Fr.A sort of pivot upon which several machines, such as draw-bridges, &c. are made to turn.
TOURILLONS. SeeTrunnions.
TOURMENTE,Fr.A violent storm.
TOURTEAUGoudronné,Fr.Old rope which is untwisted, steeped in pitch or tar, and afterwards left to dry. It is used in fosses and other places during a siege. The French make theTourteau Goudronnéin the following manner.—Take 12 pounds of tar or pitch, 6 ditto of tallow or grease, which put to 3 pints of linseed oil, and boil the whole together. You then take old matches, or twisted pieces of rope of any length you want, and let them soak in the boiling liquor. If you wish to prevent them from burning too fast, add six pounds of rosin and two of turpentine.
TOUTle monde haute,Fr.A French word of command at sea which corresponds with our sea phrase, Pipe! all hands up.
TOUTle monde bas,Fr.A French word of command at sea which corresponds with Pipe! all hands down.
Toutevolee,Fr.Random shot.
Tirer a toute volee.To fire at random.
TOWER, (Tour,Fr.) Any high building raised above another, consisting of several stories, usually of a round form, though sometimes square or polygonal; a fortress, a citadel. Towers are built for fortresses, prisons, &c. as the tower of the Bastille, which was destroyed by the inhabitants of Paris in 1789.
TheTowerof London, commonly called the Tower. A building with five small turrets at different angles above it, situated on the banks of the river Thames.
The Tower of London is not only a citadel to defend and command the city, river, &c. but it is also a royal palace, where the kings of England with their courts have sometimes lodged; a royal arsenal, wherein are stored arms and ammunition for 60,000 soldiers; a treasury for the jewels and ornaments of the crown; a mint for coining money; the archives wherein are preserved all the ancient records of the courts of Westminster, &c. and the chief prison for state delinquents. The officers belonging to the Tower of London consist of
Tower-bastions, in fortification, are small towers made in the form of bastions, by M. Vauban, in his second and third method; with rooms or cellars underneath to place men and guns in them.
MartelloTower. SeeTours Mobiles
MoveableTowers, in ancient military history, were three stories high, built with large beams, each tower was placed on 4 wheels or trucks, and towards the town covered with boiled leather, to guard it from fire, and to resist the darts: on each story 100 archers were posted. They were pushed with the force of men to the city wall. From these the soldiers, placed in the different stages, made such vigorous discharges that none of the garrison dared to shew themselves on the rampart.
TOWN. Any walled collection of houses.
Town-Adjutant. An assistant to the town-major. SeeAdjutant.
Town-Major. An officer constantly employed about the governor or officer commanding a garrison, &c. He issues the orders to the troops, and reads the common orders to fresh troops when they arrive. He commands according to the rank he had in the army; but if he never had any other commission than that of town or fort-major, he is to command as youngest captain. SeeMajor.
TRABAND. A trusty brave soldier in the Swiss infantry, whose particular duty was to guard the colors and the captain who led them. He was armed with a sword and a halbert, the blade of which was shaped like a pertuisan. He generally wore the colonel’s livery, and was excused all the duties of a centry. His pay was eight deniers more than the daily subsistence of the company.
TRABEA,Trabee,Fr.A white gown bordered with purple, and adorned with clavi or trabeæ of scarlet. See Kennett’s R. A. page 313.
TRACER,Fr.To trace.
TRACES. The harness by which beasts of draught are enabled to move bodies to which they are yoked.
TRAHISON,Fr.Treason.
HauteTrahison,Fr.High treason.
Tuer enTrahison,Fr.To kill in a treacherous manner.
TRAIL. In gunnery. The end of a travelling carriage, opposite to the wheels, and upon which the carriage slides when unlimbered or upon the battery. SeeCarriages.
ToTrail, literally means to draw along the ground. In military matters it signifies, to carry the firelock in an oblique forward position, with the butt just above the ground. HenceTrail Arms, a word of command for that purpose.
TRAINE,Fr.A term known among French sailors and soldiers at sea, to signify a thin rope or rather packthread, to which they tie their linen; leaving it to float or be dragged through the waves until it is clean.
TRAIN, (Train,Fr.) In a military sense, all the necessary apparatus, implements of war, such as cannon, &c. that are required at a siege or in the field.
Trainof Artillery, (Traine d’artillerie,Fr.) in a general sense, means the regiment of artillery; it also includes the great guns and other pieces of ordnance belonging to an army in the field. SeeArtillery.
Train, (Trainee,Fr.) In mining. A line of gunpowder laid to give fire to a quantity thereof, which has been lodged for the purpose of blowing up earth, works, buildings, &c.
Train, is also used to denote the attendants, of a prince or general, upon many occasions.
Train-bands, ortrained bands, a name formerly given to the militia of England.
TRAINEAUX,Fr.Several pieces of wood made in the form of a large sledge upon which pieces of ordnance and stores, &c. are conveyed to the rampart, and brought from one place to another.
TRAINEURS,Fr.Men who on a march lag behind, and thereby occasion a loose and unconnected appearance in the line of march. It is the duty of the rear guard to pick up all stragglers, and to report them to head-quarters.
Traineurd’epee. A parasite; a man who has never done a day’s duty, but wears a sword and looks big.
TRAITS,Fr.Drag-ropes, &c. used in the artillery.
TRAJECTORYline, is the curved line formed by the shot after the explosion to the end of its career.
TRAJET. SeeFerry.
TRAMONTANE,Fr.The north wind in the Mediterranean is so termed by the French. It is so called, because it blows beyond the hills that are near Rome and Florence.
TRANCHANT,Fr.Cutting.
Une epee à deuxTRANCHANS,Fr.A two-edged sword.
TRANCHEE,Fr.SeeTrench.
Trancheedouble,Fr.A double trench, one side of which serves as a traverse to the other; by which means they are mutually covered from a reverse or enfilade filing.
Trancheea crochet,Fr.A bending trench, or one in the shape of a hook. This species of trench is found where the line turns, at the extremities of the places of arms, and at the ends of the cavaliers.
Trancheedirecte,Fr.A trench which is carried, or run out in a strait forward direction, and which serves to shut up any spot from whence you might be enfiladed.
TRANSFERS. Soldiers taken out of one troop or company and placed in another are so called.
TRANSFIXED. An ancient term used to express the state of being desperately wounded by some pointed instrument, as being run through by a spear, javelin or bayonet; pierced through so that the weapon is fixed in another body.
TRANSOMS. In artillery. Pieces of wood which join the cheeks of gun-carriages; there is but one in a truck-carriage, placed under the trunnion-holes; and four in a wheel-carriage, the trail, the centre, the bed, and the breast transoms.
TRANSOM-plates, with hooks.—There is one on each side of the side-pieces, against each end of the transom, the bed-transom excepted, fastened by two transom-bolts.
Transom-bolt, with bars. They serve to tie the side-pieces to the transom.
TRANSPIRATION,Fr.This word is used by the French in hydraulics, to signify the oozing of water through the pores of the earth. It often happens, in digging a canal through sandy ground, that the transpirations or oozings, are so plentiful as not to leave water enough for the intended purposes of navigation. This occurred at New-Brisac, when a canal was dug in order to convey materials for its fortifications. The waters having been let in, the whole body was absorbed in the space of twenty-four hours. This evil or inconvenience can, however, be remedied; as may be seen in the fourth volume of Belidor’sArchitecture Hydraulique.
TRANSPORT. A vessel in which soldiers are conveyed on the sea. SeeEmbarkation.
Transport-Board. An English office established in 1794, which has the entire arrangement of the transport service, and of prisoners of war, in conjunction with the sick and hurt board. It consists of five commissioners, who are captains in the navy, and a secretary.
TRANSPORTER,Fr.To transfer, to remove, to change the situation of any thing.
Transporterles files et les rangs d’un bataillon dans les evolutions,Fr.To change files or ranks in military evolutions. To countermarch any given number of men so as to place the right where the left stood, and make the front ranktake the ground that was occupied by rear, with a different aspect. SeeCountermarch.
When the countermarch is effected on the centre, or by a central conversion, the French distinguish, and use the phrase—Faire le moulinet; from the similarity of movement round a central point;moulinetsignifyingcapstan, turn-stile, &c.
TRANSPOSERles files d’un bataillon dans les évolutions,Fr.To change the relative position of files in a battalion, that is, to countermarch the whole so as to make the natural front stand where the rear did, and to place those on the left that originally stood on the right.
TRAP. SeeAmbush,Stratagem, &c.
TRAPE,Fr.A falling door.
TRAPEZE,Fr.SeeTrapezium.
TRAPEZOID, (Trapezoide,Fr.) A figure in geometry which is formed by the circumvolution of a trapezium, in the same manner that a cylinder is by that of a parallelogram.
TRAPEZIUM. A quadrilateral or square figure whose four sides and angles are unequal, and no sides are parallel.
TRAPPINGS. SeeHousings.
TRATTES,Fr.The Several beams and long pieces of wood which support the body of a windmill.
TRAVADE,Fr.A whirlwind; violent squall accompanied by thunder and lightening.
TRAVAILLER,Fr.To work. In mechanics; to warp, to open, &c. The French say,Ce bois travaille; this wood warps—Ce mur travaille; this wall gives way, &c.
Travailler,a la journee,Fr.To work by the day—A la piece, by the piece:—à la tâche, by the measure:—En bloc et en tâche, by the great, by the lump.
Travaillerà Toise,Fr.To work by the toise. Works in fortification are generally done by this measure.
Travaillerpar epaulees,Fr.To execute a work with intervals of labor.
Travaillerles esprits des soldats. To work upon the minds of the soldiery. To excite them to insurrection.
Travaillerun pays. To feel the pulse of a country by working upon the minds of the inhabitants; to excite them to support any particular cause.
TRAVAILLEURS,Fr.Literally, workmen. In military matters, pioneers and soldiers employed in fatigue duties.
Travailleurs,à la tranchee,Fr.A detachment, consisting of a given number of men from each battalion, which is employed in the trenches. The soldiers who are sent upon this duty have only spades and pick-axes, and the officers who command them wear their swords.
TRAVAISON,Fr.Entablature.
TRAVAUXMilitaires,Fr.SeeMilitary Works.
Travauxavances,Fr.Advanced works or outworks. The same aspieces detachees, ordehors. SeeDehors.
TRAVEE,Fr.A bay of joists. A scaffold.
TRAVELLINGforge. SeeForge.
TRAVERS,Fr.A rope which is used to fasten cannon on their carriages, &c. and which serves for various other purposes.
TRAVERSEE,Fr.Passage; short trip by sea.
TRAVERSE. In fortification, is a parapet made across the covert-way, opposite to the salient angles of the works, near the place of arms, to prevent being enfiladed. Traverses are 18 feet thick, and as high as the ridge of the glacis. There are also traverses made by caponiers; but then they are called tambours.
ToTraverse, a gun, or mortar, is to bring it about to right or left with hand-spikes, till it is pointed exact to the object.
TRAVERSIER,Fr.A passage boat, &c. It likewise means a wind that blows into port; also a pontoon.
TRAVERSINES,Fr.Pieces of wood which are laid cross-ways in a dyke.
TRAVERSING-plates, in gun carriages, are two thin iron plates, nailed on the hind part of a truck carriage of guns, where the hand-spike is used to traverse the gun.
Traversing, in fencing, is the change of ground made by moving to right or left round the circle of defence.
TRAVONS,Fr.The large main beams in a wooden bridge, which support the joists, &c. They are likewise calledsommiers.
TRAVESTISEMENT,Fr.Disguise. In the old French service, it was ordained, that no dragoon or foot soldier should change his uniform or regimentals whilst in garrison, nor within the boundaries of it. Every infraction of this order was punished with three months imprisonment.
TRAUMATIC. Vulnerary; useful to wounds; asTraumaticdecoction.
TREACHERY. Perfidy; breach of faith.
TREASON. Disloyalty; treachery; perfidious dealing.
HighTreason. An offence against the security of the commonwealth, or of the sovereignty. It is a capital crime, and subjects the offender not only to loss of life, but also to forfeiture of all he may possess.