Part 15

_In the Bomb _KINDS._ Ship._ _Tender._ _Total._ ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Mortars, sea service, with Beds, &c. 10 inch 2 -- 2 Quoins for do.--2 for 45°--2 for 20° elevation 4 -- 4 Capsquares, with keys, &c. spare 2 -- 2 Handspikes, large 4 -- 4 Spunges, with ram.heads 4 -- 4 Handscrews, small 2 -- 2 Handcrow levers--6 feet 4 -- 4 Handspikes, common 6 -- 6 Linstocks, with cocks 4 -- 4 Powder horns, new pat. 4 -- 4 Match cwts. 1 -- 1 Marline skeins -- 12 12 Budge bar. cop hooped 1 1 2 Lanthorns, Muscovy 2 2 4 Lanthorns, dark 2 2 4 Carronades, 68 Prs. 4 -- 4 Carronades, 18 Prs. 6 -- 6 having sliding carriages, elevating screws, spunges, rammers &c. complete Gun tackles, complete for traversing mortars, 12 Prs. 4 -- 4 Wads, 68 Prs. 270 270 540 Wads, 18 Prs. 480 180 660 Musquets{Bright 32 -- 32 {Black 8 -- 8 Pistols, pairs 15 -- 15 Swords 40 -- 40 Pole axes 6 -- 6 Pikes 40 -- 40 Musquetoons 2 -- 2 Flints, musquet 900 -- 900 Flints, pistol 150 -- 150 Ball cartridges, musq. 2000 -- 2000 Ball cartridges, pistol 2000 -- 2000 Shot, musq. cwt. qr. lb. 1.0.0 -- 1.0.0 Shot, pistol 1.0.0 -- 1.0.0 Round car. fixed, 10 in. 48 152 200 Empty shells, 10 inch. 48 352 400 Iron shot, 1 lb. 1000 4000 5000 Fixed shells, 10 inch 48 -- 48 Case shot, 68 Prs. car. 20 20 40 Emp. sh. 8 in for car. 52 100 152 Shot, round, 68 Prs. 50 50 100 Carcasses do. 68 Prs. 96 104 200 Shot, round, 18 Prs. 300 -- 300 Case shot, 18 Prs. 30 30 60 Carcas. do. fix. 18 Prs. 150 150 300 Hand shells, fixed, sea service -- 150 150 Fuzes for do. spare -- 15 15 Pap. cov. for cart, 10 in. 106 609 715 Pap. cov. for cart, 68 Pr. 293 301 594 Pap. cov. for cart, 18 Pr. 258 198 456 Flan. cartridg. }to hold 5 lb. 106 -- 106 emp. for 10 in. mor. }do. 10.lb. -- 609 609 Flan. cartridg. }to hold 5 lb. 293 151} 594 emp. for 68 Prs. car.}do. 4 lb. -- 150} Flannel cartridges, emp. for 18 Prs. to hold 1¹⁄₂ lbs. 528 148 676 Paper cartridges for bursting, 10 inches, empty, -- 352 352 Paper cartridges, for bursting, 8 inches, empty -- 100 100 Paper cartridges filled with 2 lb. 10 oz for 10 inch. 48 -- 48 Do. filled with 1 lb. 14 oz. for 8 inch 52 -- 52 Fuzes, drove, 10 inch. 52 388 440 Fuzes, drove, 8 inch. 57 110 166 {200 for 10 inch. shells at 14 Valenciennes{oz. each, lbs. -- 175 175 composition {768 for 10 inch. shells, at 9 {oz. each, lbs. -- 42 42 Tube boxes, tin 12 -- 12 Fuze composition, for priming carcasses, lbs. -- 10 10 Powder bags -- 6 6 Portfires -- 200 200 Quick match, cotton, lbs. -- 20 20 Spirits of wine, gals. -- 4 4 Kitt lbs. -- 80 80 Bottoms of wood, 10 in. 10 40 50 Signal rockets, 1 lb. doz. -- 2 2 Blue lights, do. -- 3 3 Gunpowder for the mortars and carronades, half barrels 72 150 222 Powder for priming, do. -- 1 1 Powder for bursting, do. -- 28 28 with all the small articles which usually attend mortars on every service, and the articles necessary for the service of carronades at sea. Laboratory chests, 4 ft. -- 2 2 Laboratory chests, 3 ft. -- 2 2 Handpumps for wetting the rigging, &c. 6 -- 6 Leather buckets 24 -- 24 ----------------------------------------------------------------------

BOMB _Tender_, a small vessel of war laden with ammunition for the bomb-ketch, and from which the latter is constantly supplied.

BOMBARD, an ancient piece of ordnance, so called, very short, and very thick, with an uncommon large bore. There have been bombards which have thrown a ball or shell of 300 weight: they made use of cranes to load them. The Turks use some of them at present.

_To_ BOMBARD, BOMBARDING, BOMBARDMENT, the act of assaulting a city or fortress, by throwing shells into it in order to set fire to and ruin the houses, churches, magazines, &c. and to do other mischief. As one of the effects of the shell results from its weight, it is never discharged as a ball from a cannon, that is, by pointing it at a certain object: but the mortars are fixed at an elevation of or about 45 degrees; that is, inclined so many degrees from the horizon, that the shell describes a curve, called the military projectile: hence a mortar, whose trunnions are placed at the breech, can have no point-blank range. Mortars should be so contrived, that they may be elevated to any degree required, as much preferable to those fixed at an angle of 45°; because shells should never be thrown at that angle but in one single case only, which seldom happens; that is, when the battery is so far off, that they cannot otherwise reach the works: for when shells are thrown from the trenches into the works of a fortification, or from the town into the trenches, they should have as little elevation as possible, in order to roll along, and not bury themselves; whereby the damage they do, and the terror they cause to the troops, is much greater than if they sink into the ground. On the contrary, when shells are thrown upon magazines, or any other buildings, with an intention to destroy them, the mortar should be elevated as high as possible, that the shells may acquire a greater force in their fall.

Shells should be loaded with no more powder than is requisite to burst them into the greatest number of pieces, and the length of the fuzes should be exactly calculated according to the required ranges; for, should the fuze set fire to the powder in the shell, before it falls on the place intended, the shell will burst in the air, and probably do more mischief to those who fired the mortar, than to those against whom it was discharged. To prevent this, the fuzes are divided into as many seconds as the greatest range requires, consequently may be cut to any distance, at an elevation of 45 degrees.

Mortars are not to be fired with two fires; for when the fuze is properly fixed, and both fuze and shell dredged with mealed powder, the blast of the powder in the chamber of the mortar, when inflamed by the tube, will likewise set fire to the fuze fixed in the shell.

BOMBARDIERS, artillery soldiers, who are employed in mortar and howitzer duty. They are to load them on all occasions; and in most services they load the shells and grenades, fix the fuzes, prepare the composition both for fuzes and tubes, and fire both mortars and howitzers on every occasion. In the English service, shells and grenades, composition for the same, fuzes, &c. are prepared in the laboratory by people well-skilled in that business.

In most other armies both officers and soldiers belonging to the companies of bombardiers, have an extraordinary pay, as it requires more mathematical learning to throw shells with some degree of exactness, than is requisite for the rest of the artillery. In the British service a specific number is attached to each company of artillery, and do not form a separate corps as in other countries.

BONAVOGLIE, _Fr._ a man that for a certain consideration voluntarily engages to row.

BONNET, in fortification, implies a small but useful work, that greatly annoys the enemy in their lodgments. This work consists of two faces, which make a salient angle in the nature of a ravelin, without any ditch, having only a parapet 3 feet high, and 10 or 12 feet broad. They are made at the salient angles of the glacis, outworks, and body of the place, beyond the counterscarp, and in the faussebray. See FORTIFICATION.

BONNET _à Prêtre_, or _Priest’s Cap_, in fortification, is an outwork, having three salient and two inward angles, and differs from the double tenaille only in having its sides incline inwards towards the gorge, and those of a double tenaille are parallel to each other. See FORTIFICATION.

BORDER, in military drawings, implies single or double lines, or any other ornament, round a drawing, &c.

BOOKS. There are different books made use of in the army, for the specific purposes of general and regimental economy.

_The general orderly_ BOOK is kept by the brigade major, from which the leading orders of regiments, conveying the parole and countersign, are always taken.

_The regimental orderly_ BOOK contains the peculiar instructions of corps which are given by a colonel or commanding officer to the adjutant--hence _adjutant’s orderly_ BOOK--and from him to the serjeant-major, who delivers the same to the different serjeants of companies assembled in the orderly room for that purpose--hence the _company’s orderly_ BOOK.

_The regimental_ BOOK is kept by the clerk of the regiment, and contains all the records, &c. belonging to the corps.

_The Company_ BOOK, is kept by the commanding officer of every company; and contains returns of all incidents and payments.

_The black_ BOOK is a sort of memorandum which is kept in every regiment, to describe the character and conduct of non-commissioned officers and soldiers; when and how often they have been reduced or punished, &c.

Every quarter-master belonging to the cavalry and infantry, has likewise a book which may not improperly be called a book or inventory of regimental stores, &c.

_Practice_ BOOK. Every officer of the artillery ought to have a book in which he should note every useful fact that occurs in practice.

BOOM, in marine fortification, is a long piece of timber, with which rivers or harbors are stopped, to prevent the enemy’s coming in: it is sometimes done by a cable or chain, and floated with yards, topmasts, or spars of wood lashed to it.

BORE, in gunnery, implies the cavity of the barrel of a gun, mortar, howitzer, or any other piece of ordnance.

BOSSE, _Fr._ a term used in the French artillery, to express a glass bottle which is very thin, contains four or five pounds of powder, and round the neck of which four or five matches are hung under, after it has been well-corked. A cord, two or three feet in length, is tied to the bottle, which serves to throw it. The instant the bottle breaks, the powder catches fire, and every thing within the immediate effects of the explosion is destroyed.

BOTTES, _Fr._ boots.

_Grosses_ BOTTES, _Fr._ jack-boots.

BOTTINE, _Fr._ half-boots worn by the hussars and dragoons in foreign armies.

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.

BOUCHES _à feu_, _Fr._ is generally used to signify pieces of ordnance.

BOULER _la Matiere_, _Fr._ to stir up the different metals which are used in casting cannon.

BOULETS _à deux têtes_, chain-shot.

BOULEVART, _Fr._ formerly meant a _bastion_. It is no longer used as a military phrase, although it sometimes occurs in the description of works or lines which cover a whole country, and protect it from the incursions of an enemy. Thus Strasburgh and Landau may be called two principal boulevarts or bulwarks, by which France is protected on this side of the Rhine.

The elevated line or rampart which reaches from the Champs Elysées in Paris beyond the spot where the bastille was destroyed in 1789, is stiled the Boulevart.

In ancient times, when the Romans attacked any place, they raised boulevarts near the circumference of the walls. These boulevarts were 80 feet high, 300 feet broad, upon which wooden towers commanding the ramparts were erected covered on all sides with iron-work, and from which the besiegers threw upon the besieged stones, darts, fire-works, &c. to facilitate the approaches of the archers and battering rams.

BOULINER, _Fr._ a French military phrase. _Bouliner dans un camp_, means to steal or pilfer in a camp. _Un soldat boulineur_, signifies a thief.

BOURGUIGNOTE, _Fr._ Is a helmet or morion which is usually worn with a breast-plate. It is proof against pikes and swords.

BOURRELET, _Fr._ the extremity of a piece of ordnance towards its mouth. It is usually cast in the shape of a tulip on account of its aptitude to fit the construction of embrasures. Bourrelet means likewise a pad or collar.

BOURRER, _Fr._ to ram the wad or any other materials into the barrel of a fire-arm.

BOURRIQUET, _Fr._ a basket made use of in mining, to draw up the earth, and to let down whatever may be necessary for the miner.

BOUSSOLE, _Fr._ a compass which every miner must be in possession of to direct him in his work.

BOUTE-SELLE, _Fr._ the signal or word which is given to the cavalry to saddle their horses.

BOUTON, _Fr._ the sight of a musquet.

BOW, an ancient weapon of offence, made of steel, wood, or other elastic matter; which, after being bent by means of a string fastened to its two ends, in returning to its natural state, throws out an arrow with prodigious force.

The use of the bow is, without all doubt, of the earliest antiquity. It has likewise been the most universal of all weapons, having obtained amongst the most barbarous and remote people, who had the least communication with the rest of mankind.

The bow is a weapon of offence amongst the inhabitants of Asia, Africa, and America, at this day; and in Europe, before the invention of fire-arms, a part of the infantry was armed with bows. Lewis XII. first abolished the use of them in France, introducing, in their stead, the halbert, pike, and broadsword. The long-bow was formerly in great use in England, and many laws were made to encourage the use of it. The parliament under Henry VII. complained of the disuse of long bows, theretofore the safeguard and defence of that kingdom, and the dread and terror of its enemies.

_Cross_-BOW, is likewise an ancient weapon of offence, of the eleventh 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.

BOWMAN. See ARCHER.

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

BOXES, in military affairs, are of several sorts, and for various purposes.

_Battery_-BOXES. See BATTERY.

_Cartouch_-BOXES. See CARTOUCH.

_Nave_ BOXES, are made of iron or brass, and fastened one at each end of the nave, to prevent the arms of the axle-tree, about which the boxes turn, from causing too much friction.

_Tin_-BOXES, such as are filled with small shot for grape, according to the size of the gun they are to be fired out of.

_Wood_-BOXES, with lids, for holding grape-shot, &c. each calibre has its own, distinguished by marks of the calibre on the lid.

BOXES _for Ammunition_. The dimensions of the common ammunition boxes vary according to the ammunition they are made to contain, in order that it may pack tight: this variation, however, is confined to a few inches, and does not exceed the following numbers.

Table of general dimensions of Ammunition Boxes.

----+------------------------+------ | Exterior. |Weight +-------+-------+--------+ when | Len. | Bre. | Depth. |empty. ----+-------+-------+--------+------ |ft. in.|ft. in.|ft. in. | lbs. From| 2 2 | 0 10 | 0 8¹⁄₂| 20 To | 2 9 | 1 6 | 1 6 | 30 ----+-------+-------+--------+------

Weight when filled, and number contained in each.

+--------------+--------- | | No. of | Weight of | Rounds | Boxes when |contained | filled with | in each Kinds of Ammunition. | Ammunition. | Box. ------------------------------------+--------------+--------- |cwt. qrs. lbs.| No. {12 Prs.{ Round | 1 1 10 | 8 Boxes for { { Case. | 0 3 15 | 6 shot fixed { 6 Prs. {Round | 1 2 7 | 12 with { {Case. | 1 0 15 | 12 powder. { 3 Prs.{ Round | 0 2 25 | 16 { { Case. | 0 2 23 | 14 {24 Prs.{ Round | 1 1 26 | 6 { { Case. | 2 0 0 | 6 {12 Prs. {Round | 1 2 20 | 12 Box. for shot{ {Case. | 1 2 22 | 8 fixed to wood{ 6 Prs.{ Round | 1 2 20 | 24 bottoms { { Case. | 1 1 12 | 18 without { 3 Prs. {Round | 1 1 0 | 30 powder. { {Case. | 1 1 0 | 30 {How’r {8 | 1 2 2 | 3 {Case. {5¹⁄₂ | 1 2 12 | 10 { {4¹⁄₂ | 1 2 22 | 20 Boxes {How’r {8 } | 1 2 2 | 3 for {Shells.{5¹⁄₂ }fixed. | 1 2 12 | 10 Shells. { {4¹⁄₂[7]} | 1 2 22 | 20 ------------------------------------+--------------+---------

[7] Shells called four and an half, are really four and two-fifths.

The common ammunition waggon will hold from 9 to 13 of these boxes in one tier.

The tonnage of ammunition in boxes is equal to its weight: about 12 boxes make one ton.

BOYAU, in fortification, is a particular trench separated from the others, which, in winding about, incloses different spaces of ground, and runs parallel with the works of the place, that it may not be enfiladed. When two attacks are made at once, one near to the other, the boyau makes a communication between the trenches, and serves as a line of contravallation, not only to hinder the sallies of the besieged, but likewise to secure the miners.

BRACES, in a military sense, are a kind of armor for the arm: they were formerly a part of a coat of mail.

BRACKETS, in gunnery, are the cheeks of the travelling carriage of a mortar; they are made of strong wooden planks. This name is also given to that part of a large mortar-bed, where the trunnions are placed, for the elevation of the mortar: they are sometimes made of wood, and more frequently of iron, of almost a semicircular figure, well fastened with nails and strong plates.

BRANCH. See MINE and GALLERY.

BRAND, an ancient term for a sword; so called by the Saxons.

BRAQUER, _Fr._ is improperly used to express the movement of a cannon to any particular side. The correct expression is, to point the cannon, _pointer le canon_.

BRASSARTS, _Fr._ thin plates of beaten iron which were anciently used to cover the arms above the coat of mail.

Brassarts and cuirasses were worn in the days of St. Louis.

BRASSER _la Matiere_, _Fr._ to mix the different ingredients which are required for the making of gunpowder or other combustible matter.

BREACH, in fortification, a gap, or opening, in any part of the works of a fortified place, made by the artillery or mines of the besiegers, preparatory to the making an assault.

The batteries to make a breach, should commence by marking out as near as possible, the extent of the breach intended to be made; first, by a horizontal line within a fathom of the bottom of the revetement in a dry ditch, and close to the water’s edge in a wet one; and then by lines perpendicular to this line, at short distances from each other, as high as the cordon; then, by continuing to deepen all these cuts, the wall will give way in a body. The guns to produce the greatest effect should be fired as near as possible in _salvos_ or vollies. The breach should be one third the length of the face, from the centre towards the flanked angle. When the wall has given way, the firing must be continued to make the slope of the breach practicable.

Four 24 pounders from the lodgement in the covert way will effect a breach in 4 or 5 days, which may be made practicable in 3 days more.

Another way of making a breach is by piercing the wall sufficiently to admit two or three miners, who cross the ditch, and make their entry during the night into the wall, where they establish two or three small mines, sufficient to make a breach. See ARTILLERY at Siege; see also BATTERY.

_To repair a_ BREACH, is to stop or fill up the gap with gabions, fascines, &c. and prevent the assault.

_To fortify a_ BREACH, is to render it inaccessible by means of chevaux-de-frize, crow’s-feet, &c.

_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 the better defended.

BREAK _off_, a term used when cavalry or infantry are ordered to diminish its front. It is also used to signify wheeling from line; as BREAKING-off to the left, for _wheeling_ to the left.