Chapter XVIII: Part 18

=Fredericksburg.= A city of Spottsylvania Co., Va., on the south bank of the Rappahannock River. On December 10, 1862, Gen. Burnside and the Federal army of the Potomac crossed the small deep river of the Rappahannock. On December 11, Fredericksburg was bombarded by the Federals and destroyed. On the 13th commenced a series of most desperate yet unsuccessful attacks on the Confederate works, defended by Gens. Lee, Jackson, Longstreet, and others. Gen. Hooker crossed the river with reserves, and joined in the conflict in vain. The Federal army recrossed the Rappahannock December 15 and 16. This battle was one of the severest of the war. Fredericksburg was the scene of several bloody battles during the civil war.

=Frederickshald.= A town of Norway, at the influx of the Tistedals-elf into the Idefiord, 55 miles southeast from Christiania. Charles XII. of Sweden was killed here in the trenches before the fortress of Fredericksteen, on December 11, 1718.

=Frederickshamm=, or =Hamina=. A fortified town of Finland. The treaty which ceded Finland to Russia was signed here in 1809.

=Freebooter.= One who wanders about for plunder; a robber; a pillager; a plunderer.

=Freebootery.= The act, practice, or gains of a freebooter; freebooting.

=Freebooting.= Robbery; plunder; a pillaging. Also acting the freebooter; practicing the freebooter; robbing.

=Freehold.= A village, the capital of Monmouth Co., N. J. Near here was fought the battle of Monmouth, June 28, 1778.

=Free-lances.= Were roving companies of knights and men-at-arms, who, after the Crusades had ceased to give them employment, wandered from state to state, selling their services to any lord who was willing to purchase their aid in the perpetual feuds of the Middle Ages. They played their most prominent part in Italy, where they were known as _Condottieri_ (which see).

=Fregellæ= (_Fregellanus_; now _Ceprano_). An ancient and important town of the Volsci, on the Liris, in Latium, conquered by the Romans, and colonized 328 B.C. It took part with the allies in the Social war, and was destroyed by Opimius.

=Fregosa=, or =Fregose= (in the plural _Fregosi_). A Genoese family, which in the 14th century gained distinction among the popular party, and by their rivalry with the Adorni occasioned frequent civil wars. Fregoso (Domenico), became doge of Genoa in 1370. He conquered the isle of Cyprus and was deposed in 1378. Pietro was a brother of the preceding; he commanded the armament which conquered Cyprus in 1373, and in 1393 was elected doge. Thomas was elected doge in 1415; being attacked by Alfonso of Aragon and the Duke of Milan, he made a brave resistance, and was forced to retire from Genoa in 1421. Pietro was elected in 1450, and for eight years maintained his power against Alfonso of Aragon and the Adorni; he was killed in an attempt to expel the French from Genoa in 1459. There were several other doges of this family in Genoa.

=Fréjus.= A town of France, in the department of the Var, 45 miles northeast from Toulon. It was here that Bonaparte landed on his return from Egypt in the autumn of 1799; and here also he disembarked after his escape from Elba in 1814.

=French Fury, The.= A name given, in history, to the attempt made by the Duke of Anjou to carry Antwerp by storm, January 17, 1583. The whole of his force was either killed or taken captive in less than an hour.

=Frenchtown.= In Canada; it was taken from the British by the American general Winchester, January 22, 1813, during the second war with the United States. It was retaken by the British forces under Gen. Proctor January 24, and the American commander and troops were made prisoners.

=French Projectile.= See PROJECTILE.

=Fréteval.= A town of France, in the department of Loir-et-Cher, 9 miles northeast from Vendôme. In 1194 the army of Philip Augustus was defeated here by the English.

=Friction Plates.= Plates used to check the recoil of guns. See RECOIL and ELSWICK COMPRESSOR.

=Friction Primer.= In gunnery, consists of a short tube of metal inserted into a hole near the top of a larger tube, and soldered in that position. The short tube is lined with a composition made by mixing together one part of chlorate of potassa and two of sulphuret of antimony, formed into a paste with gum-water. A serrated wire passes through the short tube and hole opposite to it in the side of the long one, the open end of the short tube being compressed with nippers, and the wire at the end of the serrated part doubled under to prevent displacement. The other end of the wire is doubled and twisted by machinery. The long tube is filled with rifle-powder, its upper end being covered with shellac-varnish blackened with lamp-black, and its lower end closed with shoemaker’s wax and dipped into varnish. One great advantage of the friction tube is that it gives an enemy at night no clue to the position of a piece as does the lighted port-fire or slow-match.

=Friedland.= A town of East Prussia, in the circle of Königsberg, on the Alle. This place is famous for being the scene of the battle gained by Napoleon I. over the Russians and Prussians on June 14, 1807, and which led to the peace of Tilsit.

=Frill.= Was an ornamental appendage to the shirt which officers and soldiers generally wore with regimentals. A small aperture was usually made at the top to admit the hook and eye of the uniform coat. Enlisted men generally wore frills detached from the coat.

=Frisians.= Were an ancient Teutonic race, dwelling together with the _Batavi_, the _Bructeri_, and the _Chauci_, in the extreme northwest of Germany, between the mouths of the Rhine and Ems. They became tributaries of Rome under Drusus, and for a time remained faithful to the Roman alliance; but, in 28, they were driven to hostilities by the oppression of their protectors, and although partially subdued, they again rose against the Romans under Civilis. They were defeated and compelled to embrace Christianity in 689 and 785.

=Frisrutter.= An instrument made of iron, and used for the purpose of blocking up a haven or a river. The beams through which the upright bars pass must be 12 feet in length, and the upright bars that go through the beam must be of that length so that when one of these iron _frisrutters_ is let down into a haven or river, the perpendicular bars of this iron instrument shall be deep enough to reach at high water within 5 feet of the surface.

=Friuli.= An old province of Italy, belonging to Venice; made a duchy by Alboin the Lombard, when he established his kingdom about 570. It was conquered by Charlemagne; and Henri, a Frenchman, made duke, who was assassinated in 799. It was conquered by Venice in 1420.

=Frock.= In the British service, the undress regimental coat of the guards, artillery, and royal marines.

=Frogged.= A term used in regard to uniforms, and applied to stripes or workings of braid or lace, as ornaments, mostly on the breast, on the plain cloth of which a coat is made.

=Fronde= (_Fr._). A sling. This weapon was used in France by the Huguenots at Sancerre, as late as the year 1572, in order to save their powder. There were two kinds: one which was used in throwing a stone from the arm, and the other that was fixed to a lever, and was so contrived that a large quantity of stones might be thrown out of a machine, either from a camp into a besieged town, or from a town into the enemy’s camp. This machine has been used since the invention of cannon. The fronde or sling was used by the Romans on three different occasions, viz.: when they sent their light-armed men, called _velites_, forward to skirmish before a general engagement; when they wished to drive the enemy from under the walls of a town which they were preparing to storm, and finally to harass and wound the men in the enemy’s works. This weapon, in fact, together with the bow and arrow, may be numbered among the primitive arms of mankind.

=Fronde, Civil Wars of the.= These occurred in France in the minority of Louis XIV. (1648-53), during the government of the queen, Anne of Austria, and Cardinal Mazarin, between the followers of the court and the nobility, and the Parliament and the citizens. The latter were called _Frondeurs_ (_slingers_), it is said, from an incident in a street quarrel.

=Front.= A word of command signifying that the men are to face to their proper front; also to cast their eyes to the front after dressing.

=Front.= The foremost rank of a battalion, squadron, or any other body of men. The _front of a gun_ is the direction in which the muzzle points; but when a field-piece is limbered, its front is the direction in which the pole points. The _front of a work_ or fortification is the side it presents to the enemy. The _front of an army_, except in retreating, is the side towards the enemy. A column is said to be _right in front_ when it is formed by facing or wheeling to the right.

=Front, Bastioned.= A curtain connecting two half bastions.

=Front of Operations.= See STRATEGY.

=Frontal.= A front piece; something worn on the forehead or face; or the metal face-guard of a soldier.

=Fronted.= Formed with a front; as, fronted brigades.

=Frontier.= That part of a country which fronts or faces another country; the marches; the border, confines, or extreme part of a country, bordering on another country; hence, a fortified or guarded position. Also, lying on the exterior part; as, a frontier town. Acquired on a frontier; as, frontier experience.

=Frontiera.= A town of Portugal, in the province of Alemtejo, 15 miles from Estremos. The Spaniards were defeated here in 1663 by the Portuguese under Schomberg.

=Froschweiler.= See WORTH.

=Frumentarius.= A Roman soldier, whose duty was to bring supplies of provisions to the army, and the earliest notice of all hostile movements. They were also, under the Roman empire, officers who acted as spies in the provinces, and reported to the emperor whatever seemed worthy of note. They appear to have derived this appellation from their gathering news in the same way that the Frumentarii or purveyors collected corn.

=Fuel.= The matter or aliment of fire; anything capable of ignition. There is a certain allowance of fuel made by government to regiments and companies. Officers in the U. S. army, at the present time, buy their fuel; in other countries it is furnished.

=Fuente-la-Higuera.= A city of Spain, in the province of Valencia. At this place Jourdan, Soult, and Suchet, after the rout of Salamanca, met with their retreating forces, and held a council how best to get back into France, when Ballesteros, by refusing to obey Wellington’s order, opened the way for them to Madrid, in October, 1812.

=Fuenterabia.= A very ancient city of Spain, in the province of Guipuzcoa. The Prince of Condé was repulsed here by the admiral of Castile, 1638. In 1794 the French completely dismantled the place.

=Fuentes de Onore.= A small town of Spain, 16 miles from Ciudad Rodrigo. It was the scene of some sharp fighting in May, 1811, between the French and the British.

=Fugitive.= One who flees from his station or duty; a deserter; one who flees from danger. One who has fled or deserted and taken refuge under another power, or one who has fled from punishment.

=Fugleman= (an incorrect method of pronouncing _flugelman_). A well-drilled intelligent soldier advanced in front of the line, to give the time in the manual and platoon exercises. The word _flugel_ is derived from the Germans, and signifies a wing; the man having been originally posted on the right wing.

=Fulcrum.= A cast-iron post at the breech of large cannon used as a support for an iron bar in giving elevations; called also _ratchet post_.

=Full Charges.= The charges of powder required in actual service.

=Full Pay.= The full amount of an officer’s regimental pay. When an officer receives that he is said to be on full pay.

=Full Pay, Retired.= In the British service, an officer of 30 years’ full pay is permitted to retire on the full pay of his regimental rank, with a rank one step higher than that which he holds by brevet or otherwise.

=Full Sap.= See SAP.

=Full Uniform.= See DRESS UNIFORM.

=Fulminate.= A salt of fulminic acid. Fulminate of mercury is the most useful. It explodes readily by percussion, by a heat of 367° Fahr., when touched with strong sulphuric or nitric acid, by sparks from flint and steel and by the electric spark. It is used for percussion-caps, primers, fuzes, etc. From its peculiar power to produce detonations it is the detonating agent for modern blasting powders, containing nitro-glycerine, also, for gun-cotton. _Detonating caps_, or _exploders_, are copper caps containing from 3 to 25 grains of the fulminate. In ordinary blasting, where the tube fuze is used, the cap is placed on the end of the fuze and crimped around it. The cap is then buried a short distance in the blasting charge, or cartridge. See EXPLOSIVES.

=Fumigation.= To correct and purify an infectious or confined atmosphere, such as is often found in transports, fumigations are necessary. The materials recommended for the purpose are brimstone with saw-dust; or nitre with vitriolic acid; or common salt with the same acid.

=Fund.= There are several kinds of funds in the U. S. service, viz.: post fund, which is constituted by the troops baking their own bread and thereby saving 33¹⁄₃ per cent., the difference between bread and flour; the post trader also pays an assessment of 10 cents a month for every officer and soldier in the garrison, which is carried to the credit of the fund. This fund is used to defray expenses of the post bakery, garden, school, library and reading-room, chapel, printing-press, etc. Fifty per cent. of the post fund, after deducting expenses of the bakery, is set aside and transferred to the regimental treasurer; this constitutes a regimental fund, which is appropriated exclusively for the maintenance of a band, and, when a regiment does not have access to a post library, for the purchase of books and papers. The savings arising from an economical use of rations of the company (excepting the savings of flour) constitute the company fund, which is kept in the hands of the company commander, and disbursed by him _exclusively for the benefit of the enlisted men of the company_, as follows: For enlisted men’s mess, for garden seeds and utensils, for purchase of books, papers, etc., when the company does not have access to a post library or reading-room, and for such exercise and amusements as may be, in the judgment of the commanding officer, for the benefit or comfort of the enlisted men of the company.

=Funeral Honors.= If an officer dies when on duty with his regiment, or engaged on staff employ, he is buried with military honors. His hat, epaulettes, and sword are placed upon the coffin, soldiers support it, and officers bear the pall; the troops march at a slow and solemn pace, with arms reversed; the drums are muffled; the band plays the dead march; and after the body has been lowered into the grave, a party of infantry, cavalry, or artillery, fire three volleys over it, and then retire. The strength of the funeral party, as it is called, depends upon the rank of the deceased. Artillery officers are sometimes honored by discharges of cannon. When a cavalry officer is buried his horse follows the _cortege_. When the funeral of an officer entitled, when living, to a salute, takes place at or near a military post, minute-guns are fired while the remains are being borne to the place of interment; but the number of such guns is not to exceed that which the officer was entitled to as a salute when living. After the remains are deposited in the grave, a salute corresponding to the rank of the deceased officer will be fired,--three salvos of artillery, or three volleys of musketry.

In the event of a flag-officer of the navy, whether of the United States or of a foreign country, dying afloat, and the remains are brought ashore, minute-guns are fired from the ship while the body is being conveyed to the shore. If it be in the vicinity of a military post, the flag of the latter is displayed at half-staff, and minute-guns are fired from the post while the procession is moving from the landing-place. These minute-guns are not to exceed in number that which the officer was entitled to, as a salute, when living. During the funeral of a civil functionary entitled, when living, to a salute, the flag is displayed at half-staff, and minute-guns fired as before; but neither salutes nor salvos are fired after the remains are deposited in the grave. On the death of an officer at a military post, the flag is displayed at half-staff, and kept so, between the hours of reveille and retreat, until the last salvo or volley is fired over the grave, or if the remains are not interred at the post, until they are removed therefrom. Funeral honors are likewise accorded to enlisted men. During the funeral of an enlisted man, the flag is displayed at half-staff, and is hoisted to the top after the final volley or gun is fired. All military posts in sight, or within 6 miles of each other, display their flags at half-staff upon the occasion of either one doing so. The same rule is observed toward a vessel-of-war.

On all occasions where the flag is displayed at half-staff, it is _lowered_ to that position from the top of the staff. It is afterwards _hoisted_ to the top _before_ being finally lowered.

=Furl, To.= In regard to military colors, is opposed to their exposure; and is used to express the act of folding them so as to be cased.

=Furlough.= The term is usually applied to the absence with leave of non-commissioned officers and other enlisted men, and may be granted at the discretion of the commanding officer.

=Furlough.= To furnish with a furlough; to grant leave of absence.

=Furnace.= In mining, signifies a hollow or excavation which is made in the earth and is charged with gunpowder, for the purpose of blowing up a rock, wall, or any part of a fortification.

=Furnish.= To provide; to equip; as, to furnish one with arms for defense.

=Furniture.= In a military sense, applies to certain articles which are allowed in barracks, to which are added household utensils, etc. Horse furniture, are ornaments and embellishments which are adopted by military men when they are mounted for service or parade, consisting chiefly of housings, saddle-cloth, etc.

=Furruckabad.= A fortified town, and capital of a district of the same name, in the province of Agra, Hindustan, about a mile from the Ganges. Lord Lake defeated Holkar at this place in 1804.

=Fürth.= A town of Franconia, situated at the confluence of the Rezat and Pegnitz, 4 miles northwest from Nuremberg. In 1632 a battle was fought here between Gustavus Adolphus and Wallenstein, in which the latter had the advantage.

=Fuse.= See FUZE.

=Fusil.= A light musket; a steel which strikes fire out of a flint; a tinder-box; the piece of steel which covers the pan of a fire-arm.

=Fusil à Chevalets.= A species of fusils upon rests, which was recommended by Marshal Vauban, to be used at the commencement of a siege, about 50 or 100 toises in front of the glacis, at the entrances of narrow passages, etc.

=Fusiliers.= In the British service, were formerly soldiers armed with a lighter fusil or musket than the rest of the army; but at present all regiments of foot carry the same rifle. Fusilier is therefore simply a historical title borne by a few regiments. The royal regiment of Scotch Fusiliers was raised in 1678; the royal regiment of Welsh Fusiliers was raised in 1685, and another royal regiment of Welsh Fusiliers was raised in 1688-89. It is always presumed that these corps like the guards possess an _esprit de corps_, which is peculiar to themselves. The Fusilier regiments never had any ensigns, their junior officers ranked as second lieutenants, taking precedence of all ensigns, and the 7th or Royal Fusiliers have no second lieutenants, so that their junior officers rank with the rest of the army according to the date of their several commissions, as lieutenants. Fusilier regiments wear a bear-skin head-dress. Among the French when pikes were in use, each regiment had only 4 fusiliers, exclusive of 10 grenadiers, who carried the fusil or musket. Among the French there was a distinct regiment of fusiliers under the immediate command of the master of the ordnance.

=Fusillade.= A simultaneous discharge of fire-arms in a military exercise; as, a grand fusillade. To shoot down by a simultaneous discharge of fire-arms. “Fusillade them all.”

=Fusils à l’Eppe= (_Fr._). Fusils with long bayonets, shaped like a cut-and-thrust sword. These weapons were recommended as extremely useful in the rear rank of a battalion, or in detached bodies that are stationed for the defense of baggage, etc.

=Fusils, Mousquets= (_Fr._). A sort of fusil which was invented by Marshal Vauban, and which was so contrived that in case the flint did not strike fire, the powder might be inflamed by means of a small match which was fixed to the breech.

=Fustuarium.= In Roman antiquity, a method of inflicting capital punishment upon any soldier guilty of theft, desertion, or similar crimes. When the accused had been found guilty he was made to stand in front of the legion to which he belonged. One of the tribunes then touched him lightly with a stick, and all the soldiers immediately rushed upon the criminal and beat him to death with clubs (fustes). If he escaped--as he was allowed to do if he could, but which was rarely if ever possible--he was forbidden ever to return to his native country, and his nearest relatives were not allowed to receive him into their houses. This method of capital punishment continued to be enforced even under the empire.

=Futtehghur.= A town of Hindostan, British district of Furruckabad, on the western bank of the Ganges. In the vicinity is the British military cantonment. Holkar, the Mahratta chief, appeared before the place in 1804, and was preparing for the assault of the fort, when the arrival of the British army under Lord Lake drove him into precipitate flight.

=Fuyard= (_Fr._). A runaway; a coward. _Un corps fuyard_, a regiment that has been in the habit of running away.

=Fuze.= In gunnery, is a contrivance for igniting the bursting charge in a hollow projectile at any point of its flight. The simplest classification of fuzes is the _time fuze_, the _percussion fuze_, and the _concussion fuze_, which are usually defined as follows:

FUZE, CONCUSSION. Is a fuze that is operated by the shock of discharge, or the shock of impact, excluding direct percussion effects. It is especially applicable to hollow spherical projectiles. The usual difference between the concussion and percussion fuze is, that the former explodes no matter what point of the projectile strikes, whereas the latter requires the projectile to strike at or near the front end; but these are exceptions to the rule.

FUZE, PERCUSSION. As shown below, is a fuze that receives no flame from the charge in the gun, but at the moment of impact a flame is generated by means of fulminates, which produces the explosion of the charge in the shell. Most varieties of this fuze consist essentially of a brass or pewter _fuze-plug_, or case which contains an iron or steel _plunger_ terminating in a nipple which carries a common percussion-cap; the _plunger_ is held in its place at the lower end of the fuze-plug by a collar-screw, wire, or other device; when the projectile strikes the plunger breaks loose, and by its inertia is driven forward with such force as to explode the cap and ignite the charge. This form of fuze is used for rifle-shells.

FUZE, TIME. This fuze is composed of a case of paper, wood, or metal, inclosing a column of burning composition ignited by the charge in the gun; it burns for a certain time, at the end of which the flame is communicated to the bursting charge of the projectile. This fuze is used for both shells and case-shot.

=Fuze, Blasting.= A fuze used to fire charges in mines and quarries. It consists usually of a flexible tube filled with a slow-burning composition. The tube is made of various materials, and is usually waterproof. In Beckford’s fuze the composition is encased in flax, which is covered with gutta-percha, and wound with varnished tape. This fuze is used extensively in England.

=Fuze-Composition.= See LABORATORY STORES.

=Fuze, Electric.= A fuze ignited by the passage of an electric current. It is used for firing torpedoes, for the simultaneous discharge of guns and charges in mining. The principle used is the heating of the wire by the current at a point of resistance. The point of resistance is called the _bridge_. Being surrounded by a priming of powder or other explosive, its sudden heating causes ignition in the fuze. The _bridge_ is made in various ways,--by connecting the current wires by a fine platinum wire; by passing the current through a chemical mixture rendered conducting by containing a salt of copper; also by filing the main wire nearly in two, and rubbing the cut with a lead-pencil.

=Fuze-implements.= Are the fuze-cutter, fuze-setter, fuze-mallet, fuze-saw, etc. See IMPLEMENTS.

=Fuze, Safety.= A name given to a blasting fuze filled with quick-burning composition, but sufficiently long to be ignited at a safe distance from the charge.

=Fuze, Tape.= So called from its shape. May be quick or slow burning.

=Fuzes, Combination.= Are fuzes combining the principles of the simple fuzes. The term is specially applied to _time-percussion_ fuzes, which are so arranged as to burst either at the end of a certain time or upon striking the object. No very exact classification of fuzes has ever been made. If we consider all the operations necessary to the action of the fuze, only certain time fuzes can be considered simple. Concussion fuzes usually depend for their action upon some operation which takes place between the discharge and the time of impact, which bestows a character of sensitiveness which would, if existing at the time of loading, make them too dangerous to handle. Percussion fuzes, also, must have a similar supplementary operation, but this usually takes place at the time of discharge, or upon impact. It is by this means that the safety-pin, screw, or wire holding the plunger is removed or broken. For these reasons these fuzes are ordinarily _time-concussion_ and _concussion-percussion_, respectively. A fuze, however, usually takes its name from the immediate cause of the explosion. If this is due to the explosion of a fulminate by a direct blow, it is a percussion fuze. If the shock acts in a different way, it is called concussion. If the explosion takes place at the end of a given time, we have a time fuze. There are also fuzes which may be called _centrifugal-percussion_, _concussion-chemical_, _concussion-friction_, etc., examples of which will be given. It is readily seen that it is difficult to make a classification which will cover all the ingenious devices which have been invented.

The simplest time fuze is one which is ignited by the flame of discharge. In the U. S. field and siege service the paper fuze is used for rifle projectiles, both shells and case-shot, and in the field service the Bormann for spherical. For larger spherical projectiles, the paper case is inclosed in a hollow plug of wood, as in mortar-shells, and in a brass plug in the sea-coast service. In the latter the outer end of the plug is closed with a brass cap having a crooked chaume, to prevent the burning composition from being extinguished in striking water. In the U. S. service percussion fuzes are used only for rifle-shells. The fuze ordinarily employed is, strictly speaking, a _concussion-percussion_, since the safety wire must be ruptured by the shock of impact before the cap can be exploded.

The time fuze already described can be used in smooth-bore guns and in muzzle-loading rifles; but in breech-loading guns or guns without windage, the fuze composition cannot be ignited directly by the flame of discharge,--one of the strongest arguments in favor of muzzle-loaders. The time fuze for breech-loading guns is ignited by an interior contrivance, usually a plunger and cap; it is, consequently, a _percussion-time_ fuze. Such is the nature of the _Armstrong time fuze_ and the time fuzes used in Germany and Russia. Time fuzes are absolutely necessary to the successful use of case-shot or shrapnel, which must be burst in the air. The latest invention in time fuzes is the substitution of clock-work for the column of burning composition as a time-keeper,--a Yankee idea which has not yet received any official recognition, or been subjected to public test.

The Boxer fuze, used extensively in England, is a time fuze consisting of a column of composition driven in a wooden plug, which is closed at the lower end. In some forms of the fuze small longitudinal channels filled with rifle-powder communicate with the bursting charge. The time-scale is a row of holes in the side of the plug, one of which is bored through to the composition in setting the fuze. The flame communicates with the charge either through the side hole directly, or by the side channels downwards through the end of the plug. Two kinds of fuzes are used,--the _simple time fuze_ for muzzle-loaders, and the _percussion-time_ for breech-loaders.

The Splingard fuze, invented by Captain Splingard, of the Belgian service, is a good example of a _time-concussion_ fuze. It consists of a column of pure composition surrounding a hollow spindle of plaster of Paris. The composition is ignited by the flame of discharge, and burns away, leaving the spindle unsupported. When the projectile strikes, the part of the spindle above the unburned composition breaks off, and the flame fires the bursting charge through the hole in the stump. If the spindle fails to break, the charge is fired when the entire column has been consumed. This fuze is specially applicable to spherical projectiles.

The concussion fuze formerly used in Prussia was a _time-concussion-chemical_ fuze. The burning of a column of composition left a glass tube containing sulphuric acid to be broken, by a lead ball, by the shock of impact. The acid coming in contact with a mixture of chlorate potash, sulphur, and white sugar, produced a flame which fired the bursting charge.

The _Beebe concussion fuze_ for spherical projectiles, invented by Captain Beebe, U. S. Ordnance Corps, was a _concussion-friction_ fuze. A contrivance equivalent to a friction-primer buried in the bursting-charge, and offering great resistance to motion in the powder, was fired by the sudden movement of an attached weight upon impact. The shock of discharge also played a part in detaching the fuze from the fuze-plug.

The _German percussion fuze_, now commonly used in Krupp guns, may be called _centrifugal-percussion_. The safety-pin passes through a hole from the outside of the shell. This pin is thrown out by the rotation of the shot, leaving but slight resistances to the motion of the plunger.

In the English _cap-percussion fuze_ the corresponding safety-pin is pulled out by a tape by hand just before loading.

The _Pettman general service fuze_, used in England, is a _percussion_ fuze of unusual form, equally applicable to spherical or oblong projectiles. It consists, essentially, of a hollow screw-plug containing a ball covered with detonating composition, which is freed from its bearings by the shock of discharge, and explodes the shell upon impact by striking the walls surrounding it. The detonating ball sometimes fails in breech-loading guns, the motion of the projectiles being too steady to shake it out of its seat. For this reason a _plain_ ball, as it is called, is placed in the upper part of the fuze, and held between two disks. These separate upon discharge, and the ball is thrown outwards by the rotation opposite an annular groove in the lower plug or disk filled with fulminate, which is exploded upon impact, the lower plug being driven against the ball by its inertia. This fuze is, properly, a _concussion-percussion_ fuze.

=Fyroz=, or =Feroze= (written also _Ferose_, _Firoz_, _Firouz_, _Feyrouz_, and _Firuz_). A Persian word signifying “victorious,” and forming the name of several ruling kings in Persia and Hindostan.

G.

=Gabion.= A kind of basket made of osier twigs, of a cylindrical form, having different dimensions, according to the purpose for which it is used. Filled with earth, these gabions serve in sieges to carry on the approaches under cover, when the assailants come near the fortification. Batteries are often made of gabions, which likewise serve for revetments in constructing parapets of loose earth.

=Gabionage.= Gabions when used for fortification.

=Gabionnade.= A work hastily thrown up; especially, one formed chiefly of gabions. A _parapet en gabionnade_ is a parapet constructed of gabions.

=Gabions, Corrugated Iron.= Are gabions made of corrugated iron. For this purpose, the corrugated sheet should be 6 feet long, 33 inches wide, and of iron weighing three-quarters of a pound to the square foot.

The corrugations running transversely, the sheet is easily bent into a cylindrical form, in which it is retained by two clamps, the holes for which are punched near the corners of the sheet. The chief advantage claimed for the corrugated over the hoop gabion is, the readiness with which it can be put together in the field. It is also rather more portable, and stakes are dispensed with; but it is inferior to the hoop gabion in stiffness.

=Gad.= The point of a spear, or an arrowhead; a steel spike on the knuckle of a gauntlet.

=Gadaru= (_Fr._). A very broad Turkish sabre.

=Gadling.= A spike or sharp-pointed boss on the knuckle of a gauntlet; a gad.

=Gaeta.= A strongly fortified maritime town of the Neapolitan province of Terra di Lavoro, 40 miles northwest from Naples. It is one of the strongest places in the kingdom, and its harbor is the same as it was in the time of the Romans. In 1799 and in 1806 it was taken by the French, and in 1849 Pope Pius IX. sought an asylum here. When Garibaldi took possession of Naples for Victor Emmanuel in September, 1860, Francis II., the last Bourbon king of Naples, took refuge in Gaeta, and remained until the town was taken by Gen. Cialdini, in February, 1861, after a siege of several weeks’ duration.

=Gætulia.= An ancient country of Africa, situated south of Mauritania and Numidia, and embracing the western part of the desert of Sahara. Its inhabitants belonged to the great aboriginal Berber family of North and Northwestern Africa. They were a savage and warlike race, and their first collision with the Romans was during the Jugurthine war, when they served as light horse in the army of the Numidian king. Cornelius Cossus Lentulus led a force against them, and for his success obtained a triumph and the surname of _Gætulicus_. The ancient Gætulians are believed to be represented in modern times by the Tuaricks.

=Gaffles.= The steel lever with which the ancients bent their cross-bows.

=Gage.= A challenge to combat; that is, a gauntlet, glove, cap, or the like, cast on the ground by the challenger, and taken up by the acceptor of the challenge.

=Gages= (_Fr._). Wages. Among the French this term signified the fruits or compensations which were derived by individuals from appointments given by the crown, whether of a military, civil, or judicial nature, or for service done at sea or by land.

=Gain.= To conquer; to get the better; as, we gained the day, etc. To _gain ground_, implies to take up the ground which a retiring enemy vacates.

=Gaine de Flamme= (_Fr._). A sort of linen sheath or cover, into which the staff of a flag or pendant is put.

=Gaine de Pavillon= (_Fr._). A cloth or linen band, which is sewed across the flag, and through which the different ribbons are interlaced.

=Gaines’s Mill.= In Hanover Co., Va., about 20 miles northeast of Richmond. Here, on June 27, 1862, was fought one of the “seven days’ contests” between the Confederate forces under Gen. Lee and the Federals under Gen. McClellan, in which the latter were victorious.

=Gain-pain.= Bread-gainer; a term applied in the Middle Ages to the sword of a hired soldier.

=Gaiters.= A sort of cover for the leg, usually made of cloth, and are either long, as reaching to the knee, or short, as only reaching just above the ankle; the latter are termed half-gaiters, and are worn by infantry soldiers in Europe.

=Galatia.= An ancient province of Asia Minor; in the 3d century B.C., the Gauls under Brennus invaded Greece, crossed the Hellespont, and conquered Troas, 278; were checked by Attalus in a battle about 239; and then settled in what was called afterwards Gallogræcia and Galatia. The country was ravaged by Cn. Manlius, 189 B.C., and was finally annexed to the Roman empire, 25 B.C.

=Galatone.= A very ancient town in the south of Italy, in the province of Otranto, about 9 miles northeast of Gallipoli. In the struggle between Joanna, queen of Naples, and Alfonso, Galatone having declared for the former, was besieged by Alfonso, and its ramparts destroyed.

=Galea.= Among the Romans, a light casque, head-piece, or morion, coming down to the shoulders, and commonly of brass; though Camillus, according to Plutarch, ordered those of his army to be of iron, as being the stronger metal.

=Galeated.= Covered, as with a helmet.

=Galet= (_Fr._). A round stone thrown from a sling or bow.

=Galicia.= A province of Northwest Spain, was conquered by D. Junius Brutus, 136 B.C., and by the Vandals, 419, and was subdued by successive invaders.

=Galicia.= A kingdom or province of the Austrian empire, which formerly constituted a part of Poland. East Galicia was acquired by the emperor of Germany at the partition in 1772; and West Galicia at that of 1795. The latter was ceded to the grand duchy of Warsaw in 1809; but recovered by Austria in 1815.

=Gall.= To injure; to harass; to annoy; as, the troops were galled by the shot of an enemy.

=Gallant.= Noble in bearing or spirit; brave; high-spirited; courageous; heroic; magnanimous; as, a gallant youth; a gallant officer.

=Gallantly.= In a gallant manner, spirit or bearing; nobly; bravely; as, to fight gallantly; to defend a place gallantly.

=Gallantry.= Bravery; courageousness; heroism; intrepidity; as, the troops attacked the fort with great gallantry.

=Gallas.= A warlike race occupying the south and east of Abyssinia. They first appear in history in the 16th century, when they extended their conquests from the interior of Africa, laying waste by constant incursions the countries of Eastern Africa to the mountains of Abyssinia. Politically they do not form a single nation, but are divided into numerous tribes, forming separate kingdoms and states, which are frequently at war with each other.

=Gallery.= An underground passage, whether cut in the soil or built in masonry; it forms the communication between the inner and exterior works of a fortified place. When prepared for defense, it is a defensive gallery. In military mines, galleries are the underground passages leading to and connecting the mine chambers. _Scarp and counterscarp galleries_ are covered passages built in the scarp and counterscarp to give a flanking fire in the ditch.

=Gallery Descent of a Ditch.= Is the term applied when the besiegers cross the ditch by an underground passage.

=Gallet= (_Fr._). See JALET.

=Galling Fire.= A sustained discharge of cannon or small-arms, which by its execution greatly annoys the enemy.

=Gallipoli.= An important town and seaport of Turkey in Europe, in the province of Rumili, is situated on the peninsula of the same name at the northeast extremity of the Dardanelles, and about 130 miles west-southwest of Constantinople. It was once fortified, but its only defense now is a sorry square castle with an old tower. In 1357 the town was taken by the Turks, and formed the earliest Turkish possessions in Europe. In 1854 the allied armies of England and France occupied it.

=Gallipoli.= An important commercial seaport of Italy, in the Neapolitan province of Terra di Otranto. It has a good harbor, and in time of war is an important position, being strongly protected by fortifications and a castle. In 450 the town was sacked by the Vandals; in 1284 it was destroyed and almost depopulated by Charles of Anjou; and during subsequent centuries suffered severely from the Venetians, French, Spaniards, and Turks. In 1809 it repulsed an attack from the English flotilla.

=Gallop.= A mode of running by a quadruped, particularly by a horse, by lifting alternately the fore feet and the hind feet together, in successive leaps or bounds. A word of command in the cavalry service.

=Galloper.= A carriage on which very small guns are conveyed, having shafts on which the gun may be conveyed without a limber. This carriage is no longer used.

=Gallowglass.= In ancient times, a heavy-armed foot-soldier of Ireland and the Western Isles.

=Galway.= A seaport town of Ireland, and capital of Galway County. It was originally surrounded with walls. It was conquered by Richard de Burgo in 1232; in 1690 the city declared for King James, but was taken by Gen. Ginckel immediately after the battle of Aughrim, July 12, 1691.

=Gamala.= A town and strong fortress in Palestine, frequently mentioned by Josephus. Its site, though so remarkable and minutely described, had been forgotten for nearly 18 centuries; but it has latterly been identified with _El-Hossn_, which lies to the east of the Sea of Tiberias, nearly opposite the town. In the Jewish rebellion it revolted against Agrippa, who besieged it for seven months, but without success. It was afterwards, however, taken by Vespasian after a spirited resistance, and an indiscriminate slaughter of the inhabitants took place, 4000 being put to the sword, and 5000 being said to have thrown themselves from the walls, and to have been dashed to pieces on the rocks below.

=Gambado.= A case of leather, formerly used to defend the leg from mud, and in riding on horseback.

=Gambeson= (_Fr._). A term which the French formerly applied to a coat of mail that was worn under the cuirass. It was likewise called _cotte gamboisée_. It was made of two strong cloths interwoven with pointed worsted.

=Gamelle= (_Fr._). A wooden or earthen bowl formerly used among the French soldiers for their messes. It generally contained the quantity of food which was allotted for 3, 5, or 7 men belonging to the same room. The porridge-pots of the navy were made of wood, and held a certain allowance. During the monarchy of France, subaltern officers and volunteers were frequently punished for slight offenses by being sent to the _gamelle_, and excluded from their regular mess; they were put upon short allowance according to the nature of their transgression.

=Gantlope= (_Fr._). Corruptly _gauntlet_, from the French _gant_, a glove. A military punishment, which consisted in passing along the whole line, and receiving a blow from every man’s iron glove or gauntlet (_gantelet_). Whips and canes were subsequently used; this mode of punishment is now obsolete.

=Gaol.= A withe used for binding fascines or securing gabions.

=Gap.= An opening for a passage or entrance; an opening which implies a breach. _To stand in the gap_, to expose one’s self for the protection of something; to make defense against any assailing danger. _To stop a gap_, to secure a weak point; to repair a defect.

=Gap.= A small town of France, capital of the department Hautes Alps. It was sacked and almost wholly reduced to ashes by Victor Amadeus of Savoy in 1692.

=Gar.= The general term used by the Saxons for a weapon of war.

=Garamantes.= A Libyan people of the old race called _Amazergh_, who in ancient times inhabited the largest oasis of the desert of Sahara. When the Romans became masters of North Africa, they found it necessary to repress the barbarian tribes, and accordingly Cornelius Balbus Gaditanus the younger, as pro-consul, was sent against this people. He succeeded in defeating them, and obtained the honors of a triumph; but, owing to their nomadic character, he was unable thoroughly to subdue them.

=Garçon-Major= (_Fr._). An officer, so called in the old French service. He was selected from among the lieutenants of a regiment to assist the aid-majors in the general details of duty.

=Garda, Lake of.= A lake of Northern Italy, lying between the provinces of Lombardy and Venice. In 1796 the battle of Rivoli was fought near its eastern shore, in which Bonaparte defeated Wurmser.

=Gardant.= In heraldry, is said of an animal which is represented full-faced, and looking forward.

=Garde= (_Fr._). Guard. _Garde de l’armée_, the grand guard of an army. Guards in the old French service were usually divided into three sorts: _guards of honor_, _fatigue guard_, and the _general’s guard_. That was called a _guard of honor_ in which the officers and men were exposed to danger. A _fatigue guard_ belonging to a garrison or camp. A _general’s guard_ was mounted before the door or gate of a house in which the commanding officer resided.

=Garde-General d’Artillerie= (_Fr._). An officer was so called under the old government of France, who had charge of all the ordnance and stores belonging to his majesty for the land service. He gave receipts for all ammunition, etc., and his bills were paid by the treasurer-general of the army.

=Garde, Imperiale= (_Fr._). See GUARDS, IMPERIAL.

=Garde, Nationale= (_Fr._). See NATIONAL GUARDS.

=Garde Pluie= (_Fr._). Literally means a fence, or cover against rain. This machine was originally invented by a Frenchman, and submitted to the Prussians, who adopted it for the use of their infantry. Under the cover of them, the besieged, or the troops stationed in the posts attacked, would be able to keep up a brisk and effective discharge of musketry during the heaviest fall of rain, and thereby silence or considerably damp the fire of the enemy.

=Gardelegen.= A small town of Prussian Saxony, situated about 30 miles north-northwest of Magdeburg, on the Milde. It was destroyed by Duke Dervan in 633, and rebuilt about 924. It remained a free town until 1478.

=Gardens.= In ancient military history, places of resort to practice military exercises.

=Gardes Blancs= (_Fr._). Were Roman militia, composed of picked men.

=Gardes Costes=, or =Côtes= (_Capitaineries_), Fr. The maritime divisions, into which France was formerly divided, were so called. Each division was under the immediate superintendence of a captain, named _capitaine gardes-costes_, who was assisted by a lieutenant and an ensign. Their duty was to watch the coast, and to attend minutely to everything that might affect the safety of the division they had in charge.

=Gardes de la Porte= (_Fr._). A company so called during the monarchy of France, and of so ancient a date, indeed, with respect to original institution, that it appears to have been coeval with it. Mention is made of the _gardes de la porte_ in the oldest archives or records belonging to the king’s household, in which service they were employed, without being responsible to any particular treasurer as other companies were. This company consisted of 1 captain, 4 lieutenants, and 50 guards. The captain and officers received their commissions from the king. The first took an oath of fidelity to the king in person, and received the bâton from his hands. The duty he did was purely discretionary, and depended on his own will. The lieutenants served by detachment, and took their tour of duty every quarter. Their specific service consisted in guarding the principal gate belonging to the king’s apartments. They were relieved at night by the body-guards, and delivered the keys to a brigadier belonging to the Scotch garrison.

=Gardes du Corps= (_Fr._). The body-guards. Under the old French government, they consisted of a certain number of gentlemen or cavaliers whose immediate duty was to attend the king’s person. They were divided into four companies, under as many captains, whose tour of duty came every quarter. They took rank above the _gens d’armes_ and the king’s light cavalry. The first and most ancient of the four companies was called the Scotch company, which was established by Charles VII. of France in 1423.

=Gardes Françaises= (_Fr._). The French guards. In 1563 Charles IX., king of France, raised a regiment for the immediate protection of the palace. The colonel of the gardes Française was on duty throughout the year, and was entitled to the _bâton de commandement_ in common with the four captains of the body-guards. Peculiar privileges were attached to every officer belonging to this body. No stranger, not even a native of Strasburg, Savoy, Alsace, or Piedmont, could hold a commission in the French guards. In the revolution of 1789 they took a very active and leading part.

=Gardes-magazins= (_Fr._). In the old French service there were two sorts of magazine guards,--one for the military stores and the other for the artillery. The first was subject to the grand master, and the second was appointed by the secretary at war. _Gardes particuliers des magazins d’artillerie_, officers appointed by the grand master of ordnance for the specific purpose of attending to the ammunition, etc. Their pay was in proportion to the quantity of stores with which they were intrusted.

=Gardes Suisses= (_Fr._). A celebrated Swiss corps in the French army, constituted “Gardes” by royal decree in 1616. They comprised upwards of 2000 men, were always unswerving in their fidelity to the Bourbon kings, and are chiefly remarkable for their heroic end. On August 10, 1792, they withstood the Parisian revolutionary mob, and defended the palace of the Louvre till almost every man was cut down. During the resistance they offered, the royal family was enabled to escape to such shelter as the National Assembly afforded. _Gardes Suisses du corps du Roi_, one hundred Swiss guards who were immediately attached to the king’s person. They were a select body of men who took an oath of fidelity to the king, and were formed into a regular troop. But in the last period of the monarchy of France, the principal duties of the one hundred Swiss guards consisted in domestic and menial attendance.

=Garigliano.= A river in Southwestern Italy. After long waiting and refusing to recede a step, the great captain Gonsalvo de Cordova made a bridge over this river December 27, 1503, and surprised and totally defeated the French army. Gaeta surrendered a few days after.

=Garland.= A sort of chaplet made of flowers, feathers, and sometimes of precious stones, worn on the head in the manner of a crown. Both in ancient and modern times it has been customary to present garlands of flowers to warriors who have distinguished themselves. A beautiful young woman was generally selected for that purpose.

=Garlasco.= A market-town of Northern Italy, 24 miles from Novara. The Austrians, when they invaded Italy in 1849, crossed the Po near this place.

=Garnished.= In heraldry, any charge is said to be garnished with the ornaments set on it.

=Garnish-nails.= Diamond-headed nails, formerly used to ornament artillery carriages.

=Garret.= A turret or battlement. Now obsolete.

=Garreted.= Protected by turrets. Now obsolete.

=Garrison.= A body of troops stationed in a fort or fortified town to defend it against an enemy, or to keep its inhabitants in subjection. A strong place, in which troops are quartered for its security. _In garrison_, in the condition of a garrison; doing duty in a fort or as one of a garrison. _Garrison town_, is a strong place, in which troops are quartered and do duty for the security thereof, keeping strong guards at each post, and a main-guard in or near the market-place. As a verb it means to place troops in, as in a fortress, for its defense; to furnish with soldiers; as, to garrison a fort or town. To secure or defend by fortresses manned with troops; as, to garrison a conquered territory.

=Garrison Court-martial.= Is a legal tribunal for the examination and punishment of offenders against martial law, or against good order and military discipline. It is composed of three members and a judge-advocate. See COURT-MARTIAL, and TRIAL; also JUDGE-ADVOCATE.

=Garrison Gin.= The largest size gin. See GIN.

=Garrison Guns.= Guns used in fortifications. Fortress guns.

=Garrison des Janissaries= (_Fr._). The _élite_ or flower of the Janissaries of Constantinople was frequently sent into garrison on the frontiers of Turkey, or to places where the loyalty of the inhabitants was doubted. The Janissaries did not indeed assist in the immediate defense of a besieged town or fortress, but they watched the motions of all suspected persons, and were subject to the orders of their officers, who usually commanded the garrison.