consists of beams or balks reaching across the adjacent supports, and
covered with plank called chess.
The supports, from which the bridge takes its name, may be either fixed,
as trestles, gabions, carriages, piles, or floating, as pontons, boats
of commerce, rafts, etc.
Ponton bridges are preferable to all others when a passage by main force
or surprise is to be undertaken. They may be constructed on any stream
of sufficient depth; they may be replaced by rafts when the velocity of
the stream does not exceed 6 feet per second. In swifter currents the
latter are unmanageable, drag their anchors, and are liable to
destruction from floating bodies.
Trestle bridges may be constructed in rivers whose depth does not exceed
9 feet, and whose velocity is not more than 6 feet. They may be employed
with advantage in rivers of moderate depth and gentle current, with
hard, even bottoms. When the bed of the river is uneven the adjustment
of the trestles to the bottom is very tedious, and if the current is
rapid, almost impossible. When the bed is of mud or fine sand, the
settlement of the legs is liable to be irregular.
Gabion bridges are used over marshes and shallow streams. They consist
of gabions constructed in the ordinary way, and of a height necessary to
give a level road; these are placed in rows perpendicular to the axis of
the bridge, are filled with stones, or gravel, and are capped with a
piece of timber on which the balks rest.
Pile bridges are superior in point of stability to all other military
bridges, but requiring much labor and time in their construction; they
are usually restricted to securing the communications in rear of the
army.
=Bridge-head.= A fortification covering the extremity of a bridge
nearest the enemy. The French term for the same is _tête du pont_.
=Bridle.= An instrument with which a horse is governed and restrained,
consisting of a head-stall, a bit and reins, with other appendages,
according to its particular form and uses.
=Bridle.= In gunnery, the piece in the interior of a gun-lock, which
covers and holds in place the tumbler and sear, being itself held by the
screws on which they turn.
=Bridle, Arm Protect.= The term for a guard used by the cavalry, which
consists in having the sword-hilt above the helmet, the blade crossing
the back of the head, with the point of the left shoulder, and the
bridle-arm; its edge directed to the left and turned a little upwards,
in order to bring the mounting in a proper direction to protect the
hand.
=Bridoon.= The snaffle rein of a military bridle, which acts
independently of the bit, at the pleasure of the rider.
=Brieg.= A town of Silesia, Prussia, about 27 miles from Breslau; it was
taken by Frederick II., April 4, 1741; dismantled by the French in 1807.
=Briel=, =Brielle=, or =The Brill=. A fortified seaport town on the
north side of the island of Voorne, Holland. It was the nucleus of the
Dutch republic, having been taken from the Spaniards by William de la
Marck in 1572. This event was the first act of open hostility to Philip
II., and paved the way to the complete liberation of the country from a
foreign yoke. Briel was the first town of Holland which, without
extraneous aid, expelled the French in 1813. The celebrated admirals De
Witt and Van Tromp were natives of this place.
=Brienne=, or =Brienne le Château=. A town of France, department of the
Aube. It has a fine castle, but it is chiefly celebrated as the place
where Napoleon received the rudiments of his military education, and
where, in 1814, a bloody battle was fought between the French and the
allied forces of Russia and Prussia.
=Brier Creek.= In Warren Co., Ga. An American force 2000 strong, under
Gen. Ashe, was defeated on this creek by the English under Prevost,
March 4, 1779.
=Brigade.= A body of troops, whether cavalry, artillery, or infantry, or
a mixed command, consisting of two or more regiments, under the command
of a brigadier-general. Two or more brigades constitute a division,
commanded by a major-general; two or more divisions constitute an army
corps, or _corps d’armée_, the largest body of troops in the
organization of the U. S. army.
=Brigade.= To form into a brigade, or into brigades.
=Brigade.= In the British service the artillery is divided into
brigades, which consist of seven batteries each, under the command of a
colonel. The Household Brigade is composed of the Horse Guards, Life
Guards, and Foot Guards.
=Brigade-Inspector.= An officer whose duty it is to inspect troops in
companies before they are mustered into the service.
=Brigade-Major.= An officer appointed to assist the general commanding a
brigade in all his duties.
=Brigadier-General.= An officer in rank next above a colonel and below a
major-general. He commands a brigade; and this officer is sometimes
called simply brigadier.
=Brigand.= A species of irregular foot soldiers, frequently mentioned by
Froissart. From their plundering propensities comes the modern use of
the term.
=Brigandine=, or =Brigantine=. A coat of mail, consisting of thin,
jointed scales of plate, pliant and easy to the body.
=Brigantes.= The most powerful of the British tribes, inhabited the
whole of the north of the island from the Abus (now Humber) to the Roman
wall, with the exception of the southeast corner of Yorkshire. They were
conquered by Petilius Cerealis in the reign of Vespasian. There was also
a tribe of this name in the south of Ireland.
=Brignais= (anc. _Priscinniacum_). An ancient fortress in France,
department of the Rhone; it was captured in 1361 by bodies of
adventurers, called _Grandes Compagnies_. Prince Jacques de Bourbon made
an effort to dislodge them, but was completely defeated, and died of
wounds received upon this occasion.
=Brihuega.= A town of New Castile, Spain; it was formerly surrounded by
walls, of which traces still exist. Here, in 1710, during the War of the
Succession, the English general Stanhope, owing to the dilatoriness of
his allies in affording him support, was defeated by the Duke of
Vendôme, and compelled to surrender with all his force, amounting to
about 5500 men.
=Brindisi= (anc. _Brundisium_). A fortified seaport of Italy, on a small
bay of the Adriatic; it was the usual place of embarkation for Greece
and the East; taken by the Romans from the Sallentines in 267 B.C., and
was afterwards the principal naval station of the Romans on the
Adriatic. During the civil war between Cæsar and Pompey, this place was
invested by Cæsar in 49 B.C.
=Brins d’Est= (_Fr._). Large sticks or poles resembling small pickets,
with iron at each end. They were used to cross ditches, particularly in
Flanders.
=Brise-mur= (_Fr._). A heavy piece of ordnance which was used during the
15th century to batter down walls, etc.
=Brissarthe.= A village of France, department of Maine-et-Loire. Here
the Normans were defeated in 886 by Robert the Strong.
=Bristol= (West England). Built by Brennus, a British prince, 380 B.C.;
is mentioned in 430 as a fortified city; taken by the Earl of Gloucester
in his defense of his sister Maud, the empress, against King Stephen,
1138; taken by Prince Rupert, 1643; by Cromwell, 1645.
=Brisure.= In fortification, any part of a rampart or parapet which
deviates from the general direction.
=Britain= (called by the Romans _Britannia_, from the Celtic name
Prydhain). The Celts, the ancestors of the Britons and modern Welsh,
were the first inhabitants of Britain; it is referred to by Herodotus,
450 B.C.; invaded by Julius Cæsar, 55-54 B.C.; Aulus Plautus and
Vespasian reduced South Britain, 47. Romans defeated by Boadicea; 70,000
slain, and London burnt; she is defeated by Suetonius; 80,000 slain, 61.
Agricola, governor, conquers Anglesea, and overruns Britain in seven
campaigns, and reforms the government, 78-84. He defeats the Caledonians
under Galgacus; surrenders the island, 84. The Romans held sway in
Britain down to about 420, soon after which time the Saxons invaded
South Britain, and ultimately subdued it. It was merged into the kingdom
of England about 829. See ENGLAND.
=Britain, Great.= The name given in 1604 to _England_, _Wales_, and
_Scotland_.
=Briteste.= A small town of France, in the old province of Guienne;
besieged by the Duke of Vendôme in 1622, who was compelled to retreat,
without accomplishing his object, after firing 2000 shots; he made five
assaults and lost 1500 men.
=British Legion.= Raised by Lord John Hay, Colonel De Lacy Evans, and
others, to assist the queen of Spain against the Carlists in 1835;
defeated them at Hernani, May 5, 1836, and at St. Sebastian’s, October
1.
=Brittany=, or =Bretagne= (Northwest France). The ancient _Armorica_.
Conquered by Julius Cæsar, 56 B.C. Brittany was formerly united to the
monarchy, 1532; held by the Spaniards, 1591; recovered by Henry IV.,
1594. The Bretons took part in the Vendean insurrection in 1791.
=Brixham.= A seaport town in the county of Devon, England. Here William
III. (of Orange) landed in England on November 6, 1688.
=Brizure=, =Brizé=, or =Brisé=. Terms used in heraldry to indicate that
a charge is bruised or broken.
=Broad-axe.= A military weapon used in ancient times.
=Broadsword.= Is a sword with a broad blade, for cutting only, not for
stabbing, and therefore not sharp at the point like a sabre.
=Broadwell Ring.= A gas-check for use in heavy breech-loading guns,
invented by L. W. Broadwell. See BREECH MECHANISM.
=Brod= (Slavonian). A military frontier fortress of Austria, on the
Save, defended by a fort. Here Ziska defeated the emperor Sigismund in
1422.
=Broke.= Sentence of a court-martial depriving an officer of his
commission, or a non-commissioned officer or warrant-officer of his
warrant. Also said of a non-commissioned officer being reduced by order.
=Brondolo.= A fortified village of Northern Italy, on the Brenta-Nuova;
it was formerly a flourishing town; destroyed by the Genoese in 1380.
=Broni.= A town of Redmont, in the province of Alessandria, about 11
miles southeast of Pavia. In its vicinity is the castle of Broni,
celebrated in history as the place where Prince Eugène obtained a
victory over the French in 1703.
=Bronnitza.= A town of Russia, in the government of Novgorod, on the
Masta. Here the Swedes defeated the Russians in 1614.
=Bronze.= See ORDNANCE, METALS FOR, BRONZE.
=Bronze.= Gun-barrels are bronzed by acting upon them with the chloride
or butter of antimony, or with hydrochloric or nitric acids, when the
surface of the iron gets partially eaten into, and covered with a thin
film of oxide, after which the gun-barrel is thoroughly cleaned, oiled,
and burnished. A brownish shade is thus communicated to the barrel,
which protects it from rust, and at the same time renders it less
conspicuous to an enemy.
=Brooke Gun.= See ORDNANCE, CONSTRUCTION OF.
=Brooklyn.= A city and seaport of the United States, at the extremity of
Long Island, opposite New York City. In 1776 this part of Long Island
was one of the principal localities of the war of independence. Here on
August 27, 1776, was fought the first great battle of the Revolutionary
war after the Declaration of Independence. The American army occupied
Manhattan, Governor’s, and Long Islands, a large force being placed by
Washington under the command of Gen. Greene in a fortified camp
extending from Wallabout Bay to Gowanus Cove. Unfortunately, Gen. Greene
was taken sick, and four days before the battle the command was given to
Gen. Putnam. On August 22 the British forces under Lord Howe landed and
encamped at the western point of Long Island. About midnight on the 26th
the British attacked the American left, and about daybreak on the 27th
the Hessians under Von Heister attacked the centre, and were met bravely
by the American forces; but an important pass through the hills on their
right, called the Jamaica Pass, being left unguarded, a select body of
English troops poured through, followed by Percy and Cornwallis with the
main army, and, attacking them from the flank and rear, drove the
patriots in confusion with heavy loss. On the night of the 29th,
Washington succeeded, under cover of a dense fog, in withdrawing all his
troops from Brooklyn to New York, and finding it impossible to defend
that city, he removed his forces to the heights of Harlem. During the
civil war Brooklyn was not surpassed by any city in her zeal for the
cause of the Union.
=Brother Officers.= Those of the same regiment.
=Brother Soldier.= See SOLDIER.
=Brownbill.= The ancient weapon of the English foot soldiers,
resembling a battle-axe.
=Browning.= See BRONZE.
=Bruges.= A city in Belgium. In the 7th century it was the capital of
Flanders, and in the 13th and 14th centuries had become almost the
commercial metropolis of the world. It suffered much through an
insurrection in 1488, and the consequent repression. It was incorporated
with France in 1794, with the Netherlands in 1814, and with Belgium in
1830.
=Brumaire.= A division of the year in the calendar of the French
Republic. It is derived from the Latin _bruma_, “winter,” and included
the time from October 23 to November 21. The celebrated 18th Brumaire,
which witnessed the overthrow of the Directory and the establishment of
the sway of Napoleon, corresponds with November 9, 1799, of the
Gregorian calendar.
=Brunanburg= (supposed by some to be near Ford, Northumberland,
England). Anlaf, with an army of Northmen from Ireland, and Constantine
III., king of Scots, landed at the mouth of the Humber, and were
defeated with very great slaughter at Brunanburg by Athelstan in 937.
=Brunette, La.= An ancient fortress of Piedmont; dismantled by the
French in 1798.
=Brünn.= Capital of Moravia. Its citadel was blockaded by the Hungarians
in 947; the town was besieged by the Swedes in 1645, and by the
Prussians in 1742; entered by the French under Murat, November 18, 1805,
and by the Prussians, July 13, 1866.
=Brunswick.= A city of Germany, the capital of a duchy of the same name.
It was formerly fortified; besieged in 1761, and a combat took place
under its walls in 1813.
=Brunt.= The troops who sustain the principal shock of the enemy in
action are said to bear the brunt of the battle.
=Bruttium= (now _Calabria Ultra_). In Southern Italy; the Bruttians and
Lucanians defeated and slew Alexander of Epirus at Pandosia, 326 B.C.
They were conquered by Rome 277 B.C.
=Brüx=, or =Brix=. A town of Bohemia, on the river Bila. Here the
Prussians defeated the Austrians in 1759.
=Bruyeres-sous-Laon.= A town of France, in the department of the Aisne.
It was captured and pillaged by the Normans in 882; sacked by the
English in 1358 and 1373; Jean de Luxembourg took possession of it in
1433, and the Calvinists in 1567.
=Brzesc Litewski.= A fortified town of Russia, in the government of
Grodno. Here the Russians defeated the Poles in 1794. The Poles were
13,000 strong, out of which 500 were taken prisoners, 300 escaped, and
the remainder fell on the field of battle.
=Buccellarii.= An order of soldiery under the Greek emperors, appointed
to guard and distribute the ammunition bread, though authors are
somewhat divided as to their office and quality.
=Bucephalus.= The celebrated horse of Alexander the Great, which no one
could ride except that monarch, and which is said to have carried
Alexander through all his Indian campaigns. He died about 327 B.C., and
Alexander built the city of Bucephala, on the Hydaspes, in his honor.
=Bucharest.= The capital of Wallachia; preliminaries of peace were
ratified at this place between Russia and Turkey, May 28, 1812. The
subsequent war between these powers altered many of the provisions of
this treaty. Bucharest was occupied by the Russians, Turks, and
Austrians successively in the Crimean war. The last quitted it in 1856.
=Buck and Ball.= A cartridge for small-arms. See CARTRIDGE,
BUCK-AND-BALL.
=Buck-board.= A simple four-wheeled vehicle, consisting of a board
resting on the axle-trees, forming a spring seat by its elasticity.
=Buckler.= A kind of shield or piece of defensive armor, anciently used
in war. It was often 4 feet long, and covered the whole body.
=Buckshot.= A small leaden bullet, weighing about 165 to the pound.
=Buda=, or =Ofen=. A free city of the Austrian empire, on the west bank
of the Danube, opposite Pesth, and with it the capital of Hungary. It
was taken by Charlemagne in 799; and sacked by Solyman II. after the
battle of Mohatz, when the Hungarian king, Louis, was killed, and
200,000 of his subjects carried away captives, 1526. Buda was sacked a
second time, when the inhabitants were put to the sword, and Hungary was
annexed to the Ottoman empire, 1541. Retaken by the Imperialists, under
the Duke of Lorraine, and the Mohammedans delivered up to the fury of
the soldiers, 1686. It suffered much in 1848, and was entered without
resistance by the Austrians, January 5, 1849. Here the emperor Francis
Joseph was crowned king of Hungary, June 8, 1867. See PESTH.
=Buderich.= A town of Rhenish Prussia, on the left bank of the Rhine,
opposite Wesel. Here the Duke of Lorraine was defeated by the emperor
Otho I. It was taken by the French in 1672; burned by the French in
1813.
=Budge-barrel.= A small barrel with only one head; on the other end a
piece of leather is nailed, which is drawn together with a string, like
a purse. It is used for carrying powder from the magazine to the
battery, in siege or coast service.
=Buena Vista.= A celebrated battle-field of Mexico, situated about 90
miles southwest of Monterey and 7 miles from Saltillo, famous for the
victory gained there by an American force not 5000 strong, under Gen.
Zachary Taylor, over a Mexican army four times their number under Santa
Anna, February 22-23, 1847. Gen. Taylor, on the way from Victoria to
Monterey, having learned that Santa Anna was threatening him with an
overwhelming force, decided to withdraw his troops from their camp at
Agua Nueva to a position more favorable for withstanding a superior
force, which had been selected a little south of the small village of
Buena Vista, at a point where the road passed through a mountain gorge
called Angostura. Accordingly, on the afternoon of February 21, the camp
at Agua Nueva was broken up, and Santa Anna, believing the American
forces were retreating, eagerly pursued them until he was drawn into
their chosen position. After a useless summons to surrender, on the
afternoon of the 22d the Mexicans opened the attack on the American
left, but they made no impression, while they suffered severe loss.
During the night the Mexicans occupied a position on the heights to the
east of the American lines with the intention of forcing their left
flank, and it was here that the fighting commenced on the 23d, and
continued during the day with varying success, finally resulting in the
repulse of the enemy. Meanwhile a force of Mexican cavalry had been
detached to attack the American camp at Buena Vista, but was gallantly
repulsed. The final attack was made against the American centre--where
Gen. Taylor commanded in person--by Santa Anna himself, with his entire
reserve, but he was met with such a deadly fire from the American
batteries that he was obliged to draw off his much-diminished forces,
and during the night he fell back to Agua Nueva. The American loss in
killed and wounded was about 700; the Mexicans lost about 2000.
=Buenos Ayres.= A province of the Argentine Republic, with a capital of
the same name. A British fleet and army took the city with slight
resistance, June 27, 1806; retaken August 12, 1806. Gen. Whitelock and
8000 British entered Buenos Ayres, and were severely repulsed, July 5,
1807; independence of the province declared July 19, 1816; a prey to
civil war for many years. It seceded from the Argentine Republic in
1853, and was reunited to it in June, 1860.
=Buffalo.= See PACK AND DRAUGHT ANIMALS.
=Buffalora.= A town of Italy, on the river Ticino. In its environs in
1636, the French and Spanish armies met in combat, in which the former
were victorious. There is a bridge at this place crossing the Ticino,
over which a division of the invading army of Austria marched, April 29,
1859. This was the first act of overt hostility in the war between
Austria and Sardinia.
=Buff Coat.= A close military outer garment, with short sleeves, and
laced tightly over the chest, made of buffalo-skin, or other thick and
elastic material, worn by soldiers in the 17th century as a defensive
covering.
=Buffer, Pneumatic.= See AIR CYLINDERS.
=Buffers.= See HURTER.
=Buff Jerkin.= Originally a leathern waist-coat; afterwards one of a
buff color, worn as an article of dress by sergeants and catchpoles;
used also as a dress.
=Buff Leather.= A sort of leather prepared from the buffalo, which,
dressed with oil, makes what is generally called buff-skin. In European
armies, troopers’ breeches, shoulder-belts, and sword-belts are made of
this leather.
=Buff Stick.= A wooden stick covered with buff leather, used by soldiers
in cleaning their equipments.
=Bugle-horn=, or =Bugle=. The old Saxon horn, now used by all infantry
regiments. By its soundings their manœuvres are directed, either in
advancing, skirmishing, or retreating.
=Bugler.= One who plays a bugle.
=Built-up Guns.= See ORDNANCE.
=Bukors.= Kettle-drums of the Swedish cavalry.
=Bulgaria.= Anciently _Mœsia_, now part of European Turkey. The
Bulgarians were a Slavonian tribe, who harassed the Eastern empire and
Italy from 499 to 678, when they established a kingdom. They defeated
Justinian II., 687; but were subdued, after several conflicts, by the
emperor Basil in 1018. After defeating them in 1014, having taken 15,000
Bulgarian prisoners, he caused their eyes to be put out, leaving one eye
only to every hundredth man, to enable him to conduct his countrymen
home. The kingdom was re-established in 1086; but after many changes,
was annexed to the Ottoman empire, 1396.
=Bull.= A fort which the English possessed in Canada, and which
constituted one of their military depots; it was captured by the French,
March 27, 1756.
=Bulletin.= A brief statement of facts respecting some passing events,
as military operations, etc.
=Bullet-mold.= An implement containing a cavity of the proper shape into
which lead is poured to form a bullet.
=Bullet-proof.= Capable of resisting the force of a bullet.