fortress of South India, and under Hyder Ali and Tippoo Sahib, the
capital of Mysore, at the west angle of the island of the Cavery
(Kaveri). Seringapatam was besieged by Lord Cornwallis in 1791, and
again in 1792, when Tippoo purchased a peace by ceding half his
dominions and paying 330 lacs of rupees to the British and their allies.
It was again besieged in 1799 and taken by storm on May 3 (4), on which
occasion Tippoo was killed, and the dynasty of Hyder terminated; the
ancient Rajpoot line being restored to the sovereignty of Mysore.
=Serjeant.= See SERGEANT.
=Serpenteau= (_Fr._). A round iron circle, with small spikes, and squibs
attached to them. It is frequently used in the attack and defense of a
breach. It likewise means a fusee, which is filled with gunpowder, and
is bent in such a manner, that when it takes fire, it obtains a circular
rapid motion, and throws out sparks of light in various directions.
=Serpentine= (_Fr._). An ancient wall-piece, with a matchlock, carrying
an 8-ounce leaden ball, with a charge of 4 ounces of powder. It was 6 or
7 feet long, and weighed from one to two hundred-weight.
=Serpentix= (_Fr._). Cock of the ancient matchlock, also the lock
itself. Also, an ancient 24-pounder gun, of 13 feet, weighing 4360
pounds, whose dolphins represented the figures of serpents.
=Serre-demi File= (_Fr._). That rank in a battalion which determines the
half of its depth, and which marches before the demi-file. Thus a
battalion standing six deep, has its _serre-demi file_ in the third
rank, which determines its depth.
=Serre-file= (_Fr._). The last rank of a battalion, by which its depth
is ascertained, and which always forms its rear. When ranks are doubled,
the battalion resumes its natural formation by means of the
serre-files. _Serre-file_ literally signifies a “bringer up.”
=Servans d’Armes=, or =Chevaliers Servans= (_Fr._). Were persons
belonging to the third class of the order of Malta. They were not
noblemen, although they wore the sword and the cross.
=Servants.= In the British service, regimental and staff officers are
allowed the indulgence of a steady and well-drilled soldier for a
servant; and field-officers, keeping horses, two each. These soldiers
are to take their share of any duty on which the officer to whom they
are attached is employed, and they must fall in with their respective
troops and companies at all reviews, inspections, and field-days. In the
U. S. service, officers are not permitted to employ soldiers as
servants.
=Serve.= To be in service; to do duty; to discharge the requirements of
an office or employment; and, specifically, to act as a soldier, seaman,
etc. _To serve a piece_, in the artillery, is to load and fire with
promptitude and correctness. _To serve the vent_, to stop it with the
thumb.
=Servia.= One of the Danubian principalities, nominally included in the
Ottoman empire, but in reality only tributary to that power. It is
bounded on the north by Austria, on the east by Wallachia and Bulgaria,
on the south by Rumli and Bosnia, and on the west by Bosnia. In the
earliest times of which we have any record, Servia was inhabited by
Thracian or Illyrian races; shortly before Christ it was subjugated by
the Romans, and formed part of the province of Illyricum, whose fortunes
it shared during the vicissitudes of the empire. Overrun successively by
the Huns, Ostrogoths, Longobards, etc., it reverted to the Byzantine
rulers about the middle of the 6th century, but was wrested from them by
the Avars in the 7th century, who in turn were routed by the Serbs, and
compelled to give up the country. They were converted to Christianity in
the 9th century, but this did not in the least abate their ardor for
battle, and for nearly 200 years they were almost constantly at war with
the neighboring Bulgarians,--the inveterate enemies of their Byzantine
liege lord. In 1043, however, the royal governors were expelled, and
they became an independent kingdom. For the next 100 years the Serbs had
to fight hard to maintain their independence, and the struggle
terminated in their favor; and in 1165, Stephen Nemanja founded a
dynasty which lasted for two centuries, during which period the kingdom
of Servia attained the acmé of its power and prosperity. Eventually the
progress of the Turks, however, was fatal to its welfare, and in 1389
King Lazar fell in the disastrous battle at Kossovapolje. Sultan Bajazet
divided the country between Lazar’s son and son-in-law, compelled them
to pay tribute and follow him in war. Gradually the Serbs sunk more and
more under the Turkish yoke, until, in 1459, Servia was thoroughly
subjugated by the sultan Mahmoud. It was uniformly the theatre of the
bloody wars between Hungary and Turkey, and frequently suffered the
uttermost horrors of devastation. Prince Eugène’s brilliant successes
for a moment flashed a ray of hope into the miserable hearts of the
long-suffering Serbs, and by the treaty of Passarowitz (1718), a
considerable portion of the country was made over to Austria; but in
1739 it reverted to Turkey, and for the next sixty years the cruelty and
oppressions of the pashas and their Janissaries surpass all belief. At
length the unhappy people could endure the tyranny of their foreign
masters no longer, and in 1801 an insurrection broke out, headed by
George Czerny, which, by the help of Russia, ended in the triumph of the
patriots, and in the election of Czerny by the people as prince of
Servia. The invasion of Russia by France, however, left the Serbs at the
mercy of their late rulers and the war again broke out. Czerny was
forced to flee, and the tyranny of the Turks became more ferocious than
ever. Again the people flew to arms under the leadership of Milosch
Obrenovitch, and were a second time successful in winning back their
liberties. Milosch ruled as prince of Servia until 1839, when he was
forced to abdicate; but in 1858 he was restored to his former dignity.
In the war between Russia and Turkey in 1876, the Servians took the side
of the former, but were not actively engaged.
=Service.= In a military sense is the art of serving the state in war.
All studies, acts, and efforts of the profession of arms have this end
in view. To belong to the army and to belong to the land service, are
the same thing. In a more restricted sense, service is the performance
of military duty. In its general sense, service embraces all details of
the military art. But in its restricted sense, actual service is the
exercise of military functions. _To see service_, is a common expression
denoting actual collision with an enemy. _To retire from service_, to
quit the army, or resign.
=Service, Foreign.= See FOREIGN SERVICE.
=Service, Home.= See HOME SERVICE.
=Service, Secret.= Any service performed by an individual in a
clandestine secret manner. It likewise means intelligence or
information, given by spies when countries are engaged in war, for which
they receive pecuniary compensation.
=Serviceable.= Capable of performing all military duty, or of being used
in the military service.
=Servile or Slave War.= See ROME.
=Session.= The actual sitting of a court, council, etc., or the actual
assembly of the members of such a body for the transaction of business.
Hence, also the time, period, or term during which a court, council, and
the like, meet daily for business; or the space of time between the
first meeting and prorogation or adjournment.
=Sestus.= A town in Thrace, situated at the narrowest part of the
Hellespont, opposite Abydos in Asia, from which it was only seven stadia
distant. It was always reckoned a place of importance in consequence of
its commanding, to a great extent, the passage of the Hellespont. It was
for some time in possession of the Persians, but was retaken by the
Greeks, 478 B.C., after a long siege. It subsequently formed part of the
Athenian empire.
=Set.= A word used in a military sense in various combinations; as, to
set a sentinel, is to place a soldier at any particular spot for its
security. To _set on_, is to attack. To _set at defiance_, is to defy,
to dare to combat, etc. To _set up_, is to make a man fit for military
movements and parade.
=Seteef=, or =Setif= (anc. _Sitipha_, or _Sitifi_). A town of Algeria,
distinguished by the obstinate resistance it made against the Saracens,
when Northern Africa was overrun by that fierce and warlike people. The
old city is now in ruins.
=Setendy.= In the East Indies, the militia is so called.
=Setia.= An ancient town of Latium, in the east of the Pontine Marshes;
originally belonged to the Volscian confederacy, but was subsequently
taken by the Romans and colonized. It was here that the Romans kept the
Carthaginian hostages.
=Setter.= In gunnery, a round stick, to drive fuzes, or any other
compositions, into cases of paper.
=Sevastopol.= See SEBASTOPOL.
=Seven Weeks’ War.= The war declared by Prussia, on June 18, 1866, which
ended in the total defeat of Austria and her allies. See PRUSSIA.
=Seven Years’ War.= This was the third, last, and by far the longest and
most terrible of the contests for the possession of Silesia. This long
and desperate war was maintained by Frederick II. of Prussia against
Austria, Russia, and France, from 1756 to 1763. It made no change in the
territorial distribution of Europe, but it increased tenfold the moral
power of Prussia, and gave its army a prestige it retained till the
battle of Jena. It cost Europe 1,000,000 lives, and prostrated the
strength of almost all the powers who had engaged in it.
=Seville=, or =Sevilla= (anc. _Hispalis_, or _Hispal_). A famous city of
Spain, capital of the province of the same name, on the left bank of the
Guadalquiver, 60 miles north-northeast of Cadiz. It was captured by
Julius Cæsar, 45 B.C. It surrendered to the Moors at once, after the
defeat of Don Roderick on the Guadalete, and it continued its allegiance
to the caliph of Damascus until 756; it surrendered to Ferdinand III. of
Castile on November 23, 1248, when 300,000 Moors left for Granada and
Africa. In 1810 it was taken and ravaged by Soult. It was taken by
assault by the British and Spaniards, August 27, 1812. It capitulated to
Espartero in 1843. The peace of Seville between England, France, and
Spain, and also a defensive alliance to which Holland acceded, was
signed November 9, 1729.
=Sevir.= A captain of cavalry among the Romans was so called.
=Sextant.= An instrument of reflection for measuring angular distances
between objects. It is constructed on the same optical principle as
Hadley’s quadrant, but usually of metal, with a nicer graduation,
telescopic sight, and its arc the sixth, and sometimes the third part of
a circle.
=Seymeny-bassy.= Appellation given to the lieutenant-general of
Janissaries in the Turkish service.
=Shabrack=, or =Shabraque.= A Hungarian term, generally used among
cavalry officers, to signify the cloth furniture of a troop-horse.
=Shaft.= A body of a long, cylindrical shape; a stem, stalk, trunk, or
the like. Hence, the stem of an arrow, upon which the feather and head
are inserted; hence, an arrow; a missile weapon. Also, the handle of a
weapon; as, the shaft of a spear. It likewise means a perpendicular
excavation into the earth for the purpose of mining.
=Shafted.= In heraldry, borne on a shaft;--applied to a spear-head.
=Shaftesbury.= A town of England, in Dorsetshire, 95 miles southwest of
London. It was destroyed by the Danes both before and after 888, but
each time it was afterwards restored.
=Shag-bush.= An old term for a hand-gun.
=Shahporee=, or =Shapuree.= An island of British Burmah, lying off the
coast of Aracan. The capture of this island by the Burmese led to the
first British war with that nation, in 1824.
=Sham.= False; counterfeit; pretended; as, a sham fight.
=Shamaka=, =Shamachi=, or =Shemakha=. A town of Russia in Asia,
Transcaucasia, 207 miles east-southeast from Tiflis. It was taken and
sacked by Nadir Shah in 1734.
=Shambrie.= In the manège, is a long thong of leather, made fast to the
end of a cane or stick, for the purpose of animating a horse, or of
punishing him if he refuses to obey the rider.
=Shang-hae=, or =Shanghai=. A seaport city of China, in the province of
Kiangsu, on the river Woo-sung, one of the five ports opened for
European commerce. It was captured by the British, June 19, 1842, by the
Taeping rebels, September, 1853; retaken by the imperialists, 1855. The
rebels were defeated near here by the English and French, allies of the
emperor, March 1, 1862.
=Sharp.= Fierce; ardent; fiery; violent; impetuous. “In sharp contest of
battle.”
=Sharps Rifle.= One of the oldest of successful breech-loading rifles.
The chamber of this piece is fixed, and the barrel closed by a vertical
sliding breech-piece, which moves nearly at right angles to the axis of
the piece. The fire-arm is loaded by depressing the lever, or
trigger-guard, which withdraws the slide and opens the breech for the
insertion of the cartridge. Originally a paper cartridge was used, the
rear end of which was broken open by the breech-piece in closing; this
was superseded by a linen cloth cylinder to contain the powder, one end
of which overlaps and is gummed to the base of the bullet; the other is
closed with a layer of thin bank-note paper. The flame of the
percussion-cap penetrates through this paper and ignites the powder. The
linen case is carried out with the bullet and drops to the ground a
short distance in front of the piece. A metallic cartridge is now used.
=Sharpsburg.= See ANTIETAM CREEK.
=Sharpshooters.= An old term applied in the army to riflemen.
=Sharp-shooting.= A shooting with great precision and effect.
=Shawnees.= A tribe of American Indians, which were first known on the
banks of Fox River, Wisconsin, in 1648. They were a warlike tribe, and
waged war with the Iroquois. The Shawnees eventually became a scattered
race, and dispersed to several parts of the country; we find a part of
them afterwards taking part with the French in their wars in America;
joined in Pontiac’s conspiracy, but were subdued by Col. Boquet. They
took a prominent part in the Western wars, especially against the
expeditions of Harmer, Wayne, etc.; but made peace at Greenville in
1795. They afterwards effected an alliance with some tribes of
Northwestern Indians, and under their celebrated leader Tecumseh gave
battle to the whites under Gen. Harrison, at Tippecanoe, but were
defeated. Tecumseh, with a band of Shawnees, proceeded to Canada at the
outbreak of the war of 1812, and made an alliance with the English, who
gave him a brigadier-general’s commission; he was killed while leading
the right wing at the battle of the Thames in 1813. Since then the
Shawnees have again reunited and are now upon reservations in Indian
Territory, and numbered in 1870 about 800.
=Sheaf.= A bundle of arrows.
=Sheathe.= To put into a sheath, case, or scabbard; to inclose or cover
with a sheath or case. _To sheathe the sword_, to put an end to war or
enmity; to make peace.
=Sheeting.= The term sheeting is applied to the coarse hempen cloth used
for making tarpaulins.
=Sheffield.= A large town of England in the West Riding of Yorkshire, at
the confluence of the Sheaf and Don, 43 miles southwest from York.
During the civil wars in the time of Charles I., the castle sustained a
long siege for the king, but scarcely a vestige of it can now be
discerned.
=Shell.= To throw shells or bombs upon; to bombard; as, to shell a town.
=Shell Extractor.= An instrument for extracting headless cartridge-cases
from breech-loading small-arms.
=Shell-hooks.= See IMPLEMENTS.
=Shelling.= The act of bombarding a fort, town, or position.
=Shell-jacket.= An undress military jacket.
=Shell-plug Screw.= See IMPLEMENTS.
=Shell-proof.= Capable of resisting bomb-shells.
=Shells.= Hollow projectiles; also, the cases of metallic cartridges for
use in small-arms. See PROJECTILES.
=Shelter.= In a military sense, that which protects the troops in the
field. There are various means resorted to for this purpose. A common
arrangement is as follows: A cross-bar is supported by two uprights;
against this cross-bar a number of poles are made to lean; on the back
of the poles abundance of fir branches are laid horizontally; and
lastly, on the back of the fir branches is another set of leaning poles,
in order to make all secure by their weight. A cloth of any kind is made
use of to give shelter by an arrangement of this kind. The corners of
the cloth should be secured by a simple hitch in the rope, and not by a
knot. The former is sufficient for all purposes of security, but the
latter will jam, and you may have to injure both cloth and string to get
it loose again. It is convenient to pin a skewer in the middle of the
sides of the cloth, round the ropes.
_Shelter-tents_ affording an excellent protection for 6 soldiers may be
made as follows: Three tent-sticks are fixed into the ground, whose tops
are notched; a light cord is then passed round their tops, and fastened
into the ground with a peg at each end. Two sheets are then buttoned
together and thrown over the cord, then two others, which are buttoned
to the previous ones. Lastly, another sheet is thrown over each of the
slanting cords, and buttoned to the others. The sides of the tent are,
of course, pegged to the ground. There are many modifications in the way
of pitching these tents. For want of sticks muskets can be used.
_Huts_ are also frequently used as a means of protection by troops, as
there is scarcely any place which does not furnish materials for their
construction.
_Walls._--Those principally in use are as follows: Skins, canvas, felt,
tarpaulin, bark, reed mats, reed walls, straw walls, wattle-and-dab, log
huts, fascines or fagots, boards, etc., fastened by malay-hitch, brick,
sunburnt or baked, turf, stones, gabions, bags or mats filled with sand
or shingle, snow huts, underground huts, tents over holes in earth.
_Roofs._--Many of the above list would be perfectly suitable for roofs;
in addition may be mentioned slating with flat stones, thatch, sea-weed,
and wood shingles.
_Straw walls_ of the following kind are very effective, and they have
the advantage of requiring a minimum of string (or substitute for
string) in their manufacture. The straw or herbage of almost any
description is simply nipped between two pairs of long sticks, which are
respectively tied together at the two ends, and at a sufficient number
of intermediate places. The whole is neatly squared and trimmed. A few
of these would help in finishing the roof or walls of a house. They can
be made movable so as to suit the wind, shade, and aspect. Even the hut
door can be made on this principle.
_Malay hitch_ is the name given to a wonderfully simple way of attaching
together wisps of straw, rods, laths, reeds, planks, poles, or anything
of the kind into a secure and flexible mat; the sails used in the far
East are made in this way, and the movable decks are made of bamboos
joined together with a similar but rather more complicated stitch.
=Shenandoah.= A river of Virginia, United States, the largest tributary
to the Potomac, drains the beautiful and fertile valley between the Blue
Ridge and the principal range of the Alleghanies. In the war of 1861-65,
this valley was the scene of numerous conflicts, was successively
occupied by the opposing armies, and finally laid waste by Gen. Sheridan
in the autumn of 1864.
=Shield.= A piece of defensive armor, borne on the left arm, to ward off
the strokes of the sword and of missiles. It has been constantly used
from ancient times, through the Middle Ages, till the invention of
fire-arms. The large shield worn by the Greeks and Romans (_clipeus_)
was circular, and often ornamented with devices. Another form of shield
(_scutum_) was used by the Roman heavy-armed infantry, square, but bent
to encircle the body. The early shield or knightly escutcheon of the
Middle Ages was circular in outline, and convex, with a boss in the
centre; the body generally of wood, and the rim of metal. There were
many other kinds of shields, made of leather, wood, basket-work, etc.,
employed up to the introduction of fire-arms, when they became
practically useless, although some savage nations employ shields at the
present time.
=Shield.= To cover, as with a shield; to cover from danger; to defend;
to protect; to secure from assault or injury.
=Shift.= In a military sense, to change place or station. Hence, to
shift quarters.
=Shiloh.= A locality in Tennessee, a few miles from Pittsburg Landing,
situated on the Tennessee River. Here on April 6-7, 1862, a great battle
was fought between the Union troops under Grant and the Confederate army
under Albert Sydney Johnston and Beauregard. The Confederates began the
attack, taking the Union forces by surprise, who, after a brave
resistance during the first day, were compelled to retire before the
victorious Confederates, who, however, lost their gallant chief, Gen.
Johnston. The Federals having been reinforced during the night,
commenced the attack on the 7th, along the whole of the rebel line,
which was resisted gallantly, and the field was stubbornly contested
until about 4 o’clock in the afternoon, when the Union army regained
their lines of the day before, and drove the enemy off the field. The
Confederates retreated to Corinth. The loss of the Confederates was 1735
killed, about 8000 wounded, and 960 missing. Grant’s loss was estimated
at something under this number.
=Shirvan=, or =Shirwan=. A province of Russia in Asia, in the country of
the Caucasus. Shirvan formed until the 6th century a part of the
monarchy of Armenia; but was afterwards conquered by the Persians, and
made a part of that empire under Khosroo Nooshirvan, who called this
country after his name. The rulers of Shirvan carried on many wars with
Persia, over which country they repeatedly gained great advantages.
Finally, in the end of the 15th century, it was completely brought under
Persian sway. The Russians gradually invaded the country, and it was
ceded to them in 1812.
=Sholapore.= Capital of the collectorate of the same name, in British
India, in the Presidency of Bombay. It is strongly fortified, and was
taken by escalade by a British force under Gen. Pritzter.
=Shoomla.= See SCHUMLA.
=Shoot.= To let fly or cause to be driven with force, as an arrow or
bullet;--followed by a word denoting the missile, as an object. Also, to
discharge, causing a missile to be driven forth;--said of the weapon or
instrument, as an object; as, to shoot a gun and the like.
=Shooter.= One who shoots; an archer; a gunner; a shot. Also, that which
shoots; as, a five-shooter.
=Shooting-iron.= A fire-arm is sometimes so called.
=Shoshones=, or =Snakes=. A tribe of North American Indians inhabiting
the country between the Sierra Nevada and the Rocky Mountains, and from
Idaho southward into Utah. They have generally been peaceable; but they
collided with the whites on several occasions, which resulted
disastrously for them, several of their bands being almost annihilated.
Treaties were formed with them on several occasions between 1863 and
1868, and attempts have been made to place them upon reservations. All
the property of a dead Shoshone is buried with him, and formerly his
favorite wife and horse were killed over the corpse. In 1870 they
numbered about 4000 souls.
=Shot.= See PROJECTILE.
=Shot.= The act of shooting; discharge of a missile weapon. Also, the
flight of a missile weapon, or the distance which it passes from the
engine; as, a cannon-shot; a musket-shot, etc. Also, a marksman; one who
practices shooting; as, an excellent shot.
=Shot.= To load with shot over a cartridge; as, to shot the guns.
=Shot, Canister-.= See CANISTER-SHOT.
=Shot, Case-.= See CASE-SHOT.
=Shot, Chain-.= See CHAIN-SHOT.
=Shot, Grape-.= See GRAPE-SHOT.
=Shot-belt.= A belt having a pouch for carrying shot.
=Shot-gauge.= An instrument for measuring the diameter of round-shot.
=Shot-tower.= A lofty tower for making shot, by dropping from its summit
melted lead, which cools in the descent, and is received into water or
other liquid.
=Shoulder.= The upper part of a blade of a sword. Also, the salient
angle of the flank of a bastion. _To shoulder_, to lay on the shoulder,
or to rest anything against it. Hence, to shoulder arms, a word of
command in the manual exercise.
=Shoulder-belt.= See BELTS.