miles east by south from Liverpool. As the best passage of the river, it
was the scene of frequent conflicts during the civil war in the reign of
Charles I. In 1643 the town was twice taken by storm by the
Parliamentary forces. In 1648 the Scottish army made a stand here, but
were defeated by Gen. Lambert, who also here repulsed the troops under
Charles II. on his way to Worcester in 1651; and in 1745 the centre
arches of the bridge, over the Mersey, were broken down to impede the
progress of the Highlanders under the Pretender.
=Warrior.= A man engaged in war or military life; a soldier; a man noted
for valor and prowess; a champion.
=Warsaw.= Formerly the capital of Poland, now capital of the Russian, or
rather Russianized, government of Warsaw, on the left bank of the
Vistula, about 300 miles east of Berlin by railway. The Poles were
defeated in a three days’ battle by the Swedes, July 28-30, 1656. An
alliance was formed here, between Austria and Poland against Turkey, in
pursuance of which John Sobieski assisted in raising the siege of Vienna
(see VIENNA), March 31, 1683. Warsaw surrendered to Charles XII., 1703.
A treaty was concluded here between Russia and Poland, February 24,
1768. The Russians, placed here in 1794, were expelled by the citizens
with the loss of 2000 killed and 500 wounded, and 30 pieces of cannon,
April 17, 1794; the Poles were defeated, by the Russians at Maciejovice,
near Warsaw, October 4, 1794. The king of Prussia besieged Warsaw, July,
1794; was compelled to raise the siege in September; but it was taken by
the Russians, November, 1794. On November 4, 1794, the Russian general
Suwarrow, after the siege and destruction of Warsaw, cruelly butchered
30,000 Poles, of all ages and conditions, in cold blood. In August,
1807, Warsaw was constituted a duchy, and annexed to the house of
Saxony. In 1813 the duchy was overrun by the Russians, and Warsaw made
the residence of a Russian viceroy. A Polish revolution commenced at
Warsaw, November 29, 1830. The subsequent principal events in the
history of this city being intimately connected with that of the state
of which it was the capital, are narrated in the article Poland.
=War-scot.= A contribution for the supply of arms and armor, in the time
of the Saxons.
=War-song.= A song exciting to war; especially, among the American
Indians, a song at the war-dance, full of incitements to military ardor.
=War-traitor.= A person who betrays to the enemy anything concerning the
condition, safety, operation, or plans of the troops holding or
occupying a place. The punishment is usually death.
=War-whoop.= The cry or shout uttered by Indians in war.
=Warwickshire.= A county occupying almost the very heart of England, and
the centre and highest point of the great district of midland
table-land. At the time of the Roman invasion the county was inhabited
partly by the Cornavii, and partly by the Wigantes, or Wiccii. Under the
Romans it formed part of the province of Flavia Cæsariensis. Under the
Saxons, the county was included in the kingdom of Mercia, whose rulers
occasionally resided at Warwick, Tamworth, and Kingsbury. After the
Conquest, the powerful families, the Newburghs, Beauchamps, and
Nevilles, who held the earldom of Warwick, involved the county in all
the great civil wars recorded in English history. In the troubles in
Henry III.’s reign, Kenilworth stood a long siege by the royal forces;
in the wars of the Roses, the city of Coventry warmly embraced the
Lancastrian, and the town of Warwick the Yorkist cause; and in the war
between Charles I. and his Parliament, Warwickshire was torn by the
contending factions, who made special head in the neighborhood of
Birmingham. Charles slept at Aston Hall, near that town, on his march
through Warwickshire in 1642, and two days afterwards the first great
battle of the civil war was fought on the borders of the county at Edge
Hill. Swords and other weapons, used in the battle, are still
occasionally plowed up. Maxstoke Castle (inhabited) is externally a
remarkably perfect specimen of the fortified residences of the period of
the 14th century.
=Warwolf.= In ancient military history, an engine for throwing stones
and other great masses.
=War-worn.= Worn with military service; as, a war-worn soldier.
=Washington City.= The seat of the government of the United States of
America, is in the District of Columbia, on the left bank of the Potomac
River, between Anacostia River and Rock Creek, which separates it from
Georgetown, 39 miles southwest from Baltimore, and 120 miles northeast
from Richmond. This city was commenced in 1793, but operations were
subsequently suspended in consequence of the war, and much that had been
done was destroyed by the British in 1814, so that the whole edifice was
recommenced in 1815, and was not entirely finished till 1828. During the
civil war (1861-65), from its exposed position, it was threatened with
capture, and was surrounded with fortifications, and converted into an
intrenched camp.
=Washington Territory.= A Territory of the United States; bounded north
by British Columbia, east by the Territory of Idaho, south by the
Columbia River, which separates it from Oregon, and west by the Pacific
Ocean. This Territory was discovered by Juan de Fuca, a Greek, in 1592;
visited by a Spanish navigator in 1775, and three years after by Capt.
Cook. In 1787, Berkeley, an Englishman, re-discovered the Strait of
Fuca, which had been missed by the others. Settlements were made in this
Territory by the Hudson Bay Company in 1828; in 1845, American settlers
entered the Territory, then a part of Oregon. Wars with the Indians, in
1855 and 1858, retarded immigration, but in the latter year, 15,000
persons were attracted by gold discoveries. This Territory was organized
in 1853.
=Wat Tyler’s Insurrection.= See TYLER’S INSURRECTION.
=Watch.= The non-commissioned officers and men on board of transports
are divided into three watches, one of which is constantly to be on
deck, with at least one subaltern officer in charge of the watch.
=Watch and Ward.= The charge or care of certain officers to keep a watch
by night and a guard by day in towns, cities, and other districts, for
the preservation of the public peace.
=Watch-tower.= A tower on which a sentinel is placed to watch for
enemies or the approach of danger.
=Watch-word.= See PAROLE.
=Water.= In calculating the quantity of water required per man for
drinking and cooking, it may be put down at 6 pints in temperate, and 8
pints in tropical climates. A similar amount will just allow men to wash
their bodies. In stationary camps, however, the minimum daily allowance
per man should be 5 gallons for all purposes, washing clothes included.
Horses not doing work will thrive well on 6 gallons a day, but require
from 8 to 12 when at work, according to their condition and the nature
of the work. A couple of gallons extra should, under all circumstances,
be allowed for washing them. Oxen require about 6 or 7 gallons daily.
In selecting positions, particularly those that are likely to be of a
permanent character, a careful analysis of the water should be made by a
medical man. A fair opinion can be formed as to whether it is wholesome
or not, by the appearance of the inhabitants, and by tasting the water
oneself. “It should be transparent, colorless, without odor, and
tasteless; well aërated, cool, and pleasant to drink; it must have no
deposit; vegetables should be easily cooked in it.” Shallow water is
always to be examined with suspicion. The water of some rivers at
certain seasons is thick and muddy; in some, it is always so. To examine
it without the aid of chemical tests, fill a long tumbler or other glass
vessel with it. If the water has been drawn in a bucket or other vessel,
shake it up and stir it well before pouring it into the tumbler or glass
cylinder; let it stand for a day, or as many hours as possible; draw off
the water without disturbing the sediment, which should then be
carefully examined through a microscope. Vegetable decompositions and
iron are the chief substances that give color to water. When water is
very bad it should be boiled before drinking; after boiling it should be
placed in shallow vessels, and poured from a height from one into
another. Very muddy water when placed in barrels or other vessels, can
be cleaned by immersing the hand containing a lump of alum in it, and
moving it about for a few seconds. All the coloring matter will sink to
the bottom. The longer the time that elapses between the operation and
drinking, the better. Growing vegetable substances may not be always
injurious, but dead vegetable matter is so without doubt. At the maximum
density (39.8° Fahr.), the barometer being at 30 inches, a gallon of
distilled water weighs 8.33888 avoirdupois pounds or 58,373 grains.
=Water-battery.= One nearly on a level with the water.
=Water-bucket.= See IMPLEMENTS.
=Water-budget.= A heraldic bearing, in the form of a yoke with two
pouches of leather appended to it, originally intended to represent the
bags used by the Crusaders to convey water across the desert, which
were slung on a pole, and carried across the shoulders. The Trusbuts,
barons of Wartre in Holderness, bore _Trois boutz d’eau_, “_three
water-budgets_,” symbolizing at once their family name and baronial
estate; and by the marriage of the heiress, similar arms came to be
assumed by the family of De Ros, who bear gules, three water-budgets
argent.
=Water-deck.= A covering of painted canvas for the saddle, bridle, and
the like, of a dragoon’s horse.
=Waterford.= A maritime county of the province of Munster, in Ireland.
In the time of Ptolemy, it was inhabited by the tribe of the Brigantes.
It was afterwards peopled by the Desii, who are supposed to have
migrated from a tribe of the same name in Meath; and having spread
themselves also over the plain country of Tipperary; those settled in
Waterford were distinguished by the name of South Desii, and the others
by that of North Desii. Here the Danes established a permanent
settlement in the 9th century, making the city of Waterford their chief
seat of government; and though frequently involved in wars with the
surrounding natives, they retained possession of the city and district
until their subjugation by the English, who, in 1170, under Strongbow,
stormed Waterford, took their chieftain or prince prisoner, and brought
the whole of the Desiis into the possession of the English. Shortly
after, Henry II. granted the greater part of the county to Robert le
Poer, and the remainder, with that of Cork, then a petty kingdom, to
Milo de Cogan, two of his followers. King John landed at Waterford in
1211, and personally visited many parts of the country. The next king of
England who visited Ireland, Richard II., landed at Waterford in 1394,
with an army of 4000 men-at-arms, and 30,000 archers. The county
suffered severely in the reign of Elizabeth, through the rebellion of
the Earl of Desmond, and the Spanish invasion; and also in the wars of
1641, during the first years of which, its possession was the subject of
continued sanguinary contention between the English and Irish forces,
until it was ultimately reduced under the authority of the English
Parliament by Cromwell. During the war of the Revolution, it took part
with King James, and was reduced by King William’s forces, under Gen.
Kirk, after the decisive battle of the Boyne.
=Watering-bucket.= See IMPLEMENTS.
=Watering-call.= A trumpet sounding, on which the cavalry assemble to
water their horses.
=Waterloo.= A village of Belgium, province of South Brabant, on the
highway from Charleroi to Brussels; which was the scene of the greatest
and most decisive battle of modern times. This battle was fought on June
18, 1815, between the French army of 71,947 men and 246 guns, under
Napoleon, and the allies, commanded by the Duke of Wellington; the
latter with 67,661 men and 156 guns, resisted the various attacks of the
enemy from 10 o’clock in the morning until 5 o’clock in the afternoon.
About that time 16,000 Prussians reached the field of battle; and by 7
o’clock, the force under Blücher amounted to above 50,000 men, with 104
guns. Wellington then moved forward his whole army, and in every point
this attack succeeded. The French were forced from their positions, and
fled in the utmost confusion, leaving 227 pieces of artillery in the
hands of the victors. The pursuit was kept up with great energy
throughout the whole night by the Prussian troopers, who seemed bent
upon at once avenging the defeats of Jena, Auerstadt, and Ligny, and
glutted their fierce animosity by an indiscriminate slaughter. The total
loss in this battle was, from the obstinacy and determination with which
it was contested, necessarily large; the figures are: British and
Hanoverians, 11,678; Brunswickers, 687; Nassauers, 643; Netherlanders,
3178; a total of 16,186; which added to 6999 Prussians, gives the
aggregate allied loss, 23,185. The French had 18,500 killed and wounded,
and 7800 prisoners (some French accounts raise the total list of _hors
de combat_ to 32,000). Napoleon, quitting the wreck of his flying army,
returned to Paris; and, finding it impossible to raise another,
abdicated the throne of France.
=Wattignies.= A village of France, department of Nord, where Jourdan and
the French republicans defeated the Austrians under the Prince of
Coburg, and raised the siege of Maubeuge, October 14-16, 1793.
=Waver.= A body of troops is said to waver when it becomes unsteady if
at the halt, or to hesitate and lose its order if on the march, under
the fire of the enemy.
=Wavre.= A town in the province of South Brabant, Belgium. It is known
as the scene of a desperate and protracted conflict between the French
and Prussians, on June 18-19, 1815. The former under Grouchy, Gérard,
and Vandamme, advanced against the Prussians at the same time as
Napoleon directed the troops under his immediate orders against
Wellington at Waterloo, and being much superior in number (32,000 to
15,200), drove the Prussians under Thielman into Wavre, where they
defended themselves with desperate firmness, repulsing thirteen
different assaults in the course of the 18th. On the following morning,
Thielman, who had heard of the victory at Waterloo, attacked Grouchy,
but was repulsed with vigor, though the urgent orders of Napoleon forced
the latter to retreat to Laon, instead of following up his success.
=Wawz=, or =Wawer= (Poland). The Poles under Skrzynecki attacked the
Russians at Wawz, and after two days’ hard fighting, all the Russian
positions were carried by storm, and they retreated with the loss of
12,000 men and 2000 prisoners, March 31, 1831. The loss of the Poles
was small, but their triumph was soon followed by defeat and ruin.
=Way, Covert.= See COVERT WAY.
=Way of the Rounds.= In fortification, a space left for the passage of
the rounds between the rampart and the wall of a fortified town.
=Waywode.= A Slavic word meaning “leader in war,” was first applied
simply to the military commanders, but afterward also to the governors
of the provinces, and used in Poland, Hungary, Transylvania, Moldavia,
and Wallachia. It has been superseded by another title, also of Slavic
origin,--_hospodar_.
=Weapon.= An instrument of offensive or defensive combat; something to
fight with; anything used, or designed to be used, in destroying or
annoying an enemy.
=Weaponed.= Furnished with weapons or arms; armed; equipped.
=Weaponless.= Having no weapons; unarmed.
=Wear and Tear.= Said of military stores which have been worn out in
service; as, the equipments were rendered useless by the wear and tear
of service.
=Wednesfield.= A parish of England, in Staffordshire. Edward the Elder
gained a victory over the Danes near this place in the beginning of the
10th century.
=Well.= A depth which the miner sinks under ground, with branches or
galleries running out from it, either to prepare a mine, or to discover
the enemy’s mine.
=Well Found.= Fully equipped.
=Werder Rifle.= See SMALL-ARMS.
=Werndl Rifle.= See SMALL-ARMS.
=Westmorland=, or =Westmoreland=. One of the lake counties of England,
bounded by Cumberland on the northwest and north, by Durham and
Yorkshire on the east, and by Lancashire on the south and west. Its
earliest inhabitants, as far as any traces remain, were principally,
though not exclusively, Celts of the Cambrian division. Early in the 2d
century this part of England was overrun by the Romans, who established
their power by means of numerous forts and well-constructed roads. From
the withdrawal of the Romans to the coming in of the Angles and the
Danes the history of Westmorland is a complete blank. The invasion of
the former people, who appear to have penetrated along the lines of the
Roman roads, probably commenced about the close of the 7th century, and
soon after the Northmen, when driven from the other parts of England,
took refuge in this country. Westmorland, with other northern counties,
was either held or claimed during some centuries by Scotland, and thus
continued for a long time a cause of contention between the two
countries; but in 1237 the king of Scotland was induced to give up his
claim to it. From this time to the period of the civil war of the reign
of Charles I. Westmorland enjoyed comparative tranquillity. In 1648,
Sir Marmaduke Langdale raised a force of upwards of 4000 men, chiefly in
Cumberland and Westmorland. They were joined by the Scots, who remained
in the latter county until they were compelled to remove out of it for
want of provisions; and during their stay, and until the final retreat
of the royalists, this district was reduced to extreme distress. In 1715
the adherents of the Stuart family passed through Westmorland on their
way to Preston. And again in 1745, Prince Charles, with his Highland
followers, marched through the county in his invasion of England. During
the retreat of this ill-fated expedition, in December of the same year,
the rear of the Highlanders was overtaken by the Duke of Cumberland’s
horse on Clifton Moor, when a sharp skirmish ensued, which checked the
advance of the English for the moment, and hastened the retreat of the
rebels.
=Westphalia=, or =Munster, Peace of=. Was signed at Munster and at
Osnaburg, between France, the emperor, and Sweden; Spain continuing the
war against France. By this peace the principle of a balance of power in
Europe was first recognized; Alsace given to France, and part of
Pomerania and some other districts to Sweden; the elector palatine
restored to the Lower Palatinate; the religious and political rights of
the German states established; and the independence of the Swiss
Confederation recognized by Germany, October 24, 1648.
=West Point.= Site of the United States Military Academy, and of a
fortress erected during the war of Independence, on the right bank of
the Hudson River, 52 miles north of the city of New York. The Military
Academy is on a plain 160 to 180 feet above the river, surrounded by the
bold scenery of one of the finest river-passes in the world. The forts
and a river-chain were taken by the British in 1777, but abandoned after
Burgoyne’s surrender, and stronger forts were built, which Gen. Arnold
bargained to betray,--a plot foiled by the arrest of Maj. André. For
history of the Military Academy at West Point, see MILITARY ACADEMIES.
=West Virginia.= See VIRGINIA, WEST.
=Wexford.= A maritime county of the province of Leinster, Ireland. The
maritime position of Wexford laid it open early to the incursions of the
Danes, to whom the name Wexford, or Weisford, is traced by antiquaries.
It was the first landing-place of the English in the invasion, and
formed part of the tract granted by MacMurrough to the English
adventurers whose assistance he had invoked. During the civil wars which
followed 1641, Wexford was the scene of frequent contests; and in the
more recent insurrection of 1798, it formed the theatre of the only
formidable conflicts of the peasantry with the regular troops.
=Wheel.= See ORDNANCE, CARRIAGES FOR, THE CAISSON.
=Wheel, To.= In tactics, to move forward or backward in a circular
manner, round some given point. Wheeling is one of the most essential
and important operations of the company, necessary in many changes of
position, and in the formation of column and of the line.
=Wheelings.= Different circular motions made by horse and foot, either
to the right or left, forward and backward, etc.
=Wheel-lock.= A sort of lock anciently used on arquebuses. It consisted
of a roughened steel wheel, with chain and spring, which, when wound up
like a watch, revolved rapidly, and struck fire against a flint held in
the cock.
=Whinyard.= A sword, or hanger, so called by Butler in his “Hudibras.”
=Whipping.= See FLOGGING.
=White Eagle, Order of the.= An order of knighthood in Poland,
instituted by Vladislaus V. in 1325; revived by Frederick Augustus I. in
1705.
=White Feather.= A mark of cowardice. _To show the white feather_, to
give indications of cowardice.
=White Gunpowder.= See GUNPOWDER.
=White Plains.= A village of Westchester Co., N. Y., 25 miles
north-northeast of New York. A noted battle of the Revolution was fought
in the vicinity, October 28, 1776, between the Americans and the
British, in which the former were worsted.
=Whiteboys.= A body of ruffians in Ireland, so called on account of
their wearing linen frocks over their coats. They committed dreadful
outrages in 1761, but were suppressed by a military force, and their
ringleaders executed in 1762. They rose into insurrection again and were
suppressed 1786-87. Whiteboys have appeared at various times since,
committing the most frightful crimes. The insurrection act was passed on
their account in 1822.
=Whitworth Gun.= See ORDNANCE, CONSTRUCTION OF.
=Whiz.= To make a humming or hissing sound, like an arrow or ball flying
through the air.
=Who Comes There?= The night challenge of a sentinel on post.
=Whoop.= A shout; a loud noise which soldiers make in charging. It is a
natural though a barbarous habit, and has been preserved in civilized
armies from a prevailing custom among savages, particularly the wild
Indians of America.
=Wicket.= A small door in the gate of a fortified place, affording a
free passage to the people without opening the great gate.
=Wicklow.= A maritime county in the province of Leinster, in Ireland.
According to Ptolemy the geographer, the northern part of the county was
the residence of the tribe of the Cauci, and the southern that of the
Menapii. It was afterwards occupied by the Irish septs of the Byrnes and
O’Tooles, who, though the district was claimed by the English after
their settlement, maintained their independence, and carried on an
almost continual war against the new settlers until the end of the reign
of Elizabeth. The inhabitants adhered to the royal cause during the war
of 1641, until the arrival of Cromwell, to whose superior force they
submitted without opposition. No other occurrences of historical
importance took place until 1798, when several bands of insurgents
sought refuge in the mountain fastnesses after the dispersion of their
main body in Wexford, and continued to harass the neighboring counties
until tranquillity was restored, partly by making terms with the
leaders, and partly by establishing military posts in the interior of
the country.
=Widdin=, or =Widin=. A fortified town of European Turkey. It is
surrounded on the land side by morasses, and is defended by a strong
citadel, by walls, and by a fortified island in the Danube. For
centuries it has been a strong post in all the contests between the
Turks and their northern neighbors, and it is called by the Turks the
Virgin Fort, from its never having been taken.
=Wield.= To use with full command or power, as a thing not heavy for the
holder; to manage; to handle; as, to wield a sword.
=Wiesbaden.= A town of Prussia, formerly capital of the independent
duchy of Nassau. The Romans built a station here, and erected a fort on
a hill on the northwest side of the town, still known as the Römerberg,
and which was garrisoned by the 22d Roman legion. The _Mattiaci_, a
subdivision of the German tribe called the _Catti_, allied themselves
with the Romans; but in the 3d century, the barbarian Germans rose
against the Romans, and destroyed their forts, including Wiesbaden.