Chapter VII: Part 7

=Boothauk.= A fortified pass of Afghanistan, 12 miles to the east of Cabul. It runs for 5 miles between cliffs 500 feet high, and in some places only 50 yards wide.

=Boots and Saddles.= In cavalry tactics, a trumpet call which is the first signal for mounted drill, and for all other formations mounted; it is also the signal for the trumpeters to assemble.

=Booty.= Is the victors’ share in property captured from the vanquished. It is generally a military term, the word _prize_ being more frequently used in the navy.

=Bordeaux=, or =Bourdeaux= (Southwest France). This city was sacked by the Visigoths, who were driven from it by Clovis; it was ravaged by the Saracens and Normans in the 8th and 9th centuries. It came into the possession of the Duke of Gascoyne in 911; in 1653 the city rebelled, but was taken by the royal troops; Bordeaux was entered by the victorious British army after the battle of Orthes, fought February 27, 1814.

=Bordure=, or =Border=. In heraldry, coats of arms are frequently surrounded with a bordure, the object of which is to show that the bearer is a cadet of the house whose arms he carries. Its character often has reference to the profession of the bearer; thus a _bordure embattled_ is granted to a soldier, and a _bordure ermine_ to a lawyer.

=Bore.= Of a piece of ordnance includes all the part bored out, viz., the cylinder, the chamber (if there is one), and the conical or spherical surface connecting them.

=Borghetto.= A town of Italy, on the Mincio, 15 miles southwest of Verona; it has a castle and a vast fortified causeway. The French here defeated the Austrians in 1796.

=Borgo Forte.= A town of Italy, in Lombardy, on the Po, 7 miles south of Mantua. The Austrians were here defeated by the French in 1796.

=Bori.= A Turkish term for military trumpets.

=Boring Cannon.= See ORDNANCE, CONSTRUCTION OF.

=Borissov.= A town of Russia, on the left bank of the Berezina. A conflict took place here November 23, 1812, between the French and Russians; near this town, at the village of Studienka, the disastrous passage of Berezina was effected by the French army, November 26-27, 1812.

=Bormann-fuze.= A fuze which is used for spherical case-shot. The fuze-case is made of metal (a composition of lead and tin), and consists of a short cylinder, having at one end a horseshoe-shaped indentation, _one_ end only of which communicates with the magazine of the fuze placed in the centre by a channel filled with _rifle_ powder. This horseshoe indentation extends nearly to the other end of the cylinder, a thin layer of the metal only intervening. This is graduated on the outside into equal parts representing seconds and quarter-seconds. In the bottom of this channel a smooth layer of the composition is placed, with a piece of wick or yarn underneath it. On this is placed a piece of metal, the cross-section of which is wedge-shaped, and this, by machinery, is pressed down upon the composition, sealing it hermetically. The cylindrical opening is filled with musket powder and covered with a sheet of tin, which is soldered, closing the magazine from the external air. Before using the fuze several holes are punched through this sheet of tin, to allow the flame to enter the shell. On the side of the fuze the thread of a screw is cut which fits into one cut on the inside of the fuze-hole, and the fuze is screwed into the shell with a wrench. The thin layer of metal over the composition is cut through with a gouge or chisel, or even a penknife, at the interval marked with the number of seconds which we wish the fuze to burn. To prevent the metal of this fuze, which is soft, from being driven into the shell by the explosive force of the charge, a circular piece of iron, with a hole through its centre, and the thread of a screw on the outside, is screwed into the fuze-hole before the fuze is inserted. The most important advantage of this fuze is, that the shells can be loaded, all ready for use, and remain so any length of time, perfectly safe from explosion, as the fuze can be screwed into its place, and the composition never exposed to external fire until the metal is cut through.

=Borneo.= An island in the Indian Ocean, the largest in the world except Australia; discovered by the Portuguese about 1520; the pirates of this island were several times chastised by the British government; incorporated with the British empire, December 2, 1846.

=Bornhoevede.= A village of Holstein, where a battle was fought on July 22, 1227, between Woldemar II., king of Denmark, and Adolphus IV. of Holstein; the Danes were totally defeated.

=Borodino.= A Russian village on the Moskwa, near which a sanguinary battle was fought, September 7, 1812, between the French under Napoleon, and the Russians under Kootoosof, 240,000 men being engaged. Each party claimed the victory; but the Russians retreated, leaving Moscow, which the French entered September 14. The French name it the battle of Moskwa, and it gave Marshal Ney his title of Prince of Moskwa.

=Boroughbridge.= A town in Yorkshire, England, the site of a battle between the Earls of Hereford and Lancaster and Edward II., March 16, 1322. The latter at the head of 30,000 men pressed Lancaster so closely that he had not time to collect his troops together in sufficient force, and being defeated and made prisoner, was led, mounted on a lean horse, to an eminence near Pontefract, and beheaded by a Londoner.

=Boscobel.= Near Donington, Shropshire, England, where Charles II. concealed himself after his defeat at Worcester.

=Bosnia.= In European Turkey, formerly part of Pannonia, was governed by chiefs till a brother-in-law of Louis, king of Hungary, was made king, 1376. He was defeated by the Turks in 1389, and became their vassal. Bosnia was annexed to the Ottoman empire in 1522. Many efforts have been made by the Bosnians to recover their independence; they rebelled in 1849, and were subdued by Omar Pasha in 1851.

=Bosniaken.= Formerly light cavalry of the Prussians, resembling the present Uhlans. Frederick I. formed this cavalry in 1745.

=Bosphorus=, or =Bosporus, Thracian= (now _Strait of Constantinople_). The ancient name of the strait which connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmora. Darius Hystaspes threw a bridge of boats over this strait when about to invade Greece, 493 B.C.

=Bosporus.= The country on both sides of the Bosporus Cimmerius, or Strait of Yenikalé, formed in ancient times the kingdom of Bosporus. The Scythians conquered Bosporus, 285 B.C.; conquered by Mithridates VI., 80 B.C.; conquered by Cæsar, 47 B.C.; Polemon conquered Bosporus, 14 B.C. A list of obscure kings given by some writers ends with Sauromates VII., 344.

=Boss.= The apex of a shield.

=Bosse=, =Bosse à Feu= (_Fr._). A term used in the French artillery to express a glass bottle which is very thin, contains 4 or 5 pounds of powder, and round the neck of which 4 or 5 matches are hung after it has been well corked. A cord 2 or 3 feet in length is tied to the bottle, which serves to throw it. The instant the bottle breaks the powder catches fire, and everything within the immediate effects of the explosion is destroyed.

=Bostanji.= The first Turkish foot-guards, about 12,000 strong; they guard the imperial castles and accompany the sultans to the field. They were originally employed as gardeners, guards for the seraglio, etc. Their number is now greatly reduced.

=Boston.= A city and capital of Massachusetts, situated on the west side of Massachusetts Bay, at the mouth of Charles River. It was built about 1627. Here originated that resistance to the British authorities which led to American independence. The act of Parliament laying duties on tea, papers, colors, etc. (passed June, 1767), so excited the indignation of the citizens of Boston, that they destroyed several hundred chests of tea, December 16, 1773. Boston seaport was shut by the English Parliament, until restitution should be made to the East India Company for the tea lost, March 25, 1774. The town was besieged by the British next year, and 400 houses were destroyed. A battle between the royalist and independent troops, in which the latter were defeated, took place June 17, 1775; the city was evacuated by the king’s troops, April, 1776. The inhabitants were very zealous against slavery in 1861.

=Boston Massacre.= A name popularly given to a disturbance which occurred in the streets of Boston on the evening of March 5, 1770, when a sergeant’s guard belonging to the British garrison fired upon a crowd of people who were surrounding them and pelting them with snowballs, and killed 3 men besides wounding several others. The leader of the townspeople was a black man named Crispus Attucks. The affair is of historical importance, as it prepared the minds of men for the Revolutionary struggle which followed.

=Bostra=, or =Bozrah=. A city of Arabia, in an oasis of the Syrian Desert, 76 miles south of Damascus; it was besieged, captured, and sacked by the Saracens, who were commanded by Khaled.

=Bosworth Field.= In Leicestershire, England, the site of the thirteenth and last battle between the houses of York and Lancaster, August 22, 1485, when Richard III. was defeated and slain by the Earl of Richmond, afterwards Henry VII. Sir William Stanley at a critical moment changed sides, and thus caused the loss of the battle. It is said that Henry was crowned on the spot with the crown of Richard found in a hawthorn bush near the field.

=Bothwell Bridge.= In Lanarkshire, Scotland. The Scotch Covenanters, who took up arms against the intolerant government of Charles II., and defeated the celebrated Claverhouse at Drumclog, June 1, 1679, were totally routed at Bothwell Bridge, June 22, 1679, by the Earl of Monmouth, and many persons were tortured and executed.

=Botoné=, or =Bottony=. In heraldry, a _cross-botoné_ is a cross of which the ends are in the form of buds or buttons.

=Bottle Cartridge.= See CARTRIDGE, BOTTLE.

=Bottoming.= The foundation of a roadbed.

=Botzen=, or =Bolzana= (anc. _Pons Drusi_). The capital of the circle of Etsch in Tyrol. This town was captured by the French in 1809.

=Boucanier= (_Fr._). A long, heavy musket, used by the American buccaneers, and with such skill as to give the weapon a high degree of celebrity.

=Bouchain.= A small strongly fortified frontier town of France, in the department of the North; besieged and captured by Louis XIV. in 1673; by the Duke of Marlborough in 1711; retaken by the French in 1712, and ceded to France by the treaty of Utrecht.

=Bouche= (_Fr._). Means the aperture or mouth of a piece of ordnance, that of a mortar, of the barrel of a musket, and of every species of fire-arms from which a ball or bullet is discharged.

=Boufarik=, or =Boofareek=. A place in Algeria where the French encountered the Arabs, October 2, 1832.

=Bouge=, or =Boulge= (_Fr._). An ancient war-club, the head of which was loaded with lead, also called _plombée_.

=Bougiah= (anc. _Salvæ_). A seaport town of Algeria, which was captured by the French, October 19, 1833, and successfully defended against the Arabs, August 25, 1842.

=Bouillon= (Belgium). Formerly a duchy, was sold by Godfrey, its ruler, to Albert, bishop of Liège, to obtain funds for the crusade, 1095; it was seized by the French in 1672, and held by them till 1815, when it was given to the king of the Netherlands, as duke of Luxemburg. It was awarded to Belgium after the revolution of 1830.

=Boulaf.= A kind of baton or very short mace, formerly used by the Polish generals.

=Boulak=, or =Boolak=. A town of Lower Egypt, on the right bank of the Nile; burned by the French in 1799; since rebuilt by Mohammed Ali.

=Boulanger Chronograph.= See CHRONOSCOPES.

=Boulanger Telemeter.= See RANGE FINDERS.

=Boulevard= (_Fr._). An ancient bastion, bulwark, or rampart.

=Boulogne.= A seaport in Picardy, Northern France; was taken by the British under Henry VIII., September 14, 1544, but restored at the peace, 1550. Lord Nelson attacked this city, disabling 10 vessels and sinking 5, August 3, 1801; in another attempt he was repulsed with great loss. In 1804, Bonaparte assembled 160,000 men and 10,000 horses, and a flotilla of 1300 vessels and 17,000 sailors, to invade England; it is supposed that this French armament served merely for a demonstration, and that Bonaparte never seriously intended the invasion. Sir Sidney Smith unsuccessfully attempted to burn the flotilla with fire-machines called catamarans, October 2, 1804. Congreve rockets were used in another attack, and they set the town on fire, October 8, 1806. The army was removed on the breaking out of the war with Austria in 1805. Louis Napoleon, afterwards emperor, made a descent here with about 50 followers, August 6, 1840, without success.

=Bounty.= A premium offered or given to induce men to enlist into the public service.

=Bourbon, Isle of= (in the Indian Ocean). Discovered by the Portuguese about 1545. The French here formed a colony in 1653 (according to others, 1642, 1646, 1649). In 1810, after a gallant resistance, it fell into the hands of the British, who retained it till the general peace, 1814. In 1815, before the downfall of Napoleon, it was once more besieged by the English, and along with the Mauritius again fell into their hands. After the general pacification of Europe, Bourbon was restored to France, in whose possession it now is; but the adjoining island has since been retained by its English conquerors.

=Bourdonnante= (_Fr._). A name formerly given to a kind of bombard of a heavy caliber.

=Bourg-en-Bresse.= A town of France, capital of the department of Ain. The town was captured by the allies in 1814.

=Bourges.= The capital of the department of the Cher, in France; captured by Cæsar, 52 B.C.; destroyed by Chilperic, 583; carried by assault by Pepin, 762; sustained a siege during the reign of Charles VII., in 1415; captured by the Protestants, 1562; by Henry IV., 1594; by the Protestants, 1615, and by Marshal Matignon in 1616.

=Bourguignote=, or =Bourgignotte= (_Fr._). A helmet worn by the Burgundians, from whom it was named. It was of polished iron, with a visor. Under Louis XIV. their head-dress was changed to a kind of bonnet.

=Bourlette= (_Fr._). In antiquity, a mace which was garnished with iron points.

=Bournous=, =Burnoose=, or =Burnos=. A kind of cloak or overcoat, used by the Arabs, and which constitutes a part of the military clothing of some corps of the French army.

=Bouton=, or =Boutoou= (_Fr._). A kind of war-club, formerly used by the Caribs of the Antilles.

=Bovianum= (now _Bojano_). A town of Italy, 10 miles southwest of Campobasso. It was sacked by the Romans in 311, 305, and 298 B.C. During the second Punic war it was several times the headquarters of the Roman army.

=Bouvines= (Northern France). The site of a desperate battle, July 27, 1214, in which Philip Augustus of France was victorious over the emperor Otho and his allies, consisting of more than 150,000 men. The Counts of Flanders and Boulogne were taken prisoners.

=Bow.= A weapon made of a strip of wood, or other elastic material, with a cord connecting the two ends, by means of which, when drawn back and suffered to return, an arrow is propelled.

=Bow, Cross.= An ancient weapon of offense of the 11th century. Philip II., surnamed the Conqueror, introduced cross-bows into France. In this reign Richard I. of England was killed by a cross-bow at the siege of Chalus.

=Bowie-knife.= A knife from 10 to 15 inches long, and about 2 inches broad, worn as a weapon in the Southern and Southwestern States of the United States,--so named from its inventor, Col. James Bowie.

=Bowman.= A man who uses a bow; an archer.

=Bow-shot.= The space which an arrow may pass when shot from a bow.

=Bowstring.= The string of a bow. Also a string used by the Turks for strangling offenders.

=Bowyer.= The man who made or repaired the military bows was so called.

=Boxer-cartridge.= The metallic cartridge used in the service rifle of England. See CARTRIDGE.

=Boxtel= (in Dutch _Brabant_). Here the British and allied armies, commanded by the Duke of York, were defeated by the French republicans, who took 2000 prisoners and 8 pieces of cannon, September 17, 1794.

=Box Pontons.= See PONTONS.

=Boyaca.= A village of the republic of New Granada, South America, celebrated for the victory gained by Bolivar over the Spaniards, August 7, 1819, which secured the independence of Colombia.

=Boyau.= In military engineering, is a winding zigzag or trench, made by besiegers to enable them to approach a town or fortified place under cover. These trenches are also called zigzags, or approaches.

=Boyne.= A river in Kildare, Ireland, near which William III. defeated his father-in-law, James II., July 1, 1690. The latter lost 1500 (out of 30,000) men; the Protestant army lost about a third of that number (out of 30,000). James fled to Dublin, thence to Waterford, and escaped to France. The Duke of Schömberg was killed, shot by mistake by his own soldiers as he was crossing the river.

=Brabançons= (_Fr._). Soldiers of fortune, adventurers, freebooters of Brabant, who, during the Middle Ages, hired their services to those chiefs who paid them best.

=Bracelet.= In ancient times, a piece of defensive armor for the arm; a part of a coat of mail.

=Bracket.= The cheek of a mortar-carriage, made of strong plank.

=Braconnière=, or =Bragonnière= (_Fr._). In antiquity, a mail-armor, of the shape of a petticoat, which was attached to the cuirass, and reached from the hips to the middle of the thigh, and sometimes below the knee.

=Braga= (anc. _Bracara Augusta_). The capital of the province of Minho, in Portugal; it is fortified and defended by a citadel. The Suevi were here vanquished by the Goths in 585.

=Brailoff=, =Brahilow=, or =Ibraila=. A fortified town and the principal port of Wallachia, European Turkey. In 1770 the town was taken by the Russians, and almost razed to the ground; rebuilt, and again taken by the Russians in 1828, after a brave defense. It was restored to Turkey by the treaty of Adrianople in 1829. During the war of 1854-56, it was occupied by Russian troops.

=Brake.= That part of the carriage of a movable battery or engine which enables it to turn.

=Brake.= An ancient engine of war analogous to the cross-bow and balista.

=Bramham.= In Yorkshire, England; near here the Earl of Northumberland and Lord Bardolf were defeated and slain by Sir Thomas Rokeby, the general of Henry IV., February 19, 1408; and Fairfax was defeated by the royalists under the Duke of Newcastle, March 29, 1643.

=Brand.= The Anglo-Saxon for a burnished sword.

=Brandenburg.= A city in Prussia, founded by the Slavonians. Henry I., surnamed the Fowler, after defeating the Slavonians, fortified Brandenburg, 926, as a rampart against the Huns, and bestowed the government on Sigefroi, count of Ringelheim, with the title of Margrave, or protector of the marches or frontiers. Occupied by the French, October 25, 1806.

=Branding.= Was a mode of punishment, in nearly all armies, inflicted on soldiers who were convicted of the crime of desertion,--the branding or marking being with ink, or other similar preparation. This practice is now discontinued in the American, and several European armies.

=Brandschwaermer= (_Ger._). A small rocket which contained a bullet; it was fired out of a gun and used for the purpose of setting fire to straw-thatched buildings.

=Brandywine.= A river in Pennsylvania and Delaware, near which a battle took place between the British and Americans, in which the latter (after a day’s fight) were defeated with great loss, and Philadelphia fell into the possession of the victors, September 11, 1777.

=Brass.= See BRONZE.

=Brassar.= A piece of defensive armor for the arm.

=Brassart.= In plate-armor, joined plates of steel which protected the upper part of the arm, from the elbow to the shoulder. When the front of the arm only was shielded, the pieces were called _demi-brassarts_.

=Brasset.= A casque or head-piece of armor.

=Braunau.= A town of Bohemia, Austria; captured by the French, October 28, 1805.

=Bray.= A small town in the department of Seine-et-Marne, France; it was occupied by the allies, February 12, 1814.

=Brazil.= An empire in South America, was discovered by Vincent Pinzon in February, and Pedro Alvarez de Cabral, a Portuguese, driven upon its coasts by a tempest, in 1500. The French having seized Portugal in 1807, the royal family and nobles embarked for Brazil, and landed March 7, 1808. Brazil declared war against Uruguay in February, 1865; entered into a treaty with Uruguay and the Argentine Republic against Paraguay, governed by Lopez, in May, 1865, and war was waged with varying results up to 1870.

=Breach.= Rupture made in a fortification to facilitate the assault. The operation by which the opening is produced is called _breaching_, and the guns used for this purpose are _breaching batteries_. _To repair a breach_, is to stop or fill up the gap with gabions, fascines, etc., and prevent the assault. _To fortify a breach_, is to render it inaccessible by means of chevaux-de-frise, crow’s feet, etc. _To make a lodgment in the breach._ After the besieged are driven away, the besiegers secure themselves against any future attack in the breach. _To clear the breach_, that is, to remove the ruins, that it may be better defended.

=Breach of Arrest.= See APPENDIX, ARTICLES OF WAR, 65.

=Bread and Water.= A diet used as a military punishment.

=Break Ground.= Is to commence the siege of a place by opening trenches, etc.

=Breast-height.= In fortification, the interior slope of a parapet.

=Breastplate.= A plate worn upon the breast as a part of defensive armor.

=Breastwork.= In fortification, a defensive work breast-high, hastily thrown up, of earth or other material.

=Brechin.= A place in Scotland; sustained a siege against the army of Edward III., 1333. The battle of Brechin was fought between the Earls of Huntly and Crawford; the latter was defeated, 1452.

=Breech.= In ordnance, is the mass of solid metal behind the bottom of the bore, extending to the cascabel. The _base of the breech_ is its rear surface.

=Breech-block.= The block of metal which closes the bore in breech-loading arms.

=Breech-loader.= A fire-arm that receives its load at the breech.

=Breech-loading.= Receiving the charge at the breech instead of the muzzle. A feature of modern small-arms. The principle, however, is very old, as some of the earliest guns were breech-loaders. A gun of the time of Henry VIII. still extant is substantially the same as the modern _Snider_. Puckle’s revolver of 1718 was mounted on a tripod, and was very much like the _Gatling gun_ in its general features. The first American patent was to Thornton & Hall, of Massachusetts, 1811. These guns were extensively issued to U. S. troops. There is a specimen in the West Point Museum. Prior to 1861 the best known breech-loading small-arms were _Sharps’_, _Burnside’s_, _Maynard’s_, _Merrill’s_, and _Spencer’s_. See SMALL-ARMS.

In modern times the _breech-loading_ principle for _heavy ordnance_ has gained and lost favor at different epochs. On the continent of Europe it is generally accepted. Italy, however, has committed itself in the largest calibers to the enormous 100-ton muzzle-loaders of Sir William Armstrong. The same inventor introduced his breech-loading field-piece in England about 1850. His principle was approved and adopted for various calibers about 1858, but partial failures in his system led to an investigation by a committee of the House of Commons, 1862-63, and after a tedious discussion, the breech-loading principle was officially discarded (1866), though many of the guns were retained in the service. The successful application of hydraulic machinery in handling and loading heavy guns (1876) confirmed the government in its choice of muzzle-loaders. The difficulty of muzzle-loading in a turret and the impossibility of employing the great length of bore necessary to obtain the best results was, up to this time, the strong argument in favor of _breech-loaders_. Loading by hydraulic machinery from beneath the deck through a trap-door outside the turret obviated these objections to muzzle-loaders, and gave the gunners ample protection by closing the port, thus placing these guns for the time being on a par with breech-loaders. The bursting of the 38-ton gun on the “Thunderer” (1878), however, which has been generally attributed to double loading, has shaken confidence in hydraulic ramming, and now there is a strong current in favor of a return to breech-loaders. The splendid performance of _Krupp_ guns on the practice-ground at Meppen, 1879, and the numerous misfortunes which have recently befallen the Woolwich and Elswick systems, have doubtless had their weight in this change of opinion.

=Breech Mechanism.= The mechanism used for opening and closing the breech of a fire-arm and securing it against the escape of the gas. In _small-arms_ this is readily accomplished. The use of the metallic cartridge-case renders any special gas-check unnecessary, as the case itself by being expanded against the walls of the chamber serves the purpose. The various mechanisms used in _small-arms_ have been classified as follows: 1st, _Fixed chamber_; 2d, _Movable chamber_. The second class is now obsolete. The _fixed chamber_ class is subdivided into--1st, _Barrel moves_; 2d, _Breech-block moves_. The first class comprises many of the _shot-guns_ in use, the second, the best known of _military arms_. Under this latter class are the following subdivisions: 1st, _Sliding block_; 2d, _Sliding and rotating_; 3d, Rotating about an axis. We find excellent guns under each of these classes which are further subdivided as to the direction of the motions. The _Sharps’_ may be taken as typical of the first of these classes, the _Hotchkiss magazine_ gun of the second, and the _Springfield_ of the third.

A similar classification may be made for _breech-loading_ devices in _heavy ordnance_, but the problem here is not so simple. The pressure is much greater, the masses of metal much larger, and the cartridge must be used without a case to check the gas. Breech-loaders were impossible until the problem of checking the gas had been solved. The inventor of the first successful gas-check was an American, L. W. Broadwell, now residing abroad. The term _Broadwell ring_ has been applied to all similar devices. This is a steel ring which fits in a recess reamed out in the rear of the chamber and abutting upon the breech-block. The inside of the ring is so shaped as to be pressed by the gas outwards and backwards, thus closing both the space outside of the ring and between it and the block. Broadwell is also the inventor of a breech mechanism which, with a few modifications, is that used by Krupp for all of his guns. The breech-block slides horizontally through a rectangular slot in rear of the chamber. In the _Armstrong_ breech-loader, the block called the vent-piece is taken out and put in through a rectangular orifice on the top of the gun. It is locked in place by a hollow breech-screw. The French use a breech-screw with the threads cut away in longitudinal rows. The female-screw being similarly arranged, a very small rotation enables it to be entirely withdrawn. Among American devices are _Thompson’s_, a breech-block which rolls to the side and opens or closes the bore. _Sutcliffe’s_, a cylindrical block, with its axis parallel to the one hanging on a pin projecting from the front periphery of the hollow screw. The block is raised and locked by turning the screw, and falls into a recess below when the screw is half turned back. _Mann’s_, in which the gun rotates upwards about the trunnions something like a shot-gun, and many others.

=Breech-pin.= A strong plug firmly screwed in at the breech of a musket or other fire-arm.

=Breech-sight.= In gunnery, an instrument having a graduated scale of tangents by means of which any elevation may be given to a piece. Correctly speaking, the breech-sight gives the angle made by the line of aim or sight with the axis of the piece. The base of the breech-sight is a plate of brass curved to fit the base-ring or line, the scale and slides are similar to those of the pendulum hausse except that a hole is made in the plate, instead of a notch to sight through. Breech-sights are graduated for no _disparts_, a _front-sight_ equal in height to the dispart being screwed into the top of the muzzle; in the Rodman guns, into the seat provided for the purpose between the trunnions. Breech-sights are also frequently held in sockets, and when the front-sight is placed on the trunnion, the socket is on the side of the breech. The _pendulum hausse_ (see HAUSSE) is a breech-sight used for field-guns to correct the error arising from difference of level in the wheels of the carriage. The _Quinan breech-sight_ (invented by Lieut. W. R. Quinan, 4th U. S. Artillery) is an improvement on the pendulum hausse. It is fixed in a socket on the right side of the breech. The scale has a spirit-level, by means of which it is made vertical. The front sight is a short tube with cross-hairs fixed in it. The advantages claimed over the hausse are increased steadiness and accuracy.

=Bregenz=, or =Bregentz=. A town of Tyrol, Austria; it was occupied by the French in 1799.

=Breisach, Old.= A very old town of the grand duchy of Baden; taken by Ariovistus when he invaded Gaul. Being regarded as the key to the west of Germany, it was a prominent scene of action during the Thirty Years’ War, at the conclusion of which it was ceded to the French. During the next century it frequently changed masters, now belonging to France and now to Austria; its fortifications were destroyed by the French in 1744, and during the war of the Revolution, in 1793, part of the town was burned by them. In 1806 the French handed it over to the house of Baden.

=Breitenfeld.= A village and manor of Saxony, about 5 miles north of Leipsic. It is historically remarkable for three battles, fought on a plain in its neighborhood. The first of these, between the Swedes and the Imperialists, which was fought September 7, 1631, was of the highest importance to Europe, as it secured the permanency of Protestantism and the freedom of Germany. Tilly’s pride had reached its highest point after the fall of Magdeburg, which took place on May 20, 1631; and in the early part of September of the same year he advanced against the Saxons with an army of about 40,000 men for the purpose of forcing the elector, John George I., into an alliance with the emperor. Gustavus Adolphus, king of Sweden, joined by the Saxons, advanced towards Leipsic, where Tilly lay, the latter advancing into the plain of Breitenfeld. The Imperial forces were completely defeated, and their three most distinguished generals, Tilly, Pappenheim, and Fürstenberg, wounded. The second battle which Breitenfeld witnessed again, resulted in the triumph of Swedish valor: it took place on October 23, 1642, between the Swedes, headed by Torstenson, one of the pupils of Gustavus, who had invested Leipsic, and the Archduke Leopold, with Gen. Piccolomini, who were advancing from Dresden to its relief. The Swedes gained a complete victory over the Imperialists, who fled into Bohemia, leaving behind them 46 cannon, 121 flags, 69 standards, and the whole of their baggage. The third battle of which Breitenfeld was the scene was fought on October 16-18, 1813. See LEIPSIC.

=Bremen= (Northern Germany). Said to have been founded in 788; in 1648 it was erected into a duchy and held by Sweden till 1712; it was taken possession of by Denmark in 1731, by whom it was ceded to Hanover; it was taken by the French in 1757, who were expelled by the Hanoverians in 1758; annexed by Napoleon to the French empire in 1810; its independence restored in 1813; its old franchises in 1815 It became a member of the North German Confederation in 1866.

=Brenneville= (Northwest France). Here Henry I. of England defeated Louis VI. of France, who had embraced the cause of William Clinton, son of Robert, duke of Normandy, August 20, 1119.

=Brenta.= A river which rises in Tyrol and flows, after a course of 90 miles, into the Adriatic Sea, at Porto di Brondolo. On the banks of this river the French twice defeated the Austrians in 1796.

=Brentford.= A county town of Middlesex, England. Here Edmund Ironside defeated the Danes, May, 1016. It was taken by Charles I., after a sharp fight, November 12, 1642.

=Brescelia=, or =Bregelia= (anc. _Brixellum_). A town on the right bank of the Po, in North Italy. Here the emperor Otho put himself to death in 69. On May 20, 1427, an army under Duke Philip Maria Visconti, of Milan, was here defeated by an army sent against him by the republic of Venice, under Francis Carmagnola.

=Brescia.= A town in Northern Italy (the ancient _Brixia_), became important under the Lombards, and suffered by the wars of the Italian republics, being attached to Venice. It was taken by the French under Gaston de Foix in 1512, when it is said 40,000 of the inhabitants were massacred. It surrendered to the Austrian general Haynau, March 30, 1849, on severe terms; annexed to Sardinia in 1859.

=Breslau.= Capital of the province of Silesia, Prussia; it was burnt by the Mongols in 1241, and conquered by Frederick II. of Prussia in January, 1741. A fierce battle took place here between the Austrians and Prussians, the latter under Prince Bevern, who was defeated November 22,1757. Breslau was taken, but was regained, December 21, the same year; besieged by the French, and surrendered to them January, 1807, and again in 1813.

=Bressuire.= A small town of France, department of Deux-Sèvres; it was fortified during the Middle Ages, and was captured from the English by the celebrated Du Guesclin in 1373; it was nearly destroyed during the wars of La Vendée.

=Brest.= A seaport in Northwestern France; besieged by Julius Cæsar, 54 B.C.; possessed by the English in 1378; given up to the Duke of Brittany in 1390. Lord Berkeley and a British fleet and army were repulsed here with dreadful loss in 1694. The magazine burnt to the value of some millions of pounds sterling, 1744; marine hospital, with 50 galley-slaves, burnt, in 1766; the magazine again destroyed by fire, July 10, 1784. England maintained a large blockading squadron off the harbor from 1793 to 1815, but with little injury to France. It is now a chief naval station of France, and from the fortifications and other vast works of late construction it is considered impregnable.

=Bretigny, Peace of.= Concluded with France, May 8, 1360, by which England retained Gascony and Guienne, and acquired other provinces; renounced her pretensions to Maine, Anjou, Touraine, and Normandy; was to receive 3,000,000 crowns, and to release King John, long a prisoner. The treaty not being carried out, the king remained and died in London.

=Breuci.= A powerful people of Pannonia, near the confluence of the Savus and the Danube, took an active part in the insurrection of the Pannonians and Dalmatians against the Romans, 6 A.D.

=Brevet.= An honorary rank conferred upon an officer, for meritorious services, above the rank he holds in his own corps. In the U. S. army rank by brevet is conferred, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, for “gallant actions or meritorious services.” A brevet rank gives no right of command in the particular corps to which the officer brevetted belongs, and can be exercised only by special assignment of the President. Officers while so serving under assignment are said to have _local rank_ (which see).

=Brevet.= To confer rank or title upon by brevet.

=Brevetcy.= The rank or condition of a brevet.

=Bricole.= An improved kind of traces used by the French in drawing and manœuvring artillery; analogous to the old drag-rope, but having the addition of a leather strap or girdle with a buckle, to which the drag is affixed, and an iron ring and hook at the end to drag by.

=Bridge.= A structure usually of wood, stone, brick, or iron, erected over a river or other water-course, or over a ravine, railroad, etc., to make a continuous roadway from one bank to the other.

=Bridge.= In gunnery, two pieces of timber which go between the two transoms of a gun-carriage. Not used in the U. S. service.

=Bridge, Flying.= See PONTONS.

=Bridge, Trail.= See PONTONS.

=Bridge, Train.= See EQUIPAGE.

=Bridge, Trestle.= See TRESTLE BRIDGE.

=Bridges.= When a river is more than 4 feet in depth, or when its bottom is of mud or quicksand, recourse must be had either to ferrying by means of boats, rafts, etc., or to military bridges. The latter are always to be preferred when circumstances will permit their establishment.

Military bridges are composed of a roadway and its supports; the first consists of beams or balks reaching across the adjacent supports, and covered with plank called chess.

The supports, from which the bridge takes its name, may be either fixed, as trestles, gabions, carriages, piles, or floating, as pontons, boats of commerce, rafts, etc.

Ponton bridges are preferable to all others when a passage by main force or surprise is to be undertaken. They may be constructed on any stream of sufficient depth; they may be replaced by rafts when the velocity of the stream does not exceed 6 feet per second. In swifter currents the latter are unmanageable, drag their anchors, and are liable to destruction from floating bodies.

Trestle bridges may be constructed in rivers whose depth does not exceed 9 feet, and whose velocity is not more than 6 feet. They may be employed with advantage in rivers of moderate depth and gentle current, with hard, even bottoms. When the bed of the river is uneven the adjustment of the trestles to the bottom is very tedious, and if the current is rapid, almost impossible. When the bed is of mud or fine sand, the settlement of the legs is liable to be irregular.

Gabion bridges are used over marshes and shallow streams. They consist of gabions constructed in the ordinary way, and of a height necessary to give a level road; these are placed in rows perpendicular to the axis of the bridge, are filled with stones, or gravel, and are capped with a piece of timber on which the balks rest.

Pile bridges are superior in point of stability to all other military bridges, but requiring much labor and time in their construction; they are usually restricted to securing the communications in rear of the army.

=Bridge-head.= A fortification covering the extremity of a bridge nearest the enemy. The French term for the same is _tête du pont_.

=Bridle.= An instrument with which a horse is governed and restrained, consisting of a head-stall, a bit and reins, with other appendages, according to its particular form and uses.

=Bridle.= In gunnery, the piece in the interior of a gun-lock, which covers and holds in place the tumbler and sear, being itself held by the screws on which they turn.

=Bridle, Arm Protect.= The term for a guard used by the cavalry, which consists in having the sword-hilt above the helmet, the blade crossing the back of the head, with the point of the left shoulder, and the bridle-arm; its edge directed to the left and turned a little upwards, in order to bring the mounting in a proper direction to protect the hand.

=Bridoon.= The snaffle rein of a military bridle, which acts independently of the bit, at the pleasure of the rider.

=Brieg.= A town of Silesia, Prussia, about 27 miles from Breslau; it was taken by Frederick II., April 4, 1741; dismantled by the French in 1807.

=Briel=, =Brielle=, or =The Brill=. A fortified seaport town on the north side of the island of Voorne, Holland. It was the nucleus of the Dutch republic, having been taken from the Spaniards by William de la Marck in 1572. This event was the first act of open hostility to Philip II., and paved the way to the complete liberation of the country from a foreign yoke. Briel was the first town of Holland which, without extraneous aid, expelled the French in 1813. The celebrated admirals De Witt and Van Tromp were natives of this place.

=Brienne=, or =Brienne le Château=. A town of France, department of the Aube. It has a fine castle, but it is chiefly celebrated as the place where Napoleon received the rudiments of his military education, and where, in 1814, a bloody battle was fought between the French and the allied forces of Russia and Prussia.

=Brier Creek.= In Warren Co., Ga. An American force 2000 strong, under Gen. Ashe, was defeated on this creek by the English under Prevost, March 4, 1779.

=Brigade.= A body of troops, whether cavalry, artillery, or infantry, or a mixed command, consisting of two or more regiments, under the command of a brigadier-general. Two or more brigades constitute a division, commanded by a major-general; two or more divisions constitute an army corps, or _corps d’armée_, the largest body of troops in the organization of the U. S. army.

=Brigade.= To form into a brigade, or into brigades.

=Brigade.= In the British service the artillery is divided into brigades, which consist of seven batteries each, under the command of a colonel. The Household Brigade is composed of the Horse Guards, Life Guards, and Foot Guards.

=Brigade-Inspector.= An officer whose duty it is to inspect troops in companies before they are mustered into the service.

=Brigade-Major.= An officer appointed to assist the general commanding a brigade in all his duties.

=Brigadier-General.= An officer in rank next above a colonel and below a major-general. He commands a brigade; and this officer is sometimes called simply brigadier.

=Brigand.= A species of irregular foot soldiers, frequently mentioned by Froissart. From their plundering propensities comes the modern use of the term.

=Brigandine=, or =Brigantine=. A coat of mail, consisting of thin, jointed scales of plate, pliant and easy to the body.

=Brigantes.= The most powerful of the British tribes, inhabited the whole of the north of the island from the Abus (now Humber) to the Roman wall, with the exception of the southeast corner of Yorkshire. They were conquered by Petilius Cerealis in the reign of Vespasian. There was also a tribe of this name in the south of Ireland.

=Brignais= (anc. _Priscinniacum_). An ancient fortress in France, department of the Rhone; it was captured in 1361 by bodies of adventurers, called _Grandes Compagnies_. Prince Jacques de Bourbon made an effort to dislodge them, but was completely defeated, and died of wounds received upon this occasion.

=Brihuega.= A town of New Castile, Spain; it was formerly surrounded by walls, of which traces still exist. Here, in 1710, during the War of the Succession, the English general Stanhope, owing to the dilatoriness of his allies in affording him support, was defeated by the Duke of Vendôme, and compelled to surrender with all his force, amounting to about 5500 men.

=Brindisi= (anc. _Brundisium_). A fortified seaport of Italy, on a small bay of the Adriatic; it was the usual place of embarkation for Greece and the East; taken by the Romans from the Sallentines in 267 B.C., and was afterwards the principal naval station of the Romans on the Adriatic. During the civil war between Cæsar and Pompey, this place was invested by Cæsar in 49 B.C.

=Brins d’Est= (_Fr._). Large sticks or poles resembling small pickets, with iron at each end. They were used to cross ditches, particularly in Flanders.

=Brise-mur= (_Fr._). A heavy piece of ordnance which was used during the 15th century to batter down walls, etc.

=Brissarthe.= A village of France, department of Maine-et-Loire. Here the Normans were defeated in 886 by Robert the Strong.

=Bristol= (West England). Built by Brennus, a British prince, 380 B.C.; is mentioned in 430 as a fortified city; taken by the Earl of Gloucester in his defense of his sister Maud, the empress, against King Stephen, 1138; taken by Prince Rupert, 1643; by Cromwell, 1645.

=Brisure.= In fortification, any part of a rampart or parapet which deviates from the general direction.

=Britain= (called by the Romans _Britannia_, from the Celtic name Prydhain). The Celts, the ancestors of the Britons and modern Welsh, were the first inhabitants of Britain; it is referred to by Herodotus, 450 B.C.; invaded by Julius Cæsar, 55-54 B.C.; Aulus Plautus and Vespasian reduced South Britain, 47. Romans defeated by Boadicea; 70,000 slain, and London burnt; she is defeated by Suetonius; 80,000 slain, 61. Agricola, governor, conquers Anglesea, and overruns Britain in seven campaigns, and reforms the government, 78-84. He defeats the Caledonians under Galgacus; surrenders the island, 84. The Romans held sway in Britain down to about 420, soon after which time the Saxons invaded South Britain, and ultimately subdued it. It was merged into the kingdom of England about 829. See ENGLAND.

=Britain, Great.= The name given in 1604 to _England_, _Wales_, and _Scotland_.

=Briteste.= A small town of France, in the old province of Guienne; besieged by the Duke of Vendôme in 1622, who was compelled to retreat, without accomplishing his object, after firing 2000 shots; he made five assaults and lost 1500 men.

=British Legion.= Raised by Lord John Hay, Colonel De Lacy Evans, and others, to assist the queen of Spain against the Carlists in 1835; defeated them at Hernani, May 5, 1836, and at St. Sebastian’s, October 1.

=Brittany=, or =Bretagne= (Northwest France). The ancient _Armorica_. Conquered by Julius Cæsar, 56 B.C. Brittany was formerly united to the monarchy, 1532; held by the Spaniards, 1591; recovered by Henry IV., 1594. The Bretons took part in the Vendean insurrection in 1791.

=Brixham.= A seaport town in the county of Devon, England. Here William III. (of Orange) landed in England on November 6, 1688.

=Brizure=, =Brizé=, or =Brisé=. Terms used in heraldry to indicate that a charge is bruised or broken.

=Broad-axe.= A military weapon used in ancient times.

=Broadsword.= Is a sword with a broad blade, for cutting only, not for stabbing, and therefore not sharp at the point like a sabre.

=Broadwell Ring.= A gas-check for use in heavy breech-loading guns, invented by L. W. Broadwell. See BREECH MECHANISM.

=Brod= (Slavonian). A military frontier fortress of Austria, on the Save, defended by a fort. Here Ziska defeated the emperor Sigismund in 1422.

=Broke.= Sentence of a court-martial depriving an officer of his commission, or a non-commissioned officer or warrant-officer of his warrant. Also said of a non-commissioned officer being reduced by order.

=Brondolo.= A fortified village of Northern Italy, on the Brenta-Nuova; it was formerly a flourishing town; destroyed by the Genoese in 1380.

=Broni.= A town of Redmont, in the province of Alessandria, about 11 miles southeast of Pavia. In its vicinity is the castle of Broni, celebrated in history as the place where Prince Eugène obtained a victory over the French in 1703.

=Bronnitza.= A town of Russia, in the government of Novgorod, on the Masta. Here the Swedes defeated the Russians in 1614.

=Bronze.= See ORDNANCE, METALS FOR, BRONZE.

=Bronze.= Gun-barrels are bronzed by acting upon them with the chloride or butter of antimony, or with hydrochloric or nitric acids, when the surface of the iron gets partially eaten into, and covered with a thin film of oxide, after which the gun-barrel is thoroughly cleaned, oiled, and burnished. A brownish shade is thus communicated to the barrel, which protects it from rust, and at the same time renders it less conspicuous to an enemy.

=Brooke Gun.= See ORDNANCE, CONSTRUCTION OF.

=Brooklyn.= A city and seaport of the United States, at the extremity of Long Island, opposite New York City. In 1776 this part of Long Island was one of the principal localities of the war of independence. Here on August 27, 1776, was fought the first great battle of the Revolutionary war after the Declaration of Independence. The American army occupied Manhattan, Governor’s, and Long Islands, a large force being placed by Washington under the command of Gen. Greene in a fortified camp extending from Wallabout Bay to Gowanus Cove. Unfortunately, Gen. Greene was taken sick, and four days before the battle the command was given to Gen. Putnam. On August 22 the British forces under Lord Howe landed and encamped at the western point of Long Island. About midnight on the 26th the British attacked the American left, and about daybreak on the 27th the Hessians under Von Heister attacked the centre, and were met bravely by the American forces; but an important pass through the hills on their right, called the Jamaica Pass, being left unguarded, a select body of English troops poured through, followed by Percy and Cornwallis with the main army, and, attacking them from the flank and rear, drove the patriots in confusion with heavy loss. On the night of the 29th, Washington succeeded, under cover of a dense fog, in withdrawing all his troops from Brooklyn to New York, and finding it impossible to defend that city, he removed his forces to the heights of Harlem. During the civil war Brooklyn was not surpassed by any city in her zeal for the cause of the Union.

=Brother Officers.= Those of the same regiment.

=Brother Soldier.= See SOLDIER.

=Brownbill.= The ancient weapon of the English foot soldiers, resembling a battle-axe.

=Browning.= See BRONZE.

=Bruges.= A city in Belgium. In the 7th century it was the capital of Flanders, and in the 13th and 14th centuries had become almost the commercial metropolis of the world. It suffered much through an insurrection in 1488, and the consequent repression. It was incorporated with France in 1794, with the Netherlands in 1814, and with Belgium in 1830.

=Brumaire.= A division of the year in the calendar of the French Republic. It is derived from the Latin _bruma_, “winter,” and included the time from October 23 to November 21. The celebrated 18th Brumaire, which witnessed the overthrow of the Directory and the establishment of the sway of Napoleon, corresponds with November 9, 1799, of the Gregorian calendar.

=Brunanburg= (supposed by some to be near Ford, Northumberland, England). Anlaf, with an army of Northmen from Ireland, and Constantine III., king of Scots, landed at the mouth of the Humber, and were defeated with very great slaughter at Brunanburg by Athelstan in 937.

=Brunette, La.= An ancient fortress of Piedmont; dismantled by the French in 1798.

=Brünn.= Capital of Moravia. Its citadel was blockaded by the Hungarians in 947; the town was besieged by the Swedes in 1645, and by the Prussians in 1742; entered by the French under Murat, November 18, 1805, and by the Prussians, July 13, 1866.

=Brunswick.= A city of Germany, the capital of a duchy of the same name. It was formerly fortified; besieged in 1761, and a combat took place under its walls in 1813.

=Brunt.= The troops who sustain the principal shock of the enemy in action are said to bear the brunt of the battle.

=Bruttium= (now _Calabria Ultra_). In Southern Italy; the Bruttians and Lucanians defeated and slew Alexander of Epirus at Pandosia, 326 B.C. They were conquered by Rome 277 B.C.

=Brüx=, or =Brix=. A town of Bohemia, on the river Bila. Here the Prussians defeated the Austrians in 1759.

=Bruyeres-sous-Laon.= A town of France, in the department of the Aisne. It was captured and pillaged by the Normans in 882; sacked by the English in 1358 and 1373; Jean de Luxembourg took possession of it in 1433, and the Calvinists in 1567.

=Brzesc Litewski.= A fortified town of Russia, in the government of Grodno. Here the Russians defeated the Poles in 1794. The Poles were 13,000 strong, out of which 500 were taken prisoners, 300 escaped, and the remainder fell on the field of battle.

=Buccellarii.= An order of soldiery under the Greek emperors, appointed to guard and distribute the ammunition bread, though authors are somewhat divided as to their office and quality.

=Bucephalus.= The celebrated horse of Alexander the Great, which no one could ride except that monarch, and which is said to have carried Alexander through all his Indian campaigns. He died about 327 B.C., and Alexander built the city of Bucephala, on the Hydaspes, in his honor.

=Bucharest.= The capital of Wallachia; preliminaries of peace were ratified at this place between Russia and Turkey, May 28, 1812. The subsequent war between these powers altered many of the provisions of this treaty. Bucharest was occupied by the Russians, Turks, and Austrians successively in the Crimean war. The last quitted it in 1856.

=Buck and Ball.= A cartridge for small-arms. See CARTRIDGE, BUCK-AND-BALL.

=Buck-board.= A simple four-wheeled vehicle, consisting of a board resting on the axle-trees, forming a spring seat by its elasticity.

=Buckler.= A kind of shield or piece of defensive armor, anciently used in war. It was often 4 feet long, and covered the whole body.

=Buckshot.= A small leaden bullet, weighing about 165 to the pound.