machine guns. It differs from the Gatling in having but one lock for all
the barrels. It is worked by a crank like the Gatling, but the mechanism
is such that during a part of the revolution of the crank the barrels
are stationary. It is during this time that one cartridge is fired and
another case extracted. The rapidity of fire is much less than the
Gatling and most others, but in perfection of mechanism, accuracy, and
other qualities, it is unsurpassed. A peculiar form of brake is fitted
to the wheels of the field-gun to prevent the recoil from moving the
carriage. For the larger sizes both shells and canister are used. The
metallic cartridge-case is of brass. This gun is the invention of B. B.
Hotchkiss, an American, now residing in Paris. His guns are made at the
Hotchkiss Works, near that city, and have been adopted for flank defense
of fortifications and for naval use by several of the continental
powers.
=Battle.= An action or engagement between the forces of two armies. A
battle is either general or partial; general, where the whole or the
greater part of each army is brought into action; and partial, where
only brigades, divisions, or _corps d’armée_ are engaged. But, however
the numbers may vary, the great principles to be applied in delivering
battle are in almost every case the same. Palamedes of Argos is said to
have been the first who ranged an army in order of battle, placed
sentinels round a camp, and excited the soldier’s vigilance by giving
him a watch-word.
BATTLES may be arranged into three general classes, _defensive_,
_offensive_, and _mixed_ battles. In a purely _defensive_ battle, an
army chooses a position in which to await the enemy, and there to give
battle with no other end in view than to hold this position and repulse
the enemy. In a purely _offensive_ battle, an army seeks the enemy and
attacks him wherever he is to be found. A _mixed_ battle, is a
combination of these two. The most common case of this last class is
that in which a position is selected beforehand, where the army awaits
the attack of the enemy, and, at a suitable moment, moves from it, and
attacks the assaulting columns. This case is sometimes known as a
_defensive-offensive_ battle. Details of particular battles and
engagements are given under their respective headings in this work.
=Battle-Abbey.= In Sussex, England; founded by William I. 1067, on the
plain where the battle of Hastings was fought, October 14, 1066. It was
dedicated to St. Martin, and given to Benedictine monks, who were to
pray for the souls of the slain. The original name of the plain was
Hetheland. After the battle of Hastings, a list was taken of William’s
chiefs, amounting to 629, and called the _Battle-Roll_; and among these
chiefs the lands and distinctions of the followers of the defeated
Harold were distributed.
=Battle-array.= Array or order of battle; the disposition of forces
preparatory to a battle.
=Battle-axe.= A weapon much used by the early northern nations, Celtic
and Scandinavian, requiring great strength in its use. Some were held
with one hand, some with two; the former kind could be wielded equally
by horse and foot, but the latter was for foot soldiers only. The
battle-axe has a longer handle, and a broader, stronger, and sharper
blade than the common axe. During the Middle Ages and somewhat earlier,
it was much used in sorties, and to prevent the escalading of a besieged
fortress. The _pole-axe_ differed but little from the battle-axe. The
_black-bill_ and _brown-bill_ were a sort of halbert, having a cutting
part like a woodman’s bill, with a spike projecting from the back, and
another from the head. The _glaive_ was a kind of pole-axe or bill used
by the Welsh.
=Battle-cries.= See WAR-CRIES.
=Battle-ground.= A village of Tippecanoe Co., Ind., where the battle of
Tippecanoe was fought, November 7, 1811, between Gen. Harrison and the
Indians under the chief Tecumseh and his brother the “Prophet.”
=Battlements.= The indentations in the top of old castles, or fortified
walls, in the form of embrasures, for the greater convenience of firing
or looking through.
=Battle of the Giants.= See MARIGNANO.
=Battle of the Herrings.= A name given by historians to an engagement
which took place February 12, 1429, in which Sir John Fastolfe, an
English general at the head of 1500 men, gained a victory over 6000
Frenchmen near Orleans, and brought a convoy of stores in safety to the
English camp before that place. The stores comprised a large quantity of
herrings.
=Battle of the Nations.= See LEIPSIC.
=Battle of the Spurs.= A name given to the battle of Courtrai (which
see); also to that of Guinegate. See GUINEGATE.
=Battle of the Standard.= A name given to a battle between the English
and Scotch at Northallerton (which see).
=Battle of the Thirty.= A name given in English and French history to a
celebrated engagement which took place at a spot known as Midway Oak,
half-way between the castles of Josselin and Ploermel, in France, March
27, 1351. The French general Beaumanoir, commanding at the former place,
being enraged at the English general Bemborough, occupying the latter
position, challenged him to fight. Upon this it was agreed that 30
knights of each party should meet and decide the contest. At the first
onset the English were successful, but Bemborough having been killed,
the French renewed the struggle with redoubled courage, and finally won
the victory.
=Battle-range.= The range corresponding to the maximum “dangerous
space” for the trajectory of any fire-arm. This range is somewhat
greater for such fire-arm employed against mounted troops than against
foot troops. For instance, it is 262 yards for the Springfield rifle
(calibre .45) when used against foot troops, and represents the extreme
range for which the rear sight may be set so as to cover such foot
troops continuously between that point and the firer. There is also a
“dangerous space” of 75 yards behind that point for the foot soldier;
hence the maximum “dangerous space” is 337 yards, and is a continuous
one. For the same arm and against cavalry, the “battle-range” is 291
yards, corresponding to a maximum continuous “dangerous space,” front
and rear, of (291 + 95 =) 386 yards. For the carbine (cal. .45) against
infantry, this range is 204 yards, and the maximum “dangerous space” is
300 yards. Upon the latest model sights (1879) for these two fire-arms,
the letter “_B_” is placed opposite the “battle-range” elevation, and
indicates the most suitable one for firing at an enemy’s line of battle;
with this elevation and the aim taken at the foot, the enemy will be hit
wherever he may be within a range of about 400 yards. The most effective
fire, and one covering the greatest zone of continuous “dangerous
space,” can be secured by causing troops to lie down, to fire at the
feet of the opposing line, and to use the “battle” elevation. The zone
then swept will be round about 500 yards for troops armed with the
service rifle. See DANGEROUS SPACE.
=Battle, The Fearless.= An engagement between the Lacedæmonians under
Archidamus III. and the Arcadians.
=Battre= (_Fr._). To direct one or more pieces of ordnance in such a
manner that any given object may be destroyed or broken into by the
continued discharge of cannon-ball, or other warlike material; it
likewise means to silence an enemy’s fire.
=Battre de Front= (_Fr._). To throw cannon-balls in a perpendicular or
almost perpendicular direction against any body or place which becomes
an object of attack. This mode of attack is less effectual than any
other unless _battering in breach_.
=Baulois.= A piece of punk stuff, used by miners for firing the
saucision, or train.
=Bavaria.= A kingdom in South Germany; conquered from the Celtic Gauls
by the Franks, between 630 and 660. The country was afterwards governed
by dukes subject to the French monarchs. Tasillon II. was deposed by
Charlemagne, who established margraves in 788. Henry the Lion, duke of
Saxony, Bavaria, and Brunswick, was dispossessed in 1180 by the emperor
Frederick Barbarossa (who had previously been his friend and
benefactor.) Bavaria supported Austria in the contest with Prussia in
June, 1866, and took part in the war; made peace with Prussia August 22.
Took part with Prussia against the French in the Franco-Prussian war,
1870.
=Bavier.= The beaver of a helmet.
=Bavin.= The old word for fascine.
=Bayberry Tallow.= A product of the wax myrtle, used as lubricant for
bullets.
=Bayeux.= A city in the department of Calvados, France, 17 miles
west-northwest of Caen; captured and sacked by Henry I. of England in
1106; by Philip of Navarre in 1356; the English took possession of it,
1450; the Protestants in 1561; Lamoricière for the League in 1589, and
the Duke of Montpensier in 1590.
=Baylen.= A town in Southern Spain, where on July 20, 1808, the French,
commanded by Gens. Dupont and Wedel, were defeated by the Spaniards
under Reding, Coupigny, and other generals, whose force amounted to
25,000.
=Bayonet.= A triangular dagger, made with a hollow handle and a
shoulder, to fix on the muzzle of a rifle, so that its presence does not
impede either the charging or firing of the piece. It is said to have
been invented at Bayonne, in France, about 1647, 1670, or 1690. It was
used at Killiecrankie in 1689, and at Marsaglia by the French in 1693,
“with great success against the enemy, unprepared for the encounter with
so formidable a novelty.” Bayonets are sometimes made in other shapes.
See SWORD-BAYONET and TROWEL-BAYONET.
=Bayonet Exercise.= A drill in fencing with the bayonet fixed on the
gun.
=Bayonet Scabbard.= A leather or metallic case for carrying the bayonet
suspended from the belt.
=Bayonne.= An ancient city in Southern France, at the confluence of the
Adour and Nive; held by the British from 1295 till it was taken by
Charles VII. The queens of Spain and France met here in 1565 the cruel
Duke of Alva, it is supposed to arrange the massacre of St. Bartholomew.
Charles IV. of Spain abdicated here in favor of his “friend and ally,”
the emperor Napoleon, May 4, 1808. In the neighborhood of Bayonne was
much desperate fighting between the French and English armies, December
10, 11, and 13, 1813; invested by the British January 14, 1814; on April
14, the French made a sally and attacked the English with success, but
were at length driven back. The loss of the British was considerable,
and Lieut.-Gen. Sir John Hope was wounded and taken prisoner.
=Bayou.= A long and narrow place; a branch of a trench in fortification;
a hose or leathern pipe; the outlet of a lake; a channel for water.
=Baza.= A city in Andalusia, Spain; it was taken by the Spaniards under
Ferdinand V. from the Moors in December, 1489, after a siege of nearly
seven months; in 1810 the Spaniards under Gens. Blake and Freire were
defeated by the French under Marshal Soult.
=Bazar.= The sutler establishment which accompanies a native regiment in
the India service wherever it goes.
=Bazeilles.= A village in the Ardennes, Northeast France. During the
dreadful battle of Sedan, September 1, 1870, Bazeilles was burnt by the
Bavarians, and outrages committed. Of nearly 2000 inhabitants scarcely
50 remained alive, and these indignantly denied having given
provocation. The cause of provocation appears to have been that an old
woman whose husband and sons had been killed had fired upon and killed
two Bavarians.
=Bazoche-des-Hautes.= Near Orleans, Central France. Here a part of the
army of the Loire, under Gen. d’Aurelle de Paladines, was defeated after
a severe action by the Germans under the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg,
December 2, 1870.
=Beach-master.= Formerly a superior officer, appointed to superintend
the disembarkation of an attacking force, who holds plenary powers, and
generally leads the storming-party. His acts when in the heat of action
are unquestioned.
=Beachy Head.= A promontory, Southeast Sussex, England, near which the
British and Dutch fleets, commanded by the earl of Torrington, were
defeated by a superior French force under Admiral Tourville, June 30,
1690; the allies suffered very severely. The Dutch lost 2 admirals, 500
men, and several ships,--sunk to prevent them from falling into the
hands of the enemy; the English lost 2 ships and 400 men. The admirals
on both sides were blamed,--the English for not fighting, the French for
not pursuing the victory.
=Beacon.= A signal-fire to notify the approach of an enemy.
=Bear.= In a military sense, a piece of ordnance is said to _bear_, or
_come_ to _bear_, or is _brought_ to _bear_, when pointed directly
against the object; that is, pointed to hit the object.
=Bear, Order of.= Was a military order in Switzerland, instituted by the
emperor Frederick II. in 1213, by way of acknowledgment for the service
the Swiss had done him, and in favor of the abbey of St. Gall. To the
collar of the order hung a medal, on which was represented a bear raised
on an eminence of earth.
=Beard.= The reflected points of the head of an ancient arrow,
particularly of such as were jagged.
=Beat.= In a military sense, to gain the day, to win the battle, etc.
=Beating the Wind.= Was a practice in use in the ancient method of trial
by combat. If one of the combatants did not appear in the field at the
time appointed, the other was to make so many flourishes with his
weapon, by which he was entitled to all the advantages of a conqueror.
=Beaucéant=, or =Beaucent= (_Fr._). Standard of the Knights Templar; it
was white on one side and black on the other.
=Beaugency.= An ancient town of France, in the department of Loiret, and
situated on the right bank of the Loire. It was at one time surrounded
by walls, flanked with towers and bastions, and defended by a strong
castle, now ruined. In the history of the wars of France Beaugency
occupies a conspicuous place; it was successively in the hands of the
Huns, Saxons, Normans, and English, but the town sustained most damage
during the religious wars of the 16th century.
=Beaumont.= A town in the department of the Somme, France; here the
French routed the allies, June 16, 1815.
=Beaumont.= A village near Sedan, department of Ardennes, Northeast
France. Near here a part of the army of Marshal MacMahon, under De
Failly, which, after vainly endeavoring to reach Metz, was retreating
before the Germans under the crown prince of Prussia, was surprised,
defeated, and driven across the Meuse at Mouzon, August 30, 1870. The
French loss included about 7000 prisoners, many guns, and much camp
equipage. The victory was chiefly gained by the Bavarians.
=Beaune-la-Rolande.= A village in the Loiret, France. Here the French
army of the Loire under Gen. d’Aurelle de Paladines was defeated by the
Germans under Prince Frederick Charles, in an attempt to march in the
direction of Fontainebleau, to relieve Paris, November 28, 1870. The
French loss was reported by the Germans to be 1000 dead and 4000
wounded, with more than 1700 prisoners. Their own loss was also heavy.
=Beauvais= (Northern France). The ancient _Bellovaci_, formerly capital
of Picardy. When besieged by Charles the Bold, duke of Burgundy, with
80,000 men, the women under Jeanne Fourquet or Lainé, also called de la
Hachette, from her using that weapon, particularly distinguished
themselves, and the duke raised the siege, July 10, 1472. In memory of
this, the women of Beauvais walk first in the procession on the
anniversary of their deliverance.
=Bebra.= A sort of javelin, used by the ancient Germans; it was an
imitation of the _pilum_ of the Romans.
=Bec de Corbin= (_Fr._). A kind of halbert formerly used by the
body-guards of the kings of France.
=Bechlis.= Light cavalry of the Turks, composed of picked men and
horses.
=Bedaines= (_Fr._). Stone bullets which were thrown from catapults
during the Middle Ages.
=Bednore=, or =Nuggur=. A large city of Mysore, India. In 1763 it was
taken and pillaged by Hyder Ali, who subsequently made it the seat of
his own government. It was taken by the British under Gen. Matthews in
1783, but was soon retaken by Tippoo, at the head of a vastly superior
force, when Gen. Matthews and all the principal British officers were
put to death.
=Bedouins.= Wandering tribes of Arabs, living on the plunder of
travelers, etc. They profess a form of Mohammedanism, and are governed
by sheikhs. They are said to be descendants of Ishmael.
=Beds.= Are receptacles for ordnance of large calibre,--_mortar-beds_
serve the same purpose as gun-carriages. They are made of solid timber,
consisting generally of two pieces fastened together with strong iron
bolts and bars. Their sizes depend on the kind of mortar they carry. The
beds for the smaller mortars are made of one solid block only. The
reason that a bed is used for a mortar instead of a wheel-carriage is on
account of the high elevation at which a mortar is usually fired, when
the recoil, instead of forcing the piece backwards, tends to force it
downwards, and this tendency becomes so great at the higher angles that
no wheel-carriage could long sustain the shock.
=Beeren, Gross.= A village of Prussia, 11 miles east-southeast of
Potsdam, well known as the scene of a great victory gained by the
Prussians over the French on August 22-23, 1813.
=Beetles.= In a military sense, are large wooden hammers for driving
down palisades, and for other uses.
=Beetlestock.= The stock or handle of a beetle.
=Befort=, or =Belfort=. A fortified town in the department of Haut-Rhin,
France; sustained several sieges; taken by the Austrians in 1814. Its
citadel was constructed by Vauban.
=Beg=, or =Bey=. A Turkish title, rather vague in its import, and
commonly given to superior military officers, ship-captains, and
distinguished foreigners. More strictly, it applies to the governor of a
small district, who bears a horse-tail as a sign of his rank. Beglerbeg,
or more correctly Beilerbegi (“lord of lords”), is the title given to
the governor of a province who bears three horse-tails as his badge of
honor, and has authority over several begs, agas, etc.
=Begkos=, or =Beikos=. A large village of Anatolia, on the Bosphorus, 8
miles north-northeast of Scutari, said to be the locality of the contest
between Pollux and Amycus, in which the latter was killed. At the
commencement of the Crimean war, the allied fleets anchored in Begkos
Bay, prior to their entering the Black Sea, in January, 1854.
=Behourd=, =Bihourt=, or =Bohourt= (_Fr._). This name was given during
the Middle Ages, to a combat on horseback, lance in hand; also a tilting
of cavaliers, which took place at public amusements.
=Beilan.= A town and mountain-pass of Syria at its northern extremity,
on the east side of the Gulf of Iskanderoon. Here the Egyptian troops
totally defeated the Turks in 1882.
=Belbeys=, or =Belbeis=. A town of Lower Egypt, on the eastern arm of
the Nile, 28 miles north-northeast of Cairo; it is inclosed by earthen
ramparts, and is a station on the route from Egypt to Syria. During the
expedition of the French into Egypt, Gen. Bonaparte had the ancient
fortifications repaired.
=Beleaguer.= To invest a town or fortress, so as to preclude escape; to
besiege; to blockade.
=Belem.= A town of Portugal, on the right bank of the Tagus, near
Lisbon. It is historically interesting as the place from whence Vasco de
Gama set sail on his voyage of oriental discovery; it was taken in
November, 1807, by the French, the royal family of Portugal embarking
from its quay for Brazil as they entered; in 1833, it was occupied by
Don Pedro’s troops.
=Belemnon.= A dart used by the ancient Grecians.
=Belfry=, or =Beffroi=. Among military writers of the Middle Ages, a
movable tower, often several stories high, erected by besiegers for
purposes of attack and defense.
=Belgian-fuze.= See BORMANN-FUZE.
=Belgium.= Late the southern portion of the kingdom of the Netherlands,
and anciently the territory of the Belgæ, who were finally conquered by
Julius Cæsar, 51 B.C.; a revolution commenced at Brussels, August 25,
1830; Antwerp taken (except the citadel), December 23, 1830. The king of
the Netherlands commenced war August 3, 1831, but France sent 50,000
troops to assist Belgium, which effected an armistice. Antwerp was taken
by the French, December 23, 1832, and the French army returned to France
immediately after. For previous history, see FLANDERS.
=Belgrade.= An ancient city in Servia, on the right bank of the Danube.
It was taken from the Greek emperor by Solomon, king of Hungary, in
1086; gallantly defended by John Huniades, against the Turks under
Mahomet II., July to September, 1456, when the latter was defeated with
the loss of 40,000 men; it was taken by Sultan Solyman, 1521, and
retaken by the Imperialists in 1688, from whom it was again taken by the
Turks, 1690; besieged in May, 1717, by Prince Eugene. On August 5, of
that year, the Turkish army, 200,000 strong, approached to relieve it,
and a sanguinary battle was fought at Peterwardein, in which the Turks
lost 20,000 men; after this battle Belgrade surrendered. In 1739 it was
ceded to the Turks, after its fine fortifications had been demolished;
retaken in 1789, and restored at the peace of Reichenbach in 1790. The
Servian insurgents had possession of it in 1806; in 1815, it was placed
under Prince Milosch, subject to Turkey; the fortifications were
restored in 1820; the fortress was surrendered by the Turks to the
Servians about August, 1867.
=Belier= (_Fr._). A battering-ram, invented by the Carthaginians about
441 B.C.; used in ancient times for siege purposes. Also a wooden
machine for driving wedges under a ship’s bottom.
=Bellair.= In North America; this town was attacked by the British
forces under Sir Peter Parker, who, after an obstinate engagement, were
repulsed with considerable loss; their gallant commander was killed
August 30, 1814.
=Belle-Alliance.= A farm-house on the field of Waterloo, Belgium; it is
situated on the right side of the high-road to Brussels and about two
miles from Mount-Saint-Jean. Here Napoleon marshaled his guards for
their last effort at Waterloo; and here Wellington and Blücher met after
the battle was gained by the allies.
=Bellegarde.= A hill fortress of France, in the department of the
Pyrénées Orientales. Here the French under Philip III. were defeated by
Peter III. of Aragon, in 1285; captured by the Spaniards in 1674, and
again by the French under Marshal Schomberg, in 1675; blockaded and
taken by the Spaniards under Ricardos, but was retaken by the French in
the following year.
=Belleisle.= An isle on the southeast of Brittany, France, erected into
a duchy for Marshal Belleisle in 1742, in reward of his military and
diplomatic services, by Louis XV. Belleisle was taken by the British
forces under Commodore Keppel and Gen. Hodgson, after a desperate
resistance, June 7, 1761; restored to France in 1763.
=Belley=, =Bellica=, =Bellicum=, or =Bellicium=. A town in the
department of Ain, France, 39 miles east from Lyons, formerly fortified.
Belley served as a place of arms to Cæsar against the Allobroges; burned
by Alaric in 390; it was in the possession of the dukes of Savoy; it was
ceded to France in 1601.
=Belligerent.= In a state of warfare. Hence any two or more nations at
war are called belligerent powers.
=Bellinzona.= A town in the Swiss canton of Ticino, on the river Ticino.
It has several castles, and was captured and recaptured several times by
the Germans, Swiss, and French.
=Bellipotent.= Powerful or mighty in war.
=Bell-metal.= An alloy of about 78 parts copper and 22 of tin, used in
making bells. It is harder and more sonorous than gun-metal, but much
more brittle.
=Bellovaci.= The most powerful of the Belgæ, dwelt in the modern
_Beauvais_, between the Seine, Oise, Somme, and Bresle. In Cæsar’s time
they could bring 100,000 men into the field, but they were subdued by
Cæsar with the other Belgæ.
=Bellows-house.= See ORDNANCE, CARRIAGES FOR, TRAVELING FORGE.
=Bells of Arms.= In the British service, are tents in front of the
quarters of each company of infantry, in which the arms are piled. In
Indian cantonments, the bells of arms are of masonry.
=Beloochistan=, Southern Asia. The ancient _Gedrosia_. The capital,
Kelat, was taken by the British in the Afghan war, in 1839; abandoned in
1840; taken and held for a short time in 1841.