original thirteen of the American Confederacy. Attempts were made under
the auspices of Sir Walter Raleigh to settle North Carolina as early as
between 1585 and 1589, but in one year after no trace of the colony
could be found. The first permanent settlement was made on the banks of
the Roanoke and Chowan, by some emigrants from Virginia, in 1653. John
Culpepper rebelled against the arbitrary government of Miller in 1678,
and held the government for two years. In 1693, North and South Carolina
were separated. In 1711 the Tuscaroras, Corees, and other savages
attacked and massacred 112 settlers, principally of the Roanoke and
Chowan settlements; but the following year the united forces of the two
Carolinas completely routed them, killing 300 savages. In 1729 the
proprietors sold their rights to the crown. A party of malcontents, in
1771, rose against the royal governor, but after two hours’ contest,
fled with considerable loss. A severe conflict with the Northwest
Indians occurred in 1774, on the Kanawha River, which resulted in the
abandonment of the ground by the savages. North Carolina took an early
and active part in the events of the Revolution, and within her borders
took place sanguinary conflicts at Guilford Court-house, Brier Creek
Springs, Fishing Creek, and other places. The Mecklenburg Declaration of
Independence was made May 20, 1775: so North Carolina has the honor to
have first proposed a separation from Great Britain. In the second war
with Great Britain she also played a prominent part, although she had no
serious losses on her territory. During the late civil war North
Carolina suffered greatly, and was the scene of many important
engagements, among which were the capture of Forts Hatteras and Clark in
1861, Roanoke Island and Newbern in February, 1862, and Fort Fisher in
January, 1865. In March, 1865, the battles of Averysboro’ and
Bentonville were fought by the armies of Gen. Sherman and J. E.
Johnston, which ended in the final surrender of the latter, at Durham
Station, April 26, 1865.
=Norwich.= A city of England, and the capital of the county of Norfolk,
on the river Wensum, 108 miles from London. In 1549 the city was the
scene of an insurrection resembling that of the Jacquerie in France and
the Peasant’s war in Germany. The poor objected to the inclosure of
certain commons and waste lands in the neighborhood of Attleborough and
Wymondham; fences were thrown down; Robert, _alias_ Knight, a tanner, a
bold and resolute man, headed the rebels, aided by his brother William,
a butcher. Their numbers increased, and, marching towards Norwich, they
encamped on Mousehold Heath, took possession of the mansion of the Earl
of Surrey, and thence proceeded to lay siege to the city. Having
augmented their number to 16,000, and strongly fortified their camp,
they summoned the city to surrender. For months they maintained
hostilities, and the country round was pillaged and laid waste, until at
length they gained an entrance to the city. A strong force was sent down
for the defense of the city, under the Marquis of Northampton, who was
defeated on St. Martin’s Palace plain; the rebels plundered and set fire
to the city in many parts. The Earl of Warwick, assisted by his son
Robert Dudley, earl of Leicester, was then sent to the relief of the
citizens. The city was stormed by the king’s troops, and the rebels
forced to retreat after a two days’ sharp conflict, during which upwards
of 3000 were killed, and the insurgents subdued. About 300 of the
ringleaders, including the two Ketts, were executed.
=Nose-bag.= A bag of stout canvas with a leather bottom, and straps by
which it can be hung over a horse’s head. It is used for feeding grain
to horses out of stables.
=Note.= A brief writing intended to assist the memory. Members of
courts-martial sometimes take notes. They are frequently necessary to
enable a member to bring the whole body of evidence into a connected
view, where the case is complex.
=Noted.= Well known by reputation or report; celebrated; as, a noted
commander.
=Nottingham.= A large town of England, the capital of the county of the
same name, 13 miles northeast from Derby. The castle here was defended
by the Danes against King Alfred, and his brother Ethelred, who retook
it, 868. William the Conqueror erected a castle, and constructed
fortifications so strong as to render the place impregnable against any
of the methods of attack which were then known. The castle of
Nottingham, defended by the royalists, was besieged by the Parliamentary
forces under the command of Col. Hutchinson, to whom, after a brave
defense, it at length surrendered.
=Nottoways.= A tribe of Indians who formerly resided in Virginia on the
river of the same name. As a distinct race they have ceased to exist.
=Novara.= A city of Northern Italy, defended by a castle, 53 miles west
from Turin. In 1849 the Sardinians were disastrously defeated here by
the Austrians; and in 1859 a French corps occupied the town.
=Nova Scotia.= A province of British North America, connected with New
Brunswick by a narrow isthmus lying between Chignecto and Varte Bays.
This country was discovered by Cabot in 1497; it was subsequently
settled by the French; and came into the possession of the English in
1758.
=Novi.= A town of Northern Italy, situated at the foot of the Apennines,
13 miles southeast from Alessandria. It is noted for a sanguinary battle
fought here in August, 1799, between the French under Joubert and the
allied Austro-Russian forces under Suwarrow. The former were defeated,
and among 10,000 of the French slain were Joubert and several other
distinguished officers.
=Noyan= (_Fr._). In English _mandril_; it also means the whole of the
vacant space or bore of a cannon, under which are comprehended the
diameter of the mouth, the vacant cylinder, the breech, and the vent.
With respect to bombs, grenades, and hollow balls, that which is called
_noyan_ consists of a globular piece of earth, upon which the cover of
bombs, grenades, and hollow balls is cast. The metal is poured in
between this cover and the noyan, after which the noyan, or core, is
broken, and the earth taken out.
=Nubia.= A large country of Africa, the ancient _Æthiopia supra
Ægyptum_, said to have been the site of the kingdom of Meroë, received
its name from a tribe named Nubes or Nubates. It is now subject to the
viceroy of Egypt, having been conquered by Ibrahim Pasha in 1822.
=Nuddea.= A town of British India, in the district of Burdwan, 80 miles
north of Calcutta. It was taken and entirely destroyed in 1204.
=Nuggar.= A term in the East Indies for a fort.
=Nuits.= A small fortified town near Dijon, in Burgundy, Northeast
France. It was frequently captured and ravaged, especially in 1569,
1576, and 1636. It was taken by the Badenese under Von Werder, December
18, 1870, after five hours’ conflict, in which above 1000 French are
said to have been killed and wounded, and 700 prisoners taken. The
German loss was also heavy. A depot of arms and ammunition was gained by
the victors.
=Numantia.= The chief town of the Celtiberian people, called Arevaci, in
ancient Spain, was situated on the Douro, in Old Castile, and is
celebrated for the long war of twenty years which it maintained against
the Romans. See NUMANTINE WAR.
=Numantine War.= The war between the Romans and the Celtiberians (Celts
who possessed the country near the Iber, now _Ebro_) began 143 B.C., on
account of the latter having given refuge to their allies, the
Sigidians, who had been defeated by the Romans. Numantia, an unprotected
city, withstood a long siege, in which the army of Scipio Africanus,
60,000 men, was opposed by no more than 4000 men able to bear arms. The
Numantines fed upon horse-flesh, and on their own dead, and at last drew
lots to kill one another. At length, those whom plague and famine had
spared destroyed themselves, so that no one remained to adorn the
triumph of the conqueror, 133 B.C.
=Numéros= (_Fr._). Round pieces of brass or other metal, which were
numbered and used in the old French service in the detail of guards.
=Numidia.= An ancient country of North Africa, the seat of the war of
the Romans with Jugurtha, which began 111 B.C., and ended with his
subjugation and captivity, 106. The last king, Juba, joined Cato, and
was killed at the battle of Thapsus, 46 B.C., when Numidia became a
Roman province.
=Nuncio.= An ambassador from the pope.
=Nuremberg= (Ger. _Nürnberg_). A town of Bavaria, in the circle of
Middle Franconia, stands on the Pegnitz, an affluent of the Regnitz. In
1219 it became a free city, independent of any European power, and as
such it continued till it was given over by Napoleon in 1806 to the king
of Bavaria. At the Reformation the inhabitants embraced the Protestant
cause; and in the Thirty Years’ War they were on the side of the Swedes,
and suffered much in 1632, during the blockade which Gustavus Adolphus
endured from the imperial forces under Wallenstein. The city was
occupied by the Prussians in 1866, and its fortifications demolished.
=Nurse.= A person whose whole business is to attend the sick in
hospital. In the U. S. service, nurses are detailed in post hospitals
from the companies who are serving at the post, and are exempt from
other duty, but have to attend the parades for weekly inspections and
the musters of their companies, unless especially excused by the
commanding officer. Ordinarily one nurse is allowed to every ten persons
sick in hospital. In the British service there are sergeants, orderly
men, and nurses (generally women) in hospitals of regiments of the
line.
=Nuthall’s Rifle.= See SMALL-ARMS.
=Nyköping.= A seaport of Sweden, pleasantly situated on the Baltic,
about 60 miles southwest of Stockholm. In 1317 the castle of Nyköping
was seized and sacked by the people, who demolished its keep and
donjons. In 1719 the town was taken and dismantled by the Russians.
=Nystadt.= A town of Finland, on the eastern coast of the Gulf of
Bothnia, 50 miles south of Biorneborg. Here, in 1721, a treaty was
agreed to between Russia and Sweden, by virtue of which all the
conquests of Peter the Great along the coasts of the Gulf of Finland
were annexed to Russia.
O.
=Oakum.= A tangled mass of tarred hempen fibres, is made from old rope
by untwisting the strands and rubbing the fibres free from each other.
Its principal use is in calking the seams between planks, the space
round rivets, bolts, etc., for the purpose of preventing water from
penetrating.
=Oaths, Military.= The taking of the oath of fidelity to government and
obedience to superior officers, was, among ancient armies, a very solemn
affair. A whole corps took the oath together, and sometimes an entire
army. The tribunes of every legion chose out one whom they thought the
fittest person, and gave him a solemn oath at large, the substance of
which was, that he should oblige himself to obey the commanders in all
things to the utmost of his power, be ready to attend whenever they
ordered his appearance, and never to leave the army but by their
consent. After he had ended, the whole legion, passing one by one, every
man, in short, swore to the same effect, crying, as he went by, _Idem in
me_, “the same by me.” In modern times when so many other checks are
used in maintaining discipline, the oath has become little more than a
form. A recruit enlisting in the army or navy, or a volunteer enrolling
himself, swears to be faithful to the government, and obedient to all or
any of his superior officers. The members of a court-martial take an
oath to try the cases brought before them justly, according to the
evidence, to keep secret the finding and sentence of the court, until
they shall be published by the proper authority, and to keep secret the
votes or opinions given by the members individually. The judge-advocate
swears that he will not reveal the individual opinions or votes of the
members nor the sentence of the court to any but the proper authority.
There is also an oath for the members and an oath for the recorder of a
court of inquiry. The only other military oath is the common oath of a
witness before a court-martial, to tell the truth, the whole truth, and
nothing but the truth. See APPENDIX, ARTICLES OF WAR.
=Obedience= (Fr. _obéissance_). Submission to the orders of a superior.
The first principle which ought to be inculcated and impressed upon the
mind of every officer and soldier is obedience to all lawful commands.
It is the mainspring, the soul and essence of military duty. It is
evident that if all officers and soldiers are to judge when an order is
lawful and when not, the captious and mutinous would never be at loss
for a plea to justify their insubordination. It is, therefore, an
established principle, that unless an order is so manifestly against law
that the question does not admit of dispute, the order must first be
obeyed by the inferior, and he must subsequently seek such redress
against his superior as the laws allow. If the inferior disputes the
legality before obedience, error of judgment is never admitted in
mitigation of the offense. The redress now afforded by the laws to
inferiors is not, however, sufficient; for doubtful questions of the
construction of statutes, instead of being referred to the Federal
courts of law for their true exposition, have received variable
expositions from the executive, and left the army in an unfortunate
state of uncertainty as to the true meaning of certain laws; and this
uncertainty has been most unfavorable to discipline. Again, while the
punishment of death is meted to officers and soldiers for disobedience
of _lawful_ commands, the law does not _protect_ officers and soldiers
for obeying _unlawful_ commands. Instances have occurred in the United
States, where officers and soldiers have been subjected to vexatious
prosecutions, simply for obeying orders according to their oath of
office. Would it not be just if the law, instead of requiring officers
and soldiers thus nicely to steer between Scylla and Charybdis, should
hold the superior who gives an illegal order alone responsible for its
execution?
=Obedience to Orders.= An unequivocal performance of the several duties
which are directed to be discharged by military men. All officers and
soldiers are to pay obedience to the lawful orders of their superior
officers.
=Obey, To.= In a military sense, is without question or hesitation to
conform zealously to all orders and instructions which are legally
issued. It sometimes happens that individuals are called upon (by
mistake, or from the exigency of the service) out of what is called the
regular roster. In either case they must cheerfully obey, and after they
have performed their duty they may remonstrate.
=Obidos.= A town of Portugal, in the province of Estremadura, situated
on the Amaya, 45 miles northwest from Lisbon. An engagement took place
here between the French and English in 1808.
=Object.= A word in military movements and evolutions, synonymous with
_point_. Thus, in marching forward in line, etc., the guide of a squad,
company, or battalion, must take two objects at least to fix his line of
march by which the whole body is regulated. As he advances he selects
succession objects or points to prolong the line.
=Object.= The mark aimed at in the fire of small-arms or artillery.
=Objective-points.= The point to be reached or gained by an army in
executing a movement, has been termed the “objective-point.” There are
two classes of objectives, viz., _natural_ and _accidental_. The term
_geographical_ is frequently used to designate the first of these.
A _natural objective_ may be an important position, strong naturally, or
made so by fortifications, the possession of which gives control over a
tract of country, and furnishes good points of support or good lines of
defense for other military operations. Or, it may be a great business
centre, or a capital of a country, the possession of which has the
effect of discouraging the enemy and making him willing to sue for
peace.
_Accidental objectives_ are dependent upon the military operations which
have for their object the destruction or disintegration of the enemy’s
forces. These objectives are sometimes called “_objective-points of
manœuvre_.” The position of the enemy determines their location. Thus,
if the enemy’s forces are greatly scattered, or his front much extended,
the central point of his position would be a good objective-point, since
the possession of it would divide the enemy’s forces, and allow his
detachments to be attacked separately. Or, if the enemy has his forces
well supported, a good objective would be on that flank, the possession
of which would allow his communications with his base to be threatened.
It is well to remark that the term “point” used in this connection is
not to be considered merely in its geometrical sense, but is used to
apply to the object which the army desires to attain, whether it be a
position, a place, a line, or even a section of country.--_Prof. J. B.
Wheeler._
=Oblat= (_Fr._). Disabled soldier formerly maintained by abbeys.
=Oblique.= In tactics, indicates a direction which is neither parallel
nor perpendicular to the front, but more or less diagonal. It is a
command of warning in the tactics for the movement. It is used in
referring to diagonal alignments, attacks, orders of battles, squares
against cavalry, changes of front, fires, etc.
=Oblique Deployments.= When the component parts of a column that is
extending into line, deviate to the right or left, for the purpose of
taking up an oblique position, its movements are called _oblique_
deployments.
=Oblique Fire.= See FIRE, OBLIQUE.
=Oblique Flank.= See FLANK, OBLIQUE.
=Oblique Order of Battle.= See ORDER OF BATTLE, OBLIQUE.
=Oblique Percussion.= Is that wherein the striking body is not
perpendicular to the body struck, or is not in line with its centre of
gravity.
=Oblique Position.= Is a position taken in an oblique direction from the
original line of formation.
=Oblique Projection.= Is that wherein the direction of the striking body
is not perpendicular to the body struck, which makes an oblique angle
with the horizontal line.
=Oblique Radius.= Is a line extending from the centre to the exterior
side of a polygon.
=Oblique Step.= Is a step or movement in marching, in which the soldier,
while advancing, gradually takes ground to the right or left at an angle
of about 25°. It is not now practiced.
=Oblique, To.= In a military sense, is to move forward to the right or
left, by obliquing in either of those directions, according to the words
of command.
=Oblong Projectiles.= See PROJECTILES.
=Obsequies.= See FUNERAL HONORS.
=Observation, Army of.= An army assigned to the duty of observing and
checking the movements of an enemy.
=Observer Sergeants.= In the United States, are sergeants in the signal
service, stationed in large towns and important commercial centres, to
give timely warning of the approach of storms, rise of rivers, and all
other important weather news for the guidance of merchants and others.
=Observe, To.= To watch closely, etc. Hence, _to observe_ the motions of
an enemy, is to keep a good lookout by means of small corps of armed
men, or of intelligent and steady spies and scouts, and to be
constantly in possession of information regarding his different
movements.
=Obsession.= The act of besieging.
=Obsidional.= Belonging to a siege.
=Obsidional Crown= (Fr. _couronne obsidionale_). A crown so called among
the ancient Romans, which was bestowed upon a governor or general, who
by his skill and exertions, either held out or caused the siege to be
raised of any town belonging to the republic. It was made from the grass
which grew on the spot, and was therefore called _gramineus_ (Lat.
_gramen_, “grass”).
=Obsidionale Monnaie= (_Fr._). Any substitute for coin which has a value
put upon it that is greater than its intrinsic worth; and a currency
given to answer the convenience of the inhabitants of a besieged place.
=Obstacles.= Are narrow passes, woods, bridges, or any other impediments
which present themselves when a battalion is marching to front or rear;
or abatis, crows-feet, palisades, etc., which, being placed in the
glacis of a fortress, obstruct the operations of an assaulting party.
=Obstinate.= In a military sense, means determined; fixed in resolution;
as, an obstinate resistance.
=Obstruct.= To block up; to stop up or close, as a way or passage; to
fill with obstacles or impediments that prevent passing; as, to obstruct
a road, highway, channel, etc.
=Obstruction.= The act of obstructing, or the state of being obstructed.
Also, that which obstructs or impedes; obstacle; impediment; hindrance.
=Obtain.= To get hold of by effort; to gain possession of.
=Obus=, or =Obusier= (_Fr._). A species of small mortar, resembling a
mortar in everything but the carriage, which was made in the form of
that belonging to a gun, only shorter. It has been frequently used at
sieges; and was well calculated to sweep the covert way, and to fire
ricochet shots. They were usually loaded with cartouches.
=Obusier= (_Fr._). Howitzer, called _haubitz_ by the Dutch. In 1434 it
was known under the name of _husenicze_.
=Oc.= A Turkish arrow.
=Ocana.= A town of Spain, in New Castile, 33 miles southeast from
Madrid. Near here the Spaniards were defeated by the French, commanded
by Mortier and Soult, November 19, 1809.
=Occasion= (_Fr._). Has the same signification in military matters that
_affair_ bears among the French. _Une occasion bien chaude_, a warm
contest, battle, or engagement; it further means, as with us, the source
from whence consequences ensue. _Les malheurs du peuple sont arrivés à
l’occasion de la guerre_, “the misfortunes of the people have been
occasioned by the war,” or “the war has been the occasion of the
people’s misfortunes.” The French make a nice distinction which may hold
good in our language, between cause and occasion, viz.: _Il n’en est
pas la cause,--il n’en est que l’occasion, l’occasion innocente_,--“He
is not the cause, he is only the occasion, the innocent occasion of it.”
=Occupation.= The state of occupying or taking possession. Also, the
state of being occupied or possessed; possession.
=Occupation, Army of.= An army which invades an enemy’s country and
establishes itself in it either temporarily or permanently, is termed an
_army of occupation_.
=Occupy.= Is a military phrase for taking possession of a work or fort,
or to remain stationary in any place.
=Octagon.= A figure or polygon that has eight equal sides, which
likewise form eight equal angles. The octagon in fortification is well
calculated in its ground for the construction of large towns, or for
such as have the advantage of neighboring rivers, especially if the
engineer can so place the bastions, that the entrances and outlets of
the rivers may be in some of the curtains. By means of this disposition
no person could come in or go out of the garrison without the
commandant’s permission, as the sentinels must have a full view from the
flanks of the neighboring bastions.
=Oczakov=, or =Otshakov=. A town of Russia in Europe, in the government
of Cherson, near the mouth of the Dnieper. This place was once the
object of obstinate contests between the Turks and Russians.
=Oda.= The different corps or companies into which the Janissaries were
divided bore this appellation. The word itself means a room, and the
companies were so called from messing separately.
=Oda-Bachi.= Captain superintending the gunners at Constantinople.
=Odas.= Company of soldiers.
=Odessa.= A fortified seaport of European Russia, in the government of
Cherson, on a small bay of the Black Sea between the Dniester and
Dnieper, 85 miles west from Kherson. In the beginning of the 15th
century the Turks constructed a fortress here, which was taken by the
Russians in 1789. On the outbreak of the Crimean war, April, 1854, the
British steamer “Furious” went to Odessa for the purpose of bringing
away the British consul. While under a flag of truce, she was fired upon
by the batteries of the city. On the failure of the written message from
the admiral in command of the fleet to obtain explanations, 12
war-steamers invested Odessa, April 22, and in a few hours destroyed the
fortifications, blew up the powder-magazines, and took a number of
Russian vessels. On May 12, the English frigate “Tiger” stranded here,
and was destroyed by Russian artillery. The captain, Giffard, and many
of his men were killed, and the rest made prisoners.
=Odius.= A herald in the camp of the Greeks before Troy.
=Odometer.= An instrument attached to the wheel of a carriage to measure
distances in traveling, indicating on a dial the number of revolutions
made by the wheel.