thing; as, to see service. _To have seen a shot fired_ is a figurative
expression in the British service, signifying to have been in action;
also, to have been under fire.
=Seetabuldee.= A strong military position in Hindostan, near Nagpore,
where a severe contest took place during the Mahratta war between the
Boosla rajah and a small number of the British troops, in which the
former were defeated.
=Segbans.= Are horsemen among the Turks who have care of the baggage
belonging to cavalry regiments.
=Segesta.= A town situated in the northwest of Sicily, near the coast,
between Panormus and Drepanum. Its inhabitants were constantly engaged
in hostilities with Selinus; and it was at their solicitation that the
Athenians were led to embark in their unfortunate expedition against
Sicily. The town was taken by Agathocles, who destroyed or sold as
slaves all its inhabitants, peopled the city with a body of deserters,
and changed its name into that of Dicæopolis; but after the death of
this tyrant, the remainder of the ancient inhabitants returned to the
city, and it resumed its former name.
=Seistan= (formerly called _Segestan_). A khanat or principality of
Asia, forming the southwest portion of Afghanistan. It was devastated by
Tamerlane in 1383.
=Sejant=, or =Assis=. In heraldry, is the term of blazon applied to a
beast in his usual sitting posture. A lion borne in full face, with his
forepaws extended sideways, is blazoned _sejant_ affronté, as in the
crest of Scotland.
=Sejour= (_Fr._). In a military sense, signifies a halting day.
=Selection.= The act of choosing in preference to others; hence,
selection of officers to act upon the staff, etc.; to select quarters,
etc. See QUARTERS, CHOICE OF.
=Seleucia ad Tigrin= (also called _Seleucia Babylonia_, _Seleucia
Assyriæ_, and _Seleucia Parthorum_). A great city on the confines of
Assyria and Babylonia, and for a long time the capital of Western Asia.
It commanded the navigation of the Tigris and Euphrates. It was burned
by Trajan in his Parthian expedition, and again by L. Verus, the
colleague of M. Aurelius Antoninus. It was again taken by Severus.
=Seleucia Pieria= (ruins, called _Seleukeh_, or _Kepse_, near
_Suadeiah_). A great city and fortress in Syria, founded by Seleucus in
April, 300 B.C. In the war with Egypt, which ensued upon the murder of
Antiochus II., Seleucia surrendered to Ptolemy III. Euergetes (246
B.C.). It was afterwards recovered by Antiochus the Great (219). In the
war between Antiochus VIII. and IX., the people of Seleucia made
themselves independent (109 or 108); afterwards they successfully
resisted the attacks of Tigranes for fourteen years (84-70). The city
had fallen entirely into decay by the 6th century of our era.
=Selictar.= A Turkish sabre.
=Seljuks=, or =Seljuk-Turks=. A small Turkish tribe which, at an early
date, took possession of Bokhara and the surrounding country. They
attracted the notice of Sultan Mahmoud, the founder of the dynasty of
the Ghuznevides, who had advanced into Bokhara with his army, and was so
impressed with the fine military qualities of their chief, that he
induced them to cross the Oxus and to occupy the country of Khorassan.
He had soon reason to repent of this fatal error. Like all those
wandering hordes, the Turkomans were shepherds or robbers. They either
molested the neighboring states by petty inroads, or, with the whole
united force of the nation, they practiced robbery on a great scale,
seizing on kingdoms and despoiling nations. The first migrations of
these Eastern Turkomans is generally fixed in the 10th century. They
became formidable to Mahmoud, and more especially to his successor,
Massoud, who, from inability to resist their progress, was forced to
grant them lands. He was afterwards defeated by them in a great battle;
and the victorious Turks, under their leader, Togrul Beg, whom they now
elected king, invaded Khorassan, and finally expelled the Ghuznevides,
the descendants of Mahmoud, from the eastern provinces of Persia. They
fled eastwards towards the Indus, and established the Ghuznian empire in
the northwestern provinces of India. This empire was maintained with
various success till about the year 1184, under the Ghuznian emperors,
when they were superseded by that of the Afghan or Patan emperors, who
completed the conquest of the greatest part of Hindustan Proper about
1210. Togrul Beg hastened to improve his victory over the Persian
monarch. Turning his arms to the west, he invaded Irak, in the centre of
Persia, and advancing westward of the Caspian Sea into Azerbijan, the
ancient Media, he made his first approaches to the confines of the Roman
empire. He afterwards proceeded to Bagdad, and by his conquest of that
place, gained possession of the caliph. His successors Alp Arslan and
Malek Shah extended the empire transmitted to them by Togrul Beg. They
subdued the fairest portions of Asia. Jerusalem and the Holy Land were
taken and pillaged by the Seljuks, and it was the vexation and rapine to
which the Christian pilgrims were exposed in their journey to Jerusalem,
that gave rise to those wild and warlike expeditions for the recovery of
the Holy Land, known under the name of the Crusades. The empire under
Malek Shah extended from the Mediterranean to the Chinese frontier, and
from the Caspian to the Arabian Sea. Upon the death of Malek Shah the
empire was divided up into petty sultanates, which finally caused the
overthrow of the Seljuk empire. The Turkish dynasty of the Seljuks
continued for 215 years, and with the overthrow of its dynasty in 1299,
and on its ruins, arose the Turkish empire.
=Selkirkshire= (formerly called the _Ettrick Forest_). A small inland
county of Scotland, in the Lowlands. Among the interesting historical
scenes this county contains is the field of Philiphaugh, where the great
Marquis of Montrose was defeated by the Covenanters under Gen. Leslie.
=Sell Out.= In the British service, was a term generally used when an
officer was permitted to retire from the service, selling or disposing
of his commission or commissions. It was the correlative word to _buy
in_. Officers who purchased commissions were usually allowed to sell
out.
=Sellasia.= A town in Laconia, north of Sparta, situated near the River
Œnus, and commanded one of the principal passes leading to Sparta. Here
the celebrated battle was fought between Cleomenes III. and Antigonus
Doson, 221 B.C., in which the former was defeated.
=Selling Ammunition.= See APPENDIX, ARTICLES OF WAR, 16.
=Selymbria=, or =Selybria= (now _Selivria_). An important town in
Thrace, on the Propontis. It was a colony of the Megarians. It was
conquered by Philip, father of Alexander.
=Semaphore.= A machine for facilitating the internal communications of
the country by means of telegraphic signals, especially between the
government and the military or naval functionaries of the outposts; but
its use has been entirely superseded by the introduction of the railways
and the electric telegraph.
=Semé.= In heraldry, when a charge is repeated an indefinite number of
times so as to produce the appearance of a pattern, the term semé
(sometimes _aspersed_ or _powdered_) is applied to it. When a field is
semé, it is treated as if it were cut out of a larger extent of surface,
some of the charges being divided by the outline of the shield. The term
_crusilly_ denotes semé of cross crosslets, and _billetty_ semé of
billets.
=Semendria.= A frontier fortress of the principality of Servia, on the
right bank of the Danube, 28 miles southeast of Belgrade. It has
frequently been stormed by the nations who have contended for the Danube
from the Middle Ages to the present century.
=Seminara.= A town of Naples, province of Calabria Ultra II. Near here
Gonsalvo de Cordova, the great captain, was defeated by the French, in
1495; but defeated them April 21, 1503.
=Seminoles.= A tribe of Indians who formerly inhabited Central Florida,
but now located on a reservation in the Indian Territory. During the
time they were in Florida they became allies of the British in their
incursions into Georgia during the Revolutionary war. They commenced a
series of border-forays in 1794, when their numbers were largely
increased by fugitive slaves and negroes; their force was also augmented
by the Creeks in 1808. They invaded the frontiers of Georgia in 1812 and
1817, when they massacred a number of persons; but were speedily
punished by Gen. Gaines and subsequently by Gen. Jackson. Florida was
purchased by the United States in 1819, and the Seminoles made treaties
with the United States a few years afterwards. The government resolved
to move the Seminoles to a reservation beyond the Mississippi, in
conformity with a treaty signed in 1832, but the Indians, headed by
Osceola, their chief, resisted, which gave rise to a prolonged bloody
war, which began in December, 1835. This war cost the U. S. government
$10,000,000 and 1500 lives. The greater portion of the Seminoles were
subdued and transported beyond the Mississippi in 1842, only about 300
remaining in the Everglades of Florida, under their chief, Billy
Bowlegs. The Seminoles on their new reservation in Indian Territory were
divided in their sentiments during the civil war, some of them taking up
arms for the South; a civil contest ensued, in which those remaining
loyal to the Union were defeated with great slaughter in December, 1861.
After the civil war the two bands were reunited and purchased a
reservation from the Creeks, where they are now industrious and
prosperous. In 1870 they numbered 2553.
=Semi-steel.= See ORDNANCE, METALS FOR, STEEL.
=Sempach.= A small town of Switzerland, in the canton of Lucerne,
situated on the eastern shore of the Lake of Sempach. It was one of the
outposts of the confederate cantons against their Suabian and Austrian
assailants in the 14th century. Under the walls of Sempach took place
the second great conflict of the confederate Swiss cantons with Austria,
in which the nobles of Austria, in spite of their valor and overwhelming
numbers, were slaughtered like sheep by the Swiss. The Swiss lost but
200 men, while the loss of the Austrians was ten times as great. The
anniversary of this great victory is still celebrated by prayer and
thanksgiving on the field of battle.
=Sena.= A town on the coast of Umbria, at the mouth of the small river
Sena, was founded by the Senones, a Gallic people, and was made a colony
by the Romans after the conquest of the Senones, 283 B.C. In the civil
war it espoused the Marian party, and was taken and sacked by Pompey.
=Seneca Indians.= One of the tribes of the Six Nations, and the most
numerous and warlike of that confederation. When they first became known
they were located in the region between the Lakes of Cayuga, Seneca,
Canandaigua, and Ontario. In the 17th century they waged successful wars
against the Hurons and other tribes to the westward, and finally the
defeated tribes were adopted by the Senecas, who by this means of
recruiting their ranks became a powerful people. They were firm allies
of the English, as was attested in several battles against the French,
and took a valiant part in the memorable battle wherein Gen. Braddock
was killed; they again suffered severely in the campaign led by Gen.
Sullivan in 1779. They removed to Lake Erie in 1784. The Senecas were
allies of the Americans in the war of 1812-14. In 1870 there were 240
Senecas on a reservation in Indian Territory, and 3017 on a reservation
in the State of New York.
=Seneffe=, or =Senef=. A town in the province of Hainault, Belgium,
about 11 miles northwest of Charleroi. Seneffe is notable for its
proximity to the battle-field on which William of Orange (III. of
England), at the head of the forces of the coalition against France,
fought the French army under the great Condé, August 11, 1674. In
William’s army there were four lieutenants,--Montecuculi, Duke Charles
of Lorraine, the Prince of Waldeck, and the Prince of Vaudemont, the
first three of whom subsequently attained prominence as military
commanders. Of the allied forces of 60,000 men, the Dutch lost from 5000
to 6000 men, the Spaniards 3000, and the Imperialists 600; while the
French army, which entered into the conflict 30,000 strong, could
scarcely muster 20,000 after the battle. Under the walls of Seneffe,
Moreau, in 1794, defeated the Austrians.
=Senegal.= French colonies on the river of that name in Senegambia, West
Africa, settled about 1626; several times taken by the British, but
recovered by the French, to whom they were finally restored in 1814.
=Seneschal.= In the origin of the office, probably an attendant of the
servile class, who had the superintendence of the household of the
Frankish kings. In the course of time, however, the seneschalship rose
to be a position of dignity, held no longer by persons of servile race,
but by military commanders, who were also invested with judicial
authority. The lieutenants of the great feudatories often took the title
of seneschal. A similar office in England and Scotland was designated
steward.
=Seniority.= Priority of rank and standing in the army. As regards
regiments, this precedence is regulated by the number of the corps;
among individuals, it is decided by the date of the commission. Where
commissions of the same date interfere, reference is to be had to the
dates of former commissions.
=Senones.= A powerful people in Gallia Lugdunensis, dwelt along the
upper course of the Sequana (now _Seine_). A portion of this people
crossed the Alps about 40 B.C., in order to settle in Italy; but the
greater part of Upper Italy being already occupied by other Celtic
tribes, the Senones were obliged to penetrate a considerable distance to
the south, and took up their abode on the Adriatic Sea, between the
modern Ravenna and Ancona. They extended their ravages into Etruria; and
it was in consequence of the interference of the Romans while they were
laying siege to Clusium, that they marched against Rome and took the
city, 390 B.C. They were defeated by Camillus, 367 B.C. They defeated
Metellus, the consul, at Arretium, 284, but were almost exterminated by
Dolabella, 283. They invaded Greece in 279; were defeated by Antigonus
Gonatus, 278, and sued for peace. See ROME.
=Sent to the Front.= A term applied to bodies of troops or individual
soldiers when ordered from camp or garrison to the scene of active
hostilities.
=Sent to the Rear.= A term applied to bodies of troops or individual
soldiers when ordered from the immediate scene of active hostilities to
the rear of the command in which they are serving, so as to be out of
immediate danger.
=Sentence.= Decision, determination, final judgment. There is an appeal
allowed from the sentence of a regimental court-martial to the opinion
of a general one.
=Sentinel=, or =Sentry= (from the Lat. _sentire_, “to feel or perceive,”
through the Ital. _sentinella_). A private soldier, marine, or sailor,
posted at a point of trust, with the duty of watching the approach of an
enemy, or any person suspected of hostile intentions. Sentinels mount
guard over dépots of arms, the tents of commanding officers, etc. During
the night, each sentinel is intrusted with the “word,” or countersign;
and no person, however exalted in position, may attempt to approach or
pass him without giving that as a signal. In such case, the sentinel is
bound to arrest the intruder, and if necessary to shoot him. It has
happened before now that the commander-in-chief of an army has been
prisoner in the hands of one of his own sentinels. When an army is in
the field, the sentinels are its eyes, for they guard the approaches in
every direction some distance in front of the main body of troops. In
the event of an attack, they give the alarm, and retire slowly on their
supports. There is usually an agreement, tacit or expressed, between
commanders that their outlying sentinels shall not fire upon one
another, which would only be productive of useless bloodshed. Under
martial law, death is the penalty to a sentinel sleeping on post.
Sentinels will present arms to general and field-officers, to the
officer of the day, and the commanding officer of a post; to all other
officers they will carry arms. Staff-officers above the rank of captain
are entitled to the same compliments from sentinels as are given to
field-officers.
=Sentinum, Battle of.= See ROME.
=Sentry.= The same as sentinel. “Sentry go,” is the warning given by the
sentry at the guard-room or tent that it is time to relieve sentries.
=Sentry-box.= A box to cover a sentinel at his post, and shelter him
from the weather.
=Sepadar.= Is an East Indian term for an officer of the rank of
brigadier-general.
=Sepahi.= An East Indian term for a feudatory chief, or military tenant;
a soldier.
=Sepoy.= Corrupted from the Indian word _sipahi_, “a soldier.” This word
sipahi, in its more familiar form of _spahis_, is known in most Eastern
armies; and is itself derived from _sip_, “a bow and arrow,” the
ordinary armament of an Indian soldier in ancient times. The word Sepoy
now denotes a native Hindoo soldier in the British army in India. The
Sepoys consist of Mohammedans, Rajpoots, Brahmans, and men of other
castes, besides Sikhs, Ghoorkas, and men of various hill-tribes. They
are generally officered by Europeans.
=Septembrizers.= In the French revolution a dreadful massacre took
place in Paris, September 2-5, 1792. The prisons were broken open and
the prisoners butchered, among them an ex-bishop, and nearly 100
non-juring priests. Some accounts state the number of persons slain at
1200, others at 4000. The agents in this slaughter were named
Septembrizers.
=Sepulchre, Knights of the Holy.= A military order, established in
Palestine about the year 1114. Those of this class chose Philip II.,
king of Spain, for their master, in 1558, and afterwards his son; but
the grand master of the order of Malta prevailed on him to resign; and
when afterwards the Duke de Nevers assumed the same quality in France,
the same grand master, by his interest and credit, procured a like
renunciation by him, and a confirmation of the union of this order to
that of Malta.
=Sequani.= A Celtic nation of ancient Gaul. Before the conquest of Gaul
by Cæsar, the Arverni and Ædui, the two most powerful nations of that
country, were in a state of hostility; and the Sequani allied themselves
with the former. In order more effectually to crush their enemies, these
two nations hired a large body of Germans, under Ariovistus, from over
the Rhine. With their assistance they totally defeated the Ædui; but the
Germans seized for themselves a third part of the territory of the
Sequani, and would have made further encroachments, had not Cæsar
defeated them, and expelled them from the land.
=Serakhur, Serang.= In the East Indies are non-commissioned officers who
are employed in the artillery and on board ships of war. In the
artillery the former title answers to that of sergeant; in the naval
service the latter to that of boatswain.
=Seraphim, or Jesus, Order of The.= An ancient Swedish order of
knighthood, instituted in 1334; but dormant from the period of the
Reformation until 1748. The number of knights, besides the king and
members of the royal family, is limited to 24.
=Seraskier=, or =Seri-Asker= (_Pers._ “head of the army”). The name
given by the Turks to every general having the command of a separate
army, and, in particular, to the commander-in-chief or minister of war.
The seraskier, in the latter sense, possesses most extensive authority,
being subordinate only to the sultan and grand vizier. He is selected by
the monarch from among the pashas of two or three tails.
=Seraskur= (_Ind._). This word is sometimes written _seraskier_, and
signifies the commander-in-chief of a Turkish army.
=Serdans.= Colonels in the Turkish service are so called.
=Seregno.= A town in the province of Milan, Italy, 13 miles north from
Milan. It is noted for the heroic resistance which the women of the city
made against the conscription, and which ultimately induced Bonaparte
to rescind his order for the bombardment of the place. The Austrians, in
1848, severely chastised Seregno for its patriotism.
=Sergeant.= A non-commissioned officer in a company, battery, or troop,
usually selected from among the corporals on account of his general
intelligence and good conduct. He is vested with the command of small
detachments, and sometimes with his company in the absence of his
superior officers.
=Sergeant, Armorer-.= In the British service, is a trained artificer who
repairs the arms of a corps.
=Sergeant, Band-.= In the British service, is a non-commissioned officer
who is responsible for the discipline of the band, as is the bandmaster
for instruction. In the United States service a principal musician
performs this duty.
=Sergeant, Color-.= See COLOR-SERGEANT.
=Sergeant, Cook.= In the British service, is a non-commissioned officer
who superintends the cooking for the corps.
=Sergeant, Covering.= Is a non-commissioned officer, who, during the
exercise of a battalion, regularly stands or moves behind each officer
commanding or acting with a platoon or company.
=Sergeant d’Armes= (sergeant of arms), Fr. Philip Augustus, fearing to
be assassinated on the instigation of the sheik of the mountain, during
his stay in Palestine, organized for the protection of his person a
corps of _sergeants d’armes_, consisting of gentlemen, which he armed
with bronze war-clubs, and bows and arrows, whose duty it was to
accompany him everywhere.
=Sergeant, Drill-.= See DRILL-SERGEANT.
=Sergeant, Hospital.= In the British service, is a non-commissioned
officer who carries out the orders of the surgeon as regards discipline
in a hospital.
=Sergeant Instructor in Fencing.= In the British service, is a sergeant
who performs the duties implied by his title in regiments of cavalry.
=Sergeant Instructor in Gunnery.= A sergeant of artillery who aids the
officer instructor in teaching gunnery.
=Sergeant, Lance-.= Is a corporal who acts as a sergeant in a company,
but only receives the pay of a corporal.
=Sergeant-Major.= The chief non-commissioned officer in a regiment, and,
from the nature of his duties, in a great degree an assistant to the
adjutant. He must be master of every point connected with the drill,
interior economy, and discipline of a regiment. It is his duty, on
receiving the orders from the adjutant, to assemble the orderly
sergeants, and issue the orders and details correctly. He is to keep a
regular duty roster of the sergeants and corporals, and to proportion
the number of men to be furnished for duty according to the strength of
their respective companies. Finally, it is always expected that he
should set an example to the non-commissioned officers by his activity,
zeal, and personal appearance. In the British cavalry service this
non-commissioned officer is termed regimental sergeant-major, the chief
non-commissioned officer of a troop being styled troop sergeant-major.
Similarly in the artillery there are the brigade sergeant-major and the
battery sergeant-major.
=Sergeant, Orderly.= See ORDERLY SERGEANT.
=Sergeant, Pay-.= See PAY-SERGEANT.
=Sergeant, Paymaster-.= See PAYMASTER-SERGEANT.
=Sergeant, Pioneer.= See PIONEER SERGEANT.
=Sergeant, Quartermaster.= See QUARTERMASTER SERGEANT.
=Sergeant, White.= Is a term of ridicule in the British service, applied
to those ladies who, taking advantage of the weakness of their husbands,
neglect their domestic concerns to interfere in military matters.