Hastings, by which the nabob was relieved of his debts to the East
India Company, on condition of his seizing the property of the begums,
his mother and grandmother, and delivering it up to the English,
September 19, 1781.
=Churubusco.= A village or hamlet of Mexico, on the Rio de Churubusco,
about 6 miles south of the city of Mexico. This place was the scene of a
battle between the American forces under Gen. Winfield Scott, marching
on the city of Mexico, and the Mexicans, defending the approaches to
their capital, under President Santa Anna. The battle of Contreras was
fought on the same day. The Americans were victorious in both battles,
taking 3000 prisoners, and capturing 37 pieces of ordnance. The entire
Mexican army was dispersed, their ancient capital captured, and an
honorable peace ensued.
=Chusan.= One of a group of islands off the east coast of China. This
island, called the “key of China,” was taken by the British in 1840 and
1841, and held by them until the terms of their treaty with China were
fulfilled by the latter power.
=Cimbres.= A chain of mountains in Mexico. On April 28, 1862, the
advance-guard of the French, commanded by Gen. Count de Lorencez,
encountered and defeated in a defile of this chain a Mexican force 6000
strong under Gen. Saragosa, who had fortified themselves and placed 18
pieces of artillery in position.
=Cimbri.= A warlike tribe of ancient Europe, which, in conjunction with
the Teutones and others, invaded the south of Europe, and successively
defeated six Roman armies, until in the end they were conquered by Caius
Marius, 101 B.C. They had previously devastated Gaul and Spain, and are
said to have lost from 100,000 to 140,000 men in the battle with Marius.
=Cimeter.= A short sword with a convex edge or recurvated point, used by
the Persians and Turks.
=Cimier= (_Fr._). A heavy ornament which the ancient knights or
chevaliers in France and in other countries were accustomed to wear upon
their helmets; small figures were afterwards substituted in their stead.
=Cincinnati, Order of.= A society which was founded in the United States
by officers of the Revolutionary army in 1783. Its object was to keep
alive the feelings of friendship and patriotism engendered by common
toils and perils, and to assist those who were in need through the
vicissitudes of the war. In 1787, Washington was elected president of
the order.
=Cinquain.= In ancient military history, was an order of battle, to draw
up 5 battalions, so that they might make 3 lines, that is, a van, main
body, and reserve.
=Cintra.= In Portugal. Here was signed an agreement on August 22, 1808,
between the French and English, the day after the battle of Vimeira. As
it contained the basis of the convention signed on August 30, following,
it has been termed the convention of Cintra. By it Junot and his army
were permitted to evacuate Portugal free, in British ships. The
convention was publicly condemned, and in consequence a court of inquiry
was held at Chelsea, which exonerated the British commanders. Wellington
and Napoleon both justified Sir Hew Dalrymple.
=Cipher.= A preconcerted enigmatical system of communication. Much used
in war when dispatches are liable to interception by the enemy,--both
for written communication and for signaling.
=Circassia.= A country in Asia on the north side of the Caucasus. The
Circassians are said to be descended from the Albanians. They were
unsubdued, even by Timour. Circassia was surrendered to Russia by Turkey
by the treaty of Adrianople, 1830. The Circassians under their great
leader Schamyl resisted the authority of Russia. They were defeated by
Orbelliani in June, November, and December, 1857. Orbelliani subdued
much of the country, and expelled the inhabitants, April, 1858. Schamyl,
their leader, was captured and treated with much respect, September 7,
1859. The last of the Circassian strongholds captured and the war
declared at an end, June 8, 1864.
=Circitores.= So were named, in the Roman armies, the men who inspected
the sentinels.
=Circuit-closer.= A device for closing an electrical circuit. In torpedo
warfare the term is applied to an apparatus used to explode submarine
mines.
=Circumferenter.= An instrument used by engineers for measuring angles.
=Circumvallation.= Works made by besiegers around a besieged place
facing outwards, to protect their camp against attacks from a hostile
army operating in the rear. It usually consists of a chain of redoubts,
either isolated or connected by a parapet.
=Cisalpine.= This--that is, the south--side of the Alps.
=Citadel.= A fort of 4 or 5 bastions in or near a town. It serves two
purposes, enabling the garrison of a town to keep the inhabitants in
subjection, and in case of siege forming a place of retreat for the
defenders, thus enabling them to hold out after the rest of the town has
been captured. It must fully command the fortifications of the city, and
have a large space around it clear of buildings.
=Citate.= A place close to the Danube, where the Russian general
Gortschakoff, intending to storm Kalafat, threw up redoubts, which were
stormed by the Turks under Omar Pasha, January 6, 1854. The fighting
continued on the 7th, 8th, and 9th, when the Russians were compelled to
retire to their former position at Krajowa, having lost 1500 killed and
2000 wounded.
=City Point.= A village of Prince George Co., Va., on the James River,
at the mouth of the Appomattox. During the civil war, Gen. Grant fixed
his headquarters at this point in 1864, and during his subsequent
operations against Richmond it was the base of supplies for his army.
=Ciudad Real.= A town of Spain, capital of a province of the same name,
about 100 miles south of Madrid. The French under Sebastian here
defeated the Spaniards in March, 1809.
=Ciudad Rodrigo.= A fortified town of Spain, in the province of
Salamanca. It was occupied by the Portuguese in 1706, and during the
Peninsular war was the object of frequent contention between the French
and the allies. In June, 1810, the French under Masséna invested the
town, and, after a gallant defense by the Spaniards, it was forced to
surrender, July 10. In January, 1812, after a siege of 11 days, the
place was assaulted, and after a bloody struggle the British succeeded
in capturing the town. This storming was one of the most brilliant
events in English military annals.
=Civic Crown.= Among the ancient Romans, was a crown given to any
soldier who had saved the life of a citizen. It was composed only of
oaken boughs, but accounted more honorable than any other.
=Civière= (_Fr._). A small hand-barrow, which is carried by two men, and
is much used by the artillery.
=Civil Authority.= See APPENDIX, ARTICLES OF WAR, 59.
=Civil War.= See WAR, CIVIL.
=Civilized Warfare.= See WAR, also HONORS OF WAR.
=Civita Castellana.= A town of Italy, 24 miles north from Rome. In its
neighborhood an engagement took place between the Neapolitans under Mack
and the French under Macdonald, on December 4, 1798.
=Civita Vecchia.= The principal seaport of the Papal States, in Italy,
built on a bay of the Mediterranean. It was frequently sacked in the
different wars. In April, 1849, a French force of 6000 men, under Gen.
Oudinot, landed here on its way to Rome, where the republic had been
proclaimed, and a triumvirate appointed. The French troops overthrew the
republic and restored the pope to Rome, from which he had fled in 1848.
=Civitella del Tronto.= A fortified town of Italy, in the province of
Abruzzo Ultra. Here the Neapolitan garrison surrendered to the
Piedmontese general Mezzacapo on March 20, 1861.
=Clarigation.= In Roman antiquity, a ceremony which always preceded a
formal declaration of war. The chief of the heralds went to the
territory of the enemy, where, after some solemn prefatory indication,
he, with a loud voice, intimated that he declared war against them for
certain reasons specified, such as injury done to the Roman allies, or
the like.
=Claymore= (_Gaelic_, signifying great glaive, or sword). Properly a
great two-handed sword, used by the Highlanders only.
=Clayonages= (_Fr._). A species of hurdle, with which the timber-work of
a gallery is covered. It is likewise used in saps.
=Clermont.= A town of France, department of Oise, 16 miles by rail
south-southeast of Beauvais. It was burned by the English in 1359;
besieged by Marshal de Boussac in 1430; captured by the English in 1434;
taken by Henry IV. in 1595, and occupied by the Prince de Condé in 1615.
=Clermont-Ferrand.= A city of France, capital of the department
Puy-de-Dôme. It was captured by the Vandals in 408; besieged without
success by the Visigoths in 473. It was taken by Thierry in 506; sacked
by Pepin in 761; captured by the Normans in 853. The great council in
which the crusades originated was held here in 1095.
=Clice= (_Fr._). A long and curved Turkish sabre.
=Clide= (_Fr._). A machine of war, used during the Middle Ages to throw
rocks on besieging parties.
=Clifton Moor= (England). Here the Scotch insurgents were defeated by
the royal troops in 1745.
=Clipeus.= A large shield worn by the ancient Greeks and Romans, which
was originally of a circular form, made of wicker-work or wood covered
over with ox-hides several folds deep, and bound round the edge with
metal.
=Clontarf.= A place near Dublin, Ireland, the site of a battle fought on
Good Friday, April 23, 1014, between the Irish and Danes, the former
headed by Brian Boroihme, monarch of Ireland, who defeated the invaders,
after a long and bloody engagement. Brian was wounded, and soon
afterwards died. His son Murchard also fell, with many of the nobility;
11,000 Danes are said to have perished in the battle.
=Close Column.= A column of troops in which the subdivisions are at less
than full distance,--that is, less than the length of one of the
subdivisions.
=Clostercamp.= A village of Rhenish Prussia. Here the French gained a
victory on October 15-16, 1760.
=Closterseven= (Hanover), =Convention of=. Was entered into September 8,
1757, between the Duke of Cumberland, third son of George II., and the
Duke of Richelieu, commander of the French armies. By its humiliating
stipulations, 38,000 Hanoverians laid down their arms, and were
dispersed. The duke immediately afterwards resigned all his military
commands, and the convention was soon broken by both parties.
=Clothing.= The President of the United States is authorized to
prescribe the kind and quality of clothing to be issued annually to the
troops of the United States. The manner of issuing and accounting for
clothing shall be established by general regulations of the War
Department. The clothing of the British army is determined by a
permanent board, composed of the commander-in-chief and a certain number
of general officers, who act under the authority of the sovereign.
=Club, To.= To throw into confusion, to deform through ignorance or
inadvertence. To _club a battalion_, to throw it into confusion. This
happens through a temporary inability in the commanding officer to
restore any given body of men to their natural front in line or column,
after some manœuvre has been performed.
=Coa.= A river in Portugal, province of Beira. The spur which separates
the Coa from the Agueda incloses the plateau of Fuentes d’Onore, famous
for the battle of 1811, which was fought by Masséna with the English.
See FUENTES D’ONORE.
=Coat-armor.= Coats of arms; armorial ensigns.
=Coat of Arms.= A habit formerly worn by knights over their armor. It
was a short-sleeved coat or tunic reaching to the waist, and embroidered
with their armorial ensigns and various devices. Any representation of
the armorial devices upon such a habit; an armorial device.
=Coat of Mail.= A piece of armor covering the upper portion of the body,
consisting of a net-work of iron rings.
=Coblentz.= A fortified town of Rhenish Prussia, situated at the conflux
of the Rhine and Moselle, opposite the great Prussian fortress of
Ehrenbreitstein. In 1794 this place was taken by Napoleon I., and made
the capital of the department of the Rhine and Moselle.
=Cocherel.= Near Evreux, Northwest France. Here Bertrand and Du Guesclin
defeated the king of Navarre, and took prisoner the Captal de Buch, May
16, 1364.
=Cochin.= A city of Hindostan, presidency of Madras. It was held by the
Portuguese in 1503; by the Dutch in 1663; was taken by the British in
1796, and ceded to them in 1814.
=Cockade= (Fr. _cocarde_). The word signified originally a cocked-hat,
or a hat with the broad flap looped up on one side, and then applied to
the knot of ribbon with which the loop is ornamented. The word is now,
however, restricted to signify an appendage worn on the hat of military
and naval officers.
=Cock-feather.= In archery, the feather which stood up on the arrow,
when it was rightly placed upon the string, perpendicularly upon the
cock or notch.
=Code.= A compilation or collection of laws made by public authority, as
the _Code Napoléon_.
=Code.= A list of signal symbols. See SIGNALING.
=Codogno.= A town of Italy, in the province of Milan, between the Adda
and the Po. Here the Austrians were defeated by the Spaniards in 1746,
and by the French in 1796.
=Coehorn.= So named from the military engineer, Baron Van Coehorn, who
invented it. It is a small howitzer, or mortar, generally 4³⁄₅ inches
caliber. These implements of war, being easily moved and adjusted, and
taking little powder, are found very useful in sieges, if grouped in
great numbers.
=Coehorn Beds.= See ORDNANCE, CARRIAGES FOR, MORTAR BEDS.
=Coeverden=, =Coevorden=, or =Koevorde=. A fortified town of Holland; it
was captured by the French in 1795.
=Coffer.= In fortification, a hollow lodgment, sunk in the bottom of a
dry ditch, from 6 to 7 feet deep, and from 16 to 18 feet broad. Its
length corresponds with the whole breadth of the said ditch, from side
to side. The besieged generally make use of these coffers to repulse the
besiegers when they attempt to pass the ditch; they are distinguished
only by their length from _caponnières_. They are covered with joists,
hurdles, and earth, raised 2 feet above the bottom of the ditch, so as
to serve the purposes of a loop-holed parapet.
=Cohort.= A division of the ancient Roman armies, consisting of about
600 men, divided into centuries. It was the tenth part of a legion, and
its number, consequently, was under the same fluctuation as that of the
legions. In the time of the empire the cohort often amounted to 1000
men.
=Coif.= Was originally an iron skull-cap, worn by knights under their
helmets; it was introduced before 1259. It is now especially applied in
Great Britain to a cap worn by sergeants-at-law.
=Coimbra.= An ancient city of Portugal, capital of the province of
Beira. It appears to have been originally built by the Goths; from them
it passed to the Moors, from whom it was finally conquered in 1064 by
Fernando the Great, aided by the gallant Cid. It was taken by the troops
under the British colonel Kent, October 7, 1810.
=Coin= (Fr. _coin d’artilleur_). In gunnery, a kind of wedge to lay
under the breech of a gun, in order to raise or depress the metal.
Written also _quoin_.
=Colberg=, or =Kolberg=. A strongly fortified seaport of Prussian
Pomerania. It stands on a hill, surrounded with swamps which can be laid
under water, and is chiefly remarkable for the protracted sieges it has
undergone. In 1102, Duke Boleslaus, of Poland, besieged it in vain. It
endured long sieges in the Thirty Years’ War and in the Seven Years’
War, and again in 1807, when it was most gallantly defended against the
French.
=Colchester.= The chief town in the county of Essex, England. It was
taken from the Danes in 921 by Edward the Elder, who founded the castle.
It was ravaged by the plague in 1348, in 1360, and again in 1665. In
1648 it was taken by Lord Goring for Charles I., but was retaken by
Fairfax after a siege of 11 weeks, when the castle was dismantled.
=Cold Harbor.= A village of Hanover Co., Va., about 10 miles northeast
of Richmond. During the civil war a series of desperate struggles took
place in and around this place (May 28-June 3, 1864) between the forces
of Gens. Grant and Lee, resulting in a loss of probably 13,000 men on
the Federal side.
=Coldstream.= A border-town of Scotland, in Berwickshire, on the left
bank of the Tweed. Near this place is the famous ford where the English
and Scottish armies formerly crossed the Tweed. Here Gen. Monk raised
the regiment still known as the Coldstream Guards.
=Coldstream Guards.= A regiment in the Foot Guards, or Household
Brigade, is the oldest corps in the British army except the First Foot.
It was raised at Coldstream in 1660, by Gen. Monk, and was first called
Monk’s regiment, but when Parliament consented to give a brigade of
guards to Charles II., this corps, under its present name, was included
in it.
=College of Arms.= See HERALD’S COLLEGE.
=Collet= (_Fr._). In gunnery, that part of a cannon which is between the
astragal and the muzzle.
=Colmar.= A city of France, capital of the department of Haut-Rhin. This
city had an active share in the civil wars under Rodolph of Hapsburg and
Adolphe of Nassau; it was captured by the Swedes in 1632; by the French
in 1635 and 1673. It was ceded to France by the peace of Ryswick in
1697. Occupied by the Bavarians on January 3, 1814.
=Colocotroni.= See KOLOCOTRONI.
=Cologne.= A fortified city of Prussia, the capital of the province of
Rhenish Prussia, on the left bank of the Rhine. It is a fortress of the
first rank. It was taken by the French in 1795, and assigned to Prussia
in 1814.
=Colombia, United States of.= A republic of South America, known by this
name since 1861, but formerly called New Granada. It united with
Venezuela in 1819, and established one central government for the
purpose of resisting Spain, but in 1829 was separated from it, and soon
after another republic--that of Ecuador--was formed from it, three
republics being thus formed out of what was formerly but one.
=Colombo.= A fortified seaport town and capital of Ceylon; it was
fortified in 1638 by the Portuguese, who were expelled by the Dutch in
1666; the latter surrendered it to the British, February 15, 1796. The
British troops were murdered here in cold blood by the Adigar of Candy,
June 6, 1803.
=Colonel.= The title of the highest officer of a regiment, ranking next
below a brigadier-general, and above a lieutenant-colonel. The rank of
captain in the navy corresponds with this title.
=Colonel, Lieutenant-.= The rank next below that of colonel.
=Colonia do Santissimo Sacramento= (_i.e._, Colony of the Most Holy
Sacrament). A fortified maritime town of South America, in Uruguay,
opposite Buenos Ayres. On August 31, 1845, it was taken by the English
and French fleets.
=Colonial Corps.= Are certain regiments forming part of the regular army
of the British empire, and paid for out of the imperial revenues. The
native troops of India are paid from the Indian revenues.
=Colorado.= One of the United States, bounded on the north by Dakota and
Nebraska, on the east by Nebraska and Kansas, on the south by New
Mexico, and on the west by Utah. In 1857 an exploring party started
through its territory, but were driven back by hostile Indians. The
country is now, however, being rapidly settled, owing to its great
fertility and the presence of auriferous deposits.
=Color-bearer.= The bearer of the colors.
=Color-Guard, The.= In the U. S. infantry, consists of the color-bearer
and a guard of 7 corporals in each regiment. They must all be good
soldiers. The color-guard is attached to the right centre company in the
line, and its post on the field is one of honor as well as danger.
=Colorno.= A fortified castle in Italy, on the banks of the Po; it was
captured by the Marquis de Maillebois, from the Austrians under the
Prince of Würtemberg, in 1734.
=Colors.= A military term applied to banners or flags carried by each
regiment of infantry. The banners of the cavalry are called standards.
Each U. S. regiment has two colors, one national and one regimental.
=Colors.= In heraldry, the colors generally used are red, blue, black,
green, and purple, which are called gules, azure, sable, vert or
sinople, and purpure. Colors and metals, when engraved, are generally
indicated by dots and lines: _or_, gold, by dots; _argent_, silver, is
left plain; _gules_, red, is indicated by perpendicular lines from top
to bottom; _azure_, blue, by horizontal lines from side to side;
_sable_, black, by horizontal and perpendicular lines crossing each
other; _vert_, green, by diagonal lines from right to left; and
_purpure_, purple, by diagonal lines from left to right.
=Color-Sergeant.= Is the sergeant detailed to carry the regimental
colors. He is usually selected for military deportment and soldierly
bearing, and when carrying the colors is escorted by a guard of 7
corporals. In the British service he has a distinct rank, but in the
U. S. service he ranks no higher than other sergeants.
=Colt’s Pistol.= The most celebrated of modern revolvers. Invented by an
American, Col. Samuel Colt; first patented in 1835, and perfected about
1845. It has kept pace with the times, and is still one of the first of
its kind.
=Columbia.= The capital of South Carolina, situated on the left bank of
the Congaree River. It was taken by Gen. Sherman’s army, February 17,
1865, and was then much injured by fire.
=Columbiad Gun.= See ORDNANCE, CONSTRUCTION OF.
=Column.= Signifies, in military evolutions, a mass of soldiers several
ranks in depth as opposed to _line_. There may be columns of brigades,
of regiments, of divisions, or of companies, presenting a front of
limited width, but a depth depending on the number of elements in the
column. In a battalion the formation is called _open column_ when the
distance between the elements of the column is such as to admit of their
wheeling into line; when the distance is only a few yards it is termed
_close column_; when intermediate between these two, it is “column at
half distance.” Battalions are drawn up in column with either the right
or left in front, or the battalions may be doubled upon their centres.
To pass from column into line is to “deploy”; to pass from line to
column is to “ploy.” Sometimes the name column is given to a small army,
especially when engaged in active operations. In drawing up troops for
action, as a general rule, the French prefer the column, the Americans
and English the formation in line.
=Column, Military.= Among the Romans, a column on which was engraven a
list of the forces in the Roman army, ranged by legions in their proper
order. They had another kind of _military column_ called _columna
bellica_, standing before the temple of Janus, at the foot of which the
consul declared war by throwing a javelin towards the enemy’s country.
=Column, Triumphal.= A column erected among the ancients in honor of a
hero, and decorated with various kinds of crowns, corresponding to the
number of his achievements in battle. Each crown had its particular
name, as _vallaris_, which was filled with spikes, in memory of his
having faced a palisade; _muralis_, adorned with little turrets or
battlements, for having mounted an assault; _navalis_, of prows and
beaks of vessels, for having vanquished at sea; _obsidionalis_, or
_graminalis_, of grass, for having raised a siege; _ovans_, of myrtle,
which expressed an ovation, or minor triumph; and _triumphalis_, of
laurel, for a grand triumph.
=Comanche Indians=, or =Comanches=. An extremely warlike and predatory
tribe of Mexico and Texas. They have a reservation in Indian Territory
with some Kiowas and Apaches. See INDIANS AND THEIR AGENCIES.
=Combat.= An engagement of no great magnitude, or one in which the
parties engaged are not armies.
=Combustion.= The phenomena attending intense chemical actions which are
accompanied by heat and light. Usually restricted to the burning of
bodies by their union with oxygen. It is difficult to draw the line
where combustion ends and _explosion_ begins.