semi-civilized Indians in New Mexico and Arizona, so called from their
remarkable residences, a description of some of which may be found under
MOQUIS INDIANS. They are divided into several tribes speaking different
languages. Their internal administration is patriarchal, each pueblo or
village being ruled by its governor and council of three elders.
=Pulk.= A tribe; a particular body of men. This word is chiefly used in
Russia; as, a pulk of Cossacks.
=Pultowa.= See POLTAVA.
=Pultusk.= A town of Poland in the government of Plock, situated on the
Narew, 35 miles north-northeast from Warsaw. Here on December 26, 1806,
was fought one of the battles of the campaign of Eylau, between the
Russians and the French. The field was most obstinately contested, but
the victory, which, however, was claimed by both armies, inclined in
favor of the French.
=Pummel.= The hilt of a sword, the end of a gun, etc.
=Puncto.= The point in fencing.
=Punic Wars.= The name of three celebrated contests, in which the Romans
and Carthaginians were engaged from the year 264 to 146 B.C., and which
finally terminated with the destruction of Carthage. It was in the
second war, which began in 218, that the Carthaginian commander Hannibal
rendered himself so distinguished by his victories over the Romans. The
illustrious Scipio was eventually the conqueror of Hannibal and the
victor of Carthage. _Punic faith_ is a reproachful term in frequent use,
derived from _Punici_, or Carthaginians, because they were considered by
the Romans a perfidious race.
=Punishment, Military.= In a military sense, is the execution of a
sentence pronounced by a court-martial upon any delinquent. The Romans
punished crimes committed by the soldiery with the utmost rigor. On the
occurrence of a mutiny, every tenth, twentieth, or hundredth man was
sometimes chosen by lot, but generally only the ringleaders were
selected for punishment. Deserters and seditious persons were
frequently, after being scourged, sold for slaves; and occasionally the
offender was made to lose his right hand, or was bled nearly to death.
Among the nations of Western Europe, the punishments for military
offenses were, till lately, no less severe than they were among the
Romans. Besides the infliction of a certain number of lashes with cords,
soldiers convicted of theft, marauding, or any other breach of
discipline which was not punishable with death, were sentenced to run
the gantlope. (See GANTLOPE.) In Russia the knout was extensively used.
(See KNOUT.) It is often necessary to punish to maintain discipline, and
the rules and articles of war provide ample means of punishment, but not
sufficient rewards and guards against errors of judgment. In the French
army degrading punishments are illegal, but soldiers may be confined to
quarters or deprived of the liberty of leaving the garrison; confined in
the guard-room, in prison, or in dungeon; required to walk or to perform
hard labor; and officers may be subjected to simple or rigorous arrests.
Every officer who inflicts a punishment, must account for it to his
superior, who approves or disapproves, confirms, augments, or diminishes
it. If an inferior is confined to the guard-room, he cannot be liberated
except upon application to a superior. Any officer who has been
subjected to punishment, must, when relieved, make a visit to him who
ordered it. The French code has, in a word, been careful to provide for
both the security of its citizens and the strength of authority. The
punishments established by law or custom for U. S. soldiers by sentence
of court-martial, are embodied in the Articles of War. (See APPENDIX,
ARTICLES OF WAR.) It is regarded as inhuman to punish by solitary
confinement, or confinement on bread and water exceeding fourteen days
at a time, or for more than eighty-four days in a year, at intervals of
fourteen days.
=Punitz.= A town of Prussia in the province of Posen. A battle was
fought here in 1706, between the Saxons and the Swedes, in which the
latter were victorious.
=Punjab=, or =Five Rivers=. An extensive river of Hindostan, situated
chiefly in the province of Lahore, but including Moultan, and comprising
the country traversed by the “five great waters,” or rivers, of which
the Indus is the most westerly, and the Sutlej the most easterly. This
region was traversed by Alexander the Great in 327 B.C.; and again by
Tamerlane in 1398. The wars with the Sikhs began here on March 29, 1849,
when the Punjab was annexed to the British possessions in India.
=Punkah.= A swinging fan used in the hot districts of India.
=Purchasing.= Any person purchasing from any soldier his arms, uniform,
clothing, or any part thereof, may be punished by any civil court having
cognizance of the same, by fine in any sum not exceeding $300, or by
imprisonment not exceeding one year.--_Act of March 16, 1802._
=Purpure.= In heraldry, the color purple, expressed in engravings by
lines in bend sinister. It is of unfrequent occurrence in British
heraldry.
=Pursuit.= The act of following or going after; a following with haste,
either for sport or hostility; as, the pursuit of an enemy.
=Pursuivant.= The third and lowest order of heraldic officers. The
office was instituted as a novitiate, or state of probation, through
which the offices of herald and king-at-arms were ordinarily to be
attained, though it has been held that a herald or king-at-arms may be
made _per saltum_. For the present titles of the several British
pursuivants, see HERALD. In ancient times any great nobleman might
institute his own pursuivant with his own hands and by his single
authority. The dukes of Norfolk had a pursuivant called _Blanch-lyon_,
from the white lion in their arms; the pursuivant of the dukes of
Northumberland was styled _Espérance_ from the Percy motto, and Richard
Nevil, earl of Salisbury, had a pursuivant called _Egle vert_.
=Purveyor.= A person employed to make purchases, or to provide food,
medicines, and necessaries for the sick.
=Push.= To press against with force; to drive or impel by pressure; as,
to push back an enemy.
=Push.= An assault or attack; a forcible onset; a vigorous effort.
=Put to the Sword, To.= To kill with the sword; to slay.
=Puteoli= (the modern _Puzzuoli_). A celebrated seaport town of
Campania, was situated on the eastern shore of the Gulf of Baiæ. A
colony from the neighboring Greek city of Cumæ founded it in 521 B.C.,
under the name of Dicæarchia. In the second Punic war the Romans
fortified it, and changed its name into that of Puteoli. It was
destroyed by Alaric in 410, by Genseric in 455, and also by Totila in
545, but was on each occasion speedily rebuilt. In the 9th century the
Lombard dukes of Benevento reduced it.
=Putteeala.= A town of British India, capital of a dependent native
state of the same name, in Sirhind, on the Kosilla, 1023 miles northwest
of Calcutta. It was taken possession of by the British in 1809, but the
rajah retains the sovereignty, on condition of furnishing a certain
number of troops in case of war to the British government.
=Puzzuoli=, or =Pozzuoli=. See PUTEOLI.
=Pydna= (now _Kitron_). A town of Macedonia, in the district Pieria, was
situated at a small distance west of the Thermaic Gulf, on which it had
a harbor. It was originally a Greek colony, but was subdued by the
Macedonian kings, from whom, however, it frequently revolted. Toward the
end of the Peloponnesian war it was taken after a long siege by
Archelaus. It again revolted from the Macedonians, and was subdued by
Philip, who enlarged and fortified the place. It was here that Olympias
sustained a long siege against Cassander, 317-16 B.C. It is especially
memorable on account of the victory gained under its walls by Æmilius
Paulus over Perseus, the last king of Macedonia, 168 B.C.
=Pylos=, or =Pilus=. In the southwest of Messenia, was situated at the
foot of Mount Ægaleos on a promontory at the northern entrance of the
basin, now called the Bay of Navarino, the largest and safest harbor of
Greece. In the second Messenian war the inhabitants of Pylos offered a
long and brave resistance to the Spartans; but after the capture of Ira,
they were obliged to quit their native country with the rest of the
Messenians. It again became memorable in the Peloponnesian war, when the
Athenians under Demosthenes built a fort on the promontory Coryphasium,
a little south of the ancient city, and just within the northern
entrance of the harbor (425 B.C.). The attempts of the Spartans to
dislodge the Athenians proved unavailing; and the capture by Cleon of
the Spartans, who had landed in the island of Sphacteria, was one of the
most important events in the whole war.
=Pyramids, Battle of the.= So called from having taken place close to
the large pyramids in the plain of Mummies, at Waardam, within a few
miles of Grand Cairo. A previous engagement had been fought on July 15,
1799, between the Mamelukes under Murad Bey and the French army,
commanded by Bonaparte in person. On July 21, 1799, the second battle,
called the “battle of the Pyramids,” was fought, when Bonaparte defeated
the Mamelukes under Murad Bey and thus subdued Lower Egypt.
=Pyrenees, Battle of the.= The Pyrenees are a chain of mountains which
separate Spain from France, and are nearly 75 miles broad. Towards the
close of the Peninsular war, in 1813, these mountains were the scene of
many severe conflicts between the British troops under the Duke of
Wellington and the French forces under Marshal Soult. After the defeat
of Joseph Bonaparte at Vittoria, Soult took the command of the French
armies as _lieutenant de l’empereur_; and after addressing the beaten
soldiery in language that proved fatally unprophetic, he hastened to
relieve the beleaguered fortresses, and the result was “the battles of
the Pyrenees.” Pampeluna, Roncesvalles, Maya, Orthez, etc., were the
seats of the principal struggles. For nine days the armies had been in
each other’s presence; and in severe operations and desperate fighting
these days were unexampled. The allied casualties exceeded 7000
men,--and those of the French might be safely set down at 15,000.
=Pyrgi.= Movable towers, used by the Greeks in scaling the walls of
besieged towns. They were driven forward upon wheels, and were divided
into different stories, capable of carrying a great number of soldiers
and military engines.
=Pyroboli.= Fireballs, used both by the Greeks and Romans. They seem to
have been the very same as the malleoli.
=Pyrometer.= An instrument for determining the pressure of fired
gunpowder by the registered compression of oil,--invented by Dr. W. E.
Woodbridge, and used by him and Maj. Mordecai (U. S. Ordnance
Department) in experiments at Washington Arsenal, 1854-55. It consists
of a small hollow steel cylinder filled with oil and a piston which is
pressed inwards upon the oil by the powder gases. The piston has a small
stem projecting inwards, which is guided by a tube in the bottom of the
cylinder. A steel point presses against the stem and scratches a line
upon it, when the piston is moved. The pyrometer is received by a hollow
screw-plug placed in the side of the gun at the point where the pressure
is to be taken. This instrument is probably the most accurate and
delicate one ever invented for the purpose. In the experiments it
recorded certain vibrations in the column of gases, which have been
generally neglected by theorists on the subject, but which are of great
importance to the life of the gun. It seems unfortunate that an
instrument which promised so much should have been allowed to fall into
disuse, if not almost oblivion.
=Pyrotechny.= Is the art of preparing ammunition and fireworks for
military and ornamental purposes. (See AMMUNITION.) Military fireworks
comprise preparations for the service of _cannon ammunition_, and for
_signal_, _light_, _incendiary_, and _defensive_ and _offensive_
purposes. The term composition is applied to all mechanical mixtures
which, by combustion, produce the effects sought to be attained in
pyrotechny. The preparations for the service of ammunition are
_slow-match_, _quick-match_, _port-fires_, _friction-tubes_, and
_fuzes_.
_Slow-match_ is used to preserve fire. It may be made of hemp or cotton
rope; if made of hemp, the rope is saturated with acetate of lead, or
the lye of wood-ashes; if made of cotton, it is only necessary that the
strands be well twisted. Slow-match burns from 4 to 5 inches in an hour.
_Quick-match_ is made of cotton-yarn (candle-wick) saturated with a
composition of mealed powder and gummed spirits; after saturation, the
yarn is wound on a reel, sprinkled (dredged) with mealed powder and left
to dry. It is used to communicate fire, and burns at the rate of one
yard in thirteen seconds. The rate of burning may be much increased by
inclosing it in a thin paper tube called a _leader_.
_Port-fire_ is a paper case containing a composition, the flame of which
is capable of quickly igniting primers, quick-match, etc. A port-fire is
about 22 inches long, and burns with an intense flame for ten minutes.
_Friction-tube_ is at present the principal preparation for firing
cannon; it has the advantage of portability and certainty of fire. It is
composed of two brass tubes soldered at right angles. The upper, or
short tube contains a charge of friction-powder, and the _roughed_
extremity of a wire loop, the long tube is filled with rifle-powder, and
is inserted in the vent of the piece. When the extremity of the loop is
violently pulled by means of a lanyard, through its hole in the long
tube, sufficient heat is generated to ignite the friction-powder which
surrounds it, and this communicates with the grained powder in the long
tube. The charge of grained powder has sufficient force to pass through
the longest vent, and penetrate several thicknesses of cartridge-cloth.
_Fuzes._--See FUZE.
_Fireworks for Signals._--The preparations for signals are _rockets_ and
_blue-lights_.
_Signal-Rockets._--The principal parts of a signal-rocket are the
_case_, the _composition_, the _pot_, the _decorations_, and the
_stick_. The _case_ is made by rolling stout paper around a former. The
vent is formed by choking one end of the case.
_Composition._--A variety of compositions are employed for
signal-rockets; a mixture of nitre 12 parts, sulphur 2 parts, charcoal 2
parts, is frequently used. The _pot_ is formed of a paper cylinder,
slipped over and pasted to the top of the case; it is surmounted with a
paper cone, filled with tow. The object of the pot is to contain the
decorations which are scattered through the air by the explosion which
takes place when the rocket reaches the summit of its trajectory; the
explosion is produced by a small charge of mealed powder. The
_decorations_ of rockets are _stars_, _serpents_, _marrons_, _gold
rain_, _rain of fire_, etc.
_Stars._--The compositions for stars are, for _white_: nitre 7 parts,
sulphur 3 parts, mealed powder 2 parts; for _red_: chlorate of potassa
7 parts, sulphur 4 parts, lampblack 1 part, nitrate of strontia 12
parts; _blue_: chlorate of potassa 3 parts, sulphur 1 part, ammoniacal
sulphate of copper 1 part; _yellow_: chlorate of potassa 4 parts,
sulphur 2 parts, sulphate of strontia 1 part, bicarbonate of soda 1
part.
_Serpents._--The case of a serpent is similar to that of a rocket; the
composition is driven in, and the top is closed with moist plaster of
Paris. The composition is nitre 3 parts, sulphur 3 parts, mealed powder
16 parts, charcoal ¹⁄₂ part.
_Marrons._--Marrons are small paper shells, or cubes, filled with
grained powder, and primed with a short piece of quick-match.
_Stick._--The stick is a tapering piece of pine, about nine times the
length of the case.
_Blue Light._--A very brilliant bluish light may be made of the
following ingredients, viz.: nitre 14 parts, sulphur 3.7 parts, realgar
1 part, mealed powder 1 part; the brilliancy depends on the purity and
thorough incorporation of the ingredients.
_Incendiary Fireworks._--Incendiary preparations are _fire-stone_,
_carcasses_, _incendiary-match_, and _hot shot_.
_Fire-stone_ is a composition that burns slowly, but intensely; it is
placed in a shell, along with the bursting charge, for the purpose of
setting fire to ships, buildings, etc. It is composed of nitre 10 parts,
sulphur 4 parts, antimony 1 part, rosin 3 parts.
_Carcass._--A common shell may be loaded as a carcass by placing the
bursting charge at the bottom of the cavity, and covering it with
carcass composition, driven in until the shell is nearly full, and then
inserting four or five strands of quick-match. This projectile, after
burning as a carcass, explodes as a shell. See CARCASS.
_Incendiary-match._--Is made by boiling slow-match in a saturated
solution of nitre, drying it, cutting it into pieces, and plunging it
into melted fire-stone. It is principally used in loaded shells.
_Hot Shot._--See HOT SHOT.
_Fireworks for Light._--The preparations for producing light are
_fire-balls_, _light-balls_, _tarred-links_, _pitched-fascines_, and
_torches_.
_Fire-ball._--A fire-ball is an oval-shaped canvas sack filled with
combustible composition. It is intended to be thrown from a mortar to
light up the works of an enemy, and is loaded with a shell to prevent it
from being approached and extinguished. The composition for a fire-ball
consists of nitre 8 parts, sulphur 2 parts, antimony 1 part. The bottom
of the sack is protected from the force of the charge by an iron cup
called a culob, and the whole is covered and strengthened with a
net-work of spun-yarn or wire, and then overlaid with a composition of
pitch, rosin, etc.
_Light-ball._--These are made in the same manner as fire-balls, the
shell being omitted.
_Tarred-links._--Tarred links are used for lighting up a rampart,
defile, etc., or for incendiary purposes. They consist of coils of soft
rope placed on top of each other, and loosely tied together; they are
immersed in a composition of 20 parts of pitch, and one of tallow; when
dry, they are plunged into a composition of equal parts of pitch and
rosin, and rolled in tow or sawdust.
_Pitched-fascines._--Fagots of vine twigs or other very combustible
wood, about 20 inches long and 4 inches in diameter, tied in three
places with iron wire. They may be treated in the same manner and used
for the same purposes as tarred-links.
_Torches._--A torch is a ball of rope impregnated with an inflammable
composition, and is fastened to the end of a stick, which is carried in
the hand.
_Offensive and Defensive Fireworks._--The principal preparations of this
class, employed in modern warfare, are _bags of powder_ and
_light-barrels_.
_Bags of Powder._--Bags or cases of powder may be used to blow down
gates, stockades, or form breaches in thin walls. The petard was
formerly employed for these purposes, but it is now generally thrown
aside. The effect of the explosion may be much increased by making three
sides of the bag of leather, and the fourth of canvas, which should rest
against the object.
_Light-barrel._--A light barrel is a common powder barrel pierced with
numerous holes, and filled with shavings that have been soaked in a
composition of pitch and rosin; it serves to light up a breach, or the
bottom of a ditch.
_Fireworks._--Ornamental fireworks are divided into fixed pieces,
movable pieces, decorative pieces, and preparations for communicating
fire from one part of a piece to another. The different effects are
produced by modifying the proportions of the ingredients of the burning
composition, so as to quicken or retard combustion, or by introducing
substances that give color and brilliancy to the flame. The fixed pieces
are _lances_, _petards_, _gerbes_, _flames_, etc.
_Lances._--These are small paper tubes filled with a composition which
emits a brilliant light in burning. See LANCE A FEU.
_Petard._--Petards are small paper cartridges filled with powder.
_Gerbe._--Gerbes are strong paper tubes or cases filled with a burning
composition. The ends are tamped with moist plaster of Paris or clay.
The movable pieces are _sky-rockets_, _tourbillions_, _Saxons_, _jets_,
_Roman candles_, _paper shells_, etc.
_Sky-rocket._--Sky-rockets are the same as the signal-rockets before
described, except that the composition is arranged to give out a more
brilliant train of fire. Composition: 122 parts mealed powder, 80 parts
nitre, 40 parts sulphur, and 40 parts cast-iron filings.
_Tourbillion._--The tourbillion is a case filled with sky-rocket
composition, and which moves with an upward spiral motion.
_Saxon._--The Saxon is similar to the tourbillion; it has the appearance
of a revolving sun.
_Jets._--Jets are rocket-cases filled with a burning composition; they
are attached to the circumference of a wheel, or the end of a movable
arm, to set it in motion.
_Roman candles._--A Roman candle is a strong paper tube containing
stars, which are successively thrown out by a small charge of powder
placed under each star. A slow-burning composition is placed over each
star to prevent its taking fire at once.
_Paper Shell._--This piece is a paper shell filled with decorative
pieces, and fired from a common mortar. It contains a small bursting
charge of powder, and has a fuze regulated to ignite it when the shell
reaches the summit of its trajectory.
_Decorative Pieces._--Decorative pieces are _stars_, _serpents_,
_marrons_, etc., described under the head of ROCKETS.
_Preparations for communicating fire_ from one piece to another are
_quick-match_, _leaders, ort-fires_, and _mortar-fuzes_. The leader is
a thin paper tube containing a strand of quick-match. See QUICK-MATCH,
etc.
=Pyroxyline=, or =Pyroxyle=. Gun-cotton (which see).
=Pyrrhic Dance.= The most famous of all the war-dances of antiquity; is
said to have received its name from Pyrrhus, or Neoptolemus, the son of
Achilles, and was a Doric invention. According to Plato, it aimed to
represent the nimble motions of a warrior either avoiding missiles and
blows, or assaulting the enemy; and in the Doric states it was as much a
piece of military training as an amusement. Elsewhere in Greece, it was
purely a mimetic dance, in which the parts were sometimes represented by
women. It formed part of the public entertainments at the Panathenaic
festivals. Julius Cæsar introduced it at Rome, where it became a great
favorite.
Q.
=Quadi.= A powerful and warlike German tribe, belonging to the Suevic
race, whose territories were situated between the Danube, the Bohemian
mountains, and the river Marus. They make their first appearance in
history in the 1st century as formidable foes of the Romans. Their
bodies were covered with mail, consisting of plates of horn; their
weapons were long spears; and each man had three swift horses for his
use in battle. Thus equipped, they commenced the practice of making
rapid and sweeping raids into Pannonia, Mœsia, and other neighboring
provinces. Sometimes they routed the imperial forces which tried to
check their inroads. At all times they returned home with their
predatory spirit unbroken. No reverses in fact, however frequent, could
daunt those wild border troopers of the Danube. The emperors Marcus
Aurelius, Probus, Carus, and Valentinian I., defeated them without
subduing or crushing them. The last glimpse that we get of them in
history shows them in company with other barbaric hordes, in 407,
overrunning Gaul, and reveling in boundless havoc and slaughter.
=Quadrant.= An instrument for measuring altitudes, variously constructed
and mounted for different specific uses in astronomy, surveying,
gunnery, etc., consisting commonly of a graduated arc of 90°, with an
index or vernier, and either plain or telescopic sights, together with a
plumb-line or spirit-level for fixing the vertical or horizontal
direction.
=Quadrant, Gunner’s.= See GUNNER’S QUADRANT.
=Quadrat.= Or to quadrat a gun, is to see it duly placed on its
carriage, and that the wheels be of an equal height.
=Quadriga.= In antiquity, a car or chariot, drawn by four horses
harnessed abreast. This chariot was used in battle and in triumphal
processions.