muzzle-loading rifles; but in breech-loading guns or guns without
windage, the fuze composition cannot be ignited directly by the flame of
discharge,--one of the strongest arguments in favor of muzzle-loaders.
The time fuze for breech-loading guns is ignited by an interior
contrivance, usually a plunger and cap; it is, consequently, a
_percussion-time_ fuze. Such is the nature of the _Armstrong time fuze_
and the time fuzes used in Germany and Russia. Time fuzes are absolutely
necessary to the successful use of case-shot or shrapnel, which must be
burst in the air. The latest invention in time fuzes is the substitution
of clock-work for the column of burning composition as a time-keeper,--a
Yankee idea which has not yet received any official recognition, or been
subjected to public test.
The Boxer fuze, used extensively in England, is a time fuze consisting
of a column of composition driven in a wooden plug, which is closed at
the lower end. In some forms of the fuze small longitudinal channels
filled with rifle-powder communicate with the bursting charge. The
time-scale is a row of holes in the side of the plug, one of which is
bored through to the composition in setting the fuze. The flame
communicates with the charge either through the side hole directly, or
by the side channels downwards through the end of the plug. Two kinds of
fuzes are used,--the _simple time fuze_ for muzzle-loaders, and the
_percussion-time_ for breech-loaders.
The Splingard fuze, invented by Captain Splingard, of the Belgian
service, is a good example of a _time-concussion_ fuze. It consists of
a column of pure composition surrounding a hollow spindle of plaster of
Paris. The composition is ignited by the flame of discharge, and burns
away, leaving the spindle unsupported. When the projectile strikes, the
part of the spindle above the unburned composition breaks off, and the
flame fires the bursting charge through the hole in the stump. If the
spindle fails to break, the charge is fired when the entire column has
been consumed. This fuze is specially applicable to spherical
projectiles.
The concussion fuze formerly used in Prussia was a
_time-concussion-chemical_ fuze. The burning of a column of composition
left a glass tube containing sulphuric acid to be broken, by a lead
ball, by the shock of impact. The acid coming in contact with a mixture
of chlorate potash, sulphur, and white sugar, produced a flame which
fired the bursting charge.
The _Beebe concussion fuze_ for spherical projectiles, invented by
Captain Beebe, U. S. Ordnance Corps, was a _concussion-friction_ fuze. A
contrivance equivalent to a friction-primer buried in the
bursting-charge, and offering great resistance to motion in the powder,
was fired by the sudden movement of an attached weight upon impact. The
shock of discharge also played a part in detaching the fuze from the
fuze-plug.
The _German percussion fuze_, now commonly used in Krupp guns, may be
called _centrifugal-percussion_. The safety-pin passes through a hole
from the outside of the shell. This pin is thrown out by the rotation of
the shot, leaving but slight resistances to the motion of the plunger.
In the English _cap-percussion fuze_ the corresponding safety-pin is
pulled out by a tape by hand just before loading.
The _Pettman general service fuze_, used in England, is a _percussion_
fuze of unusual form, equally applicable to spherical or oblong
projectiles. It consists, essentially, of a hollow screw-plug containing
a ball covered with detonating composition, which is freed from its
bearings by the shock of discharge, and explodes the shell upon impact
by striking the walls surrounding it. The detonating ball sometimes
fails in breech-loading guns, the motion of the projectiles being too
steady to shake it out of its seat. For this reason a _plain_ ball, as
it is called, is placed in the upper part of the fuze, and held between
two disks. These separate upon discharge, and the ball is thrown
outwards by the rotation opposite an annular groove in the lower plug or
disk filled with fulminate, which is exploded upon impact, the lower
plug being driven against the ball by its inertia. This fuze is,
properly, a _concussion-percussion_ fuze.
=Fyroz=, or =Feroze= (written also _Ferose_, _Firoz_, _Firouz_,
_Feyrouz_, and _Firuz_). A Persian word signifying “victorious,” and
forming the name of several ruling kings in Persia and Hindostan.
G.
=Gabion.= A kind of basket made of osier twigs, of a cylindrical form,
having different dimensions, according to the purpose for which it is
used. Filled with earth, these gabions serve in sieges to carry on the
approaches under cover, when the assailants come near the fortification.
Batteries are often made of gabions, which likewise serve for revetments
in constructing parapets of loose earth.
=Gabionage.= Gabions when used for fortification.
=Gabionnade.= A work hastily thrown up; especially, one formed chiefly
of gabions. A _parapet en gabionnade_ is a parapet constructed of
gabions.
=Gabions, Corrugated Iron.= Are gabions made of corrugated iron. For
this purpose, the corrugated sheet should be 6 feet long, 33 inches
wide, and of iron weighing three-quarters of a pound to the square foot.
The corrugations running transversely, the sheet is easily bent into a
cylindrical form, in which it is retained by two clamps, the holes for
which are punched near the corners of the sheet. The chief advantage
claimed for the corrugated over the hoop gabion is, the readiness with
which it can be put together in the field. It is also rather more
portable, and stakes are dispensed with; but it is inferior to the hoop
gabion in stiffness.
=Gad.= The point of a spear, or an arrowhead; a steel spike on the
knuckle of a gauntlet.
=Gadaru= (_Fr._). A very broad Turkish sabre.
=Gadling.= A spike or sharp-pointed boss on the knuckle of a gauntlet; a
gad.
=Gaeta.= A strongly fortified maritime town of the Neapolitan province
of Terra di Lavoro, 40 miles northwest from Naples. It is one of the
strongest places in the kingdom, and its harbor is the same as it was in
the time of the Romans. In 1799 and in 1806 it was taken by the French,
and in 1849 Pope Pius IX. sought an asylum here. When Garibaldi took
possession of Naples for Victor Emmanuel in September, 1860, Francis
II., the last Bourbon king of Naples, took refuge in Gaeta, and remained
until the town was taken by Gen. Cialdini, in February, 1861, after a
siege of several weeks’ duration.
=Gætulia.= An ancient country of Africa, situated south of Mauritania
and Numidia, and embracing the western part of the desert of Sahara. Its
inhabitants belonged to the great aboriginal Berber family of North and
Northwestern Africa. They were a savage and warlike race, and their
first collision with the Romans was during the Jugurthine war, when they
served as light horse in the army of the Numidian king. Cornelius Cossus
Lentulus led a force against them, and for his success obtained a
triumph and the surname of _Gætulicus_. The ancient Gætulians are
believed to be represented in modern times by the Tuaricks.
=Gaffles.= The steel lever with which the ancients bent their
cross-bows.
=Gage.= A challenge to combat; that is, a gauntlet, glove, cap, or the
like, cast on the ground by the challenger, and taken up by the acceptor
of the challenge.
=Gages= (_Fr._). Wages. Among the French this term signified the fruits
or compensations which were derived by individuals from appointments
given by the crown, whether of a military, civil, or judicial nature, or
for service done at sea or by land.
=Gain.= To conquer; to get the better; as, we gained the day, etc. To
_gain ground_, implies to take up the ground which a retiring enemy
vacates.
=Gaine de Flamme= (_Fr._). A sort of linen sheath or cover, into which
the staff of a flag or pendant is put.
=Gaine de Pavillon= (_Fr._). A cloth or linen band, which is sewed
across the flag, and through which the different ribbons are interlaced.
=Gaines’s Mill.= In Hanover Co., Va., about 20 miles northeast of
Richmond. Here, on June 27, 1862, was fought one of the “seven days’
contests” between the Confederate forces under Gen. Lee and the Federals
under Gen. McClellan, in which the latter were victorious.
=Gain-pain.= Bread-gainer; a term applied in the Middle Ages to the
sword of a hired soldier.
=Gaiters.= A sort of cover for the leg, usually made of cloth, and are
either long, as reaching to the knee, or short, as only reaching just
above the ankle; the latter are termed half-gaiters, and are worn by
infantry soldiers in Europe.
=Galatia.= An ancient province of Asia Minor; in the 3d century B.C.,
the Gauls under Brennus invaded Greece, crossed the Hellespont, and
conquered Troas, 278; were checked by Attalus in a battle about 239; and
then settled in what was called afterwards Gallogræcia and Galatia. The
country was ravaged by Cn. Manlius, 189 B.C., and was finally annexed to
the Roman empire, 25 B.C.
=Galatone.= A very ancient town in the south of Italy, in the province
of Otranto, about 9 miles northeast of Gallipoli. In the struggle
between Joanna, queen of Naples, and Alfonso, Galatone having declared
for the former, was besieged by Alfonso, and its ramparts destroyed.
=Galea.= Among the Romans, a light casque, head-piece, or morion, coming
down to the shoulders, and commonly of brass; though Camillus, according
to Plutarch, ordered those of his army to be of iron, as being the
stronger metal.
=Galeated.= Covered, as with a helmet.
=Galet= (_Fr._). A round stone thrown from a sling or bow.
=Galicia.= A province of Northwest Spain, was conquered by D. Junius
Brutus, 136 B.C., and by the Vandals, 419, and was subdued by successive
invaders.
=Galicia.= A kingdom or province of the Austrian empire, which formerly
constituted a part of Poland. East Galicia was acquired by the emperor
of Germany at the partition in 1772; and West Galicia at that of 1795.
The latter was ceded to the grand duchy of Warsaw in 1809; but recovered
by Austria in 1815.
=Gall.= To injure; to harass; to annoy; as, the troops were galled by
the shot of an enemy.
=Gallant.= Noble in bearing or spirit; brave; high-spirited; courageous;
heroic; magnanimous; as, a gallant youth; a gallant officer.
=Gallantly.= In a gallant manner, spirit or bearing; nobly; bravely; as,
to fight gallantly; to defend a place gallantly.
=Gallantry.= Bravery; courageousness; heroism; intrepidity; as, the
troops attacked the fort with great gallantry.
=Gallas.= A warlike race occupying the south and east of Abyssinia. They
first appear in history in the 16th century, when they extended their
conquests from the interior of Africa, laying waste by constant
incursions the countries of Eastern Africa to the mountains of
Abyssinia. Politically they do not form a single nation, but are divided
into numerous tribes, forming separate kingdoms and states, which are
frequently at war with each other.
=Gallery.= An underground passage, whether cut in the soil or built in
masonry; it forms the communication between the inner and exterior works
of a fortified place. When prepared for defense, it is a defensive
gallery. In military mines, galleries are the underground passages
leading to and connecting the mine chambers. _Scarp and counterscarp
galleries_ are covered passages built in the scarp and counterscarp to
give a flanking fire in the ditch.
=Gallery Descent of a Ditch.= Is the term applied when the besiegers
cross the ditch by an underground passage.
=Gallet= (_Fr._). See JALET.
=Galling Fire.= A sustained discharge of cannon or small-arms, which by
its execution greatly annoys the enemy.
=Gallipoli.= An important town and seaport of Turkey in Europe, in the
province of Rumili, is situated on the peninsula of the same name at the
northeast extremity of the Dardanelles, and about 130 miles
west-southwest of Constantinople. It was once fortified, but its only
defense now is a sorry square castle with an old tower. In 1357 the town
was taken by the Turks, and formed the earliest Turkish possessions in
Europe. In 1854 the allied armies of England and France occupied it.
=Gallipoli.= An important commercial seaport of Italy, in the Neapolitan
province of Terra di Otranto. It has a good harbor, and in time of war
is an important position, being strongly protected by fortifications and
a castle. In 450 the town was sacked by the Vandals; in 1284 it was
destroyed and almost depopulated by Charles of Anjou; and during
subsequent centuries suffered severely from the Venetians, French,
Spaniards, and Turks. In 1809 it repulsed an attack from the English
flotilla.
=Gallop.= A mode of running by a quadruped, particularly by a horse, by
lifting alternately the fore feet and the hind feet together, in
successive leaps or bounds. A word of command in the cavalry service.
=Galloper.= A carriage on which very small guns are conveyed, having
shafts on which the gun may be conveyed without a limber. This carriage
is no longer used.
=Gallowglass.= In ancient times, a heavy-armed foot-soldier of Ireland
and the Western Isles.
=Galway.= A seaport town of Ireland, and capital of Galway County. It
was originally surrounded with walls. It was conquered by Richard de
Burgo in 1232; in 1690 the city declared for King James, but was taken
by Gen. Ginckel immediately after the battle of Aughrim, July 12, 1691.
=Gamala.= A town and strong fortress in Palestine, frequently mentioned
by Josephus. Its site, though so remarkable and minutely described, had
been forgotten for nearly 18 centuries; but it has latterly been
identified with _El-Hossn_, which lies to the east of the Sea of
Tiberias, nearly opposite the town. In the Jewish rebellion it revolted
against Agrippa, who besieged it for seven months, but without success.
It was afterwards, however, taken by Vespasian after a spirited
resistance, and an indiscriminate slaughter of the inhabitants took
place, 4000 being put to the sword, and 5000 being said to have thrown
themselves from the walls, and to have been dashed to pieces on the
rocks below.
=Gambado.= A case of leather, formerly used to defend the leg from mud,
and in riding on horseback.
=Gambeson= (_Fr._). A term which the French formerly applied to a coat
of mail that was worn under the cuirass. It was likewise called _cotte
gamboisée_. It was made of two strong cloths interwoven with pointed
worsted.
=Gamelle= (_Fr._). A wooden or earthen bowl formerly used among the
French soldiers for their messes. It generally contained the quantity of
food which was allotted for 3, 5, or 7 men belonging to the same room.
The porridge-pots of the navy were made of wood, and held a certain
allowance. During the monarchy of France, subaltern officers and
volunteers were frequently punished for slight offenses by being sent to
the _gamelle_, and excluded from their regular mess; they were put upon
short allowance according to the nature of their transgression.
=Gantlope= (_Fr._). Corruptly _gauntlet_, from the French _gant_, a
glove. A military punishment, which consisted in passing along the whole
line, and receiving a blow from every man’s iron glove or gauntlet
(_gantelet_). Whips and canes were subsequently used; this mode of
punishment is now obsolete.
=Gaol.= A withe used for binding fascines or securing gabions.
=Gap.= An opening for a passage or entrance; an opening which implies a
breach. _To stand in the gap_, to expose one’s self for the protection
of something; to make defense against any assailing danger. _To stop a
gap_, to secure a weak point; to repair a defect.
=Gap.= A small town of France, capital of the department Hautes Alps. It
was sacked and almost wholly reduced to ashes by Victor Amadeus of Savoy
in 1692.
=Gar.= The general term used by the Saxons for a weapon of war.
=Garamantes.= A Libyan people of the old race called _Amazergh_, who in
ancient times inhabited the largest oasis of the desert of Sahara. When
the Romans became masters of North Africa, they found it necessary to
repress the barbarian tribes, and accordingly Cornelius Balbus Gaditanus
the younger, as pro-consul, was sent against this people. He succeeded
in defeating them, and obtained the honors of a triumph; but, owing to
their nomadic character, he was unable thoroughly to subdue them.
=Garçon-Major= (_Fr._). An officer, so called in the old French service.
He was selected from among the lieutenants of a regiment to assist the
aid-majors in the general details of duty.
=Garda, Lake of.= A lake of Northern Italy, lying between the provinces
of Lombardy and Venice. In 1796 the battle of Rivoli was fought near its
eastern shore, in which Bonaparte defeated Wurmser.
=Gardant.= In heraldry, is said of an animal which is represented
full-faced, and looking forward.
=Garde= (_Fr._). Guard. _Garde de l’armée_, the grand guard of an army.
Guards in the old French service were usually divided into three sorts:
_guards of honor_, _fatigue guard_, and the _general’s guard_. That was
called a _guard of honor_ in which the officers and men were exposed to
danger. A _fatigue guard_ belonging to a garrison or camp. A _general’s
guard_ was mounted before the door or gate of a house in which the
commanding officer resided.
=Garde-General d’Artillerie= (_Fr._). An officer was so called under the
old government of France, who had charge of all the ordnance and stores
belonging to his majesty for the land service. He gave receipts for all
ammunition, etc., and his bills were paid by the treasurer-general of
the army.
=Garde, Imperiale= (_Fr._). See GUARDS, IMPERIAL.
=Garde, Nationale= (_Fr._). See NATIONAL GUARDS.
=Garde Pluie= (_Fr._). Literally means a fence, or cover against rain.
This machine was originally invented by a Frenchman, and submitted to
the Prussians, who adopted it for the use of their infantry. Under the
cover of them, the besieged, or the troops stationed in the posts
attacked, would be able to keep up a brisk and effective discharge of
musketry during the heaviest fall of rain, and thereby silence or
considerably damp the fire of the enemy.
=Gardelegen.= A small town of Prussian Saxony, situated about 30 miles
north-northwest of Magdeburg, on the Milde. It was destroyed by Duke
Dervan in 633, and rebuilt about 924. It remained a free town until
1478.
=Gardens.= In ancient military history, places of resort to practice
military exercises.
=Gardes Blancs= (_Fr._). Were Roman militia, composed of picked men.
=Gardes Costes=, or =Côtes= (_Capitaineries_), Fr. The maritime
divisions, into which France was formerly divided, were so called. Each
division was under the immediate superintendence of a captain, named
_capitaine gardes-costes_, who was assisted by a lieutenant and an
ensign. Their duty was to watch the coast, and to attend minutely to
everything that might affect the safety of the division they had in
charge.
=Gardes de la Porte= (_Fr._). A company so called during the monarchy of
France, and of so ancient a date, indeed, with respect to original
institution, that it appears to have been coeval with it. Mention is
made of the _gardes de la porte_ in the oldest archives or records
belonging to the king’s household, in which service they were employed,
without being responsible to any particular treasurer as other companies
were. This company consisted of 1 captain, 4 lieutenants, and 50 guards.
The captain and officers received their commissions from the king. The
first took an oath of fidelity to the king in person, and received the
bâton from his hands. The duty he did was purely discretionary, and
depended on his own will. The lieutenants served by detachment, and took
their tour of duty every quarter. Their specific service consisted in
guarding the principal gate belonging to the king’s apartments. They
were relieved at night by the body-guards, and delivered the keys to a
brigadier belonging to the Scotch garrison.
=Gardes du Corps= (_Fr._). The body-guards. Under the old French
government, they consisted of a certain number of gentlemen or cavaliers
whose immediate duty was to attend the king’s person. They were divided
into four companies, under as many captains, whose tour of duty came
every quarter. They took rank above the _gens d’armes_ and the king’s
light cavalry. The first and most ancient of the four companies was
called the Scotch company, which was established by Charles VII. of
France in 1423.
=Gardes Françaises= (_Fr._). The French guards. In 1563 Charles IX.,
king of France, raised a regiment for the immediate protection of the
palace. The colonel of the gardes Française was on duty throughout the
year, and was entitled to the _bâton de commandement_ in common with the
four captains of the body-guards. Peculiar privileges were attached to
every officer belonging to this body. No stranger, not even a native of
Strasburg, Savoy, Alsace, or Piedmont, could hold a commission in the
French guards. In the revolution of 1789 they took a very active and
leading part.
=Gardes-magazins= (_Fr._). In the old French service there were two
sorts of magazine guards,--one for the military stores and the other for
the artillery. The first was subject to the grand master, and the second
was appointed by the secretary at war. _Gardes particuliers des magazins
d’artillerie_, officers appointed by the grand master of ordnance for
the specific purpose of attending to the ammunition, etc. Their pay was
in proportion to the quantity of stores with which they were intrusted.
=Gardes Suisses= (_Fr._). A celebrated Swiss corps in the French army,
constituted “Gardes” by royal decree in 1616. They comprised upwards of
2000 men, were always unswerving in their fidelity to the Bourbon kings,
and are chiefly remarkable for their heroic end. On August 10, 1792,
they withstood the Parisian revolutionary mob, and defended the palace
of the Louvre till almost every man was cut down. During the resistance
they offered, the royal family was enabled to escape to such shelter as
the National Assembly afforded. _Gardes Suisses du corps du Roi_, one
hundred Swiss guards who were immediately attached to the king’s person.
They were a select body of men who took an oath of fidelity to the king,
and were formed into a regular troop. But in the last period of the
monarchy of France, the principal duties of the one hundred Swiss guards
consisted in domestic and menial attendance.
=Garigliano.= A river in Southwestern Italy. After long waiting and
refusing to recede a step, the great captain Gonsalvo de Cordova made a
bridge over this river December 27, 1503, and surprised and totally
defeated the French army. Gaeta surrendered a few days after.
=Garland.= A sort of chaplet made of flowers, feathers, and sometimes of
precious stones, worn on the head in the manner of a crown. Both in
ancient and modern times it has been customary to present garlands of
flowers to warriors who have distinguished themselves. A beautiful young
woman was generally selected for that purpose.
=Garlasco.= A market-town of Northern Italy, 24 miles from Novara. The
Austrians, when they invaded Italy in 1849, crossed the Po near this
place.
=Garnished.= In heraldry, any charge is said to be garnished with the
ornaments set on it.
=Garnish-nails.= Diamond-headed nails, formerly used to ornament
artillery carriages.
=Garret.= A turret or battlement. Now obsolete.
=Garreted.= Protected by turrets. Now obsolete.
=Garrison.= A body of troops stationed in a fort or fortified town to
defend it against an enemy, or to keep its inhabitants in subjection. A
strong place, in which troops are quartered for its security. _In
garrison_, in the condition of a garrison; doing duty in a fort or as
one of a garrison. _Garrison town_, is a strong place, in which troops
are quartered and do duty for the security thereof, keeping strong
guards at each post, and a main-guard in or near the market-place. As a
verb it means to place troops in, as in a fortress, for its defense; to
furnish with soldiers; as, to garrison a fort or town. To secure or
defend by fortresses manned with troops; as, to garrison a conquered
territory.
=Garrison Court-martial.= Is a legal tribunal for the examination and
punishment of offenders against martial law, or against good order and
military discipline. It is composed of three members and a
judge-advocate. See COURT-MARTIAL, and TRIAL; also JUDGE-ADVOCATE.
=Garrison Gin.= The largest size gin. See GIN.
=Garrison Guns.= Guns used in fortifications. Fortress guns.