the means of security or protection; furnished with whatever serves to
add strength, force, or efficiency. _Armed neutrality_, the condition of
affairs when a nation assumes a threatening position, and maintains an
armed force to repel any aggression on the part of belligerent nations
between which it is neutral.
=Armentiers.= A city of the department of the North, France; captured
and burned by the English, 1339; pillaged by the French, 1382; destroyed
by the Calvinists in 1566; occupied by Marshals de Gassion and de
Rantzan, 1645; by Archduke Leopold, 1647; by the French in 1667, and
remained a city of France in accordance with the peace treaty of
Aix-la-Chapelle in 1668.
=Armes de Jet= (_Fr._). Missive weapons; offensive arms or instruments
which act by propulsion, whether by the force of powder, steam, wind, or
mechanism.
=Armet= (_Fr._). A helmet or head-piece much in use in the 16th century,
and worn with or without the beaver.
=Armgaunt.= Worn by military service; as, an armgaunt steed.
=Armiger.= Formerly an armor-bearer, as of a knight; an esquire who bore
his shield and rendered other services. In later use, one next in degree
to a knight, and entitled to a coat of arms.
=Armilausa.= A military uniform coat, worn by the Romans over their
armor.
=Armiludia.= A name given by the Romans to the exercises of arms, and
also applied to the day on which these exercises took place.
=Armilustrium.= This name was given by the Romans to a military festival
which took place on the 19th of October annually. After review the
soldiers offered up sacrifices for the success of the Roman arms.
=Armipotent.= Powerful in arms; mighty in battle.
=Armisonous.= Rustling in arms; resounding with arms.
=Armistice.= A cessation of hostilities between belligerent nations for
a considerable time. It is either partial and local, or general. It
differs from a mere suspension of arms, which takes place to enable the
two armies to bury their dead, their chiefs to hold conferences or
pourparlers, and the like. The terms truce (see TRUCE) and armistice are
sometimes used in the same sense.
=Armless.= Without arms or armor.
=Armlet.= The name of a piece of armor for the arm, to protect it from
the jar of the bow-string.
=Armor.= Defensive arms for the body; any clothing or covering worn to
protect one’s person in battle. In English statutes, armor is used for
the whole apparatus of war, including offensive as well as defensive
arms. The _statutes of armor_ directed what arms every man should
provide. Armor has also been extensively used in England in plating
important fortifications as those of Portsmouth, and also in Germany for
the forts along the frontier.
=Armor-bearer.= One who carries the armor of another; an armiger; an
esquire.
=Armorer.= The person who makes, cleans, or repairs arms.
=Armorial.= Belonging to armor, or to the arms or escutcheon of a
family.
=Armor Plates.= From experiments of the effects of shot and shell on
armor plates in England, the following results have been obtained: Where
it is required to perforate the plate, the projectile should be of hard
material, such as steel, or chilled iron, and the form best suited for
this purpose is the pointed ogeeval. The resistance of wrought-iron
plates to perforation by steel projectiles varies as the squares of
their thickness. Hitting a plate at an angle diminishes the effect as
regards the power of perforation in the proportion of the sine of the
angle of incidence to unity. The resistance of wrought-iron plates to
perforation by steel shot is practically not much, if at all, increased
by backing simply of wood, within the usual limits of thickness; it is,
however, much increased by a rigid backing either of iron combined with
wood, or of granite, iron, brick, etc.
Till quite recently armor plates have been made of wrought iron only, as
numerous experiments in England had served to show that notwithstanding
the enormous resistance of steel to penetration it was unfit for armor
plating,--the damage from the impact of shot not being localized as in
wrought iron. The Italians were led, however, by the experiments with
the 100-ton gun on targets of both metals at Spezzia, 1876, to adopt
steel for their new ships, the “Duilio” and “Dandolo.” Since that time
an armor compounded of steel and wrought iron has been introduced in
England which bids fair to supersede all others. It is made by casting a
heavy facing of steel upon wrought-iron plates. A section of this
compound armor exhibits a gradual change of structure from the hard
steel face to the soft iron backing. Its resistance to penetration is
equal to steel, while in toughness and endurance under the blows of
shot it resembles wrought iron.
To glance at some of the heaviest armor plating afloat, the English
“Inflexible” carries a maximum thickness of 24 inches of iron, the
Italian frigates mentioned above 21.5 of steel, the French “Admiral
Duperré” 21.6 of iron, the Russian “Peter the Great” 14 inches of iron.
In regard to the power of some of the most noted of modern guns, the
12-inch calibres used now by all leading nations will penetrate, at 1000
yards, 16 to 18 inches of iron. The 38-ton English gun of this calibre
has penetrated (at shorter range) 22 inches of iron and 6 inches of teak
backing. The 80-ton Woolwich gun will penetrate 23 inches of iron at
1000 yards. The largest Krupp, 72 tons, will penetrate 26 inches, and
the 100-ton Armstrong 30 inches at the same distance. None of the guns
mentioned would penetrate at a single shot the steel armor of the
Italian ships, but any of them would destroy it in a number of rounds.
=Armory.= A manufactory, or place of deposit for arms. See ARSENAL.
=Armory, National.= The U. S. government establishment for the
manufacture of small-arms at Springfield, Mass.
=Arm-rack.= A frame or fitting for the stowage of arms (usually
vertical) out of harm’s way, but in readiness for immediate use. In the
conveyance of troops by sea arm-racks form a part of the proper
accommodation. Arm-racks are also used in soldiers’ barrack-rooms.
=Arms.= In a general sense, comprehend weapons both of an offensive and
defensive character, but in the usual restricted sense they only embrace
the former, and in modern warfare include the gun and bayonet, the
rifle, the pistol, the carbine, the sword, the lance, cannon, etc., all
of which are noticed under their respective heads. For punishment
inflicted upon soldiers who sell or otherwise dispose of their arms, see
APPENDIX, ARTICLES OF WAR, 17.
=Arms.= This term is used in heraldry to designate the devices borne on
shields, and includes all the accompaniments, such as the crest, helmet,
supporters, etc.
=Arms, Bells of.= Are tents, used in the English service, mostly of a
conical shape, for containing the small-arms for each company in a
regiment of infantry. The tent is frequently painted with the color of
the facings of the regimental uniforms.
=Arms, Stand of.= A complete set for one soldier, as a rifle and
bayonet, cartridge-box and belt, frequently the rifle and bayonet alone.
=Armstrong Gun.= The Armstrong gun as a breech-loading field-piece first
attracted attention in England about 1850. About 1858 it was adopted by
the British government. This gun was made of wrought iron, and consisted
of a single coiled tube reinforced at the breech with two thin tubes,
the outer one being a coiled tube, the inner being formed by bending a
plate and welding the edges. The coiled tubes were formed by bending
square bars of iron around a mandrel and welding the coils together.
Tubes made in this way offer great resistance to tangential strains. The
intermediate tube was designed to take up the longitudinal strain near
the breech, and for this reason was made differently. The breech was
closed with a vent-piece, slipped by the band into a slot cut in the
piece near the breech, and held in its place by a breech-screw, which
supported it from behind. This screw was made in the form of a tube, so
that its hollow formed a part of the bore prolonged, when the vent-piece
was drawn. Through the hollow screw the charge was passed into the
chamber. The vent was formed in the breech-piece. This gun was a 3-inch
12-pounder, firing a lead-coated projectile. It was followed by the
40-pounder, 110-pounder, and other calibres. Muzzle-loaders were also
made. The breech-loading apparatus did not prove entirely successful in
large guns, and was accordingly discarded except for small calibres. The
method of construction was changed for larger guns, and a plan adopted
which has been adhered to ever since, and is that now used. The barrel
or part surrounding the bore is made of steel tempered in oil; that
portion at and in rear of the trunnions is enveloped by several layers
of wrought-iron tubes, the number of layers depending upon the size of
the gun. These tubes, instead of being joined at their ends by welding,
are hooked on to each other by a system of shoulders and recesses. There
are also projections fitting into corresponding recesses, which serve to
prevent the tubes from slipping within each other. The tube which
immediately surrounds the barrel opposite to the seat of the charge is
called the breech-piece. It is made with its fibres and welds running
longitudinally, so as to resist the recoil of the barrel against the
head of the breech-plug, which is screwed into the breech-piece. The
shunt system of rifling was first applied to muzzle-loading Armstrong
guns, which have fewer grooves than the breech-loaders. The method of
manufacturing originally proposed by Sir William Armstrong has been
greatly modified by Mr. Fraser, of the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich. (See
ORDNANCE, ARMSTRONG CANNON). For some years large numbers of Armstrong
guns were made at the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, under the supervision of
the inventor. His works are now located at Elswick, Newcastle-upon-Tyne,
and are known us the Elswick Ordnance Works. To distinguish the system
of gun-construction from the “Woolwich,” which it closely resembles, it
is frequently called the “Elswick” system. The largest, as well as the
most powerful guns ever made, are the 100-ton guns manufactured at
Elswick for the Italian navy. See CANNON AND ORDNANCE, MODERN HISTORY
OF.
=Armstrong Projectile.= See PROJECTILE.
=Army.= A large and organized body of soldiers, consisting of infantry,
cavalry, and artillery, completely armed, and provided with the
necessary stores, etc., the whole being composed of companies,
battalions, regiments, brigades, divisions, and corps, under proper
officers, and the entire force being under the direction of one general,
who is called the general-in-chief, and sometimes the _generalissimo_.
Armies are distinguished by different appellations; as, a _covering
army_, a _blockading army_, an _army of obstruction_, an _army of
reserve_, a _flying army_, etc. An army is said to _cover_ a place when
it is encamped or in cantonments for the protection of the different
passes which lead to a principal object of defense. An army is said to
_blockade_ a place when, being well provided with heavy ordnance and
other warlike means, it is employed to invest a town for the direct and
immediate purpose of reducing it by assault or famine. An _army of
obstruction_ is so called because by its advanced positions and
desultory movements it is constantly employed in watching the enemy. _A
flying army_ means a strong body of horse and foot, which is always in
motion, both to cover its own garrisons and keep the enemy in continual
alarm. For method of providing for armies, see APPROPRIATIONS.
=Army Corps.= See CORPS D’ARMÉE.
=Army Regulations.= This is the name of a work published by the War
Department embodying all the acts of Congress, and the rules laid down
by the President for the management of the army, both in peace and war.
See REGULATIONS.
=Arnaouts=, or =Arnouts, Corps des=. Militia of Greece organized during
the war of Russia against the Porte in 1769.
=Arnheim.= A fortified city in Holland; it was captured by the French in
1672; taken by storm by the Prussians under Gen. Von Bulow in 1815.
=Arnott’s Pump.= An ingeniously arranged machine for forcing pure air
into buildings.
=Arquebusade.= Shot of an arquebuse. Also distilled water from a variety
of aromatic plants, as rosemary, millefoil, etc., applied to a bruise or
wound; so called because it was originally used as a vulnerary in
gunshot wounds.
=Arquebuse=, or =Harquebuse=. An old fire-arm resembling a musket, which
was supported on a rest by a hook of iron fastened to the barrel. It was
longer than a musket, and of large calibre, and formerly used to fire
through the loop-holes of antique fortifications.
=Arquebusier.= A soldier armed with an arquebuse.
=Arques= (Northern France). Near here the league army, commanded by the
Duc de Mayenne, was defeated by Henry IV., September 21, 1589.
=Arracan.= A province of Northeast India. Arracan, the capital, taken by
the Burmese, 1783; was taken from them by Gen. Morrison, April 1, 1825.
The subjugation of the whole province soon followed.
=Arrah.= A town in British India, in the presidency of Bengal, the scene
of several exciting incidents in the Indian mutiny. The English troops
gained a victory here over the mutinous Sepoys in 1857.
=Arras= (Northeast France). The ancient Atrebates; conquered by Cæsar in
50 B.C.; captured and sacked by the Vandals in 407; captured by the
Normans in 880; besieged by Charles VI. in 1414; captured by Louis XI.;
held by the Austrians from 1493 till 1640, when it was taken by Louis
XIII.; besieged by the Spaniards in 1654.
=Arrawak Indians.= A race or collection of tribes of Indians in Guiana,
who were formerly numerous and powerful.
=Array.= Order; disposition in regular lines; hence, a posture for
fighting; as, drawn up in battle array.
=Arrayer.= In some early English statutes, an officer who had care of
the soldiers’ armor, and who saw them duly accoutred.
=Arrest.= The temporary confinement of officers in barracks, quarters,
or tents, pending trial by court-martial, or the consideration of their
imputed offenses previous to deciding whether they shall or shall not be
tried. (See APPENDIX, ARTICLES OF WAR, 65.) Private soldiers are usually
placed under guard; by the custom of the service non-commissioned
officers may be simply placed in arrest in quarters.
=Arrest= (_Old Fr._, now _arret_). A French phrase, similar in its
import to the Latin word _retinaculum_; it consisted of a small piece of
steel or iron, which was formerly used in the construction of fire-arms,
to prevent the piece from going off. A familiar phrase among military
men in France is, _Ce pistolet est en arret_, “this pistol is in arrest
or is stopped.”
=Arreste of the Glacis.= Is the junction of the talus which is formed at
all the angles.
=Arretium.= A city of the Gauls, now in the department of the Yonne,
France, where the Gauls defeated the Romans in a bloody battle in 284
B.C.
=Arrow.= In fortification, a work placed at the salient angles of the
glacis, communicating with the covert way.
=Arrow.= A missile weapon of defense, straight, slender, pointed, and
barbed, to be shot with a bow.
=Arrow-head.= The head of an arrow.
=Arrow-wood.= A species of _Viburnum_, from the long straight stems of
which the Indians dwelling between the Mississippi and the Pacific make
their arrows.
=Arrowy.= Consisting of arrows.
=Arroyo del Molinos.= A small town in Estremadura, Spain, near the river
Guadiana, where Lord Hill, on the 28th of October, 1811, surprised and
defeated the French under Gen. Gerard. Nearly 1500 prisoners were taken,
including Prince d’Aremburg, Gen. Brun, one colonel, two
lieutenant-colonels, a commissaire de guerre, and no less than 30
captains and inferior officers. It was altogether a most brilliant
achievement.
=Arsenal.= A public establishment for the storage or for the manufacture
and storage of arms and all military equipments, whether for land or
naval service. In the United States there are 17 arsenals and 1 armory
(Springfield, Mass.), situated at different points throughout the whole
country convenient for the distribution of _materiel_, as follows:
Alleghany arsenal, at Pittsburg, Pa.; at Augusta, Ga.; Benicia, Cal.;
Fort Monroe, Va.; Fort Union, N. M.; Frankford arsenal, Philadelphia,
Pa.; Indianapolis, Ind.; Kennebec arsenal, Augusta, Me.; New York;
Pikesville, Md.; Rock Island, Ill.; Jefferson Barracks, Mo.; San
Antonio, Texas; Vancouver, W. T.; Washington, D. C.; Watertown, Mass.;
and Watervliet arsenal, West Troy, N. Y.
=Arsouf= (Syria). At a battle here Richard I. of England, commanding the
Christian forces, reduced to 30,000, defeated Saladin’s army of 300,000
and other infidels on September 6, 1191. Ascalon surrendered, and
Richard marched to Jerusalem, 1192.
=Art, Military.= Military art may be divided into two principal
branches. The first branch relates to the order and arrangement which
must be observed in the management of an army, when it is to engage an
enemy, to march, or to be encamped. This branch is called _tactics_. The
same appellation belongs to the other branch of military art, which also
includes the composition and application of warlike machines. See
LOGISTICS, STRATEGY, STRATAGEM, TACTICS, and WAR.
=Arta=, or =Narda=. A town in Albania. The Greek insurgents against the
Porte were defeated here, July 16, 1822.
=Artaxata.= The ancient capital of Armenia; burned by the Roman general
Carbulo, about 59.
=Artemisium.= A promontory in Eubœa, near which indecisive conflicts
took place between the Greek and Persian fleets for three days, 480 B.C.
The former retired on hearing of the battle of Thermopylæ.
=Articles of War.= Are known rules and regulations, fixed by law, for
the better government of an army. The articles of war of the United
States consists of 128 articles. (See APPENDIX, ARTICLES OF WAR.) All
that relates to the army not comprehended therein is published in
general orders or in established regulations, issued from time to time
from the War Department, copies of which are furnished and read to the
troops. In England they may be altered and enlarged at the pleasure of
the sovereign, but must be annually confirmed by Parliament under the
Mutiny Act.
=Artifice.= Among the French, is understood as comprehending everything
which enters the composition of fire-works, as the sulphur, saltpetre,
charcoal, etc. See PYROTECHNICS.
=Artificer.= One who makes fire works, or works in the artillery
laboratory, and prepares the shells, fuzes, grenades, etc. It is also
applied to military mechanics, such as carpenters, blacksmiths, masons,
etc.
=Artificial Line of Sight.= Is the right line from the eye to the object
to be hit, passing through the front and rear sights. See POINTING.
=Artillery.= In a general sense, signifies all sorts of great guns or
cannon, mortars, howitzers, petards, and the like, together with all the
apparatus and stores thereto belonging, which are not only taken into
the field, but likewise to sieges, and made use of both to attack and
defend fortified places; also the officers and men of that branch of the
army to which the care and management of such machines have been
confided. (See ORDNANCE.) Artillery, in a particular sense, signifies
the science of artillery or gunnery, which art includes a knowledge of
surveying, leveling, geometry, trigonometry, conic sections, laws of
motion, mechanics, fortifications, and projectiles. See BATTERY, FIELD
BATTERY, FIELD ARTILLERY, SIEGE ARTILLERY.
=Artillery Company, Honorable.= A band of infantry, rifles, and
artillery, forming part of the militia, or city guards of London,
England. It was instituted in 1585; having ceased, was revived in 1610.
In the civil war, 1641-48, the company took the side of the Parliament,
and greatly contributed towards its success. The company numbered 1200
in 1803, and 800 in 1861. Since 1842 the officers have been appointed by
the queen. On the decease of the Duke of Sussex, in 1843, the prince
consort became colonel and captain-general. He died December 14, 1861,
and the Prince of Wales was appointed his successor, August 24, 1863.
=Artilleryman.= A man who manages, or assists in managing, large guns in
firing.
=Artillery-park.= The camp of one or more field batteries; the inclosure
where, during a siege, the general camp of foot artillery, and depots of
guns, _materiel_, etc., are collected.
=Artillery, Royal Regiment of.= Is the collective name for the whole of
the artillery belonging to the British army. There was no regular
regiment or corps of artillery soldiers in the British army till the
time of Queen Anne, when the present royal regiment was formed. Since
that period, from some anomaly which is not easily explained, all the
additions have been made to the same regiment, instead of forming new
regiments, to be combined into a division or corps. The regiment is now
almost an entire army in itself, and to increase the anomaly, it
comprises horse as well as foot. Formerly the foot was divided into
battalions and companies, and the horse into troops, but these terms
have been abolished, in favor of brigade and battery, which apply both
to horse and foot artillery. The regiment now consists of 33,500 men,
thus distributed:
6 brigades, horse artillery, 30 batteries.
8 „ field artillery, 62 „
14 „ garrison art., 103 „
3 „ mixed artillery, 19 „
---
214
1 „ coast artillery not in batteries.
1 „ depot artillery „ „
Of the above, the field, garrison, and mixed are foot artillery. This
force represents from 1200 to 1300 guns fully equipped for action. Of
the foot artillery, the garrison batteries are readily converted to
field batteries by the addition of a few drivers.
=Artillery Schools.= Are special schools for instruction and training in
artillery, which are organized through all civilized countries. In the
United States, an artillery school was established at Fort Monroe, Va.,
1867. Its object is to train both officers and enlisted men in the
construction and service of all kinds of artillery and artillery
material, and in gunnery and mathematics as applied in the artillery
service. For artillery schools in other countries, see MILITARY
ACADEMIES.
=Artillery, Systems of.= See SYSTEMS OF ARTILLERY.
=Artillery-train.= A number of pieces of ordnance mounted on carriages,
with all their furniture, fit for marching.
=Arx.= In the ancient military art, a fort, castle, etc., for the
defense of a place.
=Arzegages= (_Fr._). Batons or canes with iron at both ends. They were
carried by the Estradiots, or Albanian cavaliers, who served in France
under Charles VIII. and Louis XII.
=Asapes.= An inferior class of Turkish soldiers employed in sieges to
work in intrenchments and perform other pioneer duty.
=Asaraouas.= A tribe in Algeria against whom the French undertook an
expedition in 1837.
=Ascalon= (Syria). A city of the Philistines which shared the fate of
Phœnicia and Judea. The Egyptian army was defeated here by the Crusaders
under Godfrey of Bouillon, August 12, 1099; it was besieged by the
latter in 1148, taken in 1153, and again in 1191. Its fortifications
were destroyed through fear of the Crusaders, by the sultan, in 1270.
=Aschaffenburg.= On the Maine, Bavaria, Southwestern Germany; here, on
July 14, 1866, the Prussians defeated the German Federal army, captured
the town, and took 2000 prisoners.
=Asculum= (now _Ascoli_, Apulia, Southern Italy). Near it Pyrrhus of
Epirus defeated the Romans 279 B.C. Asculum, a city of the Piceni, with
all their country, was conquered by the Consul Sempronius 268 B.C.
Andrea, general of the Emperor Henry VI., endeavoring to wrest Naples
from Tancred, was defeated and slain in 1190.