the borders of Arcadia, with a town called Scirus, which originally
belonged to Arcadia. Its inhabitants, the Sciritæ, formed a special
division of the Lacedæmonian army. This body, which, in the time of the
Peloponnesian war, was 600 in number, was stationed in battle at the
extreme left of the line, formed on march the vanguard, and was usually
employed on the most dangerous kinds of service.
=Sconce.= In fortification, is a term applied to any small redoubt or
fort, detached from the main works for some local object, as the defense
of a pass or fort, etc. The word is not now often used.
=Scopetin= (_Fr._). A rifleman was formerly so called who was armed with
the escopette.
=Scordisci.= A people in Pannonia Superior, who are sometimes classed
among the Illyrians, but were the remains of an ancient and powerful
Celtic tribe. They dwelt between the Savus and Dravus.
=Scorpion= (_Fr._). A small kind of catapult, or large cross-bow, which
threw heavy arrows by means of a steel bow, which was bent by a
double-handed roller turned by one man.
=Scorpion= (_Fr._). An ancient gun, whose dolphins represented the
scorpion. Also the name of an implement used by the ancients for laying
hold of the enemy’s battering ram.
=Scotch Brigade.= A brigade of Scotchmen, gentlemen, and others, who
served under the elector of Bavaria in the reign of James I., and
subsequently under Gustavus Adolphus in the Thirty Years’ War.
=Scotland.= The northern division of the island of Great Britain. An
account has been given under the article Picts (which see) of the early
inhabitants of the country which has long been known by the name of
Scotland. The original Scotia, or Scotland, was Ireland, and the Scoti,
or Scots, at their first appearance in history were the people of
Ireland. The original seat of the Scots in Northern Britain was in
Argyle, which they acquired by colonization and conquest before the end
of the 5th century, and from whence they spread themselves along the
western coast from the Firth of Clyde to the modern Ross. The first
prince of the British Scots mentioned in authentic annals was Fergus,
son of Eric, who crossed over to Britain about the year 503. His
great-grandson, Conal, was king of the British Scots when Columba began
the conversion of the Northern Picts. His nephew, Aidan, who succeeded
him was a powerful prince, and more than once successfully invaded the
English border, but toward the end of his reign he received a severe
defeat from the Northumbrian sovereign Ethelfrid at the battle of
Degsestan. The history of Aidan’s successors is obscure. Their kingdom
was overshadowed by the more powerful monarchy of the Picts, with which,
as well as with its neighbors in the south,--the Britons of Cumbria,--it
was engaged in almost unceasing conflict. The Scots were for some time
under some sort of subjection to the English of Northumbria, but
recovered their independence on the defeat and death of King Egfried in
battle with the Picts at Nechtansmere in 685. In the middle of the 9th
century, the Scots acquired a predominance in Northern Britain. Kenneth,
son of Alpin, succeeded his father as king of the Scots. The Pictish
kingdom was weakened by civil dissensions and a disputed claim to the
crown. The Picts and Scots, each speaking a dialect of the Celtic
tongue, gradually coalesced into one people. The reign of Constantine,
son of Aodh, who succeeded in 904, was a remarkable one. Even before the
establishment of the kingdom of the Picts and Scots in the person of
Kenneth, Northern Britain had experienced the attacks of a new enemy,
the Scandinavian invaders, generally spoken of under the name of Danes.
Constantine resisted them bravely, but towards the end of his reign, he
entered into an alliance with them in opposition to the English. A
powerful army, composed of Scots, Picts, Britons, and Danes, disembarked
on the Humber, and was encountered at Brunanburgh by Athelstan, king of
England. A battle was fought there, the first of a series of unfortunate
combats by Scottish princes on English ground. The confederate army was
defeated, but Constantine escaped, and died 953. During the reign of
Malcolm I., a portion of the Cumbrian kingdom was bestowed by Edmund,
king of England, on the Scottish sovereign. The northern kingdom was
still further increased in the reign of Kenneth, son of Malcolm, by the
acquisition of Lothian and of Northern Cumbria, or Strathclyde.
Alexander III. employed the period of his reign well; by a treaty with
the king of Norway, he added to his kingdom Man and the other islands of
the Western Sea. The reigns of David II. and his successors, Robert II.
and Robert III., were the most wretched period of Scottish history. In
the year 1411, half of the kingdom would have become barbarous if the
invasion of the Lord of the Isles had not been repulsed at Harlaw (which
see). The vigorous rule of James I. had restored a tranquillity to which
his kingdom had long been unaccustomed; but strife and discord were
again brought back on his assassination. The reigns of Charles II. and
James VII. were more corrupt and oppressive than any which Scotland had
experienced since the regencies in the minority of James VI.; the
natural result was the revolution, which seated William and Mary on the
throne. Under James VI., who succeeded to the throne of England, the
kingdoms became united, from which period (1603) the annals of the two
kingdoms became almost identical, though they both retained their
independence, and continued to be ruled by separate titles till the Act
of Union in 1707.
=Scots Fusileer Guards.= See GUARDS.
=Scots Grays.= The 2d regiment of dragoons in the British service is so
named. They are considered a superior body of cavalry, and bear as their
motto “Second to None.”
=Scott Projectile.= See PROJECTILE.
=Scotussa.= A very ancient town of Thessaly, in the district of
Pelasgiotis, near the source of the Cynoscephalæ, where Flamininus
gained his celebrated victory over Philip, 197 B.C.
=Scour, To.= This term is frequently used to express the act of
discharging ordnance or musketry, rapidly and heavily, for the purpose
of dislodging an enemy. Hence, to scour the rampart, or the covert way.
It likewise signifies to clear, to drive away; as, to scour the seas;
also to run about in a loose desultory manner; as, to scour the country.
_To scour a line_, is to flank it, so as to see directly along it, that
a musket-ball entering at one end may fly to the other, leaving no place
of security.
=Scout.= A person sent out in the front or on the flank of an army to
observe the force and movements of the enemy. He should be a keen
observer, and withal fleet of foot, or well mounted.
=Scout-master-General.= A person, formerly so called, under whose
direction all the scouts and army messengers were placed.
=Screw.= See ELEVATING SCREW.
=Screw-jack.= See IMPLEMENTS.
=Scribe= (Heb. _Sofer_). Among the Jews, originally a kind of military
officer, whose business appears to have been the recruiting and
organizing of troops, the levying of war-taxes, and the like. At a later
period, especially at the time of Christ, it had come to designate a
learned man, a doctor of the law.
=Scutari.= A town of Asiatic Turkey, opposite Constantinople. It was
anciently called _Chrysopolis_, “golden city,” in consequence, it is
said, of the Persians having established a treasury here when they
attempted the conquest of Greece. Near here Constantine finally defeated
Licinius, 323. Scutari Hospital was occupied by the sick and wounded of
the Anglo-French army in 1854-55, whose sufferings were much alleviated
by the kind exertions of Miss Florence Nightingale and a band of nurses
under her.
=Scutum.= A Roman buckler made of wood, the parts being joined together
with little plates of iron, and the whole covered with a bull’s hide. In
the middle was an _umbo_, or boss of iron, which jutted out, and was
useful to glance off stones or darts. The _scuta_, in general, were 4
feet long, and different in size from the _clypei_, which were less, and
quite round.
=Scythed.= Armed or furnished with scythes, as some of the ancient
chariots were.
=Scythia.= A name employed in ancient times to denote a vast,
indefinite, and almost unknown territory north and east of the Black
Sea, the Caspian, and the Sea of Aral. This country was inhabited by a
race of people who were called Scythæ, but who called themselves
Scoloti. Only two important events in Scythian history are mentioned by
Herodotus; the one is the invasion of Media by the Scythians, and the
other that of Scythia by Darius. In 624 B.C. the Scythians entered
Media, defeated Cyaxares, the reigning monarch, and occupied the land
for twenty-eight years before they were expelled. It was at least
ostensibly in revenge for this incursion that Darius Hystaspis
determined to invade Scythia about 513 B.C. He formed a bridge across
the Danube, and crossing that river obtained some advantages over the
Scythians. But he was unable to effect any real conquest over these
nomad tribes, and narrowly escaped having his retreat cut off by the
destruction of the bridge.
=Sea-coast Carriage.= See ORDNANCE, CARRIAGES FOR.
=Sea-coast Artillery.= Is a species of artillery which is used for the
defense of the sea-coast. In the United States it consists of 15-inch
and 20-inch smooth-bores, 12-inch rifles, and 10-inch and 13-inch
mortars. (See ORDNANCE.) The 24-pounder flank-defense howitzer, although
no longer belonging to the system, is still employed in several of the
forts on the sea-board. Sea-coast pieces are mounted on barbette,
casemate, and flank-casemate carriages; and the carriage upon which the
mortar is mounted is called its _bed_. These carriages do not subserve
the purpose of transportation. The heaviest rifle-cannon should be
placed on the salients and flanks of a fortification, having an
enfilading fire on a channel. Heavy smooth-bore pieces should occupy the
curtains and faces which bear, directly on the channel. The 24-pounder
flank-defense howitzer is employed in the defense of ditches. Single- or
double-shotted canister should be fired from it. The Gatling gun has
been recommended as a desirable auxiliary in special cases. A 12-pounder
field-piece may be usefully employed to prevent a landing, or to fire in
close engagements at the rigging and boats of vessels. There are three
kinds of fire generally employed,--_direct_, _ricochet_, and _plunging_.
The first should be used when the surface of the water is rough, and the
accuracy of the rebound cannot be depended on. In aiming at a vessel
with _direct_ fire, the piece should be pointed at the water-line. The
effective range of _direct_ fire is about one mile and a quarter. The
intended effect of sea-coast mortars is to strike the decks of vessels,
penetrating to the bottom and causing them to sink.
=Sea-coast Howitzer.= See SEA-COAST ARTILLERY.
=Sea-horse.= In heraldry, a fabulous animal, consisting of the upper
part of a horse with webbed feet, united to the tail of a fish. A
scalloped fin is carried down the back. The arms of the town of
Cambridge are supported by two sea-horses, proper finned and maned or.
=Sea-lion.= In heraldry, a monster consisting of the upper part of a
lion combined with the tail of a fish.
=Sealkote.= A town in the Punjab, near the left bank of the Chenab, 65
miles north-northeast from Lahore. All the European troops had been
removed in July, 1857, to repress disturbances that had broken out
elsewhere, and on the 9th of that month the native troops fired on their
officers. A considerable number of Europeans were killed, and the
survivors suffered great privations until the Sepoys, having plundered
the station, started off in the direction of Delhi.
=Search a Country, To.= Is to examine minutely all the inlets and
outlets, woods, rivers, etc., of a country through which an army is to
advance.
=Searcher.= See INSPECTION OF CANNON.
=Seasoned Troops.= Are troops that have been accustomed to climate, and
are not so liable to become the victims of any endemical disorder as raw
men unavoidably are.
=Seat of War.= The country in which a war is being carried on.
=Sebastopol=, or =Sevastopol=. A Russian seaport, fortress, and arsenal
in the Crimea, in the government of Taurida. It is situated near the
southwest extremity of the Crimea, on the southern side of the
magnificent harbor or roadstead of Sebastopol, one of the finest natural
harbors in the world. The siege of Sebastopol by the allied English and
French armies will rank among the most famous sieges in history; it
lasted for eleven months, from October, 1854, to September, 1855.
Immediately after the battle of the Alma, September 20, 1854, the allied
army marched to Sebastopol, and took up its position on the plateau
between it and Balaklava, and the grand attack and bombardment commenced
October 17, 1854, without success. After many sanguinary encounters by
day and night, and repeated bombardments, a grand assault was made on
September 8, 1855, upon the Malakoff tower and the redans, the most
important fortifications to the south of the town. The French succeeded
in capturing and retaining the Malakoff. The attacks of the English on
the great redan and of the French upon the little redan were successful,
but the assailants were compelled to retire after a desperate struggle
with great loss of life. The French lost 1646 killed, of whom 5 were
generals, 24 superior and 116 inferior officers, 4500 wounded, and 1400
missing. The English lost 385 killed, 1886 wounded, and 176 missing. In
the night the Russians abandoned the southern and principal part of the
town and fortifications, after destroying as much as possible, and
crossed to the northern forts. They also sank or burnt the remainder of
their fleet. The allies found a very great amount of stores when they
entered the place, September 9. The works were utterly destroyed in
April, 1856, and the town was restored to the Russians in July.
=Second.= The next in order to the first; the next in place or station;
as, a second lieutenant of the artillery service.
=Second Covert Way.= In fortification, is that beyond the second ditch.
=Second Ditch.= In fortification, is that made on the outside of the
glacis, when the ground is low and there is plenty of water.
=Second Flank.= See FLANK, OBLIQUE.
=Second, To.= To aid or assist; to support.
=Secondary Bases.= The bases established at the beginning of a campaign
and from which the first advances are made, are known as _primary
bases_. An army carries with it ammunition only sufficient for one
battle, and but a few days’ supply of food. Other supplies of ammunition
and provisions must be brought from the base; and as an army advances,
the difficulty of keeping it supplied increases. Unless some additional
provision be made for its supply, the army cannot advance and is then
said to be “tied to its base.” As the necessary supplies cannot be
obtained in the theatre of operations in sufficient quantities for the
daily needs of an army, depots and magazines must be organized near the
army from which these supplies can be procured, and these together form
what is known as a _secondary base_.
=Seconding.= In Great Britain, is a temporary retirement to which
officers of Royal Artillery and Royal Engineers are subjected when they
accept civil employment under the crown. After six months of such
employment the officer is seconded, by which he loses military pay, but
retains his rank, seniority, and promotion in his corps. After being
seconded for ten years, he must elect to return to military duty or to
retire altogether.
=Secrecy.= In military economy this quality is peculiarly requisite. It
signifies fidelity to a secret; taciturnity inviolate; close silence.
Officers, in particular, should be well aware of the importance of it,
as the divulging of what has been confidentially intrusted to them,
especially on expeditions, might render the whole project abortive. The
slightest deviation from it is very justly considered a breach of honor,
as scandalous conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman. In official
matters the person so offending is liable to the severest punishment
and penalty.
=Secretary of War.= Is an officer of the executive department and member
of the Cabinet, appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate,
and has charge of all duties connected with the army of the United
States, fortifications, etc., issues of commissions, movement of troops,
payment, commissary, etc., and engineering. The following is extracted
from the law of the United States:
“There shall be at the seat of government an executive department to be
known as the Department of War, and a Secretary of War, who shall be the
head thereof.
“The Secretary of War shall perform such duties as shall from time to
time be enjoined on or intrusted to him by the President relative to
military commissions, the military forces, the warlike stores of the
United States, or to other matters respecting military affairs, and he
shall conduct the business of the department in such manner as the
President shall direct.
“The Secretary of War shall have the custody and charge of all the
books, records, papers, furniture, fixtures, and other property
appertaining to the department.
“The Secretary of War shall from time to time cause to be collected and
transmitted to him, at the seat of government, all such flags,
standards, and colors as are taken by the army from enemies of the
United States.
“The Secretary of War shall from time to time define and prescribe the
kinds as well as the amount of supplies to be purchased by the
subsistence and quartermaster departments of the army, and the duties
and powers thereof respecting such purchases, and shall prescribe
general regulations for the transportation of the articles or supply
from the place of purchase to the several armies, garrisons, posts, and
recruiting-places, for the safe-keeping of such articles, and for the
distribution of an adequate and timely supply of the same to the
regimental quartermasters, and to such other officers as may by virtue
of such regulations be intrusted with the same, and shall fix and make
reasonable allowances for the store rent and storage necessary for the
safe-keeping of all military stores and supplies.
“The transportation of troops, munitions of war, equipments, military
property, and stores, throughout the United States, shall be under the
immediate control and supervision of the Secretary of War and such
agents as he may appoint.”
The British secretary of war was formerly a high officer of the British
ministry, having control of the financial arrangements of the army, and
being the responsible medium for parliamentary supervision in military
affairs. The formation of a war-office proper took place about 1620, the
secretary of state having previously performed its duties. It was,
however, limited to financial authority, neither the commander-in-chief
nor the muster-general of the ordnance being subject to it. During the
Russian war the evils of this divided authority led to the creation of a
secretary of state for war, to control all the military departments. The
secretaryship-at-war was merged in the superior office in 1855, and
abolished by act of Parliament in 1863. See MINISTER.
=Section.= A certain proportion of a battalion or company, when it is
told off for military movements and evolutions.
=Sector of Explosion.= At the moment that a gun is fired, there is a
sort of spherical sector of fire formed in front of the piece, whose
extremity presses against the bottom of the bore, while the external
portion of it terminates in the air, which this sector compresses and
drives in every direction; the air thus forming a support, the sector
reacts with its full force upon the bottom of the bore and causes the
recoil of the piece.
=Secure, To.= In a military sense, is to preserve, to keep, to make
certain; as, to secure a plan; to secure a conquest. In the management
of a musket, it signifies to bring it to a certain position, by which
the lock is secured against rain. Hence, _secure arms_ is a word of
command which is given to troops who are under arms in wet weather.
=Secuteur= (_Fr._). A gladiator who was armed with a helmet, shield, and
sword, or leaden club, and who fought with the _Retiaire_.
=Sedan.= A town of France, department of Ardennes, on the Meuse; it is
fortified, and contains an arsenal and several magazines. On July 6,
1641, a victory was gained at La Marfée, near Sedan, by the Count of
Soissons and the troops of Bouillon and other French princes over the
royal army supporting Richelieu. On August 29-31, 1870, a series of
desperate conflicts took place here between the French Army of the North
under MacMahon (about 150,000 men), and the greater part of the three
German armies, under the king and crown-prince of Prussia and the
crown-prince of Saxony (about 250,000 men), and was brought to a close
on September 1, 1870. The battle began with attacks on the French right
and left, about 5 A.M., and was very severe at 2 P.M. At 4 P.M. the
Germans remained masters of the field, and the crown-prince of Prussia
announced a complete victory, the chief part of the French army
retreating into Sedan. The emperor Napoleon was present during the
battle, and, it is said, stood at Iges, near Sedan, exposed for four
hours to the German grenades. The impossibility of further resistance
was then evident. The Germans had contracted their circle close around
Sedan; their formidable artillery held all the heights, from which they
could at pleasure wholly destroy the town and the army, and only 2000
men were in a condition to respond to their commander’s call, and to
make a supreme effort to break through the enemy with the emperor, and
escape to Montmédy. At first, Gen. de Wimpffen (called to the command
when MacMahon was wounded), indignantly rejected the terms offered by
the victor, and the emperor had a fruitless interview with Count
Bismarck to endeavor to mitigate them. On September 2, 1870, a
capitulation of Sedan and the whole army therein was signed by Gens. von
Moltke and de Wimpffen, at the chateau of Bellevue, near Frenois. The
conflict was principally carried on by the artillery, in which the
Germans had the advantage, not only in number (600 to 500), but also in
weight, range, and precision. The carnage was awful, and the field the
next day was a mass of shattered bones, torn flesh, and colored rags.
About 25,000 French prisoners were taken in the battle, and 83,000
surrendered the next day, together with 70 mitrailleures, 400
field-pieces, and 150 fortress guns. About 14,000 French wounded were
found lying in the neighborhood, and about 3000 escaped into Belgium and
laid down their arms. The great Army of the North ceased to exist. On
September 1, the village of Bazeilles was stormed by the Bavarians and
burnt, it was said, because the inhabitants fired on the ambulances;
many women and children perished. The French denied the provocation. The
place had been previously twice bombarded and stormed by the maddened
combatants.
=Sedgemoor.= A wild tract of England, in Somersetshire, between
Bridgewater and King’s Weston, where the Duke of Monmouth (the natural
son of Charles II. by Lucy Walters), who had risen in rebellion on the
accession of James II., was completely defeated by the royal army, July
6, 1685. The duke was made a prisoner in the disguise of a peasant, at
the bottom of a ditch, overcome with hunger, fatigue, and anxiety.
=Sedition.= In a military sense, is to disobey orders, to cabal or form
factions against the officer or officers in command; to loosen
confidence; to resist or oppose orders, or to stir up mutiny. It is an
offense in military law of the most fatal character, and always punished
in a most exemplary manner.
=Sedusii.= A German people, forming part of the army of Ariovistus when
he invaded Gaul, 58 B.C.; they are not mentioned at a later period, and
consequently their site cannot be determined.