=Chassepot.= A species of rifle. See SMALL-ARMS.
=Chasseurs.= A French word signifying “hunters,” applied in various
forms to light troops in the French service, organized at different
times, either as infantry or cavalry, as _chasseurs à pied_, _de
Montague_, _de Vincennes_, for infantry, and _chasseurs à cheval_,
_d’Afrique_, _Algeriens_, etc., for cavalry. They have organizations in
other armies also corresponding to these, such as the _jägers_ in the
Austrian army, and the _cacciatore dei Alpi_ of the Garibaldian troops
in the Italian war of 1859-60.
=Chassis.= A traversing frame or movable railway, along which the
carriage of a heavy gun in barbette, or casemate, moves backward and
forward in action. See ORDNANCE, CARRIAGES FOR, SEA-COAST CARRIAGES.
=Chastleton.= A parish of England, in Oxfordshire, 5 miles from Chipping
Norton. Here, in 1016, Canute defeated Edmund Ironside.
=Châteaudun.= An old city in Northwest France, the residence of the
heroic Dunois, who died in 1468. Here were massacred July 20, 1183,
about 7000 Brabançons, fanatic mercenaries who had been hired to
exterminate the Albigenses by the Cardinal Henry, abbot of Clairvaux, in
1181. They had become the scourge of the country, and the “Capuchons”
were organized for their destruction. Châteaudun was captured by the
Germans after a severe conflict of about 9 hours, October 18, 1870.
Barracks had been erected in the town, and the Garde Mobile fought
bravely. The town was re-occupied by the French, November 6.
=Château Thierry.= A town of France, in the department of Aisne. It is
built on the slope of a hill, capped by the ruins of a castle, which is
said to have been erected by Charles Martel in 730. In 1814 this place
was the scene of several conflicts between the allied army and the
French troops.
=Chatham.= A town of England, in the county of Kent, on the Medway. It
is a principal station of the royal navy. There is a fine station and
military arsenal close to Chatham, containing vast magazines and
warehouses, in which there are all kinds of stores, and where all the
operations necessary for building and fitting out ships of war are
carried on. There are also extensive barracks for infantry, royal
marines, artillery, and engineers. Chatham is defended by forts on the
heights, by which it is partly surrounded. There are also very extensive
fortifications about Chatham, called the Lines, which are defended by
ramparts, palisades, and a broad, deep ditch. On June 10, 1667, the
Dutch fleet under Admiral Ruyter sailed up to Chatham and burnt several
men-of-war. The entrance into the Medway is now defended by Sheerness
and other forts.
=Chatillon-sur-Seine.= A town of France, department of Côte-d’Or, 43
miles north-northwest of Dijon, on the Seine. Here a congress was held
by the four great powers allied against France, at which Caulaincourt
attended for Napoleon, February 5, 1814; the negotiations for peace were
broken off on March 19, following.
=Chattanooga.= A village of Hamilton Co., Tenn. During the civil war it
was the scene of many exciting incidents between the contending forces.
It was attacked by Gen. Negley in June, 1862; occupied by Gen.
Rosecrans, July, 1863, and in the same year were fought in its vicinity
a succession of the most momentous battles of that eventful epoch,
commencing September 23, 1863, with Gen. Grant’s attack on Gen. Bragg.
The movements were under direction of Gens. Sherman and Thomas, and
resulted, after three days’ severe fighting around Chattanooga,
Missionary Ridge, and Lookout Mountain, in the total defeat of the
Confederates, and their pursuit back into Georgia.
=Chaumont, Treaty of.= Entered into between Great Britain, Austria,
Russia, and Prussia, and signed by these powers respectively March 1,
1814. This treaty was succeeded by the celebrated treaty of Paris, April
11, following, by which Napoleon renounced his sovereignty over France.
=Chausses.= In the armor of the Middle Ages, were defense-pieces for the
legs. Some were made of padded and quilted cloth, with metal studs; some
of chain-metal, some of riveted plates, and some of banded mail. It was
not unusual to fasten them by lacing behind the leg.
=Chauvinisme= (_Fr._). An exaggerated idea of the qualities of a leader,
as Chauvin, a character in a French play (from whom the name is
derived), is represented to have had of his leader, Bonaparte.
=Checky.= In heraldry, when the field of any charge is composed of small
squares of different tinctures, it is said to be _checky_.
=Cheeks.= In the construction of artillery-carriages, are the parts
between which the piece is placed and upon which the trunnions are
supported. See ORDNANCE, CARRIAGES FOR, NOMENCLATURE OF ARTILLERY
CARRIAGE.
=Chelone=, or =Tortoise=. In military antiquity, the form of battle
adopted by the Greeks in besieging fortified towns. It served to protect
the besiegers in their approach to the walls. This invention was formed
by the soldiers placing their shields over their heads, in a sloping
position, similar to the tiles of a house. The first rank stood erect,
the second stooped a little, the third still more, and the last rank
knelt. They were thus protected from the missile weapons of the foe, as
they advanced or stood under the walls of an enemy. The chelone was
similar to the _testudo_ of the Romans. See TESTUDO.
=Chelsea.= A parish of England, in Middlesex, on the Thames. Chelsea
Hospital is the great national asylum for decayed and maimed soldiers,
and one of the noblest institutions of the kind in Europe. The
institution was founded by Charles II. in 1682. Connected with the
hospital is the Military Asylum, a noble establishment, founded in 1801,
for the education and maintenance of the children of soldiers. See
ASYLUM.
=Chemin-des-Rondes= (_Fr._). A beam from 4 to 12 feet wide, at the foot
of the exterior slope in a permanent fortification. It is sometimes
covered in front by a hedge, or low wall, or small parapet of earth.
=Chemise.= In mediæval fortification, an additional escarp or
counter-guard wall, covering the lower part of the escarp.
=Cherasco.= A town of Piedmont, situated on the Tanaro. A peace was
concluded here between Louis XIII. of France and the Duke of Savoy, in
1631. On April 26, 1796, the place was taken by the French, and here,
three days after, the “Armistice of Cherasco” was concluded between the
Sardinian commissioners and Napoleon, by which the latter obtained the
right of free passage for his troops through the Sardinian states; and
the treaty that followed gave to the French republic Savoy, Nice, and
the possessions of Piedmont to the westward of the highest ridge of the
Alps.
=Cheraw.= A village of Chesterfield Co., S. C. It was a Confederate
depot of supplies during the civil war, and was captured with all its
stores by Gen. Sherman, March 3, 1865.
=Cherbourg.= A fortified seaport town and important naval station of
France, department of Manche, on the English Channel. Edward III. of
England unsuccessfully laid siege to Cherbourg in 1346, but in 1418 it
was given up to the British. The French regained it in 1450, but the
English again took it in 1758.
=Cheriton Down.= In the county of Hants, England. Here Sir William
Waller defeated the royalists under Lord Hopton, May 29, 1644.
=Cherokee Indians.= A tribe of aborigines who formerly occupied the
southern portion of the Appalachian Mountains, and a large tract of
country on both sides of the range. In 1838 they were removed by the
U. S. government to the west of the Mississippi, into what is now Indian
Territory, and the portion of the tribe that now remains have a
civilized government and a written language. For numbers, etc., see
INDIANS AND THEIR AGENCIES.
=Cherusci.= One of the most celebrated of all the German tribes at the
time of Cæsar. Being excited to hostilities by the tyranny and rapacity
of the Romans, they entered into a confederation with the neighboring
tribes, and, under their leader Arminius, defeated a Roman army at
Teutoburg Forest, in A.D. 9. Germanicus, a Roman general, afterwards
tried to avenge this disgrace to their honor by subduing them, but was
unsuccessful. Owing to their own internal dissensions they were
subsequently subdued by the Chatti, another German tribe.
=Chesses.= Are the platforms which form the flooring of military
bridges. They consist of two or more planks, ledged together at the
edges by dowels or pegs.
=Chest, Ammunition-.= See ORDNANCE, CARRIAGES FOR, THE CAISSON.
=Chest, Military.= Is a technical name for money and negotiable
securities carried by an army, and intended to defray its current
expenses. In the British military system this department is managed by
the commissariat; in the United States, by the paymaster-general and
commissary-general.
=Chester.= A city of England, in the county of Cheshire. The British
_Caerleon_ and the Roman _Deva_, the station of the Twentieth Legion,
_Valeria Victrix_, quitted by them about 477. The city was first built
by Edelfleda about 908. Chester was ravaged by the Danes in 980; taken
after three months’ siege for the Parliament in 1645. A projected attack
of Fenians on Chester Castle was defeated by the vigilance of the
authorities and the arrival of the military, February 11-12, 1867.
=Cheval-de-frise.= A piece of timber traversed with wooden spikes,
pointed with iron, 5 or 6 feet long, used to defend a passage, stop a
breach, or make a retrenchment to stop cavalry.
=Chevalet= (_Fr._). A sort of bell-tent, formerly used in the French
service, when an army encamped. It resembled in some degrees the wigwam
of an Indian.
=Chevalier= (_Fr._). A horseman; a knight. A member of certain orders of
knighthood. In heraldry, a horseman armed at all points.
=Chevet= (_Fr._). A small wedge which is used in raising a mortar. It is
placed between the frame and swell of the mortar.
=Cheviot Hills.= A mountain-range extending along the border between
Scotland and England; the scene of many conflicts between the Scotch and
English.
=Chevrette.= An engine for raising guns or mortars into their
carriages.
=Chevron.= The arrow-headed stripes on the arm, by which the rank of a
non-commissioned officer is indicated.
=Chevron.= In heraldry, is an ordinary representing the rafters of a
house, and supposed to betoken the accomplishment of some memorable
work, or the completion of some business of importance, generally the
foundation of his own family by the bearer.
=Cheyenne Indians.= A tribe of aborigines dwelling east of the Rocky
Mountains, and divided into three bands. For numbers, etc., see INDIANS
AND THEIR AGENCIES.
=Chiari.= A town of Northern Italy, near the Oglio. In 1701, Marshal
Villeroi was near this town defeated by Prince Eugène.
=Chicane.= To dispute every foot of ground, by taking advantage of
natural inequalities, etc.
=Chickahominy.= A river in Eastern Virginia, which, rising about 16
miles northwest of Richmond, flows southeastwardly into the James. Along
the margins of the river was the scene of Gen. McClellan’s operations in
1862.
=Chickamauga.= A village of Hamilton Co., Tenn. During the civil war a
continuous series of combats were fought here, between the forces of
Gens. Rosecrans and Bragg, but without decisive results, September
19-20, 1863.
=Chickasaw Indians.= A warlike tribe of aborigines which formerly
occupied Alabama and a portion of Mississippi. They removed into the
Indian Territory in 1837. See INDIANS AND THEIR AGENCIES.
=Chief.= The head or leader of any band or community; a commander.
=Chief.= In heraldry, an ordinary formed by a horizontal line occupying
the upper part of the escutcheon. Any object borne in the upper or chief
part of the shield is said to be _in chief_, though the chief be not
divided off from the rest of the field as a separate portion.
=Chief of Staff.= In the U. S. service a chief of staff with the rank of
brigadier-general was provided by law for the lieutenant-general
commanding the army. The senior staff-officer of a general is sometimes
designated as the chief of staff. See OFFICERS, STAFF-, and STAFF.
=Chieftain.= A captain, leader, or commander; a chief; the head of a
troop, army, or clan.
=Chieftaincy.= Chieftainship. The rank, office, or quality of a
chieftain.
=Chili.= An independent republic of South America, bordering on the
Pacific Ocean. It was invaded by Almagro in 1535, he being sent by
Pizarro to subdue the country. In the 16th and 17th centuries violent
contests raged between the Spaniards and Indians, both parties suffering
severely. The country continued a vice-royalty of Spain till 1810, when
a revolution commenced which terminated in its independence in 1817.
=Chilled Iron.= Cast iron hardened by pouring it into iron molds. Much
used in manufacturing armor-piercing projectiles. The celebrated
Palliser shot is of this kind.
=Chilled Shot.= See PROJECTILES.
=Chillianwallah, Battle of.= In India, between the Sikh forces in
considerable strength and the British commanded by Lord (afterwards
Viscount) Gough, fought January 13, 1849. The Sikhs were completely
routed, but the loss of the British was very severe. On February 21,
Lord Gough attacked the Sikh army under Shere Singh in its position at
Goujerat, with complete success, and the whole of the enemy’s camp fell
into the hands of the British.
=China.= The “Celestial Empire,” in Eastern Asia, for which the Chinese
annals claim an antiquity of from 80,000 to 100,000 years B.C., is
allowed to have commenced about 2500 B.C.; by others to have been
founded by Fohi, supposed to be the Noah of the Bible, 2240 B.C. We are
told that the Chinese were acute astronomers in the reign of Yao, 2357
B.C. Towards the close of the 7th century B.C. the history of China
becomes more distinct. Thirty-two dynasties have reigned, including the
present. See important cities of China throughout this work.
=China, Great Wall of.= One of the most remarkable structures known in
history, supposed to have been erected about 220 B.C. by the first
emperor of the Tsin dynasty as a protection against the invasions of the
Tartars. It traverses the northern boundary of China, and extends about
1250 miles. Including a parapet of 5 feet, the total height is 20 feet,
thickness of base 25 feet, and at the top 15 feet. Towers or bastions
occur at intervals of about 100 yards. Earth inclosed in brick-work
forms the mass of the wall, but for more than one-half its length it is
little else than a heap of gravel and rubbish.
=Chinese Fire.= A pyrotechnic composition, consisting of 16 parts of
gunpowder, 8 of nitre, 3 of charcoal, 3 of sulphur, and 3 of
iron-borings.
=Ching-Hai.= A fortified seaport town of China. At this place, in
October, 1841, the Chinese were signally defeated by the British.
=Ching-Kiang-Foo.= A fortified city of China, on the Yang-tse-Kiang
River. It was taken by the British, after a determined resistance on the
part of the Mantchoo garrison, July 21, 1842.
=Chinook.= An artificial language or jargon originated by the Hudson Bay
Company for communicating with different tribes of Indians. It consists
of about a hundred words, some coined, some French, and some of Indian
origin. It is still extensively used as a sort of court language by the
different tribes along the Pacific coast, from California to Behrings
Strait.
=Chinook Indians.= A collection of races of Indian tribes inhabiting the
Lower Columbia in Washington Territory and Oregon.
=Chippewa.= A village of Canada West, memorable for the victory gained
by the Americans, 1900 strong, under Gen. Brown, over 2100 British
troops under Gens. Rial and Drummond, July 4, 1814.
=Chippewa Indians=, or =Ojibways=. A tribe of aborigines who inhabit
portions of Michigan, Wisconsin, and the basin of Lake Superior. In the
early settlement of the country they were allies of the French, and
waged inveterate warfare against the Sioux. In 1855 they ceded their
lands to the United States, and are now placed on reservations. See
INDIANS AND THEIR AGENCIES.
=Chivalry= (Fr. _Chevalerie_, from chevalier, “knight,” or “horseman”).
The system of knighthood, together with the privileges, duties, and
manners of knights. The qualifications or character of knights, as
valor, dexterity in arms, courtesy, etc.
=Chlorate of Potassa.= Chlorate of potassa is formed by passing a
current of chlorine, in excess, through lime-water, and then treating
the mixture with the chloride of potassium or by the carbonate or
sulphate of potassa. The chlorate of potassa and chloride of calcium are
formed,--the former crystallizes, the latter remains in solution. It is
soluble in water, but not sensibly so in alcohol. It is a more powerful
oxidizing agent than nitre, and, when mixed with a combustible body,
easily explodes by shock or friction. It is inflamed by simple contact
with sulphuric acid, and thus affords a simple means of exploding mines.
=Chlorates.= Oxidizing agents used in _explosives_ (which see). Chlorate
of potassa is the salt ordinarily used.
=Chocks.= See IMPLEMENTS.
=Choctaw Indians.= A tribe of aborigines which formerly lived in
Mississippi, along the Yazoo River. They are now settled in Indian
Territory, and are partially civilized. See INDIANS AND THEIR AGENCIES.
=Choczim=, or =Chotyn=. A fortified town of Bessarabia, Southern Russia,
on the Dniester. Here the Turks were defeated by the Poles in 1621, and
again in 1673; the Turks were again defeated at this place by the
Russians in 1739.
=Choke.= The tied end of a cartridge; also the constriction of a
rocket-case, etc.
=Choker.= An implement used by engineers to compress and test the
circumference of a fascine. It consists of two strong pieces of wood
about 4 feet long joined by a chain. Two rings inserted in the chain
mark the length of the circumference required.
=Chokey.= An East Indian guard-house and prison.
=Cholet.= A town of France, in the department of Maine-et-Loire. Here,
during the Vendean war, two actions were fought in 1793, in both of
which the royalists were defeated. In the first they lost their brave
general, Bonchamps; and the second drove them across the Loire, thus
virtually deciding the war against them.
=Chosroes.= See KHOSROO.
=Chotyn.= See CHOCZIM.
=Chouans.= The name which a band of peasants received who fought for the
monarchy against the convention in Maine and Normandy in 1793. They
received their name from their leader, Jean Cattereau, nicknamed
“Chouan,” and were with great difficulty subdued, their final submission
not taking place till 1803.
=Christian Charity, Knights of the Order of.= Was the name of an order
instituted by King Henry III. of France for the support of maimed
officers and soldiers who had done good service in the wars. Henry IV.
placed it under the charge of the marshals and colonels of France, and
by means of it many of those who had served their country faithfully
were enabled to spend the latter portion of their lives in peace and
above want. The order formed the germ of that noble hospital, the
_Invalides_, which was founded by Louis XIV., and which served as a
model for the English hospitals of Greenwich and Chelsea. On the
founding of the hospital the order was superseded.
=Christiansand.= A fortified seaport of Norway, and capital of a
government of the same name. This place was founded in 1641 by Christian
IV., and was taken by the British in 1807.
=Christ, Order of.= When the Templars were expelled from France, and
their property confiscated by Philippe le Bel, they were received into
Portugal, and their order revived there in 1317 under this title. Noble
descent and three years’ military service against the infidel were
required for admission.
=Chrome Steel.= See ORDNANCE, METALS FOR.
=Chronograph.= See CHRONOSCOPE.
=Chronoscope.= An instrument for measuring minute intervals of time. The
term is specially applied by military men to instruments for obtaining
initial velocities. The _gun-pendulum_ and _ballistic-pendulum_ were
formerly used for this purpose, but are now nearly obsolete. All modern
chronoscopes use electricity as a transmitting agent. The general method
of applying it is to have the current-bearing wires pass through two
targets placed in the path of the projectile. These wires are cut by the
projectile, and the interval between the successive ruptures is recorded
by a delicate time-keeper. Knowing the distance between the targets, the
velocity is obtained by dividing this space, expressed in feet, by the
number of seconds in the interval. Chronoscopes differ in the kind of
time-keeper employed. One of the largest classes of chronoscopes use the
pendulum.
The _electro-ballistic machine_ of Col. Benton (U. S. Ordnance
Department) may be taken as a type of this class. It consists of two
pendulums having equal times of vibration suspended from the same
horizontal axis. When the pendulums are deflected, one to the right the
other to the left, through angles of 90°, pieces of soft iron attached
to them come in contact with electro-magnets, which serve to hold them
up. Each of these magnets is excited by a current passing through one of
the targets. When the targets are ruptured the pendulums fall, and in
passing each other record the point of meeting by operating a delicate
bent lever attached to one of them, which leaves a dot of ink on the arc
in front of which the pendulums vibrate. The _interval of time_ between
the rupture of the two targets is obtained from a table of arcs and
corresponding times. Col. Benton has also invented an instrument called
_velocimeter_, in which he uses threads instead of electro-magnets to
hold up the pendulums. The threads pass through the targets, and when
they are cut the pendulums fall as before. This method has found
considerable favor where great accuracy is not required.
_Schultz’s chronoscope_ uses as a time-keeper a tuning-fork, which, in
its vibrations, traces a waved line upon a revolving cylinder. The
rupture of each of the targets is recorded by an electric spark
deposited on the cylinder near the waved line. The number of waves
between the spark spots gives the _interval of time_ when the _period of
vibration_ or _tarage_ of the fork is known. The vibration of the fork
is sustained by electro-magnets, which alternately attract and release
the branches, an interrupter being placed in the circuit. When the
current passing through the targets is broken an induced current is
generated, which deposits the spark on the cylinder in leaping a short
break in the circuit. When the first target is broken, by an ingenious
contrivance the current is made through the second target before the
shot reaches it. The _tarage_ of the fork is obtained by placing a
second’s pendulum in the target current, which ruptures the current in
each vibration, and produces a series of spark spots on the cylinder.
The number of waves between successive spots gives the number of
vibrations to the second.
_Boulanger’s chronograph_ is the simplest of all chronoscopes. It uses a
rod held up vertically by a magnet, which is excited by a current
through the first target. The current through the second target, when
broken, releases a spring knife-blade, which, moving sideways, marks the
rod in its fall. The _interval of time_ is obtained from the distance
through which the rod has fallen, as shown by the position of the mark.
The end of the scale is marked when both currents are simultaneously
broken.
=Chrystler’s=, or =Chrysler’s Field, Battle of=. The name of an
engagement which took place at Chrystler’s farm, on the St. Lawrence
River, November 11, 1813, between the American forces under Gen. Boyd
and the British troops under Lieut.-Col. Morrison, in which neither
party gained a victory, but the advantage was with the British.