Chapter XXII: Part 22

=Hang Upon, To.= To hover; to impend. Thus, _to hang upon_ the flanks of a retreating enemy, is to follow the movements of any body of men so closely as to be a perpetual annoyance to them; to harass and perplex him in a more desultory manner than what is generally practiced when pressing upon his rear.

=Hanged, Drawn and Quartered.= In Great Britain, the description of the capital sentence on a traitor, which consisted of drawing him on a hurdle to the place of execution, and after hanging him, dividing the body into quarters. This punishment was substituted by the stat. 54 Geo. III. c. 146, for the ancient and more barbarous sentence of disemboweling alive; but the crown has power to reduce the sentence to simple hanging.

=Hanger.= That which hangs or is suspended; specifically, a short broadsword, incurvated towards the point.

=Hangier.= A Turkish poniard, formerly worn by the Janissaries.

=Hango Head.= A promontory on the north coast of the Gulf of Finland. It was at this place, during the war with Russia, in 1855, that the unarmed crew of an English man-of-war’s boat, with a flag of truce flying, was treacherously fired upon by Russian grenadiers, when all the British sailors in the boat were either killed or wounded.

=Hanover.= A kingdom in the north of Germany, and since 1866 a province of Prussia. It was originally peopled by the Cherusci, the Chauci, and the Langobardi, afterwards known as Lombards. In the time of Charlemagne it was occupied by Saxon tribes, and continued, even after its conquest by that monarch, to be governed by Saxon dukes. From 1714 till 1837, Hanover was governed by the kings of England, without, however, forming part of that kingdom. The French occupied it in 1803; but, two years afterwards, ceded it to Prussia. In 1807, however, they took possession of it, and held it till 1813.

=Hanover Court-house.= A town in East Virginia. Here on May 27, 1862, a severe action took place between the armies of the North and South, which resulted in a victory for the former. The loss on the Northern side was 54 killed and 194 wounded and missing; and on the Southern side, between 200 and 300 killed and wounded, and about 500 taken prisoners.

=Hanse Towns.= The Hanseatic League (from _hansa_, association), formed by port towns in Germany against the piracies of the Swedes and Danes, began about 1140, and was signed in 1241. At first it consisted only of towns situated on the coasts of the Baltic Sea, but in 1370 it was composed of 66 cities and 44 confederates. They proclaimed war against Waldemar, king of Denmark, about the year 1348, and against Eric in 1428, with 40 ships and 12,000 regular troops, besides seamen. The Thirty Years’ War in Germany (1618-48) broke up the strength of this association. In 1630 the only towns retaining the name were Lubeck, Hamburg, and Bremen.

=Hansy.= A town of Hindustan, in the British district of Hurreeana, under the jurisdiction of the lieutenant-governor of the northwest provinces. It is a very ancient town; was taken by the Mohammedans early in 1035, and has experienced many revolutions.

=Hante= (_Fr._). An ornamental pike, having a banner attached.

=Haquebut.= See HAGBUT.

=Har.= A syllable used in composition usually as a prefix, and signifying _army_;--occurring in various forms, as _hare_, _her_, and _here_; as, harisvalt, leader of an army.

=Haranes= (_Fr._). Hungarian militia are so called.

=Harangue.= A speech addressed to a large public assembly; a popular oration; aloud address to a multitude; as, a general makes a harangue to his troops on the eve of a battle.

=Harass.= To annoy; to perplex, and incessantly turmoil any body of men; to hang upon the rear and flunks of a retreating army, or to interrupt operations at a siege by repeated attacks upon the besiegers.

=Harboring an Enemy.= See APPENDIX, ARTICLES OF WAR, 45.

=Harcarrah.= In India, a messenger employed to carry letters, and otherwise intrusted with matters of consequence that require secrecy and punctuality. They are very often Brahmins, well acquainted with the neighboring countries; they are sent to gain intelligence, and are used as guides in the field.

=Hard-fought.= Vigorously contested; as, a hard-fought battle.

=Hardihood.= Boldness, united with firmness and constancy of mind; dauntless bravery; intrepidity; audaciousness.

=Hardiment.= Hardihood; courage; bold or energetic action; contest; struggle.

=Hard-labor.= A military punishment frequently awarded by courts-martial.

=Hard-tack.= Sea-bread. Hard-tack is also used by U. S. troops while campaigning; large crackers.

=Harfleur.= A town of France, in the department of the Lower Seine, situated at the confluence of the Seine and the Lezarde, a mile from the sea, and 3 miles northeast from Havre. Harfleur was formerly fortified, and an important place. It was besieged by the English under Henry V. in 1415, and this monarch succeeded in taking it, after being before it forty days. It was again taken by the English in 1440.

=Harlaw.= A township of Scotland, in Aberdeenshire, situated 4 miles southwest from old Meldrum, near the confluence of the Ury and Don, memorable for a sanguinary battle fought in 1411 between the Highlanders under Donald, the Lord of the Isles, and the royal forces under the Earl of Mar.

=Harmostes.= A city governor or prefect appointed by the Spartans in the cities subjugated by them.

=Harness.= The iron covering or dress which a soldier formerly wore, and which was fastened to the body by straps and buckles; coat of mail; also, the whole accoutrements, offensive and defensive; armor of a knight or soldier; the armor of a horse. Also the equipments of a draught-horse.

=Harness.= To dress in armor; to equip with armor for war, as a horseman. To equip or furnish for defense.

=Harol.= An Indian term signifying the officer who commands the van of an army. It sometimes means the van-guard itself.

=Harpe.= A species of drawbridge used among the ancients, and deriving its name from its resemblance to the musical instrument. This bridge, which consisted of a wooden frame, and hung in a perpendicular direction against the turrets that were used in those times to carry on the siege of a place, had a variety of ropes attached to it, and was let down upon the wall of a town by means of pulleys. The instant it fell, the soldiers left the turret, and rushed across the temporary platform upon the rampart.

=Harper’s Ferry.= A town of Jefferson Co., W. Va., situated at the junction of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers, about 107 miles north from Richmond. In October, 1859, John Brown, the leader of the anti-slavery party, and his followers entered the town, and seized and held for a short time the armory and arsenal located here. In April, 1861, the Federal troops evacuated the public buildings here, and they were immediately taken possession of by the Confederates, who destroyed them and evacuated the place in June, following. The town was again taken by the Confederates in September, 1862, but was soon after recaptured by the Federal forces, who from that time retained possession of it.

=Harponully.= A district in the south of India. The rajah of this district was tributary to the kings of Benjanagur and Bejapore, to the Moguls, and the Mahrattas; in 1774 he became tributary to Hyder, and in 1786 he was completely subdued by Tippoo, and sent prisoner to Seringapatam. On the capture of that city, Harponully was assigned to the nizam as a portion of his division of Tippoo’s territory, and by him assigned to the British in 1800.

=Harpy.= A fabulous creature in Greek mythology, considered as a minister of the vengeance of the gods. In heraldry it is represented as a vulture, with the head and breast of a woman.

=Harquebuse.= See ARQUEBUSE.

=Harquebusier.= See ARQUEBUSIER.

=Hartlepool.= A seaport of England, in the county Durham, a few miles north of the mouth of the river Tees. It is mentioned as a harbor of some consequence as early as 1171. In the 13th century it belonged to the Bruces of Annandale, in Scotland. Hartlepool suffered severely from the Scots in 1312, and again in 1315, a year after the battle of Bannockburn. It was seized by the insurgents in the northern rebellion under the Earls of Northumberland and Westmoreland, in the time of Elizabeth. During the civil war it was taken by the Scottish army in 1644, and retained by them till 1647.

=Hastaire= (_Fr._). Pikeman; spearman.

=Hastati.= From the Latin word _hasta_, a spear, so that they may literally be called spearmen. A body of Roman soldiers who were more advanced in age, and had acquired a greater reputation in arms than the _velites_ possessed, were distinguished by this appellation. They wore a complete set of armor, and always carried a buckler, made convex, measuring 2¹⁄₂ feet in breadth and 4 feet in length. The longest measured about 4 feet 9 inches, or a Roman palm. The buckler was made of two boards glued together. These were covered in the first instance with a broad piece of linen, which was again covered over with sheep-skin. The edges, both at top and bottom, were fenced with iron, to enable them to meet the broadsword and sabre, and to prevent them from rotting when planted on the ground. The convex part was further covered over with iron plates, to resist the impression of hard blows, and to withstand the violent concussion of stones, etc. The _hastati_ commonly formed the first line in the order of battle; the _principes_ were placed in the second line; whilst the oldest and best legionaries, classed under the name of _triarii_, constituted a reserve or third line.

=Hastings.= A town of England, in the county of Surrey, 33 miles northeast from Brighton, and one of the Cinque Ports. Near this place, in 1066, was fought the decisive battle of Hastings, which wrested the crown of England from Harold, and gave it to William the Conqueror.

=Hatchet.= A small, light sort of axe, with a bazil edge on the left side, and a short handle. It is used by soldiers for cutting wood to make fascines, gabions, pickets, etc. _To take up the hatchet_, among the Indians, to declare war, to commence hostilities, etc. _To bury the hatchet_, to make peace.

=Hatchment.= An ornament on the hilt of a sword. In heraldry, a hatchment is the funeral escutcheon, usually placed in front of the house of a deceased person, setting forth his rank and circumstances. It is in the form of a lozenge, and in its centre are depicted the arms of the deceased, single or quartered.

=Hatras.= A town of Hindostan, in the northwest provinces, 33 miles to the north of Agra. As a place of some strength, it was at one time prominent in the wars of the Doab; but on falling, in 1817, into the possession of the British, it was immediately dismantled.

=Hattrass.= A fortress of India, taken by siege and storm by the troops under the Marquis of Hastings during the Mahratta war.

=Haubergier= (_Fr._). An individual who held a tenure by knight’s service, and was subject to the feudal system which formerly existed in France, and by which he was obliged to accompany the lord of the manor in that capacity whenever the latter went to war. He was called _fief de haubert_, and had the privilege of carrying a halbert. All vassals in ancient times served their lords-paramount as squires, haubergiers, lance-men, bow-men, etc.

=Hauberk.= A twisted coat of mail, sometimes extending only as high as the neck, but more generally continued so as to form a coif, leaving only the face of the knight who bore it exposed. In early times the sleeve of the hauberk sometimes terminated at the elbow, but in the 13th and 14th centuries it came down to the wrist, and very generally descended over the hand in the form of a glove, either one-fingered or divided. In the 11th century the hauberk was worn under plate-armor.

=Haul.= To pull or draw with force or violence; to transport by drawing; to drag; to compel to move or go.

=Hausse, Pendulum.= Is a scale of sheet-brass, the graduations of which are the sines of each quarter of a degree to a radius equal to the distance between the muzzle-sight of the piece, and the axis of vibration of the hausse, which is one inch in rear of the base-ring. At the lower end of the scale is a brass bulb filled with lead. The _slider_ which marks the divisions on the scale is of thin brass, and is clamped at any desired division on the scale by means of a screw. The scale passes through a slit in a piece of steel, with which it is connected by a screw, forming a pivot on which the scale can vibrate laterally. This piece of steel terminates in pivots, by means of which the pendulum is supported on the _seat_ attached to the gun, and is at liberty to vibrate in the direction of the axis of the piece. The _seat_ is of metal, and is fastened to the base of the breech by screws, so that the centres of the steel pivots of vibration shall be at a distance from the axis of the piece equal to the radius of the base-ring.

=Hausse-col= (_Fr._). An ornamental plate similar to the gorget. It was formerly worn by infantry officers.

=Hautes-payes= (_Fr._). Were soldiers selected by the captains of companies to attend them personally, for which service they received something more than the common pay. Haute-paye became afterwards a term to signify the subsistence which any body of men superior to, or distinguished from the private soldier were allowed to receive.

=Haut-le-pied= (_Fr._). A term used to distinguish such persons as were formerly employed in the French armies without having any permanent appointment. _Commissaires hauts-le-pied_ were known in the artillery during the monarchy of France. They were usually under the quartermaster-general.

=Havana= (Sp. _Habana_). The capital of the island of Cuba, on its north coast, at the mouth of the river Lagida. The harbor is one of the best in the world, being capable of holding 1000 ships with ease; but it has so narrow a channel that only one vessel can enter at a time. This channel is strongly fortified; the city is also surrounded with defensive works, all furnished with heavy artillery. Havana has been frequently attacked; it was captured in 1536 by a French pirate, and partially destroyed; it was subsequently taken, at different times, by the English, by the French, and by the buccaneers. In 1762 the British took possession of it, but restored it in 1763.

=Havelock.= A light cloth covering for the head and neck, used by soldiers as a protection from sunstroke. This covering derived its name from Havelock, a distinguished English general.

=Haverfordwest= (Welsh, _Hwlfford_). A seaport of Wales, in Pembrokeshire, and the capital of that county. It was at one time strongly fortified, and was possessed of a strong castle, which was built by Gilbert de Clare, first earl of Pembroke. In the insurrection of Owen Glendower, it was successfully defended against the French troops in the Welsh service. In the civil war of the 17th century it was held by the royalists.

=Haversack.= A strong, coarse, linen bag, in which, on a march, a soldier carries his rations. It is borne on the left side, suspended by a strap passing over the right shoulder. The name is also given to the leather bag used in artillery to carry cartridges from the ammunition-chest to the piece in loading.

=Havildar.= A non-commissioned officer or sergeant among the Sepoys. He ranks next to the jemadar, or native lieutenant.

=Havildar-major.= The native sergeant-major in a native infantry regiment.

=Havoc.= Wide and general destruction; devastation; waste. Also, to waste; to destroy; to lay waste.

=Havock.= A cry originally used in hunting, but afterward in war as the signal for indiscriminate slaughter.

=Havre Le=, or =Havre de Grace=. An important and strongly fortified commercial town of France, in the department of the Lower Seine, at the entrance of the Seine into the English Channel. Havre was taken by the British in 1562, and bombarded by them in 1759, 1794, and 1795.

=Hawaii.= See OWYHEE.

=Haxo-casemate.= A vault of masonry thrown over a gun, but not over its embrasure. It is open at the rear, and acts as a traverse.

=Hayti=, =Haiti=, =St. Domingo=, or =Hispaniola=. The largest island in the West Indies, with the exception of Cuba. It was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1495. Until 1665 Spain kept possession of the island; but in that year the French obtained a footing, and retained their position for upwards of a century and a quarter. In 1800 the independence of Hayti was proclaimed by the negro population, and the French finally quitted the island in 1803. Since that time various revolutions have occurred, and a kind of military elective government has prevailed under different leaders. In 1849 the former French portion of the island was proclaimed an empire under its president, Solouque, who took the title of Faustin I. The sable emperor was, however, deposed in 1858, and a republic was again proclaimed.

=Hazaree.= An Indian term signifying the commander of gun-men. It is derived from _hazar_, which, in its literal interpretation, signifies a thousand.

=Haze, To.= To punish a man by making him do unnecessary work.

=Head.= In gunnery, the fore part of the cheeks of a gun or howitzer carriage. _To head_, is to lead on, or be the leader of a party. _Head of a work_, in fortification, is the front next to the enemy, and farthest from the place; as the front of a horn-work is the distance between the flanked angles of the demi-bastions. The head of a double tenaille is the salient angle in the centre and the two other sides which form the re-entering angles. _Head of an army_, or body of men, is the front, whether drawn up in lines or on a march, in column, etc. _Head of a camp_, is the ground before which an army is drawn up.

=Head, Bridge.= Is the end of a bridge,--also the work defending it.

=Header.= In a revetment, is a brick, stone, or sod laid with its end outwards.

=Headless.= Destitute of a chief or leader.

=Head-man.= A chief; a leader.

=Head-piece.= Armor for the head; a helmet; a morion.

=Headquarters.= The place where the officer commanding any army or independent body of troops takes up his residence. The quarters or place of residence of the chief officer; hence, the centre of authority or order.

=Headstall.= That part of a bridle which encompasses the head.

=Heaume= (_Fr._). A word derived from the German, which formerly signified _casque_, or helmet. The heaume has been sometimes called among the French _salade_, _armet_, and _celate_ from the Latin word which means engraved, on account of the different figures which were represented upon it. The heaume covered the whole of the face, except the eyes, which were protected by small iron bars laid crosswise. It serves as an ornament or helmet in coats of arms and armorial bearings; it is still preserved in heraldry, and is a distinguishing mark of nobility.

=Heaver.= A bar used as a lever.

=Heavy.= Strong; violent; forcible; as, a heavy cannonade.

=Heavy Artillery.= Troops who serve heavy guns. The term is specially applied to troops in charge of siege guns or guns of position. Also large guns themselves.

=Heavy Cavalry.= European cavalry is divided into light and heavy cavalry, according to the size of the men and horses and the character of the equipment.

=Heavy Fire.= A continuous cannonading; a continuous discharge of musketry.

=Heavy Marching Order.= An expression applied to troops equipped for permanent field service with arms, accoutrements, knapsacks, canteens, and haversacks.

=Heavy Metal.= Large guns carrying balls of a large size; also, large balls for such guns.

=Heavy Ordnance.= Ordnance of great weight and caliber. In the United States the term is restricted in the land service to sea-coast ordnance. See ORDNANCE.

=Hebrides=, or =Western Islands=. A series of islands off the west coast of Scotland, consisting of two principal groups. In ancient times they were subject to the kings of Norway, but were annexed to the crown of Scotland in 1264. From that time they were held by various native chieftains in vassalage to the Scottish monarch, until they came under the sway of one powerful chief, who assumed the title of “Lord of the Isles” in 1346, and effected entire independence of Scotland. In 1748 all hereditary jurisdictions were abolished, and for the first time, under a just and powerful government, the peace of the islands was secured.

=Hebron.= A place in Palestine, about 20 miles a little west of south from Jerusalem, and one of the oldest existing cities in the world. The Maccabees recovered it from the Edomites, who had taken it after the Captivity. It was burned by an officer of Vespasian just before the destruction of Jerusalem. It was taken by the Arabs in 637, and by the Crusaders about 1100; and ever since 1187 has been in the hands of its present masters, the Mohammedans.

=Hedge.= To surround for defense; to fortify; to guard; to protect; to hem. To surround so as to prevent escape.

=Hedjrah.= See HEGIRA.

=Heel.= That part of a thing corresponding in position to the human heel; the lower back part, or part on which a thing rests. In a small-arm it is the corner of the butt which is upwards in the firing position.

=Heel-piece.= Armor for the heels.

=Hegemony.= Leadership; preponderant influence or authority; usually applied to the relations of a government or state to its neighbors or confederates.

=Hegira=, or =Hedjrah= (from the Arabic _hajara_, to desert). A Mohammedan epoch, dating from the expulsion or flight of Mohammed from Mecca to Medina, July 16, 622. This flight was fixed as the great Moslem epoch by the caliph Omar, seventeen years later.

=Heidelberg.= A city of Germany, in Baden, situated on the Neckar, which is possessed of a celebrated university. This town has been besieged several times; it was taken by Tilly in 1622, and by Turenne in 1674.

=Helder.= A town of Northern Holland, on the North Sea, at the mouth of the Marsdiep, which separates it from the island of Texel. Near this place a naval battle was fought between the English and the Dutch in 1653, in which Van Tromp was killed. It was taken by the English under Sir Ralph Abercrombie in 1799; was afterwards retaken by Brewe, and subsequently rendered a first-class fortress by Napoleon I. It is connected with Amsterdam by the famous Helder Canal.

=Helena, Saint.= An island in the Atlantic Ocean, which presents to the sea, throughout its whole circuit, an immense wall of perpendicular rock, from 600 to 1200 feet high. This island was discovered by the Portuguese in 1502, and belonged to the Dutch from 1610 to 1650, when it fell into the hands of the British. It is chiefly famous for having been the place in which Napoleon I. was confined by the allied powers after his final overthrow at the battle of Waterloo. Here he lived at Longwood, from November, 1815, till his death in 1821. His remains also lay here till 1840, when, by the permission of the English government, they were conveyed to France.

=Helepolis.= In the ancient art of war, a machine for battering down the walls of a place besieged. The invention of it is ascribed to Demetrius Poliorcetes. Diodorus Siculus says that each side of the helepolis was 450 cubits broad, and 90 in height; that it had nine stages, or floors, and was carried on four strong solid wheels, 8 cubits in diameter; that it was armed with huge battering-rams, and had two roofs capable of supporting them; that in the lower stages there were different sorts of engines for casting stones, and in the middle they had large catapults for launching arrows.

=Heligoland.= A small island in the North Sea, situated about 46 miles northwest from the mouths of the Elbe and Weser. It was taken from the Danes by the British in 1807, and became a depot for merchandise intended to be smuggled into the continent during Napoleon’s continental blockade. At the peace of 1814 it was retained by England, and is of importance as an outpost in time of war.

=Heliography.= See LOOKING-GLASS SIGNALING.

=Hellespont.= See DARDANELLES.

=Hellin= (anc. ILUNUM). A royal town of Spain, in the province of Murcia. This town was sacked by the French under Montbrun, and was the point where Joseph and Soult united with Suchet after Marmont’s rout at Salamanca.

=Helmet.= A piece of defensive armor or covering for the head. Among the early nations of antiquity the helmet forms a prominent feature in all military costume, and is often of very great utility in distinguishing the age or country of the wearer. The Egyptian kings had them of brass, while the soldiers wore linen ones thickly padded. The crests of the royal Egyptian helmet were the heads of the lion, bull, or dragon. The Milyans had helmets of skins; those of a fox formed the early Thracian helmet; and this ancient fashion of the heroic ages appears in the _galerus_ of the Roman light troops. The Phrygian bonnet was a skull-cap, with a bent peak projecting in front, like the bust of a bird, with an arched neck and head. It is certainly the most ancient form of helmet. Strabo says the ancient Persians, and probably their oriental neighbors, wore modern turbans; in war, a cap cut in the form of a cylinder or tower. This Asiatic fashion extended itself widely. The helmet of the Grecian soldier was usually made of brass, and sometimes of the skins of beasts, with the hair still on; and to render them more terrible, the teeth were often placed in a grinning manner. The crest was made of horse-hair or feathers, and was curiously ornamented. In the early period of the Greeks, helmets had been composed of the skins of quadrupeds, of which none were more common than the dog. After the time of Alexander the Great, common soldiers had only small crests; chieftains, plumes or two crests. The helmet of the Romans was a head-piece of brass or iron, which left the face uncovered, and descended behind as far as the shoulders. Upon the top was the crest, in adorning which the soldiers took great pride. The usual ornament was horse-hair or feathers of divers colors; but the helmets of the officers were sometimes very splendid, and adorned with gold and silver. Helmets occur with cheek-pieces and movable visors. Singular helmets, with aigrettes, plumes, wings, horns, double crests, double-cheek pieces (some of which are seen on the Hamilton vases), and others, with fantastical additions and overloaded crests, are either barbarian, or subsequent to the removal of the seat of empire to Constantinople. The Gauls wore helmets of brass, with monstrous appendages for ostentation, as the shapes of birds, beasts, etc. In the Middle Ages the knights of Europe were distinguished by helmets adorned with the figure of a crown, or of some animal. The king wore a helmet of gold, or gilt; his attendants of silver; the nobility of steel; and the lower orders of iron. In European armies helmets are worn by the horse-guards and heavy cavalry. In the United States, helmets made of felt and adorned with horse-hair plumes are worn by light artillery and cavalry troops.

=Helmet-shaped.= Shaped like a helmet; galeate.

=Helmless.= Destitute of a helmet; without a helm.

=Helos.= In ancient geography, the name of several towns, so called from their position among or near _fens_. The most important town of this name was in Laconia, at the mouth of the Eurotas, in a plain close to the sea. In the Dorian conquest of the Peloponnesus Helos was taken, and its inhabitants carried off to Sparta and reduced to slavery. Their name is said to have been applied by their masters generally to all the bondsmen or helots that fell into their power.

=Helots.= The lowest class of the population of ancient Sparta, which was formed of serfs or slaves. They are supposed to have formed the original population of the country, and to have been reduced to bondage by their Dorian conquerors. In war, they served as light troops, each free-born Spartan who bore heavy armor being accompanied to battle by a number of them, sometimes as many as seven. In order to keep their numbers within bounds the Spartans organized secret companies, who went abroad over the country armed with daggers, and both by night and day assassinated the unfortunate Helots, selecting as their special victims the strongest and most vigorous of the oppressed race.

=Helsingfors.= A fortified town, and seaport in Finland, on a peninsula in the Gulf of Finland. It has a good harbor, and is defended by the almost impregnable citadel and fortifications of Sweaborg, which stand on a number of rocky islands at the entrance of the harbor. This town was burnt in 1741, during the war between Sweden and Russia. In 1855, Sweaborg was bombarded for two days by the allied English and French fleet, when some damage was done to the interior defenses of the place.

=Helvetian Republic.= Switzerland having been conquered by the French in 1797, a republic was established in 1798 with this title.

=Helvetii.= A Celtic people inhabiting, according to Cæsar, the region between the mountains of Jura on the west, the Rhone on the south, and the Rhine on the east and north, the region corresponding pretty closely with modern Switzerland. The great and fatal event in their history is their attempted irruption into and conquest of Southern Gaul, in which they were repulsed by Cæsar with frightful slaughter in 58 B.C., and compelled to return to their own country, where they became subjects to the Romans. In the commotions which followed the death of Nero, the Helvetians met with another terrible catastrophe. Remaining faithful to Galba, they were fallen upon by Cacina, a general of Vitellius, who gave them up to the rapacity of his legions, and from this time they scarcely appear in history as a distinct people.

=Helvoetsluys.= A fortified town of Holland, on the south shore of the island of Voorn, 17 miles southwest from Rotterdam. At this place the Prince of Orange, afterwards William III., embarked for England in 1688. It was taken by the French in 1798, and evacuated by them in 1813.

=Hem In.= To surround an enemy, whether on land or sea.

=Hemerodromi.= In Grecian antiquity, were, as the name imports, runners or couriers, who could keep running all day. In a country like Greece, where the roads were few and bad, the hemerodromi were indispensable for the rapid diffusion of important news. Every Greek state made a point of training a number of these men who could travel great distances in an incredibly short space of time, and at every dangerous crisis they were stationed on commanding points to observe and report at headquarters what it was necessary for the authorities to know. In the service of the Persian kings, these men were called _angoroi_, and the service _angereion_. Among the Romans these couriers were known as _cursores_; they traveled sometimes on foot, sometimes on horseback. It is a well-known fact that running footmen attended the Duke of Marlborough in his wars in the Low Countries and in Germany. In the Byzantine empire they were employed as sentinels at the gates of towns. When the gates were opened they were obliged to patrol round the outskirts of the town during the whole day. Frequently, indeed, they advanced considerably into the country, in order to discover whether any hostile body of men was approaching in order to surprise the garrison.

=Henery Isle.= A small island lying due south from Bombay. In 1790 it belonged to Ragojee Angria, and was a principal rendezvous of pirate vessels, though within sight of Bombay. Near it is another small island named Kenery, which is also fortified, and of considerable strength. It was taken possession of and fortified by Sevajee in 1679. In 1790 it belonged to the Peshwa, and was also the haunt of pirates.

=Heneti.= An ancient people in Paphlagonia, dwelling on the river Parthenius; fought on the side of Priam against the Greeks, but had disappeared before the historical times. They were regarded by many ancient writers as the ancestors of the Veneti in Italy.

=Hengestdown.= In Cornwall, England. Here Egbert is said to have defeated the Danes and West Britons in 835.

=Hennebon.= A town of France, in the department of Morbihan, on the Blavet. It was formerly a very strong place, and was successfully defended by the Countess of Montfort, when it was besieged by Charles de Blois, in 1342.

=Henry Rifle.= See MAGAZINE GUNS.

=Hephestion=, or =Hephæstion=. A Macedonian courtier and commander, the son of Amyntor of Pella; became a favorite of Alexander the Great, whom he followed in the invasion of Persia and India. In the return of this expedition, Hephestion and Craterus commanded a separate part of the army. He died in 325 B.C.

=Hep-pah=, or =Hippa=. A New Zealand fort, or space surrounded with stout palisades.

=Heptarchy.= A government of seven; said to have been established by the Anglo-Saxons in England before the reign of Egbert (800-836 A.D.). Under Egbert, Wessex rose to be supreme, and virtually swallowed up the others. The common idea is that these seven kingdoms were contemporaneous; but all that can be safely asserted is, that England in this time was peopled by various tribes, whose leading occupation was war; and that sometimes one was conquered, sometimes another. At no time was there a counterpoise of power among seven of them, so that they could be said to have a separate, much less an independent existence. Still, seven names do survive, so as to use the term Heptarchy.

=Heraclea.= In ancient geography, a large and important city of Magna Græcia. It was situated in Lucania, between the small streams Siris and Aciris, a little way inland from the shore of the Tarentine Gulf. It seems to have been colonized about 432 B.C. In the wars with Pyrrhus it sided with Tarentum against Rome; but it afterwards abandoned its parent state and became an ally of the Roman people. It suffered severely during the Social war, but still retained a considerable measure of importance and prosperity. It afterwards fell into decay.

=Heraclea.= Surnamed Minoa; in ancient geography, a Greek city of Sicily, at the mouth of the Halycus (now the _Platani_), 20 miles northwest from Agrigentum. The surname seems to have been originally the name of the town, which is first mentioned in history as a colony of Selinus. About the end of the 6th century it was recolonized by the Spartans, and had attained to great prosperity and power, when it was destroyed by the jealousy of the Carthaginians. After remaining in their power for about 200 years it fell into the hands of Agathocles, and then of Pyrrhus. It was next recovered by the Carthaginians, who retained it to the end of the first Punic war, when the whole of Sicily was made over to the Romans. In the second Punic war it reverted to the Carthaginian sway, but was finally attached to the Roman empire by Marcellus, shortly after the fall of Syracuse. After the servile war, Heraclea was repeopled by the Romans, and continued to flourish till the time of Cicero. It afterwards sunk into decay, and at this day its very ruins can hardly be traced.

=Heracleidæ.= This term means, in its widest sense, all the descendants of Heracles (Hercules), of whatever time, and in whatever district of Greece; but is specially applied to those adventurers who, founding their claims on their supposed descent from the great hero (to whom Zeus had promised a portion of the land), joined the Dorians in the conquest of the Peloponnesus. There were five different expeditions, the last and greatest occurring eighty years after the Trojan war. The story of the return of the Heracleidæ touches on the historical period, and though there is much of fable and tradition, yet there seems to be also a large substratum of truth in the records of the Greek historians.

=Heracleum.= A place near Gindarus, in the Syrian province of Cyrrhestice, where Ventidius, the legate of M. Antony, gained his great victory over the Parthians under Pacorus in 38 B.C.

=Herald.= An officer in the European courts, whose duty consists in the regulation of armorial bearings, the marshaling of processions, and the superintendence of pubic ceremonies. In the Middle Ages heralds were highly honored, and enjoyed important privileges; their functions also included the bearing of messages between royal personages, and registering all chivalric exercises; the computation of the slain after battle; and the recording of the valiant acts of the falling or surviving combatants. The office of herald is probably as old as the origin of coat-armor. In England the principal heraldic officers are designated kings-of-arms, or kings-at-arms, and the novitiates or learners are styled pursuivants. There are in England three kings-at-arms, named by their offices Garter, Clarencieux, and Norroy; six heralds,--Somerset, Chester, Windsor, Richmond, Lancaster, and York; and four pursuivants, called Rouge Dragon, Portcullis, Blue Mantle, and Rouge Croix. In Scotland the principal heraldic officer is the Lyon king-at-arms; and there are six heralds,--Snowdoun, Albany, Ross, Rothesay, Marchmont, and Ilay; and five pursuivants,--Unicorn, Carrick, Kintyre, Ormond, and Bute. Ireland has one king-at-arms, Ulster; two heralds, Cork and Dublin; and two pursuivants, of whom the senior bears the title of Athlone, and the other is called the pursuivant of St. Patrick.

=Heraldry.= The science of armorial bearings. The practice of wearing devices on the shields of knights was originated in the middle of the 12th century, and ever since families bear on their shield the arms of their progenitors, which at first had been adopted either arbitrarily or suggested by some striking episode in the life of the bearer.

=Herald’s College=, or =College of Arms=. A collegiate body, founded by Richard III. in 1483, consisting of the heraldic officers of England, who were assigned a habitation in the parish of Allhallows-the-Less, in London. Various charters confirmed the privileges of the College of Arms, and it was re-incorporated by Philip and Mary in 1554. The presidency of the college is vested in the earl marshal, an office hereditary in the family of Howard, duke of Norfolk. He nominates the three kings-of-arms, six heralds, and four pursuivants, who are the members of the collegiate chapter. The members of the college have salaries, but derive their principal income from fees charged for assistance in tracing pedigrees and titles, and for the granting and registration of arms. In Scotland the corresponding functions belong to the Lyon court. See LYON KING-AT-ARMS.

=Herat.= A city of Afghanistan, the capital of an independent state, situated in a plain near the Hury River, 360 miles west from Cabul. This place has often been ravaged by various conquerors, who have claimed and won the empire of Asia. In 1220 it was taken by Genghis Khan, and in 1398 by Tamerlane. It was subsequently united to Persia; but the Afghans took possession of it in 1715. Nadir Shah retook it in 1737, and Ahmed Khan, an Afghan, and one of Nadir’s generals, added it to Afghanistan, after the assassination of Nadir Shah, in 1747. Mohammed Shah marched against Herat in 1836, and, after a long siege, the Persians were forced to withdraw. In 1855 the Persians again made an attempt to get possession of Herat; but, after a short war with England, desisted.

=Hercotectonique= (_Fr._). A term in fortification signifying that branch of military architecture which specifically points out the best means of defense and the surest method of providing stores. This word is derived from the Greek.

=Herculean.= Very great, difficult, or dangerous; such as it would require the strength or courage of Hercules to encounter or accomplish.

=Hercules, Pillars of.= The name given by the ancients to the two rocks forming the entrance to the Mediterranean at the Strait of Gibraltar. Their erection was ascribed by the Greeks to Hercules, on the occasion of his journey to the kingdom of Geryon.

=Herefare.= An old term from the Saxon, signifying the same as warfare.

=Hereford.= The chief town of Herefordshire, England, on the Wye. During the Saxon era, the Welsh inflicted considerable damage on this city; it also suffered greatly in the wars of the barons, and under the Plantagenets. During the civil war it held loyally to the cause of the king, and was one of the last places that yielded to the Parliament.

=Heregeld.= A term derived from the Saxon, signifying a tax which was formerly levied for maintaining an army.

=Herera.= In Aragon. Here Don Carlos of Spain, in his struggle for his hereditary right to the throne, at the head of 12,000 men, encountered and defeated (August 24, 1837) Gen. Buerens, who had not much above half that number of royal troops.

=Hereslita=, or =Heresilia=. A term derived from the Saxon, signifying a soldier who abandons his colors, or deserts the service.

=Heretoch=, or =Heretog=. The leader or commander of an army; also, a constable; a marshal.

=Heretum.= A court in which the guards or military retinue that usually attended the old British nobility and bishops were accustomed to parade or draw up.

=Hergate.= A term derived from the Saxon, signifying a tribute which was paid in ancient times to the lord of the soil, to enable him to carry on a war.

=Herisson.= A formidable hedge or chevaux-de-frise; made of one stout beam fenced by a number of iron spikes, and which, being fixed upon a pivot, revolves in every direction upon being touched, always presenting a front of pikes.

=Hermandad= (_Sp._). “Brotherhood.” An association of the principal cities of Castile and Aragon, bound together by a solemn league and covenant for the defense of their liberties in seasons of trouble. The most noteworthy (called _Santa Hermandad_, or Holy Brotherhood) was established in the middle of the 13th century in Aragon, and in Castile about thirty years later; while in 1295, 35 cities of Castile and Leon formed a joint confederacy, and entered into a compact, by which they pledged themselves to take summary vengeance on every noble who had either robbed or injured a member of their association, and refused to make just atonement for the wrong; or upon any one who should attempt, even by the order of the king, to levy an unjust tax. Isabella of Castile, seeing the beneficial effects which an extension of the institution was capable of producing, obtained the sanction of the Cortes for its thorough reorganization and extension over the whole kingdom in 1496. In 1498, the objects of the Hermandad having been obtained, and public order established on a firm basis, the brotherhood was disorganized and reduced to an ordinary police, such as it has existed, with various modifications of form, to the present century.

=Herminia Gens.= A very ancient patrician house at Rome, which appears in the first Etruscan war with the republic, 506 B.C.; vanishes from history in 448.

=Hermunduri.= One of the most powerful nations of Germany; belonged to the Suevic race. They were for a long time the allies of the Romans; but along with the other German tribes they assisted the Marcomanni in the great war against the Romans in the reign of M. Aurelius. After this time they are rarely mentioned as a separate people, but are included under the general name of Suevi.

=Hernici.= A people in Latium; belonged to the Sabine race. They inhabited the mountains of the Apennines between the Lake Fucinus and the river Trerus. They were a brave and warlike people, and long offered a formidable resistance to the Romans. They were finally subdued by the Romans in 306 B.C.

=Hero.= A man of distinguished valor, intrepidity, or enterprise in danger; a prominent or central personage in any remarkable action or event; hence, a great, illustrious, or extraordinary person.

=Hero.= In mythology, an illustrious man, supposed by the populace to partake of immortality, and after his death to be placed among the gods.

=Heroic.= Pertaining to, or like, a hero or heroes; as, heroic valor. Becoming a hero; bold; daring; illustrious; as, heroic action; heroic enterprises.

=Heroic Age.= The age when the heroes, or those called the children of the gods, are supposed to have lived.

=Heroically.= In the manner of a hero; with valor; bravely; courageously; intrepidly; as, the town was heroically defended.

=Heroine.= A female hero; a woman of a brave spirit. The principal female person who figures in a remarkable action.

=Heroism.= The qualities of a hero; bravery; courage; intrepidity.

=Heroship.= The character of a hero.

=Herrings, Battle of the.= Fought on February 12, 1429, when the English were besieging Orleans. It obtained its name from the Duc de Bourbon attempting to intercept a convoy of salt fish on the road to the English camp before Orleans, and in which he was defeated.

=Herse= (from the Fr. _herise_). In fortification, a grated door, formed by strong pieces of wood joined crosswise, and stuck full of iron spikes. It is usually hung by a rope, and fastened to a moulinet, which is cut in case of a surprise, or when the first gate is forced by a petard, so that it may fall like a portcullis and stop the passage of a gate or other entrance of a fortress.

=Hersillon.= A strong beam, whose sides are stuck full of spikes, which is thrown across the breach made by an enemy to render it impassable.

=Hertford.= The capital of Hertfordshire, England, on the Lee. It is a very ancient town: the castle was founded in 909. In the reign of John it was seized by the French dauphin, and under Edward III. the kings of France and Scotland were secured in it.

=Heruli.= An ancient German tribe, first mentioned among the Gothic nations when these latter had established themselves on the north coast of the Euxine, in the reigns of Gallienus and Claudius. In the reign of Valentinian they are mentioned as being in the service of Rome, fighting against the Alemanni. In the 5th century they allied themselves with the other German tribes, and under Odoacer, in 476, they overthrew the Western empire.

=Hesse.= A territory in Western Germany, the seat of the Catti; formed part of the empire of Charlemagne; from the rulers of it in his time the present are descended. It was joined to Thuringia till about 1263, when Henry I. became landgrave of Hesse. The most remarkable of his successors was Philip, who signed the Augsburg Confession in 1530, and the League of Smalcald in 1531. At his death Hesse was divided in Hesse-Cassel and Hesse-Darmstadt, and in 1803 the former became an electorate, and the latter a grand duchy. Hesse-Cassel was incorporated with Prussia in 1866, and Hesse-Darmstadt became a part of the North German Confederation in 1867, and as such it took part in the Franco-Prussian war in 1870.

=Hessians.= Troops belonging to Hesse-Cassel, Prussia. They have been frequently hired by Great Britain, particularly in the war of American independence, when they were sold at £40 sterling a head, £9 of which was to be repaid if they returned alive.

=Hetman=, or =Ataman=. A word derived from the German, which signifies the chief of a troop. The chief general of the old Polish armies was called _Hetman Wielki_, and the second general _Hetman Polny_. The chief or general of the Cossacks is likewise invested with this title by the czar of Russia.

=Heurtequins= (_Fr._). Two pieces of iron resembling a knocker, which are placed over the trunnions, or axis of a cannon.

=Heuse= (_Fr._). An iron shoe, sometimes called _pedieux_, attached to the greaves of ancient armor, having an iron sole, and the upper composed of mail.

=Hexagonal Powder.= See GUNPOWDER.

=Hexham.= A town of England, in Northumberland, situated a little below the confluence of the north and south Tyne, 21 miles west from Newcastle. This town is chiefly remarkable for the antiquities with which it is surrounded, and the historical events connected with it. The neighborhood abounds with ruined castles, monuments of battles and heroes; with Roman relics, altars, inscriptions, etc. The cathedral, or priory church of Hexham, was founded in 674, and was destroyed by the Danes. In 1463, a battle was fought in the neighborhood between the houses of York and Lancaster, in which the Yorkists gained the victory. As an interesting historical event, it may be remarked that it was in flying from this field that Queen Margaret threw herself on the protection of a robber, and the cave in which she concealed herself and the Prince of Wales is still pointed out.

=Hibernia=, =Ibernia=, =Ivernia=, and =Ierne=. The names by which Ireland is designated in the classical writers. See IRELAND.

=Hibernian Royal School.= A school established in Great Britain for the maintenance of 350 children of military officers who are supported and educated at this school, at an expense of £7000 per annum to the country.

=Hierarchy, Military.= The essential element for the government and service of an army is a military hierarchy, or the creation of different grades of rank, to which different functions and powers are assigned, the lower in regular subordination to the next higher in the ascending scale. It should be founded on the principle that every one acts in an army under the orders of a superior, who exercises his authority only within the limits established by law. This authority of the superior should be greater or less according to rank and position, and be proportioned to his responsibilities. Orders should be executed without hesitation; but responsibilities should be confined to him who gives orders in virtue of the superior authority with which he is invested; to him who takes the initiative in an order; to him who does not execute an order that he has received; and to him who usurps a command, or continues illegally to exercise its functions. The military hierarchy is determined and consecrated within its sphere of action by grades of rank created by military laws, by other laws regulating the exercise of rank, by military insignia, by military honors, and by the military oath.

=High Treason.= Treason against the state, being the highest civil offense. See TREASON.

=Highlanders.= Properly speaking, are the Celtic inhabitants of the Highlands of Scotland. In the army of Great Britain, it denotes the eight regiments who are uniformed in the Highland dress, including a distinctive tartan, and are as follows: 42d (see BLACK WATCH), 71st, 72d, 74th, 78th, 79th, 92d, and 93d. These regiments are recruited in the Highlands.

=Hilt.= The handle of anything, especially of a cutting instrument, as a knife or sword.

=Hilted.= Having a hilt. Also a term used in heraldry to indicate the tincture of the handle of a sword.

=Hilton Head.= A village on an island of the same name, forming part of Beaufort District, S. C., at the mouth of Broad River. It was taken from the Confederates by the U. S. forces after a severe naval engagement in November, 1861.

=Himera.= A celebrated city on the north coast of Sicily. Here the Carthaginians were defeated with great slaughter by the united forces of Theron and Gelon of Syracuse, 480 B.C. It assisted Syracuse against the Athenians in 415 B.C. In 409 B.C. it was taken by Hannibal, the son of Gisco, who, to revenge the great defeat which the Carthaginians had suffered before the town, leveled it to the ground, and destroyed almost all the inhabitants.

=Hindostan.= See INDIA.

=Hircarrah=, or =Hircarra=. An Indian term for a messenger, guide, footman, or spy.

=Hiring of Duty.= See APPENDIX, ARTICLES OF WAR, 36, 37.

=Hirpini.= An inland people of Italy who inhabited the southern portion of Samnium. In the early history of Rome the Hirpini are found identifying themselves with their Samnite neighbors against their common foes. They seem to have been subdued in the early part of the 3d century B.C. They appear as an independent people in the second Punic year. Revolting from their old conquerors, they joined the Carthaginian invaders, and, though they were unable to recapture their stronghold of Beneventum, they remained faithful to Hannibal till the defeat at the Metaurus restored the empire of Italy to his opponents. In the year of that event the Hirpini made their peace with their old masters by betraying into their hands the garrisons of their allies. From this time till the outbreak of the Social war, the Hirpini seem to have continued steadfast in their allegiance. On that occasion, however, they set the example of revolt to the allies, and might have become formidable enemies, had not the rapid successes of Sulla induced them to repair their error by complete submission. After the close of the war the Hirpini do not appear in history as an independent people.

=Hispalis.= See SEVILLE.

=Histiæa.= An ancient city of Eubœa. It was taken by the Athenians during the Persian wars, but they revolted from that people, and was again subdued, the old inhabitants of the city were expelled, and 2000 Athenian colonists settled in their stead, and its name changed to _Oreus_. In the war between Philip and the Greeks, Oreus was frequently contested, and in 200 B.C. it was stormed by the Romans.

=History, Military.= A narrative of military transactions, campaigns, battles, sieges, marches, etc., of an army. It likewise means a relation of the heroic actions of great generals, etc.