literally be called spearmen. A body of Roman soldiers who were more
advanced in age, and had acquired a greater reputation in arms than the
_velites_ possessed, were distinguished by this appellation. They wore a
complete set of armor, and always carried a buckler, made convex,
measuring 2¹⁄₂ feet in breadth and 4 feet in length. The longest
measured about 4 feet 9 inches, or a Roman palm. The buckler was made
of two boards glued together. These were covered in the first instance
with a broad piece of linen, which was again covered over with
sheep-skin. The edges, both at top and bottom, were fenced with iron, to
enable them to meet the broadsword and sabre, and to prevent them from
rotting when planted on the ground. The convex part was further covered
over with iron plates, to resist the impression of hard blows, and to
withstand the violent concussion of stones, etc. The _hastati_ commonly
formed the first line in the order of battle; the _principes_ were
placed in the second line; whilst the oldest and best legionaries,
classed under the name of _triarii_, constituted a reserve or third
line.
=Hastings.= A town of England, in the county of Surrey, 33 miles
northeast from Brighton, and one of the Cinque Ports. Near this place,
in 1066, was fought the decisive battle of Hastings, which wrested the
crown of England from Harold, and gave it to William the Conqueror.
=Hatchet.= A small, light sort of axe, with a bazil edge on the left
side, and a short handle. It is used by soldiers for cutting wood to
make fascines, gabions, pickets, etc. _To take up the hatchet_, among
the Indians, to declare war, to commence hostilities, etc. _To bury the
hatchet_, to make peace.
=Hatchment.= An ornament on the hilt of a sword. In heraldry, a
hatchment is the funeral escutcheon, usually placed in front of the
house of a deceased person, setting forth his rank and circumstances. It
is in the form of a lozenge, and in its centre are depicted the arms of
the deceased, single or quartered.
=Hatras.= A town of Hindostan, in the northwest provinces, 33 miles to
the north of Agra. As a place of some strength, it was at one time
prominent in the wars of the Doab; but on falling, in 1817, into the
possession of the British, it was immediately dismantled.
=Hattrass.= A fortress of India, taken by siege and storm by the troops
under the Marquis of Hastings during the Mahratta war.
=Haubergier= (_Fr._). An individual who held a tenure by knight’s
service, and was subject to the feudal system which formerly existed in
France, and by which he was obliged to accompany the lord of the manor
in that capacity whenever the latter went to war. He was called _fief de
haubert_, and had the privilege of carrying a halbert. All vassals in
ancient times served their lords-paramount as squires, haubergiers,
lance-men, bow-men, etc.
=Hauberk.= A twisted coat of mail, sometimes extending only as high as
the neck, but more generally continued so as to form a coif, leaving
only the face of the knight who bore it exposed. In early times the
sleeve of the hauberk sometimes terminated at the elbow, but in the 13th
and 14th centuries it came down to the wrist, and very generally
descended over the hand in the form of a glove, either one-fingered or
divided. In the 11th century the hauberk was worn under plate-armor.
=Haul.= To pull or draw with force or violence; to transport by drawing;
to drag; to compel to move or go.
=Hausse, Pendulum.= Is a scale of sheet-brass, the graduations of which
are the sines of each quarter of a degree to a radius equal to the
distance between the muzzle-sight of the piece, and the axis of
vibration of the hausse, which is one inch in rear of the base-ring. At
the lower end of the scale is a brass bulb filled with lead. The
_slider_ which marks the divisions on the scale is of thin brass, and is
clamped at any desired division on the scale by means of a screw. The
scale passes through a slit in a piece of steel, with which it is
connected by a screw, forming a pivot on which the scale can vibrate
laterally. This piece of steel terminates in pivots, by means of which
the pendulum is supported on the _seat_ attached to the gun, and is at
liberty to vibrate in the direction of the axis of the piece. The _seat_
is of metal, and is fastened to the base of the breech by screws, so
that the centres of the steel pivots of vibration shall be at a distance
from the axis of the piece equal to the radius of the base-ring.
=Hausse-col= (_Fr._). An ornamental plate similar to the gorget. It was
formerly worn by infantry officers.
=Hautes-payes= (_Fr._). Were soldiers selected by the captains of
companies to attend them personally, for which service they received
something more than the common pay. Haute-paye became afterwards a term
to signify the subsistence which any body of men superior to, or
distinguished from the private soldier were allowed to receive.
=Haut-le-pied= (_Fr._). A term used to distinguish such persons as were
formerly employed in the French armies without having any permanent
appointment. _Commissaires hauts-le-pied_ were known in the artillery
during the monarchy of France. They were usually under the
quartermaster-general.
=Havana= (Sp. _Habana_). The capital of the island of Cuba, on its north
coast, at the mouth of the river Lagida. The harbor is one of the best
in the world, being capable of holding 1000 ships with ease; but it has
so narrow a channel that only one vessel can enter at a time. This
channel is strongly fortified; the city is also surrounded with
defensive works, all furnished with heavy artillery. Havana has been
frequently attacked; it was captured in 1536 by a French pirate, and
partially destroyed; it was subsequently taken, at different times, by
the English, by the French, and by the buccaneers. In 1762 the British
took possession of it, but restored it in 1763.
=Havelock.= A light cloth covering for the head and neck, used by
soldiers as a protection from sunstroke. This covering derived its name
from Havelock, a distinguished English general.
=Haverfordwest= (Welsh, _Hwlfford_). A seaport of Wales, in
Pembrokeshire, and the capital of that county. It was at one time
strongly fortified, and was possessed of a strong castle, which was
built by Gilbert de Clare, first earl of Pembroke. In the insurrection
of Owen Glendower, it was successfully defended against the French
troops in the Welsh service. In the civil war of the 17th century it was
held by the royalists.
=Haversack.= A strong, coarse, linen bag, in which, on a march, a
soldier carries his rations. It is borne on the left side, suspended by
a strap passing over the right shoulder. The name is also given to the
leather bag used in artillery to carry cartridges from the
ammunition-chest to the piece in loading.
=Havildar.= A non-commissioned officer or sergeant among the Sepoys. He
ranks next to the jemadar, or native lieutenant.
=Havildar-major.= The native sergeant-major in a native infantry
regiment.
=Havoc.= Wide and general destruction; devastation; waste. Also, to
waste; to destroy; to lay waste.
=Havock.= A cry originally used in hunting, but afterward in war as the
signal for indiscriminate slaughter.
=Havre Le=, or =Havre de Grace=. An important and strongly fortified
commercial town of France, in the department of the Lower Seine, at the
entrance of the Seine into the English Channel. Havre was taken by the
British in 1562, and bombarded by them in 1759, 1794, and 1795.
=Hawaii.= See OWYHEE.
=Haxo-casemate.= A vault of masonry thrown over a gun, but not over its
embrasure. It is open at the rear, and acts as a traverse.
=Hayti=, =Haiti=, =St. Domingo=, or =Hispaniola=. The largest island in
the West Indies, with the exception of Cuba. It was discovered by
Christopher Columbus in 1495. Until 1665 Spain kept possession of the
island; but in that year the French obtained a footing, and retained
their position for upwards of a century and a quarter. In 1800 the
independence of Hayti was proclaimed by the negro population, and the
French finally quitted the island in 1803. Since that time various
revolutions have occurred, and a kind of military elective government
has prevailed under different leaders. In 1849 the former French portion
of the island was proclaimed an empire under its president, Solouque,
who took the title of Faustin I. The sable emperor was, however, deposed
in 1858, and a republic was again proclaimed.
=Hazaree.= An Indian term signifying the commander of gun-men. It is
derived from _hazar_, which, in its literal interpretation, signifies a
thousand.
=Haze, To.= To punish a man by making him do unnecessary work.
=Head.= In gunnery, the fore part of the cheeks of a gun or howitzer
carriage. _To head_, is to lead on, or be the leader of a party. _Head
of a work_, in fortification, is the front next to the enemy, and
farthest from the place; as the front of a horn-work is the distance
between the flanked angles of the demi-bastions. The head of a double
tenaille is the salient angle in the centre and the two other sides
which form the re-entering angles. _Head of an army_, or body of men, is
the front, whether drawn up in lines or on a march, in column, etc.
_Head of a camp_, is the ground before which an army is drawn up.
=Head, Bridge.= Is the end of a bridge,--also the work defending it.
=Header.= In a revetment, is a brick, stone, or sod laid with its end
outwards.
=Headless.= Destitute of a chief or leader.
=Head-man.= A chief; a leader.
=Head-piece.= Armor for the head; a helmet; a morion.
=Headquarters.= The place where the officer commanding any army or
independent body of troops takes up his residence. The quarters or place
of residence of the chief officer; hence, the centre of authority or
order.
=Headstall.= That part of a bridle which encompasses the head.
=Heaume= (_Fr._). A word derived from the German, which formerly
signified _casque_, or helmet. The heaume has been sometimes called
among the French _salade_, _armet_, and _celate_ from the Latin word
which means engraved, on account of the different figures which were
represented upon it. The heaume covered the whole of the face, except
the eyes, which were protected by small iron bars laid crosswise. It
serves as an ornament or helmet in coats of arms and armorial bearings;
it is still preserved in heraldry, and is a distinguishing mark of
nobility.
=Heaver.= A bar used as a lever.
=Heavy.= Strong; violent; forcible; as, a heavy cannonade.
=Heavy Artillery.= Troops who serve heavy guns. The term is specially
applied to troops in charge of siege guns or guns of position. Also
large guns themselves.
=Heavy Cavalry.= European cavalry is divided into light and heavy
cavalry, according to the size of the men and horses and the character
of the equipment.
=Heavy Fire.= A continuous cannonading; a continuous discharge of
musketry.
=Heavy Marching Order.= An expression applied to troops equipped for
permanent field service with arms, accoutrements, knapsacks, canteens,
and haversacks.
=Heavy Metal.= Large guns carrying balls of a large size; also, large
balls for such guns.
=Heavy Ordnance.= Ordnance of great weight and caliber. In the United
States the term is restricted in the land service to sea-coast ordnance.
See ORDNANCE.
=Hebrides=, or =Western Islands=. A series of islands off the west coast
of Scotland, consisting of two principal groups. In ancient times they
were subject to the kings of Norway, but were annexed to the crown of
Scotland in 1264. From that time they were held by various native
chieftains in vassalage to the Scottish monarch, until they came under
the sway of one powerful chief, who assumed the title of “Lord of the
Isles” in 1346, and effected entire independence of Scotland. In 1748
all hereditary jurisdictions were abolished, and for the first time,
under a just and powerful government, the peace of the islands was
secured.
=Hebron.= A place in Palestine, about 20 miles a little west of south
from Jerusalem, and one of the oldest existing cities in the world. The
Maccabees recovered it from the Edomites, who had taken it after the
Captivity. It was burned by an officer of Vespasian just before the
destruction of Jerusalem. It was taken by the Arabs in 637, and by the
Crusaders about 1100; and ever since 1187 has been in the hands of its
present masters, the Mohammedans.
=Hedge.= To surround for defense; to fortify; to guard; to protect; to
hem. To surround so as to prevent escape.
=Hedjrah.= See HEGIRA.
=Heel.= That part of a thing corresponding in position to the human
heel; the lower back part, or part on which a thing rests. In a
small-arm it is the corner of the butt which is upwards in the firing
position.
=Heel-piece.= Armor for the heels.
=Hegemony.= Leadership; preponderant influence or authority; usually
applied to the relations of a government or state to its neighbors or
confederates.
=Hegira=, or =Hedjrah= (from the Arabic _hajara_, to desert). A
Mohammedan epoch, dating from the expulsion or flight of Mohammed from
Mecca to Medina, July 16, 622. This flight was fixed as the great Moslem
epoch by the caliph Omar, seventeen years later.
=Heidelberg.= A city of Germany, in Baden, situated on the Neckar, which
is possessed of a celebrated university. This town has been besieged
several times; it was taken by Tilly in 1622, and by Turenne in 1674.
=Helder.= A town of Northern Holland, on the North Sea, at the mouth of
the Marsdiep, which separates it from the island of Texel. Near this
place a naval battle was fought between the English and the Dutch in
1653, in which Van Tromp was killed. It was taken by the English under
Sir Ralph Abercrombie in 1799; was afterwards retaken by Brewe, and
subsequently rendered a first-class fortress by Napoleon I. It is
connected with Amsterdam by the famous Helder Canal.
=Helena, Saint.= An island in the Atlantic Ocean, which presents to the
sea, throughout its whole circuit, an immense wall of perpendicular
rock, from 600 to 1200 feet high. This island was discovered by the
Portuguese in 1502, and belonged to the Dutch from 1610 to 1650, when it
fell into the hands of the British. It is chiefly famous for having been
the place in which Napoleon I. was confined by the allied powers after
his final overthrow at the battle of Waterloo. Here he lived at
Longwood, from November, 1815, till his death in 1821. His remains also
lay here till 1840, when, by the permission of the English government,
they were conveyed to France.
=Helepolis.= In the ancient art of war, a machine for battering down the
walls of a place besieged. The invention of it is ascribed to Demetrius
Poliorcetes. Diodorus Siculus says that each side of the helepolis was
450 cubits broad, and 90 in height; that it had nine stages, or floors,
and was carried on four strong solid wheels, 8 cubits in diameter; that
it was armed with huge battering-rams, and had two roofs capable of
supporting them; that in the lower stages there were different sorts of
engines for casting stones, and in the middle they had large catapults
for launching arrows.
=Heligoland.= A small island in the North Sea, situated about 46 miles
northwest from the mouths of the Elbe and Weser. It was taken from the
Danes by the British in 1807, and became a depot for merchandise
intended to be smuggled into the continent during Napoleon’s continental
blockade. At the peace of 1814 it was retained by England, and is of
importance as an outpost in time of war.
=Heliography.= See LOOKING-GLASS SIGNALING.
=Hellespont.= See DARDANELLES.
=Hellin= (anc. ILUNUM). A royal town of Spain, in the province of
Murcia. This town was sacked by the French under Montbrun, and was the
point where Joseph and Soult united with Suchet after Marmont’s rout at
Salamanca.
=Helmet.= A piece of defensive armor or covering for the head. Among the
early nations of antiquity the helmet forms a prominent feature in all
military costume, and is often of very great utility in distinguishing
the age or country of the wearer. The Egyptian kings had them of brass,
while the soldiers wore linen ones thickly padded. The crests of the
royal Egyptian helmet were the heads of the lion, bull, or dragon. The
Milyans had helmets of skins; those of a fox formed the early Thracian
helmet; and this ancient fashion of the heroic ages appears in the
_galerus_ of the Roman light troops. The Phrygian bonnet was a
skull-cap, with a bent peak projecting in front, like the bust of a
bird, with an arched neck and head. It is certainly the most ancient
form of helmet. Strabo says the ancient Persians, and probably their
oriental neighbors, wore modern turbans; in war, a cap cut in the form
of a cylinder or tower. This Asiatic fashion extended itself widely. The
helmet of the Grecian soldier was usually made of brass, and sometimes
of the skins of beasts, with the hair still on; and to render them more
terrible, the teeth were often placed in a grinning manner. The crest
was made of horse-hair or feathers, and was curiously ornamented. In the
early period of the Greeks, helmets had been composed of the skins of
quadrupeds, of which none were more common than the dog. After the time
of Alexander the Great, common soldiers had only small crests;
chieftains, plumes or two crests. The helmet of the Romans was a
head-piece of brass or iron, which left the face uncovered, and
descended behind as far as the shoulders. Upon the top was the crest, in
adorning which the soldiers took great pride. The usual ornament was
horse-hair or feathers of divers colors; but the helmets of the officers
were sometimes very splendid, and adorned with gold and silver. Helmets
occur with cheek-pieces and movable visors. Singular helmets, with
aigrettes, plumes, wings, horns, double crests, double-cheek pieces
(some of which are seen on the Hamilton vases), and others, with
fantastical additions and overloaded crests, are either barbarian, or
subsequent to the removal of the seat of empire to Constantinople. The
Gauls wore helmets of brass, with monstrous appendages for ostentation,
as the shapes of birds, beasts, etc. In the Middle Ages the knights of
Europe were distinguished by helmets adorned with the figure of a crown,
or of some animal. The king wore a helmet of gold, or gilt; his
attendants of silver; the nobility of steel; and the lower orders of
iron. In European armies helmets are worn by the horse-guards and heavy
cavalry. In the United States, helmets made of felt and adorned with
horse-hair plumes are worn by light artillery and cavalry troops.
=Helmet-shaped.= Shaped like a helmet; galeate.
=Helmless.= Destitute of a helmet; without a helm.
=Helos.= In ancient geography, the name of several towns, so called from
their position among or near _fens_. The most important town of this
name was in Laconia, at the mouth of the Eurotas, in a plain close to
the sea. In the Dorian conquest of the Peloponnesus Helos was taken, and
its inhabitants carried off to Sparta and reduced to slavery. Their name
is said to have been applied by their masters generally to all the
bondsmen or helots that fell into their power.
=Helots.= The lowest class of the population of ancient Sparta, which
was formed of serfs or slaves. They are supposed to have formed the
original population of the country, and to have been reduced to bondage
by their Dorian conquerors. In war, they served as light troops, each
free-born Spartan who bore heavy armor being accompanied to battle by a
number of them, sometimes as many as seven. In order to keep their
numbers within bounds the Spartans organized secret companies, who went
abroad over the country armed with daggers, and both by night and day
assassinated the unfortunate Helots, selecting as their special victims
the strongest and most vigorous of the oppressed race.
=Helsingfors.= A fortified town, and seaport in Finland, on a peninsula
in the Gulf of Finland. It has a good harbor, and is defended by the
almost impregnable citadel and fortifications of Sweaborg, which stand
on a number of rocky islands at the entrance of the harbor. This town
was burnt in 1741, during the war between Sweden and Russia. In 1855,
Sweaborg was bombarded for two days by the allied English and French
fleet, when some damage was done to the interior defenses of the place.
=Helvetian Republic.= Switzerland having been conquered by the French in
1797, a republic was established in 1798 with this title.
=Helvetii.= A Celtic people inhabiting, according to Cæsar, the region
between the mountains of Jura on the west, the Rhone on the south, and
the Rhine on the east and north, the region corresponding pretty closely
with modern Switzerland. The great and fatal event in their history is
their attempted irruption into and conquest of Southern Gaul, in which
they were repulsed by Cæsar with frightful slaughter in 58 B.C., and
compelled to return to their own country, where they became subjects to
the Romans. In the commotions which followed the death of Nero, the
Helvetians met with another terrible catastrophe. Remaining faithful to
Galba, they were fallen upon by Cacina, a general of Vitellius, who gave
them up to the rapacity of his legions, and from this time they scarcely
appear in history as a distinct people.
=Helvoetsluys.= A fortified town of Holland, on the south shore of the
island of Voorn, 17 miles southwest from Rotterdam. At this place the
Prince of Orange, afterwards William III., embarked for England in 1688.
It was taken by the French in 1798, and evacuated by them in 1813.
=Hem In.= To surround an enemy, whether on land or sea.
=Hemerodromi.= In Grecian antiquity, were, as the name imports, runners
or couriers, who could keep running all day. In a country like Greece,
where the roads were few and bad, the hemerodromi were indispensable for
the rapid diffusion of important news. Every Greek state made a point of
training a number of these men who could travel great distances in an
incredibly short space of time, and at every dangerous crisis they were
stationed on commanding points to observe and report at headquarters
what it was necessary for the authorities to know. In the service of the
Persian kings, these men were called _angoroi_, and the service
_angereion_. Among the Romans these couriers were known as _cursores_;
they traveled sometimes on foot, sometimes on horseback. It is a
well-known fact that running footmen attended the Duke of Marlborough
in his wars in the Low Countries and in Germany. In the Byzantine
empire they were employed as sentinels at the gates of towns. When the
gates were opened they were obliged to patrol round the outskirts of the
town during the whole day. Frequently, indeed, they advanced
considerably into the country, in order to discover whether any hostile
body of men was approaching in order to surprise the garrison.
=Henery Isle.= A small island lying due south from Bombay. In 1790 it
belonged to Ragojee Angria, and was a principal rendezvous of pirate
vessels, though within sight of Bombay. Near it is another small island
named Kenery, which is also fortified, and of considerable strength. It
was taken possession of and fortified by Sevajee in 1679. In 1790 it
belonged to the Peshwa, and was also the haunt of pirates.
=Heneti.= An ancient people in Paphlagonia, dwelling on the river
Parthenius; fought on the side of Priam against the Greeks, but had
disappeared before the historical times. They were regarded by many
ancient writers as the ancestors of the Veneti in Italy.
=Hengestdown.= In Cornwall, England. Here Egbert is said to have
defeated the Danes and West Britons in 835.
=Hennebon.= A town of France, in the department of Morbihan, on the
Blavet. It was formerly a very strong place, and was successfully
defended by the Countess of Montfort, when it was besieged by Charles de
Blois, in 1342.
=Henry Rifle.= See MAGAZINE GUNS.
=Hephestion=, or =Hephæstion=. A Macedonian courtier and commander, the
son of Amyntor of Pella; became a favorite of Alexander the Great, whom
he followed in the invasion of Persia and India. In the return of this
expedition, Hephestion and Craterus commanded a separate part of the
army. He died in 325 B.C.
=Hep-pah=, or =Hippa=. A New Zealand fort, or space surrounded with
stout palisades.