chief superintendence of the Tower, and is lord-lieutenant of the Tower
Hamlets. He holds his appointment by letters-patent from the sovereign,
and is not removable at pleasure.
=Constantine=, or =Constantina=. A fortified city of Algeria, capital of
a province of its own name. It stands on the site of the ancient Cirta,
celebrated as the bulwark of Numidia. It is built upon a high rock,
formed into a species of peninsula by the Rummel. It was besieged by the
French in 1836, but held out till October, 1837, when it was taken by
assault.
=Constantinople.= A celebrated city of Turkey in Europe, the capital of
the Ottoman empire. It was formerly called _Byzantium_, but having been
rebuilt by the emperor Constantine in 328, it received his name. No
city in the world has been subjected to as many numerous and celebrated
sieges, yet it was only taken twice,--by the Crusaders in 1204 (held by
them till 1261), and by the Turks under Mohammed II., May 29, 1453,--an
event which completed the extinction of the Roman empire in the East.
=Contest.= In a military sense, to struggle to defend; as, the troops
contested every inch of ground. Earnest struggle for superiority,
defense, or the like; strife in arms.
=Continental.= A term adopted by the Americans in the Revolutionary war
in contradistinction to British.
=Contingent.= This term is applied to the quota of troops furnished to
the common army by each member of a confederation of states; the
proportion of troops or money furnished by each party to an alliance.
=Contingent.= In the British service, the sum paid monthly to each
captain of a troop, company, or battery, to defray the expense of
stationery, the care of arms, and other minor demands. A contingent
account is also the account, sent in by a staff-officer, of money
expended for miscellaneous purposes.
=Contours.= Are the lines in which a site or ground surface is cut by
horizontal planes, usually taken at equidistances.
=Contraband of War.= Are such articles as a belligerent has by the law
of nations the right of preventing a neutral from furnishing to his
enemy. Articles contraband of war are, in general, arms and munitions of
war and those out of which munitions of war are made. Contraband
articles are subject to confiscation; but very arbitrary interpretations
have been affixed to the term by powerful states, when able to enforce
them by arms. Thus, provisions are held contraband of war when it is the
object to reduce the enemy by famine. But with respect to these and
other articles not in their nature contraband, it seems to be the
practice that the belligerent should purchase them from the neutral for
a reasonable equivalent, instead of confiscating.
=Contramure.= In fortification, is a wall built before another
partition-wall to strengthen it, so that it may receive no damage from
the adjacent buildings.
=Contravallation.= In fortification, is an intrenchment formed in the
same manner as the line of circumvallation, to defend the besiegers
against the enterprises of the garrison. An army forming a siege lies
between the line of circumvallation and contravallation. The trench of
this line is towards the town, at the foot of the parapet, and is never
made but when the garrison is numerous enough to harass and interrupt
the besiegers by sallies. This line is constructed in the rear of the
camp, and by the same rule as the line of circumvallation, with this
difference, that, as it is only intended to resist a body of troops much
inferior to a force which might attack the circumvallation, its parapet
is not made so thick, nor the ditch so wide and deep.
=Contre-forts= (_Fr._). Brick-work which is added to the revetment of a
rampart on the side of the terre-plein, and which is equal to its
height. Contre forts are used to support the body of earth with which
the rampart is formed. They are likewise used in the revetments of
counterscarps, in gorges and demi-gorges, etc. Contre-forts likewise
form a part of the construction of powder-magazines, which are
bomb-proof.
=Contreras.= A celebrated battle-field of Mexico, about 14 miles south
of the capital. Here, on August 19 and 20, 1847, the American forces
under Gen. Scott defeated and totally routed, with loss of all his
artillery, the Mexican general Valencia.
=Contribution.= In a military sense, is an imposition or tax levied on
the people of a conquered town or country.
=Control Department.= In the British service, is the department which
performs all the administrative duties of the army, in fact, all duties
neither combatant, educational, nor scientific. It has a sub-department
which performs all work connected with supply and transport, and to
which is attached the “Army Service Corps,” a body of men officered by
the control department, and employed as butchers, bakers, military
train, dispensers, hospital attendants, and those engaged in
non-combatant duties generally.
=Controller.= In the British service, the highest grade in the control
department. The officers holding it--three in number--rank with
major-generals. A _deputy controller_ belongs to the second grade in the
control department. Officers holding it rank with lieutenant-colonels.
=Convalescent.= A soldier who though discharged from hospital is not
sufficiently recovered to do duty.
=Convention.= In a military sense, is an agreement made between hostile
armies for some well-defined purpose, such as the evacuation of a fort,
territory, etc. One of the most celebrated conventions of modern times
was that of Cintra (1808), between the French and the English generals.
=Conversion.= A change of front, as of a body of troops attacked in the
flank.
=Conversion, Bridge by.= See PONTONS.
=Converted Guns.= A term applied to cast-iron guns lined with wrought
iron or steel tube. See ORDNANCE, PALLISER and PARSONS GUNS.
=Convex Order of Battle.= See ORDER OF BATTLE, CONVEX.
=Convoy.= In the military service, is a train of wagons laden with
provisions or warlike stores, or a detachment of troops appointed to
guard such a train.
=Cooling of Cannon.= See ORDNANCE, CONSTRUCTION OF.
=Coptic Legion.= In 1799 the French army in Egypt not receiving any
reinforcements, grew weaker every day through loss in combat and
disease, when Gen. Kleber, who commanded after the departure of
Napoleon, formed a corps of Copts, or native Christians, about 600
strong, which was known by this name. They were armed the same as the
French troops.
=Cordon.= In military operations, is a line of sentries inclosing or
guarding any particular space of ground, to prevent the passage of
persons other than those belonging to the army. The word also applies in
fortifications to a row of stones made round on the outside, and placed
between the termination of the slope of the wall, so as not to be
offensive to the eye.
=Córdova.= A city of Spain, capital of the province of the same name,
founded about 152 B.C.; taken by the Goths in 572, and made the capital
of an Arab kingdom in 756. It was rescued from the Arabs by Ferdinand
III. of Castile in 1236; was taken by the French under Dupont and
disgracefully ravaged, June 8, 1808; surrendered to Joseph Bonaparte,
January, 1810, and abandoned by the French in 1813.
=Corduroy Road.= A roadway formed of logs laid side by side across it,
as in marshy places; so called from its rough or ribbed surface,
resembling corduroy. See CORDWAY.
=Cordway.= This way or road is made over extensive marsh tracks, and is
constructed as follows, from the description of material usually
abounding in such places: Trees and poles of almost any description will
be found to answer. Cut as many as is thought requisite. Divide them
into three classes,--_ground-poles_, _cross-poles_, and _stringers_. The
ground-poles should be the largest and heaviest. The cross-poles are
comparatively short lengths, and lie across the ground-poles with their
ends projecting some distance beyond. They are laid closely together,
and then secured and bound down by the stringers which lie on them. A
tree-nail driven in here and there serves to keep all in place by
nipping the cross-poles tightly. The ends of the ground-poles and
stringers may be either scarfed and tree-nailed, or laid side by side
and tied with withers or strips of suitable bark. This road is quickly
made and found very useful in transporting the supplies of an army over
a wet, marshy country.
=Core.= When cannon are cast hollow, after the plan of Rodman, a core is
used to make the bore. It consists of a hollow cast-iron pipe, fluted on
the outside, called the _core-barrel_. This is wrapped with rope and the
molding sand is plastered over the rope. A water-pipe entering the
core-barrel and reaching nearly to the bottom, and another leaving it
near the top, are used to maintain a circulation of water through it,
thus cooling the casting from the interior.
=Corea=, or =Korea=. Is an extensive peninsular country in Northeastern
Asia, whose limits are not accurately known. It is bounded east by the
Sea of Japan, south by the Strait of Corea, and west by the Whang-hai,
or Yellow Sea. Corea was first subjected by the Tartars, but in about
1120 B.C. the Chinese appear to have gained possession of the country
The Japanese conquered and held it between the years 1692 and 1698, when
it again fell under the sway of China, and still pays a small annual
tribute to the emperor.
=Corfu.= The capital and principal town of the Ionian Islands. It was
first occupied by the Phæcians, and then by the Liburnians; but the
accounts of it are somewhat mythical until its settlement by the
Corinthians about 734 B.C., and through its commerce it soon after
acquired a considerable importance. It soon quarreled with the
mother-country, and after many vicissitudes of fortune passed under the
dominion of the Romans about 229 B.C. The town is defended by two
fortresses, and garrisoned by British troops since 1864, though
belonging to the kingdom of Greece.
=Corinth.= An ancient and celebrated city of Greece, the capital of a
department of the same name, situated on the Isthmus of Corinth. It was
totally destroyed by L. Mummius, the Roman consul, and burnt to the
ground, 146 B.C. It remained in ruins for a century, and was rebuilt in
the year 46 by Julius Cæsar, after which it again arose to be a populous
and prosperous city. After the taking of Constantinople it fell into the
hands of the Turks, from whom it was retaken in 1687 by its former
possessors, the Venetians. In 1715 it was again possessed by the Turks,
who held it till 1823, when it was taken by the Greeks.
=Corinth.= A village in the northeast of Mississippi, about 90 miles
east of Memphis. It was evacuated by the Confederates under Beauregard,
May 29, 1862, and next day occupied by the Federal forces under Gen.
Halleck. The Confederates, under Gens. Van Dorn, Price, and others,
attempted to take this place, but they were thoroughly defeated after
several desperate struggles by Gen. Rosecrans, October 3-5, 1862. The
Confederate loss in prisoners alone was nearly 3000.
=Corinthian War.= Began 395 B.C.; received this name because it was
carried on mostly in the neighborhood of Corinth; waged by a confederacy
of the Athenians, Thebans, Corinthians, and Argives against the
Lacedæmonians. It was closed by the peace of Antalcidas, 387 B.C.
=Corium.= Leather body-armor, formed of overlapping leaves or scales,
worn by Roman soldiers, and those of other nations. Its use was
continued in England till the reign of Edward I.
=Cork.= A city of Ireland, capital of the county of the same name; built
in the 6th century, it was garrisoned by Henry II., 1172; taken by
Cromwell in 1649. The Earl of Marlborough besieged and took this city
from King James’s army, 1690.
=Cornet= (Ital. _cornetta_, a “small flag”). Is the lowest grade of
commissioned officers in the cavalry, equivalent to ensign in the
infantry, his duty being to bear the standard. In the U. S. army there
are no cornets.
=Cornet.= In the military history of the ancients, an instrument much in
the nature of a trumpet: when the cornet only sounded, the ensigns were
to march alone without the soldiers; whereas, when the trumpet only
sounded, the soldiers were to move forward without the ensigns. A troop
of horse was so called.
=Cornette-blanche= (_Fr._). An ornament which in ancient times served to
distinguish French officers who were high in command. It was worn by
them on the top of their helmets. It likewise meant a royal standard,
and was substituted in the room of the royal pennon. The
cornette-blanche was only unfurled when the king joined the army; and
the persons who served under it were princes, noblemen, marshals of
France, and old captains, whose orders came direct from the king.
=Coroneia.= An ancient town of Bœotia. The Athenians were here defeated
by the Bœotians, and their leader, Tolmides, slain, 447 B.C. The
Athenians, Thebans, Argives, and Corinthians having entered into a
league, offensive and defensive, against Sparta, Agesilaus, after
diffusing the terror of his arms from his many victories, even into
Upper Asia, engaged the allies at Coroneia and achieved a great victory
over them, 394 B.C.
=Corporal.= In the military service, is a non-commissioned officer next
in rank below a sergeant. He is distinguished by two chevrons worn on
the arm.
=Corporal, Lance.= A private soldier who acts as corporal. He wears one
chevron, but has no increase of pay.
=Corporal-Major.= In the British service, a troop corporal-major is the
non-commissioned officer of the highest rank in a troop of the Household
Cavalry; his position and authority are the same as those of a
color-sergeant of infantry. A regimental corporal-major is the
non-commissioned officer of the highest rank in each of the three
regiments of Household Cavalry, and corresponds to a sergeant-major of
infantry.
=Corporal’s Guard.= Used to indicate a detachment of several men under
arms. May be applied to a squad equal to that usually placed under the
charge of a corporal for drill, police, guard duty, etc. Generally made
use of in a derisive manner.
=Corps.= A body of men; especially a body of troops; an organized part
or division of an army.
=Corps d’Armée.= In the military organization of large armies two or
more divisions form a _corps d’armée_, or army corps, which is complete
in itself as an army, with everything needed for service. In European
states, where large standing armies are kept, this custom of dividing
them into corps, each under an officer of very high rank, and quartering
them in different provinces, is followed even in times of peace.
=Correspondence, Official.= Is correspondence carried on officially
between military officers and various departments of the service, such
as orders, reports, letters, indorsements, etc. All official
correspondence between the heads of the different departments of the
staff of any command and its commander must pass through the
adjutant-general, assistant adjutant-general, or adjutant of the
command, as the case may be. Communications to or from a commander and
those under his command must pass through the adjutant-general,
assistant adjutant-general, or adjutant on duty with it; excepting only
such communications between a disbursing officer and the chief of his
particular branch of the staff as relate exclusively to the ordinary
routine of business in their own department. All communications, whether
from an inferior to a superior, or _vice versa_, are, as a general rule,
to be passed through the intermediate commanders. The same rule governs
in verbal applications: for example, a lieutenant seeking an indulgence
must apply through his captain, the captain through the adjutant, and so
on. All correspondence relating to or involving the _personnel_ of the
army when forwarded to the Secretary of War for his orders, must be
forwarded through the adjutant-general for the consideration of the
general of the army.
=Corridor.= The covered way lying round the whole compass of the
fortifications of a place.
=Corselet.= A little cuirass, or piece of armor to cover the front of
the body, worn formerly by pikemen.
=Corsica.= An island in the Mediterranean, held by the French. This
island has been successively occupied by the Carthaginians, Romans,
Goths, Saracens, Franks, the popes, and Genoese; and lastly by the
French, in whose possession it now remains, and to whom it was ceded by
the Genoese in 1768. This island was held by the British from June,
1794, to Oct. 22, 1796.
=Cortege.= The official staff, civil or military.
=Corus=, =Corupedion=, or =Cyropedium=. A plain in Phrygia, Asia Minor,
where the aged Lysimachus was defeated by Seleucus, and slain, 281 B.C.
These two were the only survivors of Alexander the Great’s generals.
=Corygaum.= An insignificant village in the presidency of Bombay;
historically interesting in connection with the final subjugation of the
Peishwa of the Mahrattas. On Jan. 1, 1818, it was defended for nine
hours by a mere handful of men under Capt. Staunton, against a native
force numbering at least 3000 infantry and about 20,000 cavalry, the
struggle terminating in the repulse of the assailants after terrible
slaughter.
=Cossacks= (Russ., _Kasacks_). A military organization of irregulars in
the Russian service. They contribute much to the military strength of
Russia; but several insurrections, of which the most alarming was that
of 1773, have taken place since they became subjects to the Russian
government.
=Cossova.= A plain in Servia. Here Amurath I. totally defeated the
Christian army (Servians, Hungarians, etc.), September, 1389; but was
himself killed by an expiring soldier. At this place, in 1448, John
Huniades was defeated by a Turkish army four times larger than his own.
=Costa Rica.= The most southern state of Central America; bounded north
by Nicaragua, northeast by the Caribbean Sea, south by New Granada, and
south and west by the Pacific. The government of Costa Rica was
established in 1832, and is accounted as the best and most liberal in
Central America.
=Coston’s Lights.= Colored pyrotechnical compositions used for night
signaling. Sometimes used in the form of a pistol cartridge.
=Cotice=, or =Cost=. In heraldry, one of the diminutives of the bend. It
is a fourth part of the bend, and is usually borne in couples, with a
head between.
=Couchant.= In heraldry, a beast lying down, with his head up, is
_couchant_. If the head is down, he is _dormant_.
=Coulmiers.= A village 10 miles west of Orleans, Central France. Here
the Bavarians under Gen. Von der Tann were defeated by the French army
of the Loire under Gen. d’Aurelle de Paladines, who took about 2000
prisoners, Nov. 9, 1870, and regained Orleans.
=Council of War.= A conference of officers in military or naval warfare,
on some matter in which the commander wishes to fortify his judgment by
an appeal to that of others. The commandant of a garrison generally
solicits the opinion of a council of war before surrendering to
besiegers.
=Counter-approach.= A trench by which the besieged proceeds to meet the
approaches of the besiegers. It is generally zigzag.
=Counter-arch.= A vertical arch connecting the top of the counter-forts.
=Counter-battery.= A battery which returns the fire of an opposing
battery.
=Counter-changed.= In heraldry, when several metals and colors are
intermixed, one being set against the other, they are said to be
counter-changed.
=Counter-forts.= Interior buttresses constructed for the purpose of
strengthening masonry revetments.
=Counter-guards.= Sometimes called couvre-faces, are works constructed
in permanent fortifications to cover a bastion or demi-lune. They
consist of two faces forming a salient angle.
=Counterhurters.= In gunnery, are pieces of iron bolted to the rails on
which the gun-carriage moves to check it in front and rear. See
ORDNANCE, CARRIAGES FOR, SEA-COAST CARRIAGES.
=Countermand.= To revoke, as a former command; to direct or order in
opposition to an order previously given, thereby annulling it, or
prohibiting its execution.
=Countermarch.= A change of direction of a company or battalion in
column from front to rear, by a flank movement, retaining the same
ground.
=Countermine.= A gallery underground so constructed as to facilitate the
formation of mines, by means of which those of the enemy may be reached
and destroyed.
=Countermine.= To oppose by means of a countermine; to frustrate the
designs of, by sinking a well and gallery in the earth, in search of an
enemy’s mine.
=Counter-parole.= A word given in any time of alarm, as a signal.
=Counterpoise Carriage.= A gun-carriage which, applied to a gun mounted
in _barbette_, allows it to recoil behind the parapet or other shelter,
and by means of a counterpoise brings it, or assists in bringing it,
again into _battery_ after it has been loaded. Among the best known of
these carriages are _Moncrieff’s_ and _King’s_,--the former invented by
Capt. Moncrieff, of the British army, and the latter by Capt. W. R.
King, of the U. S. Engineers. In Moncrieff’s carriage the counterpoise
is a heavy weight between the cheeks of the top carriage. In King’s the
weight is in a well under the pintle-block, and is attached to the
carriage by a wire cable.
=Counter-round.= A body of officers, whose duty it is to visit and
inspect the rounds and sentinels.
=Counterscarp.= In fortification, is the vertical or nearly vertical
side of the ditch nearest to the besiegers, and opposite to the scarp or
escarp. It is generally faced or _revetted_ in permanent works, to
render the descent into the ditch difficult.
=Counterscarp Galleries.= Galleries under the counterscarp at the
salients, for the purpose of flanking the ditch.
=Countersign.= In military discipline or manœuvres, is a watch-word
given by the commanding officer of an army or garrison daily, in order
that a friend may be distinguished from an enemy. The countersign is
given to sentinels, and others who are immediately concerned. It is
given in garrison to prevent unauthorized persons from passing the
guards. The countersign is usually the name of a battle.
=Counter-swallowtail.= In fortification, is a kind of an outwork very
much resembling a single tenaille.
=Counter-trenches.= Are trenches made against the besiegers, which
consequently have their parapets turned against the enemy’s approaches,
and are enfiladed from several parts of the place on purpose to render
them useless to the enemy, if they should chance to become masters of
them; but they should not be enfiladed or commanded by any height in the
enemy’s possession.
=Counter-vair.= A heraldic fur. It differs from _vair_ by having its
cups or bells of the same tinctures placed base against base, and point
against point. The tinctures are _or_ and _azure_.
=Coup de Grace.= A finishing or decisive stroke.
=Coup de Main.= A sudden and vigorous attack, for the purpose of
instantaneously capturing a position.
=Coup d’Œil.= The gift of rapidly grasping and turning to the best
account the contingencies of war, and the features of the country which
is its scene.
=Couped= (Fr. _coupé_). A term in heraldry, used to describe the head or
any limb of an animal cut off from the trunk, and smooth. When crosses,
bends, bars, etc., are cut so as not to touch the sides of the
escutcheon, they are also said to be couped.
=Coupe-gorge= (_Fr._). Literally means cut-throat. It is used in a
military sense to signify any spot or position which affords an enemy so
many advantages that the troops who occupy it must either surrender or
be cut to pieces.
=Coupures.= In fortification, are passages cut through the glacis, of
about 12 or 15 feet broad, in the re-entering angle of the covert way,
to facilitate the sallies of the besieged. They are sometimes made
through the lower curtain, to let boats into a little haven built in the
_re-entrant_ angle of the counterscarp of the outworks.
=Courçon= (_Fr._). A long piece of iron which is used in the artillery
and serves to constrain or tighten cannon.