Chapter VI: Part 6

=Bergen-op-Zoom=, or =Berg-op-Zoom=. A strongly-fortified town of Holland, in North Brabant, on the river Zoom. In 1586 it was unsuccessfully besieged by the famous Duke of Parma, and afterwards, in 1622, it defied the utmost attempts of Spinola, who was forced to abandon the enterprise after a siege of ten weeks, with the loss of 12,000 men. It was taken by the French under Count Lowendahl in 1747, and in 1795 was again occupied by them. An attempt made by the British under Gen. Sir T. Graham (afterwards Lord Lynedoch) to carry the fortress by storm was defeated; after forcing an entrance, their retreat was cut off, and a dreadful slaughter ensued; nearly all were cut to pieces or made prisoners, March 8, 1814.

=Bergerac.= A town in the department of Dordogne, France; it was formerly fortified, and sustained many sieges; taken by the English in 1345, and retaken by the Duke of Anjou in 1370. Its fortifications were razed by Louis XIII. in 1621.

=Bergfried, Combat of.= A combat which took place between the French and Russians, February 3, 1807, in which the latter were repulsed.

=Bergues.= A fortified town in the department of the North, France; it was captured and recaptured by the Spaniards and French; the last time by Turenne in 1658.

=Berlin.= Capital of Prussia, in the province of Brandenburg; alleged to have been founded by the margrave Albert the Bear, about 1163. It was taken by an army of Russians and Austrians in 1760, but they were obliged to retire in a few days. On October 26, 1806, after the battle of Jena (October 14), the French entered Berlin; and from this place Napoleon issued the famous “Berlin decree” or interdict against the commerce of England, November 20. On November 5, 1808, Napoleon entered into a convention with Prussia by which he remitted to Prussia the sum due on the war-debt and withdrew many of his troops to reinforce his army in Spain. An insurrection commenced here in March, 1848; a treaty of peace between Prussia and Saxony was signed on October 21, 1866.

=Berme.= A narrow path round fortifications between the parapet and the ditch, to prevent the earth from falling in.

=Bermuda Hundred.= In Chesterfield Co., Va., on the right bank of the James River, just above the mouth of the Appomattox. Here on May 16, 1864, the Federal forces under Gen. Butler were attacked by the Confederates under Beauregard, and after several hours’ severe fighting Butler was compelled to fall back to his first line of intrenchments, with a loss of about 2500.

=Bermuda Islands=, or =Bermudas=. A group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, discovered by Juan Bermudez, a Spaniard, in 1527, but not inhabited until 1600, when Sir George Somers was cast away upon them. The Bermudas are garrisoned by British troops.

=Bernard, The Great St.= A famous mountain-pass of the Pennine Alps, so called from a monastery founded on it by Bernardine de Meuthon in 972. Velan, its highest peak, is about 8000 feet high, covered with perpetual snow. Hannibal, it is said, conducted the Carthaginians by this pass into Italy, 218 B.C.; and by the same route, in May, 1800, Bonaparte led his troops to Italy before the battle of Marengo, June 14, 1800.

=Berne.= The sovereign canton of Switzerland; joined the Swiss League in 1352; the town of Berne was made a free city by the emperor Frederick, May, 1218; it successfully resisted Rudolph of Hapsburg, 1288. It surrendered to the French under Gen. Brune, April 12, 1798; the town was made capital of Switzerland in 1848.

=Berry= (anc. _Biturigum regis_), Central France; held by the Romans since the conquest by Cæsar, 58-50 B.C., till it was subdued by the Visigoths; from whom it was taken by Clovis in 507.

=Bersaglieri.= The sharpshooters of the Sardinian army; first employed about 1848.

=Berserker.= A legendary Scandinavian hero of the 8th century, celebrated for his strength and valor. He fought without a coat of mail or helmet, whence his name. The name Berserkers was also applied to a class of warriors who, under the influence of a sort of demoniac possession, fought naked, performing marvelous feats of valor, unmindful or insusceptible of wounds.

=Berwick-on-Tweed.= A fortified town on the northeast extremity of England; the theatre of many bloody contests while England and Scotland were two kingdoms; it was claimed by the Scots because it stood on their side of the river; annexed to England in 1333; and after having been taken and retaken many times, was finally ceded to England in 1482; in 1651 it was made independent of both kingdoms; the town surrendered to Cromwell in 1648, and afterwards to Gen. Monk in 1659.

=Besançon.= A fortified city of France, capital of the department of Doubs; sacked by Attila; captured and ruined by the ancient Germans; rebuilt by the Burgundians; it was ceded to Spain by the peace of Westphalia; taken by Louis XIV. on May 15, 1670; united to France in 1678; in 1814 the Austrians besieged it without success.

=Besiege.= To lay siege to or invest any fortified place with armed forces.

=Besieged.= The garrison that defends the place against the army that lays siege to it.

=Besiegers.= The army that lays siege to a fortified place.

=Bessarabia.= A frontier province of European Russia, part of the ancient Dacia. After being possessed by the Goths, Huns, etc., it was conquered by the Turks in 1474, and ceded to Russia in 1812.

=Bessemer Steel.= See ORDNANCE, METALS FOR.

=Bessi.= A fierce and powerful Thracian people, who dwelt along the whole of Mount Hæmus as far as the Euxine. After the conquest of Macedonia by the Romans, 168 B.C., the Bessi were attacked by the latter, and subdued after a severe struggle.

=Bethoron.= A village of Palestine. Near here Judas Maccabæus gained advantages on two different occasions over the generals of Antiochus.

=Bethsur.= An ancient city of Palestine, now extinct. The Syrian general Lysias captured it, 163 B.C., after a severe combat in which Eleazar, a brother of Judas, perished.

=Béton.= French term for concrete. Much used in permanent fortifications. See CONCRETE.

=Béton Aggloméré.= A species of concrete invented by M. Coignet. Used in building arches, aqueducts, cellar walls, etc. It differs from ordinary béton, having much greater strength and hardness,--qualities derived from the ramming to which it is subjected.

=Betray.= To deliver perfidiously any place or body of troops into the hands of the enemy. To discover that which has been intrusted to secrecy.

=Betty.= A machine used for forcing open gates or doors. See PETARD.

=Bey.= See BEG.

=Beyroot=, or =Beyrout= (anc. _Berytus_). A seaport of Syria, colonized from Sidon; alternately possessed by the Christians and Saracens; and after many changes, fell into the power of Amurath IV., since when it remained with the Ottoman empire up to the revolt of Ibrahim Pasha in 1832. The total defeat of the Egyptian army by the allied British, Turkish, and Austrian forces, and evacuation of Beyroot (the Egyptians losing 7000 in killed, wounded, and prisoners, and 20 pieces of cannon), took place October 10, 1840. Sir C. Napier was the English admiral engaged. Beyroot suffered greatly in consequence of the massacres in Syria in May, 1860.

=Béziers.= A city of France, department of Hérault; sacked by the Vandals in the 5th century; by the Visigoths in the 5th, 6th, and 7th centuries; by the Saracens in 720; by Charles Martel in 737; in 1209, this city was taken by the Catholics under Simon de Montfort and Arnaud, abbé of Citeaux, and was the scene of a barbarous massacre of the Albigenses; 60,000 inhabitants were slain without consideration of sex or age (7000 were found dead in the church _de la Magdeleine_, where they sought refuge from their relentless slayers).

=Bhootan.= A country north of Lower Bengal. Invaded by the British in December, 1864, in consequence of injurious treatment of an envoy.

=Bhurtpoor= (India). Capital of Bhurtpoor, was besieged by the British, January 3, 1805, and attacked five times up to March 21, without success. The fortress was taken by Gen. Lake, after a desperate engagement with Holkar, the Mahratta chief, April 2, 1805; this led to a treaty on April 17. On the rajah’s death, during a revolt against his son, Bhurtpoor was taken by storm, by Lord Combermere, January 18, 1826.

=Biacolytes.= A military organization in the Grecian empire, whose duty was to prevent the committal of any excesses against life or property. Their service was analogous to that of the French gendarmes.

=Biagrasso=, or =Abbiategrasso=. A city on the Ticinella, in Lombardy; here, in 1524, the French were defeated by the Imperialists.

=Bibans=, or =Bibens=. “The Gates of Iron.” A dangerous defile of the Atlas Mountains, between Algiers and Constantine; it is traversed by a number of currents. The French, led by the Duke of Orleans and Marshal Valée, passed through it in 1839.

=Bibaux=, or =Petaux= (_Fr._). In ancient times, were soldiers who fought on foot, with cross-bow and lance.

=Biberach= (Würtemberg). Here Moreau twice defeated the Austrians,--under Latour, October 2, 1796, and under Kray, May 9, 1800.

=Bicker.= A word formerly used in the sense of to skirmish; to fight off and on; to make repeated attacks.

=Bicocca= (Northern Italy). Lautrec and the French were here defeated by Colonna and the Imperialists, April 29, 1522, and Francis thereby lost his conquests in Milan.

=Bicoque= (_Fr._). A term used in France to signify a place ill fortified and incapable of much defense. It is derived from a place on the road between Lodi and Milan, which was originally a gentleman’s country-house surrounded by ditches. In 1522, a body of Imperial troops were stationed in it, and stood the attack of the whole French army, during the reign of Francis I. This engagement was called the battle of Bicoque.

=Bicorneurs= (_Fr._). Name given to the militia of Valenciennes.

=Bidarkee.= A skin boat used by the Aleuts.

=Bidassoa.= A river of the Pyrenees, which forms one of the boundaries of France and Spain, the passage of which is memorable as completing the endeavors of Lord Wellington to drive the French, under Marshal Soult, out of the Peninsula into France. In 1808, Marshal Junot crossed the Bidassoa with the armies of France to invade the Peninsula, and in 1813, Lord Wellington crossed it, after driving the French out of Spain.

=Bidauts=, or =Bidaux= (_Fr._). An ancient French corps of infantry; according to some authorities they were armed with two javelins.

=Bien-Hoa.= A fortified seaport town of the French colony in Cochin China; it was taken from the Annamites by the French under Rear-Admiral Bonard, December 15, 1861.

=Bienne.= A town of Switzerland; it was captured and burned by the bishop of Basel in 1367.

=Biga.= A Roman term applied in ancient times to vehicles drawn by two horses abreast, and commonly to the Roman chariot used in processions or in the circus. In shape it resembled the Greek war-chariot,--a short body on two wheels, low, and open behind, where the charioteer entered, but higher and closed in front.

=Big Bethel.= A village of York Co., Va., near Back River, about 12 miles northwest of Fortress Monroe, on the road from Hampton to Yorktown, and about 3 miles beyond Little Bethel, on the same road. In June, 1861, the main body of the Confederate army, under Gen. Magruder, being in the vicinity of Yorktown, an outpost of considerable strength was established at Little Bethel, which Gen. Butler, who was in command at Fortress Monroe, determined to dislodge. Accordingly, on the night of June 9, two New York regiments were ordered to gain the rear of the enemy’s position, while a battalion of Vermont and Massachusetts troops and a New York regiment were to attack in front at break of day. Before daybreak, through some error, these forces approached and fired into each other, and thus betrayed their projected movements to the enemy, who retreated to Big Bethel, where there was another outpost, with works of some strength in process of erection. Gen. Pierce, who was in command of the Federal expedition, determined to carry these works. An attack was ordered, and after nearly three hours’ fighting, the Federals being exposed to a heavy fire, while the Confederates were almost entirely protected, Gen. Pierce determined to retreat, which he did in good order, the enemy falling back the same day to Yorktown. The number of Federal troops was between 3000 and 4000, while that of the enemy was nearly 1500. The Federal loss was about 60, that of the Confederates was small in comparison.

=Big Horn.= A navigable river of the United States, near Fremont’s Peak, in the Rocky Mountains. It has a northeast course of about 400 miles, being the longest affluent of the Yellowstone, which, again, is the largest affluent of the Missouri. A desperate battle was fought on the Little Big Horn, between the 7th U. S. Cavalry and the Sioux Indians, June 25, 1876.

=Bigles.= A military corps of Rome, whose particular duty was to furnish sentinels; the bread which these troops received was called _bigliaticum_.

=Bihach=, or =Bichacz=. One of the strongest fortress-towns of Croatia, European Turkey; it has been the scene of frequent contests during the Turkish wars.

=Bilbo.= A rapier, a sword; so named, it is said, from _Bilboa_, in Spain, where the best are made.

=Bilboa=, or =Bilbao= (Northeast Spain). Founded about 1300; taken by the French in 1795; captured and recaptured during the invasion of the French in 1808; delivered from the Carlists by Espartero, aided by the British, December 24, 1836.

=Bilboquet.= A small 8-inch mortar, whose bore is only half a caliber in length. It throws a shell of 60 pounds about 400 toises.

=Bill.= A weapon much used by infantry, in the 14th and 15th centuries, for defense against cavalry, consisting of a broad, hook-shaped blade, having a short pike at the back and another at the summit, and attached to the end of a long staff.

=Billet= (Fr. _Billet de logement_). In England, is a ticket for quartering soldiers on publicans and others, which entitles each soldier, by act of Parliament, to candles, vinegar, and salt, with the use of fire and the necessary utensils for dressing and eating his meat. In the United States, no soldier shall, in time of peace, be quartered in any house without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in the manner to be prescribed by law (Art. 3, Amendments to the Constitution of the United States).

=Bill-hook.= A small hatchet used in European armies in cutting wood for fascines and other military purposes. The pioneers of the infantry are always provided with them, and a sufficient supply is issued to regiments engaged on active service.

=Binche.= A town in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. The French drove the Austrians out of this place in 1794.

=Bipennis.= A double-headed axe, the weapon which, according to ancient historians and authors, particularly distinguished those fabulous female warriors, the Amazons.

=Biporus.= With the ancients this word signified a double-prowed boat, so that it could change its course to the opposite direction without turning.

=Bir=, or =Biridjek=. A walled town of Asiatic Turkey, on the Euphrates, which was ruined by Tamerlane.

=Birse.= A small river in Switzerland, on the banks of which, on August 26, 1444, 1500 Swiss fought an army of about 20,000 men, commanded by the dauphin of France, afterwards Louis XI. There were but 11 of the Swiss who survived the day, while their enemy left 8000 men and 1100 horses on the battle-field. On the same river 6000 confederate Swiss gained a splendid victory over 15,000 Austrians, July 22, 1499.

=Birtha.= See TEKRIT.

=Biscaïen= (_Fr._). A name formerly given to a long-barreled musket, the range of which was greater than the ordinary musket. Now this appellation is given to a leaden ball about the size of an egg, which is used for canister or case-shot.

=Bisceglia.= A fortified seaport town of Naples, on the Adriatic, 21 miles northwest of Bari. Here a celebrated combat took place between 13 Spaniards and the same number of French. Among the latter was the Chevalier Bayard.

=Biskara=, or =Biskra=. A town of Algeria, on the Kantara, taken by the French, March 3, 1844.

=Bistritz.= A fortified town of Transylvania, situated on the Bistritz River. Forming, as it does, the last strong position in the northeast of Transylvania, it was repeatedly, during 1848-49, the scene of hot strife between the Hungarian and Austrian generals.

=Bitche.= A town of France, in the department of the Moselle, in a wild and wooded pass of the Vosges. The Prussians, under Colonel Count von Wartensleben, attempted to surprise it in 1793, but failed.

=Bithynia.= An ancient division of Asia Minor, separated from Europe by the Propontus (Sea of Marmora) and the Thracian Bosphorus (Strait of Constantinople). It contained the famous Greek cities or colonies of Chalcedon, Heraclea, etc., and at later periods, Nicomedia, Nicæa, and Prusa. The inhabitants were supposed to be of Thracian origin. The country is said to have been subdued by Crœsus of Lydia (560 B.C.), and five years later fell under the Persian dominion. About 440 or 430 B.C. it became an independent kingdom, under a dynasty of native princes, who made Nicomedia their capital. It afterwards fell into the hands of the Romans, and was governed as a province. In 1298, Osman the Turk broke into the country, and in 1328 Prusa, or Brusa, then its chief town, became the capital of the kingdom of the Osmanli.

=Bitonto.= A town of Naples where Mortemar and the Spaniards defeated the Germans, on May 26, 1734, and eventually gained the kingdom of the Two Sicilies for Don Carlos.

=Biturritæ= (now _Bedarrides_). In the department of Vaucluse, France. It was a city of the Allobroges, who were totally defeated in its environs by Domitius Ahenobarbus in 122 B.C.

=Bivouac.= A night-watch in open air. Troops bivouac when they make the best of it for the night, encamping in the open air. The term was also applied to a night-guard of the whole army, when apprehensive of surprise. The word comes from the German bei, “near,” and wache, “watch.” In recent times it is common for soldiers on the march to use the _tente d’abri_, or shelter-tent.

=Bizerta=, or =Benzerta=. The most northern town of Africa, and a fortified seaport of Tunis. It is defended by two castles, which, however, are commanded by adjacent heights. Though its port now only admits small vessels, it was formerly one of the best in the Mediterranean. This city was noted for the piracy of its inhabitants.

=Black.= In blazonry, sable denotes constancy, wisdom, and prudence.

=Black-book.= An ancient book of English admiralty law, compiled in the reign of Edward III. It has always been deemed of the highest authority in matters concerning the admiralty in England.

=Blackfeet.= A once powerful and ferocious tribe of American Indians of Algonkin stock, who infest the country between the Yellowstone and Missouri Rivers, and are also found in British America. See INDIANS AND THEIR AGENCIES.

=Blackheath= (Kent, near London). Here Wat Tyler and his followers assembled, June 12, 1381, and here also Jack Cade and his 20,000 Kentish men encamped, June 1, 1450. Here the Cornish rebels were defeated and Flannock’s insurrection quelled, June 22, 1497. The cavern on the ascent to Blackheath, the retreat of Cade and the haunt of banditti in the time of Cromwell, was rediscovered in 1780.

=Black Hole.= The appellation familiarly given in England to the dungeon or dark cell of a prison. The name is associated with a horrible catastrophe in the history of British India, namely, the cruel confinement of a party of English in an apartment called the “Black Hole of Calcutta,” on the night of June 19, 1756. The garrison of a fort at Calcutta having been captured by the nabob Surajah Dowlah, he caused the whole of the prisoners taken, 146 in number, to be confined in an apartment 20 feet square, having only two small windows, which were obstructed by a veranda. After a night of excruciating agony from heat, thirst, and want of air, there remained in the morning but 23 survivors.

=Black Rod, Usher of the.= An officer of the English House of Lords, whose emblem of authority is the wand or rod, with a gold lion on top. He belongs to the order of the Garter, and keeps the door when the chapter of that order is in session. His principal duty is to summon the Commons to the House of Lords when royal assent is given to bills, etc., and to take into custody any peer guilty of breach of privilege.

=Black Sea=, or =Euxine=. _Pontus Euxinus_ of the ancients; a large internal sea between the southwest provinces of Russia and Asia Minor, connected with the Sea of Azof by the Straits of Yenikalé and with the Sea of Marmora by the Bosphorus. This sea was much frequented by the Greeks and Italians till it was closed to all nations by the Turks after the fall of Constantinople, in 1453. The Russians obtained admission by the treaty of Kainavdji, July 10, 1774. In 1779 it was partially opened to British and other traders, since which time the Russians gradually obtained the preponderance. It was entered by the British and French fleets, January 3, 1854. A dreadful storm in this sea raged from November 13 to 16, 1854, and caused great loss of life and shipping, and valuable stores for the allied armies. By the treaty of 1856 the Black Sea was opened to the commerce of all nations, the Russians and Turks not being allowed to keep ships of war on it. In 1871 the Russians were again permitted to have men-of-war on this sea.

=Black Watch.= Armed companies of the loyal clans (Campbells, Munros, etc.) employed to watch the Highlands from about 1725 to 1739, when they were formed into the celebrated 42d Regiment, which was formerly enrolled “The Royal Highland Black Watch.” Their removal probably facilitated the outbreak of 1745. They wore dark tartans, and hence their name.

=Blackwater, Battle of.= In Ireland, August 14, 1598, when the Irish chief O’Neal defeated the English under Sir Henry Bagnall. Pope Clement VIII. sent O’Neal a consecrated plume, and granted to his followers the same indulgences as to Crusaders.

=Bladensburg.= A village of Prince George Co., Md., memorable for the battle which was fought here August 24, 1814, between the British and Americans, and which resulted in the capture of Washington.

=Blair-Athol.= A village in Perthshire, Scotland; it was occupied by the Marquis of Montrose in 1644; stormed by a party under the command of one of Cromwell’s officers in 1653; and gallantly defended by Sir Andrew Agnew, in 1746, when besieged by a portion of the Highland army, until he was relieved by the Hessians under the Earl of Crawford. The pass of Killekrankie, about two miles from Blair Castle, is famous for the battle which was there fought in 1689, between the Highlanders under Viscount Dundee, and King William’s troops under Gen. Mackay.

=Blaise.= A military order instituted by the kings of Armenia, in honor of St. Blaise the Martyr, anciently bishop of Sebasta, and the patron saint of Armenia. Justinian calls them Knights of St. Blaise and St. Mary, and places them not only in Armenia, but in Palestine. They made a vow to defend the Church of Rome, and followed the rule of St. Basil. This institution appears to have commenced about the same time with the Knights Templar and Hospitallers.

=Blakely Gun.= See ORDNANCE, BUILT-UP GUNS.

=Blakely Projectiles.= See PROJECTILE.

=Blamont.= A small town of France, department of Doubs. This small place was protected by an ancient fortress, which was ruined by the allies in 1814.

=Blanch-Lyon.= A title of one of the English pursuivants-at-arms. See PURSUIVANT.

=Blank.= The point of a target at which aim is taken, marked with a white spot; hence, the object to which anything is directed.

=Blank Cartridge.= See CARTRIDGE.

=Blanket-boats.= A practical and highly useful plan for crossing streams is by means of boats constructed of a single rubber blanket, capable of carrying a soldier, knapsack, arms, and accoutrements, with only 4 inches of displacement. The size of some of the ordinary blankets is 6 feet long and 4 feet 9 inches wide; but 7 feet by 5 feet would be preferable. If the height of the boat be made 1 foot, the length will be 4 feet, and the width 2 feet 9 inches, so as to be completely covered by the blanket. The frame may be made of round sticks, 1 inch and 1¹⁄₂ inch in diameter, in the following manner:

For the bottom the two end-sticks are 2 feet 9 inches long, and the side-pieces 3 feet 9 inches long. They are connected by boring a ¹⁄₂-inch hole through the end-pieces, and into the ends of the side-pieces, into which pins are driven. The top is formed in the same manner, and both top and bottom of 1¹⁄₂-inch sticks. The side-pieces of the bottom, and the top and bottom frames are connected by 1-inch round sticks inserted in ¹⁄₂-inch holes, in the same manner as the upright pieces are fastened in a chair. To keep the frame from falling apart, loops of cord are passed from top to bottom, and from side to side, and twisted with a stick. The rubber blanket is then spread upon the ground, the frame placed upon it, the sides and eyes turned up and lashed to the top rail by twine passed through the eyelets. Loops of cord are passed over these projecting ends, and twisted with a stick, which binds the parts together. One of these boats having a horizontal area of 11 square feet, would require 687 pounds to sink it 1 foot, and the average weight of a man would displace less than 4 inches.

In using these blanket-boats it will be convenient to lash several together, side by side, upon which soldiers can be transported. The float can be paddled or a rope may be stretched across, supported by floats, and the men can pull themselves across. If used for cavalry, some of the men can hold the bridles of the horses, while the others can pull, paddle, or pole across the stream, the saddles being placed in the boats. The frames are abandoned, or used for fuel, when the army has crossed over.

Several of these boats lashed together, and covered with poles, would form a raft on which wagons could be carried over; but for artillery, rafts of wagon-bodies, or something possessing greater powers of flotation, should be employed. The bill of materials for the frame of a blanket-boat is: 4 end-pieces, 1¹⁄₂ inches round or square, 2 feet 9 inches long; 4 side-pieces, 1¹⁄₂ inches round or square, 3 feet 9 inches long; 30 uprights, 1 inch round or square, 1 foot long; 10 pieces across bottom, 1 inch round or square, 2 feet 9 inches long; 8 double pins, ¹⁄₂-inch in diameter, 3 inches long; 4 pieces of cord or strong twine, each 9 feet long; 6 pieces of cord or strong twine, each 3 feet long; 1 india-rubber blanket, 6 feet long, 4 feet 9 inches wide, with eyelet holes around all sides, not more than 6 inches apart, and 30 feet of twine to lash the blanket to the frame.

=Blanketeers.= A number of operators who, on March 30, 1817, met in St. Peter’s Field, near Manchester, England, many of them having blankets, rugs, or great-coats rolled up and fastened to their backs. This was termed the “blanket meeting.” They proceeded to march towards London, but were dispersed by the magistracy. It is stated that their object was to commence a general insurrection. Eventually the ringleaders had an interview with the cabinet ministers, and a better understanding between the working-classes and the government ensued.

=Blasting.= The displacement of earth or rock by the use of an explosive. One of the most important parts of the art of mining in its various branches of _tunneling_, _shaft-boring_, _well-digging_, submarine _mining_, etc. The explosive is ordinarily placed in a bore hole, but in submarine mining this is sometimes dispensed with when a high explosive like nitro-glycerine is used.

=Blasting Powder.= An explosive in the form of powder used for blasting. The most powerful blasting powders in common use are made by adding certain substances to nitro-glycerine, which, by absorbing it, reduce it to the form of powder, and thus render it comparatively safe against the shocks and jars of use. (See GIANT POWDER, DYNAMITE.) The term blasting powder is also specially applied to a powder analogous to gunpowder, but which contains sodium nitrate in place of potassium nitrate, or saltpetre.

=Blaubeuren.= A town of Würtemberg, on the Blau; here the French defeated the Austrians in 1800; the fortress was razed in 1806.

=Blayle= (anc. _Blavia_). A fortified seaport of France, in the department of Gironde, 20 miles north-northwest of Bordeaux. The Duchess de Berry was imprisoned in the citadel in 1833. This city was captured by the French, from the English, in 1339; the Protestants took possession of it in 1568, and the English tried in vain to take it in 1814.

=Blazonry= (from the German _Blasen_, “to blow”). The art of describing in technical language the objects or charges borne in a coat of arms, and the manner of arranging them on a shield. The term originated from the custom of blowing a trumpet to announce the arrival of a knight, or his entrance into the lists at a joust or tournament. The blast was answered by the heralds, who described aloud and explained the arms borne by the knight.

=Blechstreifen=, or =Blechschienen= (_Ger._) (_Les laisches_, Fr.). Thin metal plates which the ancient Gauls placed upon the buff coats of infantry; they were placed between the buff and the lining.

=Bleneau.= A village of France, in the department of the Yonne, about 29 miles west-southwest of Auxerre, celebrated as the place where Turenne gained a victory over the Prince of Condé in 1652.

=Blenheim= (Ger. _Blindheim_). A village of Bavaria, 23 miles north-northwest of Augsburg, memorable in connection with Marlborough’s great victory over the French and Bavarians, August 13, 1704. The battle, though known in English history by the name of “Blenheim,” did not occur here, but at the neighboring village of Hochstädt, by which name it is known to the French and Germans. The French and Bavarian army consisted of 56,000 men, commanded by Tallard, Marsin, and the Elector of Bavaria, and opposed to it was the allied army 52,000 strong, commanded by the Duke of Marlborough and Prince Eugene. The loss of the French and Bavarians was estimated at from 30,000 to 40,000. Near here, also, in 1800, the French defeated the Austrians.

=Bleus, Les= (_i.e._ “The Blues”). A name given to the soldiers of the Republic, by the Royalists, during the wars of La Vendée, on account of their uniform.

=Blidah.= A considerable town of Algeria, on the border of the Metidjah Plain; taken by the French in 1830, and permanently occupied by them since 1838.

=Blieskastel.= A small town of Rhenish Bavaria; near here, on November 19, 1793, 7000 Prussians and Saxons under Gen. Kalkreuth fought the French, about 20,000 strong, under Gen. Hoche, neither side gaining the victory. The Prussians held their ground without any great loss until dark, when, deeming their position untenable, they evacuated it during the night.

=Blindage.= A temporary bomb-proof or splinter-proof roofing, constructed of timber and the like, to give cover to magazines, batteries, hospitals, etc. See BLINDS.

=Blinds.= In military affairs, are wooden frames, composed of four pieces, either flat or round, two of which are 6 feet long, and the others 3 or 4 feet, which serve as spars to fasten the two first together: the longest are pointed at both ends, and the two others are fastened towards the extremities of the former, at about 10 or 12 inches. Their use is to fix them either upright, or in a vertical position against the sides of the trenches or sap, to sustain the earth. Their points at the bottom serve to fix them in the earth, and those at the top to hold the fascines that are placed upon them; so that the sap or trench is formed into a kind of covered gallery, to secure the troops from stones and grenades.

=Blind-shell.= A shell, the bursting charge of which is exploded by the heat of impact. Used in modern ordnance against armor.

=Blistered Steel.= See ORDNANCE, METALS FOR.

=Block.= See IMPLEMENTS.

=Blockade.= In military art, is an operation for capturing an enemy’s town or fortress without a bombardment or regular siege. The attacking party throws up works on the neighboring heights and roads, and part of the besieging force remains under cover in villages, or in a temporary camp, ready to repel any sortie attempted by the besieged. The whole purpose in view is to prevent the besieged from receiving supplies of any kind, in order that, when food or ammunition is exhausted, they may be compelled to surrender. Fortresses situated on steep and rocky eminences, difficult to conquer by bombardment or assault, may often be reduced by blockade, because the roads or paths for the reception of supplies are few, and can be guarded by a small number of troops.

=Blockade.= In international law, is the means in time of war of rendering intercourse with an enemy’s port unlawful on the part of neutrals; and it is carried into effect by an armed force (ships of war), which blocks up and bars export or import to or from the place blockaded. To be valid, a blockade must be accompanied by actual investment of the place, and it may be more or less rigorous, either for the purpose of watching the operations of the enemy, or to cut off all excess of neutral vessels to that interdicted place. To be binding on neutrals, it ought to be shown that they have knowledge, or may be presumed to know of the blockade, for which reason a formal notification of the fact is usually made by the blockading power. The breach of blockade, which may be effected by coming out of a blockaded port, or going in, subjects the property so employed to confiscation. On the proclamation of peace, or from any political or belligerent cause, the continuance of the investment may cease to be necessary, and the blockade is then said to be _raised_. The blockading force then retires, and the port is open as before to all other nations. In the present century recourse has been had to this means of cutting off supplies from the enemy on several occasions. The Elbe was blockaded by Great Britain, 1803; the Baltic, by Denmark, 1848-49 and 1864; the Gulf of Finland by the allies, 1854; and the ports of the Southern States by President Lincoln, April 19, 1861.

=Blockader.= One who blockades.

=Block Battery.= In gunnery, a wooden battery for two or more small pieces, mounted on wheels, and movable from place to place; very ready to fire _en barbette_, in the galleries and casements, etc., where room is wanted.

=Block-house.= An edifice or structure of heavy timber or logs for military defense, having its sides loop-holed for musketry, and often an upper story projecting over the lower, or placed upon it diagonally, with projecting corners, to facilitate a firing downward, and in all directions; the sides and ends are sometimes much like a stockade, and the top covered with earth; there may also be a ditch around it. Formerly much used in Germany and America, and used extensively in the United States as a defense against Indians, and during the civil war, 1861-65, for the protection of important places on railroads, such as bridges, etc. If exposed to the fire of artillery, block-houses should be formed of double rows of logs 3 feet apart, with well-rammed earth between them.

=Bloodhound.= A name given to certain species of the dog, distinguished for their keenness of scent, and the persistency with which they follow the track of game. They have been frequently employed during wars to track partisans, and even in the American civil war, 1861-65, were employed by the Confederates to track Union prisoners who escaped from their prisons. In time of peace they are sometimes employed to hunt felons, fugitive slaves, etc. When they are thus employed they acquire a peculiarly bloodthirsty and ferocious character.

=Bloreheath.= In Staffordshire, England; here on September 23, 1459, the Earl of Salisbury and the Yorkists defeated the Lancastrians, whose leader, Lord Audley, was slain with many Cheshire gentlemen. A cross commemorates this conflict.

=Bludgeon.= A short stick, with one end loaded, or thicker and heavier than the other, used as an offensive weapon.

=Blue-light.= A composition, burning with a blue flame, used as a night signal in ships, or for military purposes. See PYROTECHNY.

=Blunderbuss.= A short gun or fire-arm, with a large bore, capable of holding a number of balls, and intended to do execution without exact aim.

=Blyde=, =Bly=, or =Blude= (_Ger._). A kind of a war machine which was used in ancient times to throw stones; some authors compare it to the catapult. In the year 1585, at the siege of the castle of Rucklingen, Albert, duke of Saxony and Lüneburg, was killed by a stone thrown by a blyde.

=Board of Officers.= A number of officers assembled by military authority for the transaction of business.

=Board of Ordnance.= A government department, which formerly had the management of all affairs relating to the artillery and engineering corps of the British army. This board was abolished after the Crimean war.

=Board, Pointing.= In gunnery, this is a piece of wood 1 foot long, 2 or 3 inches wide, and 1 inch thick, having a notch cut in the middle of one side to fit on the stake, and graduated into equal divisions from its middle. When not in use the pointing cord may be wound on it. This board is used for directing mortars.

=Boards of Examination.= In the army, are instituted to determine upon appointments in regiments, and for appointments and promotion in the medical staff, engineer corps, and ordnance department. They are composed of army officers.

=Boards of Survey.= In the army, are convened for the purpose of fixing the responsibility for public property lost, damaged, or destroyed, of ascertaining what articles of public property may have been lost or abstracted whenever a soldier deserts, and of taking an inventory of the public property in charge of a deceased officer.

=Boats, Blanket-.= See BLANKET-BOATS.

=Bobruisk.= A fortified town of Russia, in the government of Minsk. It is situated on the right bank of the Beresina, and is a station for the steam-packets navigating the Dnieper and Beresina. It was besieged ineffectually by the French in 1812.

=Boccacci.= The Italians have a peculiar kind of fire-arm which they call by this name; it is enlarged towards the muzzle in the shape of a trumpet. This gun is principally used by the Calabrians.

=Bocchetta.= A celebrated pass of the Apennines, the key of the route from Novi to Genoa. Redoubts were constructed here by the Imperialists in 1746 for the defense of the pass. The French traversed this pass when they entered Italy in 1796.

=Bodegraven.= A fortified town of Holland. On November 28, 1672, it was captured by the Duke of Luxemburg, who tarnished his victory by authorizing the town to be pillaged.

=Bodkin.= A dirk or dagger; a word still in use, though Johnson says it is the oldest acceptation of it.

=Body.= In the nomenclature of modern ordnance, is the part of the piece in rear of the trunnions.

=Body.= In the art of war, is a number of forces, horse or foot, united and marching under one commander. _Main_ body of _an army_, sometimes means the troops encamped in the centre between the two wings, and generally consists of infantry. The main body on a march, signifies the whole of the army exclusive of the van- and rear-guards.

=Body of the Place.= The _enceinte_ of a fortress, or main line of bastions and curtains, as distinguished from outworks.

=Body-guard.= A guard to protect or defend the person; a life-guard.

=Bœotia.= One of the political divisions of ancient Greece, lying between Attica and Megaris on the south, and Locris and Phocis on the north, and bounded on the other side by the Eubœan Sea and the Corinthian Gulf. The tribes of greatest importance who appear as rulers of Bœotia in the heroic age were the Minyæ and the Cadmeans, or Cadmeones,--the former dwelling at Orchomenus, and the latter at Thebes. About 60 years after the Trojan war the Bœotians, an Æolian people who had hitherto dwelt in Thessaly, having been expelled from that country, took possession of the land then called Cadmeis, to which they gave their own name of Bœotia. At the commencement of the historic period all the ancient tribes had disappeared, and all the cities were inhabited by Bœotians, the most important forming a political confederacy under the presidency of Thebes. After the battle of Chæronea (338 B.C.) and the destruction of Thebes by Alexander three years after, Bœotia rapidly declined, and so low had it sunk in the time of the Romans, that of all its great cities there remained only two, which had dwindled into insignificant towns; of the other great cities nothing remained but their ruins and their names. The people are represented as a dull and heavy race, with little susceptibility and appreciation of intellectual pleasures.

=Bohain.= A small town of France, in the department of Aisne, which fell into the hands of the Imperialists in 1537, and was recaptured a short time afterwards.

=Bohemia.= A political and administrative division of the Austrian empire, bounded on the north by Saxony and Prussian Silesia, east by Prussia and Moravia, south by Lower Austria, and west by Bavaria. It derives its name from the Boii, a Celtic people who settled in the country about 600 B.C., and who were expelled by the Marcomanni in the time of Augustus. About the middle of the 6th century a numerous army of Czechs entered the country and subdued it. In 1310 the crown came to the house of Luxemburg, when Charles IV. united Bohemia with the German empire. After many vicissitudes it fell to the house of Austria in the person of the Archduke Ferdinand, brother of Charles V., and brother-in-law of Louis II., king of Hungary and Bohemia, who was killed in battle with the Turks near Mohacs, in 1526. In 1619 the Bohemians revolted against the house of Austria, and offered the crown to Frederick V., elector palatine, but Frederick was defeated at the battle of White Mountain in November, 1620, and the country has ever since remained under the sway of the emperors of Austria.

=Bohmisch-Brod.= A small town of Bohemia. Here the emperor Sigismund defeated the Hussites in 1434.

=Boii.= An ancient Celtic people who emigrated into Italy, where they waged war for several centuries against the Romans. They were defeated at the Vadimonian Lake, 283 B.C. They were finally subdued by Scipio Nasica, 191 B.C., and expelled front Italy. A portion of them founded the kingdom of Boiohemum (Bohemia), from which they were expelled by the Marcomanni in the time of Augustus.

=Bois-le-Duc.= A fortified city of Holland, capital of North Brabant; besieged and captured by the Dutch in 1629, and by the French in 1794; surrendered to the Prussian army, under Bulow, in January, 1814.

=Bojano.= A town in the province of Molise, Naples. The site of Bojano has been identified as that of the famous Samnite city of _Bovianum_, which played so conspicuous a part in the Samnite, Punic, and Social wars. Unsuccessfully besieged by the Romans in 314 B.C., it was taken by them in 311 B.C., and yielded immense spoils. Passing out of their hands, it was retaken by them in 305 B.C., and once more reverting to its original owners, was a third time captured by the Romans in 298 B.C. During the second Punic war it formed the headquarters of the Roman army on more than one occasion. In the great Social war the confederates made it their capital. It was surprised by Sulla, and retaken by the Marsic general, Pompædius Silo. Cæsar established a military colony, and it afterwards throve under the Roman empire.

=Bojeleschti.= A village of Wallachia, where, in 1828, the Russians under Gen. von Geismar defeated the Turks, although the latter were superior in force. The Russians captured 7 guns, 24 ammunition- and 400 bread-wagons, 24 colors, and guns enough to arm 10,000 men. The Cossacks took 507 prisoners.

=Bokhara.= The ancient _Sogdiana_, a state of Central Asia in Independent Toorkistan. It was conquered by the Turks in the 6th century, by the Chinese in the 7th, and by the Arabs about 705. After many changes of masters it was subdued by the Uzbek Tartars, 1505. The British envoys, Col. Stoddart and Capt. Conolly, were murdered at Bokhara, the capital, by the khan in 1843. In the war with Russia, beginning in 1866, the emir’s army was defeated several times in May and subsequent months during that year. Peace was made July 11, 1867. The Russians were again victors, May 25, 1868, and occupied Samarcand the next day. Further conquests were made by the Russians, and Samarcand was secured by treaty November, 1868.

=Bolade= (_Fr._). A weapon of the shape of a mace.

=Bologna.= The ancient _Felsina_, afterwards Bononia. A distinguished city of Italy, capital of the province of the same name; besieged and taken by Pope Julius II., 1506; taken by the French, 1796; by the Austrians, 1799; again by the French after the battle of Marengo, in 1800; restored to the Pope in 1815; a revolt suppressed by Austrian interference, 1831; rebellion in 1848; taken by the Austrians, May, 1849; provisional government formed June 15, 1859; Victor Emmanuel entered Bologna as sovereign, May 2, 1860.

=Bolster.= A block of wood on the carriage of a siege-gun, and on the mortar-wagon upon which the gun rests when moving it from place to place. The first is a _breach_-, the second a _muzzle-bolster_.

=Bolster.= A cushioned or padded part of a saddle.

=Bolt.= A pointed shaft or missile intended to be shot from a cross-bow or catapult; an arrow; a dart.

=Bolt.= See ORDNANCE, CARRIAGES FOR, NOMENCLATURE OF ARTILLERY CARRIAGE.

=Bolt, Palliser.= A screw-bolt for securing armor plates. The end upon which the screw-thread is cut is larger than the shank.

=Bomarsund.= A strong fortress on one of the Aland isles in the Baltic Sea, taken by Sir Charles Napier, commander of the Baltic expedition, aided by the French military contingent under Gen. Baraguay d’Hilliers, August 16, 1854. The governor Bodisco and the garrison, about 2000 men, became prisoners, and the fortifications were destroyed.

=Bomb.= A hollow ball or shell of cast iron filled with explosive materials, and furnished with a fuze, which being ignited when the missile is discharged from a mortar or howitzer, burns during its flight, and causes it to explode with destructive violence when it falls. They are now commonly called shells.

=Bombard.= An ancient piece of ordnance, very short, thick, and wide at the bore. Some of the bombards used in the 15th century propelled stones weighing from 200 to 500 pounds each.

=Bombard.= To assault a town or fortress by projecting into it shells, etc., from mortars, in order to set fire to and destroy the houses, magazines, and other buildings.

=Bombardelle= (_Fr._). A small bombard which was used in ancient times. In 1830, one was disinterred near Laon, France; it is the opinion of some that this bombardelle was manufactured during the reign of Charles VII., from 1436-40.

=Bombardier.= Is an artilleryman versed in that department of arms which relates especially to bombs and shells, mortars and howitzers, grenades and fuzes. In some foreign armies, the bombardiers form a separate corps. In the British service a bombardier is a non-commissioned grade in the artillery below that of corporal.

=Bombardment.= Is an attack upon a fortress or fortified town by means of shells, red-hot shot, carcasses, rockets, etc., to burn and destroy the buildings, and kill the inhabitants, and by this means compel its surrender. A bombardment requires little engineering skill; whereas a regular siege requires the aid of engineers to direct the attack against fortifications, guns, and soldiery, leaving the inhabitants and buildings untouched. It is generally regarded by military engineers as a cruel operation, and in modern times is mostly adopted as an adjunct to a siege. The stores required for a vigorous bombardment are immense. Thus, in 1759, Rodney threw 20,000 shells and carcasses into Havre; in 1792, the Duke of Saxe Teschen threw 36,000 shot and shell into Lille in 140 hours; in 1795, Pichegru threw 8000 shells into Mannheim in 16 hours; and in 1807, the English threw 11,000 shot and shell into Copenhagen in three days. Of the bombardments recorded in history may be mentioned that of Algiers by Duquesne in 1682-83, by the Venetians in 1784, and by the English in 1816; of Genoa in 1684; of Tripoli in 1685, 1728, and 1747; of Barcelona in 1691; of Brussels in 1694; of Toulon by the English in 1707; of Prague in 1744, 1759, and 1848; the bombardment of Lille by the Austrians in 1792; of Le Quesnoy, Breda, Lille, Lyons, Maestricht, and Mayence in 1793; of Menin, Valenciennes, and Ostend in 1794; of Copenhagen by the English in 1807; of Glogau, Breslau, and Schweidnitz by the French in 1806-7; of Saragossa by the French in 1808; of Flushing by the English in 1809; of Antwerp in 1832; of St. Jean d’Ulloa by the French in 1838; of Beyrout and St. Jean d’Acre by the English in 1840; of Barcelona by Espartero in 1842; of Mogador by the French in 1844; and of Odessa by the English and French fleets in 1854. Vera Cruz was bombarded by Gen. Scott for three days before its surrender, March 27, 1847. During the civil war recourse was had several times to this method of reducing fortified places. Among the most noted were the bombardment by Admiral Farragut for six days, April 18, 1862, of Forts Jackson and St. Philip (after which they surrendered); the bombardment of Fort Pulaski, Ga., by Gen. Gillmore, in April, 1862; the first bombardment of Fort Sumter in August, 1863, which effectually disabled the fort for immediate defense of Charleston harbor, although the works remained in the possession of the Confederates; and the second bombardment, which took place in October following, leaving the place in ruins. During the Franco-German war Strasburg was bombarded by the Prussians on August 18, 1870, and after an immense number of shells were thrown into it with ruinous effect the city surrendered on September 27. During the siege of Paris it was estimated that for two weeks in January, 1871, about 500 shells a day were thrown into the city, to the great destruction of life and property.

=Bomb-chest.= A chest filled with bombs, or only with gunpowder, placed under ground, to cause destruction by its explosion.

=Bomb-proof.= A term applied to military structures of such immense thickness and strength that bombs cannot penetrate them.

=Bomb-shell.= A hollow globe of iron, filled with powder, and thrown from a mortar; a bomb.

=Bone=, =Bona=, or =Bonah=. A fortified seaport town of Algeria, 85 miles northwest of Constantine; it is surrounded by a wall with square turrets which has four gates. Fort Cigogne is its chief defense; the French occupied this place in July, 1830.

=Bonn.= A town on the Rhine (the Roman Bonna) was in the electorate of Cologne; it has been frequently besieged, and was assigned to Prussia in 1814.

=Bonnet.= In fortification, is a small defense work constructed at salient angles of the glacis or larger works. It consists of two faces only, with a parapet 3 feet high by 10 or 12 feet broad. There is no ditch. A larger kind, with 3 salient angles, is called a _priest’s bonnet_, or _bonnet à prêtre_. The use of the bonnet is to check the besiegers when they are attempting to make a lodgment.

=Bonneval.= A town of France, formerly fortified; it was partially destroyed by the English during the 15th century.

=Bontchouk.= A lance ornamented with a horse’s tail. When the kings of Poland led their armies, boutchouks were carried before them.

=Boomerang.= A very singular missile weapon used by the natives of Australia. It is made of hard wood, usually from 20 to 30 inches in length, from 2 to 3 inches wide, and ¹⁄₂ or ³⁄₄ of an inch thick. It is curved or bent in the middle at an angle of from 100° to 140°. When thrown from the hand with a quick rotary motion, it describes very remarkable curves, according to the shape of the instrument and the manner of throwing it, often moving nearly horizontally a long distance, then curving upward to a considerable height, and finally taking a retrograde direction, so as to fall near the place from which it was thrown, or even very far in the rear of it.

=Booneville.= A river-port, capital of Cooper Co., Mo., situated on the right bank of the Missouri River, 48 miles northwest of Jefferson City. During the civil war a Confederate force of about 2500 raw troops was here attacked by the Federals under Gen. Lyon, June 17, 1861. After a short conflict the Confederates were routed, abandoning their guns and camp equipage, which fell into the hands of the Union forces.