others.
=Cappadocia.= An ancient province of Asia Minor, now included in Asiatic
Turkey. It was conquered by Cyrus the Great of Persia, and was ruled by
independent kings after the time of Alexander the Great until 17, when
Tiberius reduced it to a Roman province.
=Cappel.= A village of Switzerland. Here the reformer Ulric Zwinglius
was slain in a conflict between the Catholics and the men of Zurich, in
October, 1531.
=Capri= (anc. _Capreæ_). An island near Naples, the sumptuous residence
of Tiberius, memorable for the debaucheries he committed during the last
seven years of his life. Capri was taken by Sir Sidney Smith, April 22,
1806; taken from the British, October 4, 1808, by a French force under
Gen. Lamarque.
=Caps.= The head-dress or shako of such troops as are not supplied with
helmets.
FORAGE CAPS are the cloth undress head-covering of the officer or
soldier.
=Caps.= In gunnery, are the leathern plugs, or bungs, used to prevent
rain or rubbish from collecting in the bore of the guns and howitzers.
There are also cannon caps for similar purposes, used for mortars.
=Caps, Percussion-.= Are small metal covers, inlaid with detonating
powder, and placed on the nipple of a rifle or revolver. The hammer,
striking on the outer surface of the cap, causes the powder to explode
and ignite the charge.
=Cap-square.= A strong plate of iron which comes over the trunnion of a
cannon, and keeps it to its place.
=Capstan.= A strong, massy column of timber, formed somewhat like a
truncated cone, and having its upper extremity pierced to receive bars,
or levers, for winding a rope round it, to move great weights, or to
exert great power; used in moving heavy guns considerable distances;
called also a _crab_.
=Capsules.= Copper caps for percussion-locks.
=Captain.= In a limited and technical sense, is the title of an officer
who commands a troop of cavalry, a company of infantry, or a battery of
artillery. He is the next in rank below a major, and in the U. S. army
is responsible for the camp and garrison equipage, the arms, ammunition,
and clothing of his company.
There is no position in the army that will give as much satisfaction in
return for an honest, capable, and conscientious discharge of his duty
as that of captain or commanding officer of a company. There is a reward
in having done his full duty to his company, that no disappointment of
distinction, no failure can deprive him of; his seniors may overlook him
in giving credits, unfortunate circumstances may defeat his fondest
hopes, and the crown of laurel may never rest upon his brow, but the
reward that follows upon the faithful discharge of his duty to his
company he cannot be deprived of by any disaster, neglect, or injustice.
He receives it whenever he looks upon his little command, and sees the
harmony, comfort, and discipline that prevail; he feels it when he comes
to part with his men in the due course of promotion, or as they
individually take their discharge after a faithful service; he remembers
it when, in after-years, no matter if rank and honors have in the mean
time fallen upon him, he meets an old soldier who, with respect and
affection, still calls him his captain.
He is a small sovereign, powerful and great within his little domain,
but no imbecile monarch ever suffered more from intrigues, factions, and
encroachments than an incapable company commander; no tyrant king must
contend more with rebellions, insurrections, and defections than an
arbitrary and unjust captain, and no wise and beneficent ruler ever
derived more heartfelt homage, more faithful services, or more patriotic
devotion than a just, competent, and faithful commander receives from
his company. They will love him truly, they will obey him faithfully,
and whilst there is life they will stand by him in the hour of battle.
The command of a company divides itself into two kinds of duty,
requiring very different capacity, viz., _Government_ and
_Administration_. The former requires force of character, judgment, and
discretion, and has often been well performed without much capacity for
the latter. Administration requires a certain amount of knowledge
absolutely indispensable to a discharge of a duty.
_Government._--Under this head may be included instruction in tactics
and discipline, the preservation of order and subordination, and the
cultivation of a military spirit and pride in the profession among the
men. It involves the appointing and reduction of non-commissioned
officers, and the subject of rewards and punishments.
_Administration._--Providing the clothing and subsistence, and keeping
the accounts of soldiers in order, that they may be paid, and attending
to the transportation of the men and their supplies, belong under this
head. They involve the keeping of the records of the company, and the
pay and clothing accounts of the men; the drawing and distributing of
supplies, and the care and accountability of public and company
property. The efficient administration of the affairs of a company
greatly facilitates the discipline and government of the company, makes
the men content and cheerful in the performance of their duties, and
attaches them to their commander.
=Captaincy.= The rank, post, or commission of a captain.
=Captaincy-general.= The office, power, territory, or jurisdiction of a
captain-general.
=Captain-General.= This was the proper appellation of a
commander-in-chief till Marlborough’s time, if not later. The rank is
sometimes still given on extraordinary occasions. It was born by the
Marquis of Wellesley during his government in India, and is applied to
the governor-general of the Canadas. In the United States, the governor
of a State is captain-general of the militia. _Captain-lieutenant_, an
officer, who with the rank of a captain, and pay of lieutenant,
commands a company or troop.
=Captainry.= The power, or command, over a certain district;
chieftainship; captainship.
=Captainship.= The condition, rank, post, or authority of a captain or
chief commander. Also skill in military affairs; as, to show good
captainship.
=Captive.= A prisoner taken by force or stratagem in war, by an enemy;
made prisoner, especially in war; kept in bondage or confinement.
=Captivity.= The state of being a prisoner, or of being in the power of
the enemy, by force or the fate of war.
=Captor.= One who takes, as a prisoner or a prize.
=Capture.= The act of taking or seizing by force; seizure; arrest; as,
the capture of an enemy. The thing taken; a prize; prey taken by force,
surprise, or stratagem.
=Captured Property.= As civilization has advanced during the last
centuries, so has likewise steadily advanced, especially in war on land,
the distinction between the private individual belonging to a hostile
country and the hostile country itself, with its men in arms. The
principle has been more and more acknowledged that the unarmed citizen
is to be spared in person, property, and honor, as much as the
exigencies of war will admit. A victorious army appropriates all public
money, seizes all public movable property until further direction by its
government, and sequesters for its own benefit or that of its government
all the revenues of real property belonging to the hostile government or
nation. The title to such real property remains in abeyance during
military occupation, and until the conquest is made complete. As a
general rule, the property belonging to churches, to hospitals, or other
establishments of an exclusively charitable nature, to establishments of
education, or foundations for the promotion of knowledge, whether public
schools, universities, academies of learning, or observatories, museums
of the fine arts, or of a scientific character,--such property is not to
be considered public property; but it may be taxed or used when the
public service may require it. Classical works of art, libraries,
scientific collections, or precious instruments, such as astronomical
telescopes, as well as hospitals, must be secured against all avoidable
injury, even when they are contained in fortified places whilst besieged
or bombarded. And if they can be removed without injury, the ruler of
the conquering state or nation may order them to be seized and removed
for the benefit of the said nation. The ultimate ownership is to be
settled by the ensuing treaty of peace.
The United States acknowledge and protect, in hostile countries occupied
by them, religion and morality; strictly private property; the persons
of the inhabitants, especially those of women; and the sacredness of
domestic relations. Offenses to the contrary are rigorously punished.
This does not interfere with the right of the victorious invader to tax
the people or their property, to levy forced loans, to billet soldiers,
or to appropriate property, especially houses, land, boats or ships, and
churches for temporary and military uses. Private property can be seized
only by way of military necessity, except the owner forfeits his right
to it by committing a crime or offense against the victorious power. All
captures and booty belong, according to the modern law of war, primarily
to the government of the captor. See STORES, MILITARY.
=Capua.= A town of Naples, in the province of Terra di Lavoro; took the
part of Hannibal when his army wintered here after the battle of Cannæ,
216 B.C., and, it is said, became enervated through luxury. In 211, when
the Romans retook the city, they scourged and beheaded all the surviving
senators; many of them having poisoned themselves after a banquet
previous to the surrender of the city. During the Middle Ages, Capua was
successively subjugated by the Greeks, Saracens, Normans, and Germans.
It was restored to Naples in 1424, and was taken, November 2, 1860, by
Garibaldi.
=Capuchons= (_Fr._). A society formed in France from 1181 to 1183, for
the suppression of the brigandage of the _Routiers_; they exterminated
7000 brigands in an engagement near Verdun.
=Caracas= (South America). Part of Venezuela, discovered by Columbus in
1498. It was reduced by arms, and assigned as property to the Welsers,
German merchants, by Charles V.; but for their tyranny they were
dispossessed in 1550, and a crown governor appointed. The province
declared its independence, May 9, 1810.
=Caracole= (Sp. _caracol_). A French term used in horsemanship or the
manège to denote a semi-round or half-turn. When cavalry advance to
charge in battle they sometimes perform caracoles in order to perplex
the enemy, and excite a doubt whether they will attack the flank or the
front.
=Caravaggio.= A walled town of Italy, in the province of Bergamo. Here a
battle was fought, September 15, 1448, between the Milanese and
Venetians, in which the latter were defeated.
=Carberry Hill.= In Southern Scotland; here on June 15, 1567, Lord Hume
and the confederate barons dispersed the royal army under Bothwell, and
took Mary, queen of Scots, prisoner. Bothwell fled.
=Carbine.= A short light musket, used by cavalry. It is so called from a
kind of light horse (Carabins), whose weapon it was. They were employed
by Henry II. of France in 1559.
=Carbineers=, or =Carabineers=. Dragoons armed with carbines, who
occasionally acted as infantry. All regiments of light-armed horse were
formerly called carbineers; but since the establishment of hussars and
lancers, they have, for the most part, lost that denomination.
=Carbon.= See CHARCOAL.
=Carcass.= In gunnery, is a spherical shell having three additional
holes, of the same dimensions as the fuze-hole, pierced at equal
distances apart in the upper hemisphere of the shell, and filled with a
composition which burns with intense power from 8 to 10 minutes, and the
flame issuing from the holes sets fire to everything combustible within
its reach; it is used in bombardments, setting fire to shipping, etc.,
and is projected from cannon like a cannon-shell.
=Carcassonne= (anc. _Carcaso_). A city in the south of France, capital
of the department of Aude. It was taken from the Visigoths by the
Saracens in 724.
=Carchera.= A name given by the Corsicans to their cartridge-belts.
=Cardiff.= A seaport and county town of Wales, in Glamorganshire.
Cardiff is an ancient place, and is surrounded by walls, in which were
four gates. Its castle, once large and strongly fortified, was erected
about the year 1079. Robert, duke of Normandy, was confined in it for 28
years after the battle of Tinchebria. This fortress was afterwards taken
and partially destroyed by Cromwell.
=Cardigan.= A town in Cardiganshire, Wales. It was an important town
about the Norman conquest, and the Normans were frequently defeated
before mastering it. The town suffered much in the struggles between the
Welsh and the Normans.
=Cardinal Points.= The four intersections of the horizon with the
meridian, and the prime vertical circle, or north and south, east and
west. In astrology, the cardinal points are the rising and setting of
the sun, the zenith and nadir.
=Caria.= An ancient province in the extreme southwest of Asia Minor. It
was conquered by Cyrus, 546 B.C.; by Dercyllidas, a Lacedæmonian, 397.
Caria was absorbed in the Turkish empire.
=Carignan.= A small town about 12 miles from Sedan, department of
Ardennes, Northeast France. At the plain Douzy, near this place and the
encampment of Vaux, a part of MacMahon’s army, retreating before the
Germans, turned round and made a stand, August 31, 1870. After a long
and severe engagement, in which the positions were taken and retaken
several times, the Germans turned the flank of their enemies, who were
compelled to fall back upon Sedan, where they were finally overcome,
September 1.
=Caripi.= A kind of cavalry in the Turkish army, which, to the number of
1000, are not slaves, nor bred up in the seraglio, like the rest, but
are generally Moors, or renegade Christians, who have obtained the rank
of horse-guards to the Grand Seignior.
=Carisbrooke Castle.= In the Isle of Wight, England; it is said to have
been a British and Roman fortress; was taken in 530, by Cerdic, founder
of the kingdom of the West Saxons. Here Charles I. was imprisoned in
1647.
=Carizmians.= Were fierce shepherds living near the Caspian Sea; having
been expelled by the Tartars, they invaded Syria in 1243. The union of
the sultans of Aleppo, Hems, and Damascus was insufficient to stem the
torrent, and the Christian military orders were nearly exterminated in a
single battle in 1244. In October they took Jerusalem. They were totally
defeated in 1247.
=Carlaverock Castle.= In Southern Scotland; it was taken by Edward I. in
July, 1300.
=Carlisle.= A frontier town of England, in the county of Cumberland,
wherein for many ages a strong garrison was kept. Just below this town
the famous Picts’ wall began, which crossed the whole island to
Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and here also ended the great Roman highway. The
castle was destroyed by the Danes, 875, restored in 1092 by William II.;
was the prison of Mary, queen of Scots, in 1568. Taken by the
Parliamentary forces, in 1645, and by the young Pretender, November 15,
1745; retaken by the Duke of Cumberland, December 30, same year. The
cathedral was almost ruined by Cromwell in 1648.
=Carlisle.= Capital of Cumberland Co., Pa. This town was shelled by the
Confederates, July, 1863.
=Carlow.= A town in Southeastern Ireland; the castle, erected by King
John, surrendered after a desperate siege to Rory Oge O’Moore, in 1577;
again to the Parliamentary forces in 1650. Here the royal troops routed
the insurgents, May, 1798.
=Carlowitz=, or =Karlowitz=. A town of the Austrian empire, on the
Danube. Here, in 1699, a treaty was concluded between Turkey and
Austria; and here Prince Eugène defeated the Turks in 1716.
=Carlsruhe=, or =Karlsruhe=. Capital of the grand duchy of Baden; built
by the Margrave Charles William, 1715. It was occupied by the Prussians,
June 25, 1849, who aided to suppress the revolution, and enabled the
grand duke to return, August 18, 1849.
=Carmagnola.= A town of Piedmont, on the river Po. It was captured by
Catinat troops in 1691; taken by the French Republican troops in 1795.
=Carmel, Knights of the Order of Our Lady of Mount.= A semi-religious
order of knighthood instituted by Henry IV. of France, and incorporated
with the order of the Knights of St. Lazarus of Jerusalem. The order
consisted of 100 gentlemen, all French, who were to attend the king in
his wars, and had considerable revenues assigned them.
=Carnatic.= A district of Southern Hindostan, extending along the whole
coast of Coromandel. Hyder Ali entered the Carnatic with 80,000 troops
in 1780, and was defeated by the British under Sir Eyre Coote, July 1
and August 27, 1781, and decisively overthrown, June 2, 1782. The
Carnatic was overrun by Tippoo in 1790. The British have possessed
entire authority over the Carnatic since 1801.
=Carnifex Ferry.= Over the Gauley River, West Virginia. A force of about
5000 Confederates under Gen. Floyd, who occupied a strong position here,
became engaged with a Federal brigade of the troops under Gen. Rosecrans
on the afternoon of September 10, 1861, when some severe fighting
occurred until night put an end to the contest. The Federals intended to
renew the attack in the morning with a stronger force, but during the
night Gen. Floyd withdrew his troops across the river, burned the
ferry-boats and the bridge which he had constructed, thus cutting off
pursuit, but leaving his camp, baggage, small-arms, and munitions of war
in the hands of the Federals.
=Carolina, North.= See NORTH CAROLINA.
=Carolina, South.= See SOUTH CAROLINA.
=Caroling.= A custom of the ancients before going to war, which
consisted of singing, etc.
=Carpet Knight.= A man who obtains knighthood on a pretense for services
in which he never participated.
=Carpi.= In Northern Italy; here Prince Eugène and the Imperialists
defeated the French, July 9, 1701.
=Carquois= (_Fr._). A quiver of iron, wood, leather, etc., which was
worn slung over the right shoulder.
=Carrago.= A kind of fortification, consisting of a great number of
wagons placed round an army. It was employed by barbarous nations, as,
for instance, the Scythians and Goths.
=Carreau=, =Quarreau=, or =Carre= (_Fr._). A bolt or dart, with a large
steel head, for a cross-bow.
=Carriage.= A gun-carriage is designed to support its piece when fired,
and also to transport cannon from one point to another. It consists of
two cheeks, connected together and with a stock by assembling bolts. The
front part supports the piece, and rests upon an axle-tree furnished
with wheels, the rear end of the stock or trail resting on the ground.
See ORDNANCE, CARRIAGES FOR.
=Carriage, Casemate.= See ORDNANCE, CARRIAGES FOR, SEA-COAST CARRIAGES.
=Carriage, Field-.= See FIELD-CARRIAGE.
=Carriage, Mountain.= See ORDNANCE, CARRIAGES FOR.
=Carriage, Prairie.= See ORDNANCE, CARRIAGES FOR.
=Carriage, Sea-coast.= See ORDNANCE, CARRIAGES FOR.
=Carriage, Siege.= See ORDNANCE, CARRIAGES FOR.
=Carrical=, or =Karical=. A seaport town of Hindostan, on the coast of
Coromandel. It was formerly strongly fortified, but is now thoroughly
dismantled. It came into possession of the French in 1759; was taken by
the English in 1803; and restored to the French in 1814.
=Carrick.= An old Gaelic term for a castle or fortress, as well as for a
rock in the sea.
=Carrickfergus.= A seaport town in the county of Antrim, Ireland. Its
castle is supposed to have been built by Hugh de Lacy in 1178. The town
surrendered to the Duke of Schömberg, August 28, 1689. The castle
surrendered to Thurot, a French naval officer, in 1760.
=Carrick’s Ford.= Over the Cheat River, Virginia. On July 13, 1861, a
force of Confederates under Gen. Garnett, retreating from Laurel Hill,
were pursued and here attacked by Union troops under Gen. Morris, and
after a few attempts to make a stand, were completely routed, and Gen.
Garnett killed.
=Carroccio= (_Ital._). A very large four-wheeled carriage, which was
used by the Crusaders during the Middle Ages. On its platform, which was
large enough to hold 50 persons, was erected a tower surmounted with a
cross and a standard, and to it was attached a bell, which indicated the
passing of the carroccio. Before engaging in battle, an effigy of Christ
of life size was placed on the platform and at its feet an altar; then a
mass was held. A number of knights guarded it, and it was drawn by oxen
richly caparisoned. Its invention is attributed to the people of
Lombardy.
=Carron.= A village in Stirlingshire, Scotland, on a stream of the same
name, falling into the river Forth. It is noted for its extensive
iron-works. The carronade, a peculiar kind of gun, derives its name from
this place.
=Carrousel.= A species of knightly exercise in imitation of the
tournament, common in the courts of Europe till the beginning of the
18th century. It usually consisted in tests of skill in horsemanship,
and in the use of the lance, sword, and pistol, the competitors being
mostly dressed as were the knights of former times.
=Cart.= In a military sense, is a vehicle mounted on two wheels, and
drawn by hand or by horses or oxen. See HAND-CART, HAND SLING-CART.
=Cartagena.= A city and fortified seaport of Spain, is in the province
of Murcia, and on a bay of the Mediterranean. It was built by Hasdrubal,
the Carthaginian general, 242 B.C.; taken by Scipio, 210. It was
subsequently taken by the Goths, and did not begin to rise into
importance again till the time of Philip II. It was taken by a British
force under Sir John Leake in 1706; retaken by the Duke of Berwick,
1707.
=Cartagena=, or =Carthagena=. A fortified city of New Granada, South
America. It was taken by the French in 1544, and subsequently by the
English under Sir Francis Drake, in 1585, who plundered it and set it on
fire; pillaged by the French in 1697; bombarded by Admiral Vernon in
March, 1740; and unsuccessfully besieged by the English in 1741. In the
contest with the mother-country, Cartagena was first besieged by
Bolivar, and afterwards by Morillo, to whom it surrendered. It was
subsequently reduced by the independent troops.
=Carte=, or =Quarte=. A movement of the sword in fencing, as tierce and
carte. Also a movement of the rifle bayonet drill.
=Carte-blanche.= In a military sense, means a full and absolute power
which is lodged in the hands of a general of an army, to act according
to the best of his judgment, without waiting for superior instructions
or orders. It likewise strictly means a blank paper, to be filled up
with such conditions as the person to whom it is sent thinks proper.
=Cartel.= As a military term it is used to denote an agreement between
two belligerents for the exchange of prisoners.
=Cartel-ship.= A vessel used in exchanging prisoners or carrying
proposals to an enemy.