Baltic and the Cattegat; it separates the island of Funen from that of
Seeland. In the winter of 1658, while frozen, it was crossed by Gustavus
Adolphus, king of Sweden, and his army, on his way to besiege
Copenhagen.
=Belts.= Leathern suspenders of different sorts and for various
purposes, viz.: _sword_ belts, to which swords hang; _shoulder_ or
_cross_ belts, broad leathern belts, crossing from the right shoulder,
and to which the pouch is affixed; and leathern straps fixed round the
waist, by which a sword or bayonet is suspended.
=Benares.= A holy city of the Hindoos in India; it was ceded by the
nabob of Oude to the English in 1755; the scene of an insurrection in
1781, which nearly proved fatal to the British interests in Hindostan.
In June, 1857, Col. Neil succeeded in suppressing attempts to join the
Sepoy mutiny.
=Ben-Azzedin.= A place in Algiers, where the French fought the Kabyles,
September 9, 1848.
=Benburb.= Near Armagh (Northern Ireland). Here O’Neill totally defeated
the English under Monroe, June 5, 1646. Moore says that it was “the only
great victory since the days of Brian Boru achieved by an Irish
chieftain in the cause of Ireland.”
=Bend.= In heraldry, is one of the ordinaries, or more important
figures. It is formed of two parallel lines drawn from the dexter to the
sinister base, and consequently passing athwart the shield. It is
supposed to represent a shoulder-belt, or scarf worn over the shoulder.
=Bender= (Bessarabia, European Russia). Was the asylum of Charles XII.
of Sweden after his defeat at Pultowa by the czar Peter the Great, July
8, 1709. The peace of Bender was concluded in 1711; it was taken by
storm, by the Russians, in September, 1770; again taken by Potemkin in
1789; and again stormed in 1809. It was restored at the peace of Jassy,
but retained at the peace of 1812.
=Benevente.= A small town of the province of Alentejo, Portugal, where
Lord Paget, afterwards Marquis of Anglesea, in 1808, greatly
distinguished himself by a brilliant cavalry action, against the French
under Marshal Soult; when Gen. Lefebre Desnouettes, who commanded the
advanced guard of the French forces, was taken prisoner.
=Benevento= (anc. _Beneventum_). An ancient city in South Italy, said to
have been founded by Diomedes the Greek, after the fall of Troy; Pyrrhus
of Macedon, during his invasion of Italy, was totally defeated near
Beneventum, 275 B.C. At a battle fought here, February 26, 1266,
Manfred, king of Sicily, was defeated and slain by Charles of Anjou, who
thus became virtually master of Italy. It was seized by the king of
Naples, but restored to the pope, 1773; it was taken by the French in
1798, and restored to the pope in 1814.
=Bengal.= Chief presidency of British India, containing Calcutta, the
capital. Its governors were delegated by the sovereigns of Delhi till
1340, when it became independent. It was added to the Mogul empire by
Baber about 1529.
=Beni-Abbes.= An Algerian tribe who fought the French, May 16, 1847.
=Beni-Achour.= An Algerian tribe who were defeated by the French,
September 22, 1848.
=Benicke.= A kind of military fête among the Turks, similar to a
tournament, but without the presence of ladies.
=Beni-Mered.= An Algerian tribe who were defeated by the French, May 27,
1836.
=Beni-Yala.= An Algerian tribe who were chastised by the French, May 31,
1847.
=Ben-Nahr.= A place in Algeria where the French defeated the Arabs,
February 7, 1846.
=Bennington.= A post-township of Bennington Co., Vt., 117 miles
southwest of Montpelier. Here a detachment of the English army under
Gen. Burgoyne were defeated by the Americans under Gen. Stark, August
16, 1777, and 600 prisoners captured.
=Ben-Tijour.= A place in Algeria where the French engaged the Arabs,
September 22, 1848.
=Bentonville.= A village in Johnston Co., N. C. Here part of the army of
Gen. Sherman encountered a Confederate army (40,000 strong) under Gen.
Johnston, March, 1865. The attack was made by Gen. Johnston on the left
wing of the Federal army with the intention of overwhelming it before it
could be relieved. Six assaults were gallantly sustained by the Federals
against the combined forces of Gens. Hoke, Hardee, and Cheatham. During
the night Gen. Slocum received reinforcements which rendered his
position impregnable. On March 21, Gen. Sherman ordered a general attack
by his skirmish-line, and the ensuing night Johnston retreated towards
Smithfield, leaving his pickets to fall into Gen. Sherman’s hands. The
Federal loss was 1646; the Confederate loss is unknown, but about 1300
prisoners were taken by the Union forces.
=Beraun.= A walled town of Bohemia, capital of a circle, on the Beraun
River. Here the Austrians defeated the Prussians in 1744.
=Berbers.= The general name usually given to the tribes inhabiting the
mountainous regions of Barbary and the northern portions of the Great
Desert. They were conquered in succession by the Phœnicians, Romans,
Vandals, and Arabs. They are of middle stature, sparely but strongly
built; complexion varies from a red to a yellow brown; hair is, in
general, dark, and eyes dark and piercing. Their manners are austere,
and in disposition they are cruel, suspicious, and implacable. They are
usually at war with their neighbors or among themselves.
=Beresina=, or =Berezina=. A river in Russia, crossed by the French main
army after its defeat by the Russians, November 25-29, 1812. The French
lost upwards of 20,000 men, and their retreat was attended by great
calamity and suffering.
=Bereung.= A description of Swedish militia, consisting of every man in
the kingdom, from 20 to 25 years of age, capable of bearing arms.
=Bergamo.= A fortified city of Lombardy, Italy; captured by the French
in 1698. During the height of the Venetian power, Bergamo was a
dependency on its territory; under Napoleon, it was the capital of the
department of Serio.
=Bergedorf.= A town of North Germany; it was taken from the Duke of
Saxe-Lauenberg in 1736 by the cities of Hamburg and Lubeck; recaptured
in 1412; and again taken by the same two cities in 1720.
=Bergen.= A small town in Germany, about 5 miles from Frankfort. Here
the French, under the Duke of Broglie, defeated the allies under the
Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick, April 13, 1759. The allies lost 2500 killed
and wounded, and the French lost about 1800.
=Bergen.= A town in Holland. Here the allies under the Duke of York were
defeated by the French, under Gen. Brune, with great loss, September 19,
1799. In another battle fought October 2, the same year, the duke gained
the victory over Brune; but on the 6th, the duke was defeated before
Alkmaer, and on the 20th entered into a convention, by which his army
was exchanged for 6000 French and Dutch prisoners in England.
=Bergen-op-Zoom=, or =Berg-op-Zoom=. A strongly-fortified town of
Holland, in North Brabant, on the river Zoom. In 1586 it was
unsuccessfully besieged by the famous Duke of Parma, and afterwards, in
1622, it defied the utmost attempts of Spinola, who was forced to
abandon the enterprise after a siege of ten weeks, with the loss of
12,000 men. It was taken by the French under Count Lowendahl in 1747,
and in 1795 was again occupied by them. An attempt made by the British
under Gen. Sir T. Graham (afterwards Lord Lynedoch) to carry the
fortress by storm was defeated; after forcing an entrance, their retreat
was cut off, and a dreadful slaughter ensued; nearly all were cut to
pieces or made prisoners, March 8, 1814.
=Bergerac.= A town in the department of Dordogne, France; it was
formerly fortified, and sustained many sieges; taken by the English in
1345, and retaken by the Duke of Anjou in 1370. Its fortifications were
razed by Louis XIII. in 1621.
=Bergfried, Combat of.= A combat which took place between the French and
Russians, February 3, 1807, in which the latter were repulsed.
=Bergues.= A fortified town in the department of the North, France; it
was captured and recaptured by the Spaniards and French; the last time
by Turenne in 1658.
=Berlin.= Capital of Prussia, in the province of Brandenburg; alleged
to have been founded by the margrave Albert the Bear, about 1163. It was
taken by an army of Russians and Austrians in 1760, but they were
obliged to retire in a few days. On October 26, 1806, after the battle
of Jena (October 14), the French entered Berlin; and from this place
Napoleon issued the famous “Berlin decree” or interdict against the
commerce of England, November 20. On November 5, 1808, Napoleon entered
into a convention with Prussia by which he remitted to Prussia the sum
due on the war-debt and withdrew many of his troops to reinforce his
army in Spain. An insurrection commenced here in March, 1848; a treaty
of peace between Prussia and Saxony was signed on October 21, 1866.
=Berme.= A narrow path round fortifications between the parapet and the
ditch, to prevent the earth from falling in.
=Bermuda Hundred.= In Chesterfield Co., Va., on the right bank of the
James River, just above the mouth of the Appomattox. Here on May 16,
1864, the Federal forces under Gen. Butler were attacked by the
Confederates under Beauregard, and after several hours’ severe fighting
Butler was compelled to fall back to his first line of intrenchments,
with a loss of about 2500.
=Bermuda Islands=, or =Bermudas=. A group of islands in the North
Atlantic Ocean, discovered by Juan Bermudez, a Spaniard, in 1527, but
not inhabited until 1600, when Sir George Somers was cast away upon
them. The Bermudas are garrisoned by British troops.
=Bernard, The Great St.= A famous mountain-pass of the Pennine Alps, so
called from a monastery founded on it by Bernardine de Meuthon in 972.
Velan, its highest peak, is about 8000 feet high, covered with perpetual
snow. Hannibal, it is said, conducted the Carthaginians by this pass
into Italy, 218 B.C.; and by the same route, in May, 1800, Bonaparte led
his troops to Italy before the battle of Marengo, June 14, 1800.
=Berne.= The sovereign canton of Switzerland; joined the Swiss League in
1352; the town of Berne was made a free city by the emperor Frederick,
May, 1218; it successfully resisted Rudolph of Hapsburg, 1288. It
surrendered to the French under Gen. Brune, April 12, 1798; the town was
made capital of Switzerland in 1848.
=Berry= (anc. _Biturigum regis_), Central France; held by the Romans
since the conquest by Cæsar, 58-50 B.C., till it was subdued by the
Visigoths; from whom it was taken by Clovis in 507.
=Bersaglieri.= The sharpshooters of the Sardinian army; first employed
about 1848.
=Berserker.= A legendary Scandinavian hero of the 8th century,
celebrated for his strength and valor. He fought without a coat of mail
or helmet, whence his name. The name Berserkers was also applied to a
class of warriors who, under the influence of a sort of demoniac
possession, fought naked, performing marvelous feats of valor,
unmindful or insusceptible of wounds.
=Berwick-on-Tweed.= A fortified town on the northeast extremity of
England; the theatre of many bloody contests while England and Scotland
were two kingdoms; it was claimed by the Scots because it stood on their
side of the river; annexed to England in 1333; and after having been
taken and retaken many times, was finally ceded to England in 1482; in
1651 it was made independent of both kingdoms; the town surrendered to
Cromwell in 1648, and afterwards to Gen. Monk in 1659.
=Besançon.= A fortified city of France, capital of the department of
Doubs; sacked by Attila; captured and ruined by the ancient Germans;
rebuilt by the Burgundians; it was ceded to Spain by the peace of
Westphalia; taken by Louis XIV. on May 15, 1670; united to France in
1678; in 1814 the Austrians besieged it without success.
=Besiege.= To lay siege to or invest any fortified place with armed
forces.
=Besieged.= The garrison that defends the place against the army that
lays siege to it.
=Besiegers.= The army that lays siege to a fortified place.
=Bessarabia.= A frontier province of European Russia, part of the
ancient Dacia. After being possessed by the Goths, Huns, etc., it was
conquered by the Turks in 1474, and ceded to Russia in 1812.
=Bessemer Steel.= See ORDNANCE, METALS FOR.
=Bessi.= A fierce and powerful Thracian people, who dwelt along the
whole of Mount Hæmus as far as the Euxine. After the conquest of
Macedonia by the Romans, 168 B.C., the Bessi were attacked by the
latter, and subdued after a severe struggle.
=Bethoron.= A village of Palestine. Near here Judas Maccabæus gained
advantages on two different occasions over the generals of Antiochus.
=Bethsur.= An ancient city of Palestine, now extinct. The Syrian general
Lysias captured it, 163 B.C., after a severe combat in which Eleazar, a
brother of Judas, perished.
=Béton.= French term for concrete. Much used in permanent
fortifications. See CONCRETE.
=Béton Aggloméré.= A species of concrete invented by M. Coignet. Used in
building arches, aqueducts, cellar walls, etc. It differs from ordinary
béton, having much greater strength and hardness,--qualities derived
from the ramming to which it is subjected.
=Betray.= To deliver perfidiously any place or body of troops into the
hands of the enemy. To discover that which has been intrusted to
secrecy.
=Betty.= A machine used for forcing open gates or doors. See PETARD.
=Bey.= See BEG.
=Beyroot=, or =Beyrout= (anc. _Berytus_). A seaport of Syria, colonized
from Sidon; alternately possessed by the Christians and Saracens; and
after many changes, fell into the power of Amurath IV., since when it
remained with the Ottoman empire up to the revolt of Ibrahim Pasha in
1832. The total defeat of the Egyptian army by the allied British,
Turkish, and Austrian forces, and evacuation of Beyroot (the Egyptians
losing 7000 in killed, wounded, and prisoners, and 20 pieces of cannon),
took place October 10, 1840. Sir C. Napier was the English admiral
engaged. Beyroot suffered greatly in consequence of the massacres in
Syria in May, 1860.
=Béziers.= A city of France, department of Hérault; sacked by the
Vandals in the 5th century; by the Visigoths in the 5th, 6th, and 7th
centuries; by the Saracens in 720; by Charles Martel in 737; in 1209,
this city was taken by the Catholics under Simon de Montfort and Arnaud,
abbé of Citeaux, and was the scene of a barbarous massacre of the
Albigenses; 60,000 inhabitants were slain without consideration of sex
or age (7000 were found dead in the church _de la Magdeleine_, where
they sought refuge from their relentless slayers).
=Bhootan.= A country north of Lower Bengal. Invaded by the British in
December, 1864, in consequence of injurious treatment of an envoy.
=Bhurtpoor= (India). Capital of Bhurtpoor, was besieged by the British,
January 3, 1805, and attacked five times up to March 21, without
success. The fortress was taken by Gen. Lake, after a desperate
engagement with Holkar, the Mahratta chief, April 2, 1805; this led to a
treaty on April 17. On the rajah’s death, during a revolt against his
son, Bhurtpoor was taken by storm, by Lord Combermere, January 18, 1826.
=Biacolytes.= A military organization in the Grecian empire, whose duty
was to prevent the committal of any excesses against life or property.
Their service was analogous to that of the French gendarmes.
=Biagrasso=, or =Abbiategrasso=. A city on the Ticinella, in Lombardy;
here, in 1524, the French were defeated by the Imperialists.
=Bibans=, or =Bibens=. “The Gates of Iron.” A dangerous defile of the
Atlas Mountains, between Algiers and Constantine; it is traversed by a
number of currents. The French, led by the Duke of Orleans and Marshal
Valée, passed through it in 1839.
=Bibaux=, or =Petaux= (_Fr._). In ancient times, were soldiers who
fought on foot, with cross-bow and lance.
=Biberach= (Würtemberg). Here Moreau twice defeated the
Austrians,--under Latour, October 2, 1796, and under Kray, May 9, 1800.
=Bicker.= A word formerly used in the sense of to skirmish; to fight off
and on; to make repeated attacks.
=Bicocca= (Northern Italy). Lautrec and the French were here defeated by
Colonna and the Imperialists, April 29, 1522, and Francis thereby lost
his conquests in Milan.
=Bicoque= (_Fr._). A term used in France to signify a place ill
fortified and incapable of much defense. It is derived from a place on
the road between Lodi and Milan, which was originally a gentleman’s
country-house surrounded by ditches. In 1522, a body of Imperial troops
were stationed in it, and stood the attack of the whole French army,
during the reign of Francis I. This engagement was called the battle of
Bicoque.
=Bicorneurs= (_Fr._). Name given to the militia of Valenciennes.
=Bidarkee.= A skin boat used by the Aleuts.
=Bidassoa.= A river of the Pyrenees, which forms one of the boundaries
of France and Spain, the passage of which is memorable as completing the
endeavors of Lord Wellington to drive the French, under Marshal Soult,
out of the Peninsula into France. In 1808, Marshal Junot crossed the
Bidassoa with the armies of France to invade the Peninsula, and in 1813,
Lord Wellington crossed it, after driving the French out of Spain.
=Bidauts=, or =Bidaux= (_Fr._). An ancient French corps of infantry;
according to some authorities they were armed with two javelins.
=Bien-Hoa.= A fortified seaport town of the French colony in Cochin
China; it was taken from the Annamites by the French under Rear-Admiral
Bonard, December 15, 1861.
=Bienne.= A town of Switzerland; it was captured and burned by the
bishop of Basel in 1367.
=Biga.= A Roman term applied in ancient times to vehicles drawn by two
horses abreast, and commonly to the Roman chariot used in processions or
in the circus. In shape it resembled the Greek war-chariot,--a short
body on two wheels, low, and open behind, where the charioteer entered,
but higher and closed in front.
=Big Bethel.= A village of York Co., Va., near Back River, about 12
miles northwest of Fortress Monroe, on the road from Hampton to
Yorktown, and about 3 miles beyond Little Bethel, on the same road. In
June, 1861, the main body of the Confederate army, under Gen. Magruder,
being in the vicinity of Yorktown, an outpost of considerable strength
was established at Little Bethel, which Gen. Butler, who was in command
at Fortress Monroe, determined to dislodge. Accordingly, on the night of
June 9, two New York regiments were ordered to gain the rear of the
enemy’s position, while a battalion of Vermont and Massachusetts troops
and a New York regiment were to attack in front at break of day. Before
daybreak, through some error, these forces approached and fired into
each other, and thus betrayed their projected movements to the enemy,
who retreated to Big Bethel, where there was another outpost, with works
of some strength in process of erection. Gen. Pierce, who was in command
of the Federal expedition, determined to carry these works. An attack
was ordered, and after nearly three hours’ fighting, the Federals being
exposed to a heavy fire, while the Confederates were almost entirely
protected, Gen. Pierce determined to retreat, which he did in good
order, the enemy falling back the same day to Yorktown. The number of
Federal troops was between 3000 and 4000, while that of the enemy was
nearly 1500. The Federal loss was about 60, that of the Confederates was
small in comparison.
=Big Horn.= A navigable river of the United States, near Fremont’s Peak,
in the Rocky Mountains. It has a northeast course of about 400 miles,
being the longest affluent of the Yellowstone, which, again, is the
largest affluent of the Missouri. A desperate battle was fought on the
Little Big Horn, between the 7th U. S. Cavalry and the Sioux Indians,
June 25, 1876.
=Bigles.= A military corps of Rome, whose particular duty was to furnish
sentinels; the bread which these troops received was called
_bigliaticum_.
=Bihach=, or =Bichacz=. One of the strongest fortress-towns of Croatia,
European Turkey; it has been the scene of frequent contests during the
Turkish wars.
=Bilbo.= A rapier, a sword; so named, it is said, from _Bilboa_, in
Spain, where the best are made.
=Bilboa=, or =Bilbao= (Northeast Spain). Founded about 1300; taken by
the French in 1795; captured and recaptured during the invasion of the
French in 1808; delivered from the Carlists by Espartero, aided by the
British, December 24, 1836.
=Bilboquet.= A small 8-inch mortar, whose bore is only half a caliber in
length. It throws a shell of 60 pounds about 400 toises.
=Bill.= A weapon much used by infantry, in the 14th and 15th centuries,
for defense against cavalry, consisting of a broad, hook-shaped blade,
having a short pike at the back and another at the summit, and attached
to the end of a long staff.
=Billet= (Fr. _Billet de logement_). In England, is a ticket for
quartering soldiers on publicans and others, which entitles each
soldier, by act of Parliament, to candles, vinegar, and salt, with the
use of fire and the necessary utensils for dressing and eating his meat.
In the United States, no soldier shall, in time of peace, be quartered
in any house without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but
in the manner to be prescribed by law (Art. 3, Amendments to the
Constitution of the United States).
=Bill-hook.= A small hatchet used in European armies in cutting wood for
fascines and other military purposes. The pioneers of the infantry are
always provided with them, and a sufficient supply is issued to
regiments engaged on active service.
=Binche.= A town in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. The French drove
the Austrians out of this place in 1794.
=Bipennis.= A double-headed axe, the weapon which, according to ancient
historians and authors, particularly distinguished those fabulous female
warriors, the Amazons.
=Biporus.= With the ancients this word signified a double-prowed boat,
so that it could change its course to the opposite direction without
turning.
=Bir=, or =Biridjek=. A walled town of Asiatic Turkey, on the Euphrates,
which was ruined by Tamerlane.
=Birse.= A small river in Switzerland, on the banks of which, on August
26, 1444, 1500 Swiss fought an army of about 20,000 men, commanded by
the dauphin of France, afterwards Louis XI. There were but 11 of the
Swiss who survived the day, while their enemy left 8000 men and 1100
horses on the battle-field. On the same river 6000 confederate Swiss
gained a splendid victory over 15,000 Austrians, July 22, 1499.
=Birtha.= See TEKRIT.
=Biscaïen= (_Fr._). A name formerly given to a long-barreled musket, the
range of which was greater than the ordinary musket. Now this
appellation is given to a leaden ball about the size of an egg, which is
used for canister or case-shot.
=Bisceglia.= A fortified seaport town of Naples, on the Adriatic, 21
miles northwest of Bari. Here a celebrated combat took place between 13
Spaniards and the same number of French. Among the latter was the
Chevalier Bayard.
=Biskara=, or =Biskra=. A town of Algeria, on the Kantara, taken by the
French, March 3, 1844.
=Bistritz.= A fortified town of Transylvania, situated on the Bistritz
River. Forming, as it does, the last strong position in the northeast of
Transylvania, it was repeatedly, during 1848-49, the scene of hot strife
between the Hungarian and Austrian generals.
=Bitche.= A town of France, in the department of the Moselle, in a wild
and wooded pass of the Vosges. The Prussians, under Colonel Count von
Wartensleben, attempted to surprise it in 1793, but failed.