indispensable aboard ship, viz.: _single knot_, _weaver’s knot_,
_figure-eight knot_, _artificer’s knot_, _mooring knots_, _hitches_,
_capstan_, or _prolonge knot_, _square knot_, _loops_, _becker knot_,
and _anchor knot_.
=Knot, Shoulder-=. See SHOULDER-KNOT.
=Knout.= A scourge composed of many thongs of skin, plaited, and
interwoven with wire, which was till lately the favorite instrument of
punishment in Russia for all classes and degrees of criminals. The
offender was tied to two stakes, stripped, and received on the back the
specified number of lashes; 100 or 120 were equivalent to sentence of
death, but in many cases the victim died under the operation long before
this number was completed. This punishment is at present only inflicted
upon ordinary criminals, such as incendiaries or assassins. It is no
longer in use in the army, except when a soldier is dismissed for ill
conduct, in which case 3 to 10 lashes are given, in order to disgrace
the soldier, rather than punish him.
=Kolin.= A town of Bohemia, on the left bank of the Elbe. Here the
Austrians under Daun defeated the Prussians under Frederick the Great,
June 18, 1757.
=Koloshes.= The Russian name for the Indians of the coast of Alaska.
=Komorn.= See COMORN.
=Koniagas=, or =Kadiaks=. The names by which the various tribes of
aborigines living along the coast of Alaska for over 1500 miles, are
known.
=Konieh= (anc. _Iconium_). A town of Asiatic Turkey, the capital of the
province of Karamania, Asia Minor. Here the Turkish army was defeated by
the pasha of Egypt, after a long, sanguinary fight, December 21, 1832.
See ICONIUM.
=Königgrätz.= A town and fortress of Bohemia, on the left bank of the
Elbe. On July 2, 1866, the Austrians under Gen. Benedek were signally
defeated with a loss of 40,000 men by the Prussians under King William,
at Sadowa, near Königgrätz.
=Königsberg.= A fortified city of Prussia, and former capital of the
kingdom, is situated on both banks of the Pregel, and on an island in
that river, 4 miles from its entrance into the Frisch Haff. It was
founded in 1255, and in 1365 became a member of the Hanseatic League; in
1626, it was surrounded with walls; and in 1657, received a strong
additional defense in the citadel of Friedrichsburg. It suffered much
during the Seven Years’ War by the occupation of the Russians from 1758
to 1764; and also from the French, who entered it in 1807, after the
battle of Friedland.
=Königstein.= A town of Germany, in Saxony, 17 miles southeast of
Dresden, on the left bank of the Elbe. It has a fortress, situated on a
rock nearly 450 feet high, which is one of the few in Europe that never
yet were taken. The royal treasures have usually been deposited here
during war.
=Koom=, or =Kum=. A town of Persia, in the province of Irak-Ajemee. It
was destroyed by the Afghans in 1722.
=Kootenais=, =Kontenays=, =Cottonois=, =Coutanies=, or =Flatbows=. A
tribe of Indians who formerly resided wholly in British Columbia, but
some of them are now located in Washington, Idaho, and Montana
Territories. They are generally peaceable and self-supporting, and have
made some progress in civilization. About 400 of them reside at the
Flathead Agency, Montana.
=Koreish.= An Arab tribe which had the charge of the Caaba, or sacred
stone of Mecca, and strenuously opposed the pretensions of Mohammed. It
was defeated by him and his adherents, 623-30.
=Kossacks.= See COSSACKS.
=Kossova.= A town of European Turkey, 8 miles northeast from Pristina. A
battle was fought near this place in 1389 between the Turks and Serbs.
The latter were defeated, and the king slain.
=Koszegh=, or =Guns=. See GUNS.
=Kotah.= The chief town of a protected state of the same name; is
situated in Rajpootana, India, on the right bank of the Chumbul. In
1857, notwithstanding the fidelity of the rajah to the British
government, Kotah fell under the power of the mutineers, remaining in
their possession until March 30, 1858, when it was stormed by Gen.
Roberts.
=Kot-duffadar.= See DUFFADAR, KOT.
=Koul.= A soldier belonging to a noble corps in Persia.
=Kouler-Agasi.= A distinguished military character in Persia, who has
the command of a body of men called _Kouls_. He is usually governor of a
considerable province.
=Kouls.= The third corps of the king of Persia’s household troops. The
Kouls are men of note and rank; no person can arrive at any considerable
post or situation in Persia who has not served among the Kouls.
=Kovno.= Capital of the government of the same name in European Russia,
near the confluence of the Vilia and the Niemen, was founded in the 10th
century, and was the scene of many bloody conflicts between the Teutonic
knights and Poles during the 14th and 15th centuries.
=Kraal= (probably from the language of the Hottentots). In South Africa,
a village; a collection of huts; sometimes a single hut. This term is
applied to the villages and military camps of the Zulus.
=Krasnoe.= A Russian village, 30 miles southwest of Smolensk, near which
the French, in the retreat of 1812, lost, during three successive days,
25,000 men, several thousand prisoners, and 25 pieces of cannon.
=Kreuznach.= A town of Rhenish Prussia, on the Nahe, 40 miles
south-southeast of Coblentz. This place was stormed by Gustavus Adolphus
in 1632.
=Kris=, or =Crease=. A dagger or poniard, the universal weapon of the
inhabitants of the Malayan Archipelago. It is made of many different
forms, short or long, straight or crooked. The hilt and scabbard are
often much ornamented. Men of all ranks wear this weapon; and those of
high rank, when in full dress, sometimes carry three or four. In Java
women sometimes wear it.
=Krupp Gun.= The metal used in these celebrated guns is cast steel, a
composition of puddled steel and wrought iron. The wrought iron is
obtained from the best hematite ores of Europe, the puddled steel from
the spathic ore of Siegen, in the immediate vicinity of the works. The
proportions of each metal, the details of their preparation, as well as
certain ingredients guessed at but not known, remain a secret with the
manufacturers. Manganese in small quantity is supposed to be present and
to exercise an important influence. The result is a metal equal in
elasticity and tensile strength to the best English steel, the excellent
quality of which is largely due to “oil tempering,” a process entirely
omitted in the Krupp gun. The ingots forming the different parts of the
gun are cast in cylindrical iron molds, an operation requiring the
greatest care to prevent the imprisonment of air or other gases in the
casting,--a defect which the tenacious character of the metal renders
fatal. Subsequent hammering only increases the trouble by involving a
larger area. As soon as the ingot is hard enough to permit handling it
is removed from the mold and cooled slowly in ashes. It is next brought
to a working heat in a furnace, placed under a steam-hammer weighing
from 1 to 50 tons, according to the size of the ingot, and drawn out to
the required length and thickness, when it is again buried in ashes and
gradually annealed to remove the tensions induced by hammering. From the
rough ingot thus prepared the tube forming the barrel is made directly
by boring, turning, and rifling. The ingots intended for hoops, trunnion
bands, etc., are cut up into short lengths, which are formed into rings
without weld by being split through the centre within a certain distance
of the ends, after which the slit is gradually widened to a circle by
swaging. The parts when finished are carefully annealed.
The Krupp gun consists of a central tube or barrel, comprising the
greater mass of the gun, and a series of encircling hoops. The tube has
a thickness of about eight-tenths of the caliber from a point over the
front of the charge to the termination of the rings or hoops, whence it
is conical, tapering to a thickness of about half the caliber at the
muzzle. From the seat of the charge breech-wards the tube thickens
rapidly by a series of steps to a cylinder about 1¹⁄₅ calibers thick.
The hoops overlie the tube from the cylinder in rear to the base of the
cone in front, covering about half the total length of the tube. The
hoops are put on in layers, the number of layers being determined by the
size of the gun. The 6-inch gun has one, the 8- and 9-inch two, and the
higher calibers have three layers of hoops. The hoops are shrunk on at
black heat, the different layers being held in place by small key-rings.
The rifling for Krupp guns is polygrooved, the twist uniform, the
grooves being gradually narrowed towards the muzzle for the suppression
of windage. The chamber in which the shot and charge rest is a little
larger than the bore, though they coincide at the bottom. This makes the
passage of the projectile into the bore direct and prevents the abrasion
which would occur if tilted upwards in leaving its seat. Moreover, the
shot is “centred”--that is, has its axis in the axis of the bore--from
its entry into the gun.
The breech-mechanism is essentially that of Broadwell. The breech is
closed on the “sliding block” principle. Through the cylindrical part of
the _barrel_ in rear of the rings, from one side to the other, a slot is
cut in which the breech-block slides horizontally, alternately exposing
and closing the rear of the chamber. The block is run in and out by an
attached screw, which works partly in the upper wall of the slot. The
motion of the block is governed by guides in the upper and lower walls
of the slot slightly inclined from the perpendicular to the axis of the
piece. The rear of the slot is so cut that the block is wedged firmly
against it when it is home. The block is locked in this position by a
large screw, which catches in certain threads cut on the rear wall of
the slot. The block is furnished with an “indurator plate,” a disk of
hardened steel, which is set in its face to receive the direct action of
the powder gases. The vent is in the axis of the gun through the block.
The gas-check used is the _Broadwell ring_ (which see). The powder for
all the large guns is the _prismatic_. (See GUNPOWDER.) Both steel and
cast-iron projectiles are used. The steel projectiles for armor piercing
have their points water-tempered. Rotation being communicated by
compression, the projectiles belong to the soft-jacketed class. The
projectile is turned smooth in a lathe, pickled in dilute acid, and then
put in sal-ammoniac to remove oil. It is next galvanized by immersion in
molten zinc, then immersed in lead, and afterwards a heavy lead jacket
is cast on it, which is turned down, leaving several prominent rings to
facilitate compression into the grooves. In late years Herr Krupp has
adopted for his large guns the American system of projectiles, having
soft metal expanding sabots attached to the base, with a centring ring
in front.
Krupp guns range in size from small field-pieces to a gun weighing 72
tons. The field pieces manufactured number several thousand. They form
the official equipment of the German army, and contributed much to
German success in the Franco-Prussian war. The large guns, comprising
6-, 7-, 8-, 9-, 10-, 11-, and 12-inch guns, have been made in large
numbers, and have found a ready sale in Germany, Russia, and Turkey.
The largest guns are a 14-inch gun weighing 56 tons, and a 15³⁄₄-inch
weighing 72 tons. (See CANNON.) Herr Krupp is also a large manufacturer
of gun-carriages of all kinds. His partiality for steel has led him to
use it almost exclusively in his constructions. He has inherited
likewise the aversion of the great Borsig for _welding_; and a
noticeable feature of his guns is an absence of any _weld_. The “coil”
principle, so well adapted to develop tangential strength, is also
omitted, the character of the metal being relied upon to resist strains
“across the grain.”
Perhaps the most novel piece of ordnance of modern times is Krupp’s
_non-recoiling shield gun_. This gun is made with an enlargement around
the muzzle in the shape of a large ball, which is held in a socket
formed in a heavy armored shield protecting the gun in front, the
arrangement giving a veritable ball-and-socket joint, about which the
gun is elevated and traversed. On shipboard or in a fortification the
shield would form a part of the armor or scarp wall. A narrow slit above
the ball is used in pointing by the gunner, who for this purpose sits
astride of the gun. The problem solved by this unique arrangement is the
entire suppression of recoil, the strain being absorbed by the massive
shield. In the late experiments at Mappen, 1879, the triumphs of Krupp
guns culminated in the performances of this novel piece of ordnance. Its
action was satisfactory in every respect, and so slight was the shock
communicated to the gun that the gunner did not deem it necessary to
dismount, but kept his seat astride of it during the firing.
=Krupp’s Steel Works.= On account of the wide-spread reputation which
the steel produced in the great works of Krupp at Essen, in Rhenish
Prussia, has obtained, it is necessary that these works should receive a
brief notice. They were founded by Friedrich Krupp in 1810, and were
continued by his sons after his death in 1826. For the last fifty years
they have been increasing annually from one-sixth to one-third in size,
until now they cover about 500 acres, and give employment to about
20,000 persons, including those engaged in building, and in the mines
and smelting-houses. For large metallurgical works Essen is favorably
situated, being in the centre of a coal-bearing area, where coal of the
best quality can be procured cheaply, and near mines of manganiferous
iron ore, which has been found excellently adapted for the manufacture
of steel; but it is believed that the admirable organization of every
part of his manufactory has conduced as much as anything to the great
success of Krupp. The articles manufactured consist principally of
rails, tires, crank-axles, shafts, mining pump-rods, gun-carriages and
guns, the proportion of ordnance being about two-fifths of the whole.
Guns have been made at Essen for the Prussians, Austrians, Belgians,
Dutch, Italians, Turks, Japanese, and also for the English, although not
directly ordered by the government. Since 1872 a field-gun invented by
Krupp has been adopted by the Prussian government, and supplied to the
whole army. The establishment possesses 286 steam-engines from 2 to 1000
horse-power, 1100 furnaces of various kinds, 71 steam-hammers, 264
smith’s forges, 275 coke-ovens, and 1056 planing, cutting, and boring
machines. It burns over 1000 tons of coal daily, and has over 11,000
gas-burners, consuming in twenty-four hours 400,000 cubic feet of gas.
It has, besides, a complete telegraph system, 800 cars, 15 locomotives,
33 miles of railway, over 3000 dwelling-houses, hospitals, chemical
laboratory, a photographic and lithographic establishment, over 400
mines, 11 blast-furnaces and several smelting-houses which produce
annually about 20,000 tons of pig-iron. These works have already
produced over 18,000 heavy guns.
=Kshatriya.= The second or military caste in the social system of the
Brahmanical Hindus.
=Ku-Klux-Klan.= A secret organization of ex-Confederate soldiers, who,
for several years after the close of the civil war, by their murders and
other crimes disturbed the tranquillity of the Southern States. Their
victims were chiefly freedmen, and persons suspected of favoring the
policy of the government. Stringent measures were taken against them by
Congress in 1871, and they soon after ceased their disturbances.
=Kul.= The Turkish word for slave to the Prince. The grand vizier, the
bachas, the beiglerbeys, and all persons who receive pay or subsistence
from situations dependent upon the crown, are so called. This title is
in high estimation among the Turkish military, as it authorizes all who
are invested with it to insult, strike, and otherwise ill use the common
people, without being responsible for the most flagrant breach of
humanity.
=Kulm.= A small village of Bohemia, 16 miles north-northwest of
Leitmeritz, was the scene of two bloody conflicts between the French and
allied Russian-Austrian armies on August 29-30, 1813. The French,
numbering 30,000 men, were commanded by Gen. Vandamme; the Russians,
during the first day’s conflict, were 17,000, and were commanded by Gen.
Ostermann-Tolstoi. During the night, the latter were heavily reinforced,
and on the second day Barclay de Tolly assumed the command with 60,000
troops. The result was the complete wreck of the French army, which lost
in these two days little short of 20,000 men, while the allies did not
lose half of that number.
=Kunnersdorf.= See CUNNERSDORF.
=Kunobitza.= In the Balkan, where John Hunniades, the Hungarian,
defeated the Turks, December 24, 1443.
=Kupele.= Straits so called in India, through which the Ganges
disembogues itself into Hindustan. They are distant from Delhi about 30
leagues. It was at these straits that the East Indians made some show of
resistance when the famous Tamerlane (Timur) invaded India. The field of
this victory is the most distant point of that emperor’s conquest in
India, and on the globe.
=Kurrol= (_Ind._). The advanced-guard of a main army.
=Kurtchi.= A militia is so called in Persia. It consists of one body of
cavalry, which is composed of the first nobility of the kingdom, and of
the lineal descendants of the Turkish conquerors, who placed Ismael
Sophi on the throne. They wear a red turban of twelve folds, which is
made of particular stuff. This turban was originally given them by
Ismael, in consideration of their attachment to the religion and family
of Ali. In consequence of their wearing this turban, the Persians are
always called by the Turks _kitilbaschi_, or red-heads. The Kurtchi form
a body of nearly 18,000 men.
=Kurtchi-baschi.= The chief or commanding officer of the Kurtchi. This
was formerly the most distinguished situation in the kingdom, and the
authority annexed to it was equal to what the constable of France
originally possessed. At present his power does not extend beyond the
Kurtchis.
=Kush-bash= (_Ind._). Persons who enjoy lands rent free, upon condition
of serving the government in a military capacity when called upon.
=Kustrin=, or =Custrin=. A fortified town of Prussia, in the province of
Brandenburg, at the union of the Wartha with the Oder, 48 miles east
from Berlin. In 1758 it was bombarded by the Russians, and in 1806 taken
by the French. It has a large powder-magazine.
=Kutchin.= A family of Alaska Indians, which is divided into a number of
petty tribes, who occupy the valley of the Yukon River.
=Kyanizing.= A process for preserving timber from decay,--so named from
the inventor Kyan. The process consists in saturating the wood with a
solution of corrosive sublimate.
=Kythul.= A town of India, and the capital of a district of the same
name. The district fell into the possession of the British in 1843, from
the failure of heirs to the last rajah.
L.
=Labarum.= A military standard of the Roman empire. It consisted of a
long lance crossed at right angles near the top by a staff, from which
hung a small flag or streamer of purple cloth inwrought with gold and
precious stones, and bearing the effigy of the emperor. Constantine the
Great, when he embraced Christianity, substituted for that device a
crown, a cross, and the initial letters of the name of Christ, and made
it the imperial standard.
=Labeates.= A warlike people in Dalmatia, whose chief town was Scodra,
and in whose territory was the Labeatis Palus (now Lake of Scutari),
through which the river Barbana (now Bogana) runs.
=Label=, =Lambel=, or =File=. In heraldry, is the mark of cadency which
distinguishes the eldest son in his father’s lifetime. It consists of a
horizontal stripe or fillet, with three points depending from it. When
the mark of cadency itself is designated a _file_, its points are called
_labels_.
=Labicum=, =Labici=, =Lavicum=, =Lavici= (now _Colonna_). An ancient
town in Latium, on one of the hills of the Alban Mountain, 15 miles
southeast from Rome. It was an ally of the Æqui; taken and colonized by
the Romans, 418 B.C.
=Laboratory.= A department which is intrusted with the manufacture of
combustible and other substances for military purposes, such as blank
and ball cartridges for small-arms, cartridges for every description of
ordnance, rockets, and all stores of similar character. This department
is likewise intrusted with the conservation, packing, restoring, and
supply of all gunpowder to the several military and naval departments,
and in the British service is under the management of officers of the
royal artillery especially appointed to that duty; in the U. S. service
it is under the officers of the ordnance department. In the latter
service officers of artillery, as well as non-commissioned officers and
privates, are instructed at the artillery school, Fort Monroe, Va., in
laboratory duties, and carefully taught the manipulation and manufacture
of laboratory stores. At the West Point Military Academy, the cadets are
thoroughly instructed in the above duties, as are also the naval cadets
at the Naval Academy, Annapolis, Md. In the British service officers of
artillery, as well as non-commissioned officers and gunners, are
instructed in laboratory duties. Officers and non-commissioned officers
of artillery in Germany, France, and Austria are required to possess a
knowledge of the manufacture and care of laboratory stores.
=Laboratory, Royal.= An extensive military manufacturing department in
Woolwich Arsenal, England. Although it has existed for many years, it
was only in 1855 that the present very large establishment was
organized. Here are foundries for the casting of shot, shell, grape,
etc.; apparatus for the manufacture of percussion-caps, which are
formed--hundreds at a time--out of the copper sheet; presses where
rifle-bullets are squeezed into shape; fuzes in all stages of
manufacture; and a thousand other instances of combined ingenuity and
power. The British government grants permission to inspect the factory.
There are also laboratories--though on a comparatively small scale--at
Portsmouth and Davenport, England.
=Laboratory Stores.= The following are among the laboratory stores used
in service:
The _time-fuze_, the _percussion-fuze_, and the _concussion-fuze_ (which
see).