Part 22

CASSINE, in military history, signifies a small house in the country, generally surrounded by a ditch. Cassines are very convenient to post small parties in, where they will be sheltered from any sudden attack, and can even make head till the nearest detachments can come and relieve them.

CASSIONS. See CAISSONS.

CASTING, in founding guns, implies the operation of running any sort of metal into a mould prepared for that purpose.

CASTLE, in military affairs, a fortified place, or strong hold, to defend a town or city from an enemy. English castles are for the most part no higher in antiquity than the Norman conquest; or rather about the middle of king Stephen’s reign. Castles were erected in almost all parts of that kingdom, by the several contending parties; and each owner of a castle was a kind of petty prince, coining his own money, and exercising sovereign jurisdiction over his people. History informs us that 1017 castles were built in one reign.

CASTRAMETATION, is the art of measuring or tracing out the form of a camp on the ground; yet it sometimes has a more extensive signification, by including all the views and designs of a general; the one requires only the knowlege of a mathematician, the other the experience of an old soldier. The ancients were accustomed to fortify their camps by throwing up entrenchments round them. The Turks, and other Asiatic nations, fortify themselves, when in an open country, with their waggons and other carriages. The practice of the Europeans is quite different; for the surety of their camp consists in the facility and convenience of drawing out their troops at the head of their encampment; for which reason, whatever particular order of battle is regarded as the best disposition for fighting, it follows of course, that we should encamp in such a manner as to assemble and parade our troops in that order and disposition as soon as possible. It is therefore the order of battle that should regulate the order of encampment; that is to say, the post of each regiment in the line of battle should be at the head of its own encampment; from whence it follows, that the extent of the line of battle from right to left of the camp, should be equal to the front of the troops in line of battle, with the same intervals in the camp as in the line. By this means every battalion covers its own tents, and they can all lodge themselves, or turn out in case of necessity, at a minute’s warning.

If the front of the camp is greater than the line, the troops must leave large intervals, or expose their flanks; if less, the troops will not have room to form with the proper intervals.

The front or principal line of the camp is commonly directed to face the enemy. See CAMP.

CAT _o’ nine tails_, a whip with nine knotted cords, with which the British soldiers are punished. Sometimes it has only five cords. A barbarous and unmilitary usage, unknown in any other European army.

CATAFALCO, in military architecture, a scaffold of timber, decorated with sculpture, painting, &c. for supporting the coffin of a deceased hero, during the funeral solemnity

CATAPHRACT, the old Roman term for a horseman in complete armor.

CATAPHRACTA, in the ancient military art, a piece of heavy defensive armor, formed of cloth or leather, fortified with iron scales or links, wherewith sometimes only the breast, sometimes the whole body, and sometimes the horse too, was covered.

CATAPULTA, in military antiquity, an engine contrived for throwing of arrows, darts and stones, upon the enemy. Some of these engines were so large, and of such force, that they would throw stones of an hundred weight. Josephus takes notice of the surprising effects of these engines, and says, that the stones thrown out of them beat down the battlements, knocked off the angles of the towers, and had force sufficient to level a very deep file of soldiers

CATATROME. See CRANE.

CATERVA, in ancient military writers, a term used in speaking of the Gaulish or Celtiberian armies, denoting a body of 6000 armed men. The word is also used to denote a party of soldiers in disarray; in opposition to _cohort_ or _turma_, which signify in good order.

CATTUS, CATHOUSE, in ancient military history, was a kind of covered shed, sometimes fixed on wheels, and similar to the _Vinca_ and _Pluteus_ of the ancients.

CAVALCADE, in military history, implies a pompous procession of horsemen, equipages, &c. by way of parade, to grace a triumph, public entry, or the like.

CAVALIER, in fortification, is a work generally raised within the body of the place, 10 or 12 feet higher than the rest of the works. Their most common situation is within the bastion, and made much in the same form: sometimes they are placed in the gorges, or on the middle of the curtain; they are then made in the form of a horse-shoe. See FORTIFICATION. Their use is to command all the adjacent works and country round about it; they are seldom, or never, made but when there is a hill or rising ground, which overlooks some of the works.

_Trench_-CAVALIER, in the attacks, is an elevation which the besiegers make by means of earth or gabions, within halfway, or two thirds of the glacis, to discover, or to enfilade the covert way.

CAVALRY, in military affairs, that body of soldiers which serves and fights on horseback: under this denomination are included,

_Horse_, that is, regiments or troops of horse. The first English troop of horse was raised in 1660.

_Dragoons_, are likewise regiments of horse, but distinguished from the former by being taught to fight both on foot and on horseback. The first English regiment of dragoons was raised in 1681. See _American Mil. Lib._ Art. CAVALRY.

_Hunters._ See LIGHT-HORSE.

_Light-horse_, are regiments of cavalry, mounted on light, swift horses, whose men are but small, and lightly accoutred. They were first raised by the British, in 1757.

_Hussars_, generally Hungarian horse; their uniform is a large furred cap, adorned with a cock’s feather; those of the officers, either with an eagle’s or a heron’s; a very short waistcoat, with a pair of breeches and stockings in one; short light boots, generally of red or yellow leather; with a curious doublet, having five rows of buttons, which hang loosely on the left shoulder. Their arms are a long crooked sabre, light carbines, and pistols. Before they begin an attack, they lay themselves so flat on the necks of their horses, that it is hardly possible to discover their force; but being come within pistol-shot of the enemy, they raise themselves with surprising quickness, and fall on with such vivacity, that it is very difficult for the troops to preserve their order. When a retreat is necessary, their horses have so much fire, and are so indefatigable, their equipage so light, and themselves such excellent horsemen, that no other cavalry can pretend to follow them; they leap over ditches, and swim over rivers, with a surprising facility. Most of the German powers have troops under this name, as also France; into which country they were originally introduced under Louis the XIII. and were called Hungarian cavalry. This description of cavalry was accordingly more ancient in the French service, than that of hussars.

CAVEATING, in fencing, implies a motion whereby a person in an instant brings his sword, which was presented to one side of his adversary, to the opposite side.

CAVIN, in military affairs, implies a natural hollow, sufficiently capacious to lodge a body of troops, and facilitate their approach to a place. If it be within musket-shot, it is a place of arms ready made, and serves for opening the trenches, free from the enemy’s shot.

CAUTION, an explanation given previous to the word of command, by which the soldiers are called to attention, that they may execute the movement to be directed with unanimity and correctness.

CAZEMATTE. See CASEMATE.

CAZEMATE, CASEMATE, in fortification, is a certain retired place in the flank of a bastion, for the defence of the ditch, and face of the opposite bastion; not used at present. It also implies a well, having several subterranean branches, which are extended when they suspect the enemy is forming a mine, till they hear the miners at work.

CAZERNES, _Fr._ See CASERNES.

CEINTURE _militaire_, _Fr._ a broad leather belt which was worn round the waist, and was ornamented with gold or silver plates.

CELERES, the life-guards which attended Romulus, in the infancy of Rome, were so called. They were laid aside by Numa Pompilius. Celeres are properly distinguished from other troops, by being lightly armed and acting always on foot. The Celeres cannot be considered under the same head as Velites.

CEMENT. See CÆMENT.

CENOTAPH, in military history, implies the empty tomb of a hero, or a monument erected to the honor of a person, without the body of the deceased being interred in or near it.

CENTESIMATION, in ancient military history, a mild kind of military punishment, in cases of desertion, mutiny, and the like, when only every 100th man was executed.

CENTER, CENTRE, in a general sense, signifies a point equally distant from the extremities of a line, surface, or solid.

CENTRE _of a battalion_, on parade, is the middle, where an interval is left for the colors; of an encampment, it is the main street: and on a march, is an interval for the baggage, &c.

CENTRE _of a bastion_, is a point in the middle of the gorge of the bastion, from whence the capital line commences, and which is generally at the inner polygon of the figure.

CENTRE _of gravity_, in military mechanics, is that point about which the several parts of a body exactly balance each other in any situation.

CENTRE _of a conic section_, is the point where all the diameters meet.

CENTRE _of an ellipsis_, is that point where the transverse and conjugate diameters intersect each other.

CENTRE _of motion_, is that point which remains at rest while all the other parts of the body move about it.

CENTRE _of percussion_, is that point in which the force of the stroke is the greatest possible. When the moving body revolves round a fixed point, the centre of percussion is the same with the centre of oscillation, and found by the same method; but when the body moves in a parallel direction, the centre of percussion is the same with the centre of gravity.

CENTINEL, CENTRY, is a private soldier from the guard, posted upon any spot of ground, to stand and watch carefully for the security of the guard, or of any body of troops, or post, and to prevent any surprise from the enemy. All centinels are to be very vigilant on their posts; neither are they to sing, smoke, or suffer any noise to be made near them. They are not to sit down, lay their arms out of their hands, or sleep; but keep moving about on their posts during the two hours they stand, if the weather will allow of it. No centry to move more than 50 paces to the right, and as many to the left of his post, and let the weather be ever so bad, he must not get under any other cover, but that of the centry box. No one to be allowed to go from his post without leave from his commanding officer; and, to prevent desertion or marauding, the centries and vedettes must be charged to let no soldier pass.

CENTINEL _perdu_, a soldier posted near an enemy in some very dangerous post, where he is in perpetual danger of being shot or taken.

CENTRY-_box_, a sort of box, or hut, to shelter the centinel from the injuries of the weather; in fortifications they are sometimes made of masonry, and of stone, in a circular form.

CENTURION, a military officer among the ancient Romans; who commanded an (_centum_) hundred men. The term is now obsolete. It answers to the modern captain of a company.

CENTURY, in a military sense, means a hundred soldiers, who were employed in working the battering-ram.

CERCLE, _Grand-cercle_, _Fr._ a form observed under the old government of France, by which it was directed, that every evening at a specific hour the serjeants and corporals of a brigade should assemble to receive orders; the former standing in front of the latter. Subsequent to the grand cercle, a smaller one was made in each regiment, when general, or regimental orders were again repeated to the serjeants of each regiment, and from them communicated to the officers of the several companies.

CERTIFICATES, are of various kinds, as applied to officers generally, or to commissaries, commanding officers, or staff. They are a testimonial bearing witness to the existence of some requisite qualifications, or to the performance of some act required by the regulations of the army, and for which the officer who signs is responsible, whether he certifies for himself, or for any other officer.

_Military_ CERTIFICATES are of various denominations, and consist chiefly of the following kinds, viz.

_Certificate_ from a field officer to the commander in chief, affirming the eligibility of a young man to hold a commission.

_Certificate_ of an officer in the English army upon honor, that he does not exceed the regulation in the _purchase of his commission_.

_Certificate_ from a general officer to affirm and prove the losses which officers may sustain in the field

_Certificate_ from colonels of regiments to the board for admission of proper objects to the hospital.

_Certificate_ from a magistrate to identify the person of a recruit, and to affirm, that he has enlisted himself voluntarily into the service; likewise, that the articles of war have been read to him.

_Certificate_ from regimental surgeons, whether men when they join are proper and fit objects to be enlisted; this is required in the United States army, to be on the back of every paper of enlistment.

_Certificate_ of commanding officers for stores, &c.

_Certificate_, to enable an officer to receive half pay.

_Certificate_ of surgeons and assistant surgeons, to prove their having passed a proper examination.

CESSATION, or _cessation of arms_, in a military figurative sense, means a truce, or the total abrogation of all military operations for a limited time.

CHACE _of a gun_, means the length from the trunnions to the muzzle. See CANNON.

CHAFFERY, that part of the foundry where the forges are placed for hammering iron into complete bars, and thereby bringing it to perfection.

CHAIN _for engineers_, is a sort of wire chain divided into links of an equal length, made use of for setting out works on the ground, because cord lines are apt to shrink and give way.

There are several sorts of chains made use of in mensuration; as Mr. Rathbone’s, of two perches in length; others, one perch long; some of 1000 feet in length; but that which is most in use amongst engineers is Mr. Gunter’s, which is 4 poles long, and contains 100 links, each link being 7⁹²⁄₁₀₀ inches in length.

CHAIN-_shot_. See SHOT.

CHALLENGE, a cartel, or invitation to a duel, or other combat; it may with propriety be called a provocation, or summons to fight, when an affront in derogation of honor has been offered.

CHALLENGE is also a term applied to an objection made against any member of a court-martial, on the score of real or presumed partiality. The prisoner, however, in this case, must assign his cause of challenge; of the relevancy, or validity of which the members are themselves the judges; so that peremptory challenges, though allowed in civil cases, are not acknowleged in military law. The privilege of challenging belongs equally to the prisoner and the prosecutor.

CHAMADE, in a military sense, means a signal made by the enemy, either by beat of drum, or sound of trumpet, when they have any matter to propose; such as to bury their dead, &c. See PARLEY.

CHAMBER _of a cannon_, in artillery, that part of the bore of a cannon which receives the powder with which it is charged. See CANNON.

CHAMBER _of a mortar_, the space where the powder lies, and generally of several forms and dimensions, such as the conic, spheric, cylindric, parabolic, and concave, or bottled chambers. See MORTARS.

In 1787 and 1789 experiments were made at Woolwich with an 8 inch mortar, with four shifting chambers, to ascertain which form gives the longest range.

The chambers were all of the same capacity, viz. 63.7 cubic inches, and contained two pounds of powder. Their forms were:

1st. Common conical chamber with the circular bottom.

2d. The same reversed.

3d. The cylindric chamber with circular bottom.

4th. The spheric chamber.

The ranges were the medium of 6 rounds; from them it appears, that when the spheric chamber is filled with powder, it has the advantage in point of range; but when smaller charges are used, its ranges are found to be shorter than those of other forms. The conical (No. 1.) chamber of the present British establishment gives the longest range under other circumstances.

CHAMBER _of a mine_, that place where the charge of powder is lodged, to blow up the works over it. See MINE.

CHAMBER _of a battery_, is a place sunk under ground for holding powder, loaded shells, and fuzes, where they may be out of danger, and preserved from rain or moisture.

CHAMBRER, _faire chambrée_, a military phrase among the French, to signify several persons lodged in the same room, barrack, or tent.

CHAMP _de bataille_, _Fr._ field of battle; the ground on which two armies meet.

CHAMP _de Mars_, the field of Mars, an open place in the neighborhood of Paris, where troops are frequently reviewed and in which the public festivals have been held.

CHAMPION, he who undertook to settle the difference of contending armies, by single combat.

CHANDELIERS, in military affairs, a kind of moveable parapet, consisting of wooden frames, on which fascines are laid to cover the workmen when at work on the trenches. They are made of various sorts and sizes, according to the use they are for.

CHANTIER, _Fr._ a square piece of wood, which is used for the purpose of raising any thing. It serves to place barrels of gunpowder in a proper manner, and frequently to try pieces of ordnance instead of frames.

CHAPE, the metalline part put on the end of a scabbard, to prevent the point of the sword or bayonet from piercing through it.

CHAPELET, _Fr._ a piece of flat iron with three tenons or ends of timber, which is fixed to the end of a cannon.

CHAPITEAU, _Fr._ two small boards which are joined together obliquely, and serve to cover the touch-hole of a piece of ordnance.

CHAPPE, _Fr._ a barrel containing another barrel, which holds gunpowder. It likewise means a composition of earth, horse dung, and wad, that covers the mouth of a cannon, or mortar.

CHARACTER, in a general sense, implies any mark used for representing either ideas, or objects.

_Military_ CHARACTERS, _Mathematical_ CHARACTERS, are certain marks invented for avoiding prolixity, and more clearly conveying the thoughts of the learned in those sciences to beginners; the chief of which are as follow:

+ in algebra is the sign of the real existence of the quality it stands before, and is called an affirmative, or positive sign. It is also the mark of addition, and signifies, that the numbers, or quantities on each side of it are added together.

- This is the note of negation, negative existence, or non-entity. It is the sign of subtraction, and signifies, that the numbers, or quantities which come after it, are to be taken from the numbers, or quantities which stand before it. As + signifies a _positive_ or _affirmative_ quantity, or _absolute_ number, so - signifies a _fictitious_ or _negative_ number or quantity. Thus -3, is 8 times less than nothing. So that any number or quantity with the sign + being added to the same number, or quantity with the sign -, their sum will be equal to nothing. Thus 8 added to -8 is equal to 0, but -8 taken from + 8, is equal to 16.

× is the sign of multiplication. It signifies _into_, or _multiplied by_.

÷ is the mark of division, and signifies, that the numbers, or quantities before it are to be divided by the numbers after it.

= are the signs of equality, and signify, that the quantities and numbers on the one side of it are equal to the quantities and numbers on the other.

√ is the sign of radicality, and shews (according to the index of the power that is set over or after it) the square, cube, or other root, that is extracted, or is to be so, out of any quantity.

∛ is the sign of the cube root, and signifies the extraction of it, as in the square root above.

∺ is the sign of continued, or geometrical proportion.

∷ is the mark of geometrical proportion disjunct, and is usually placed between two pair of equal ratio’s; as 3 : 6 ∷ 4 : 8, shews, that 3 is to 6, as 4 is to 8. Or _a_ : _b_ ∷ _d_ : _e_, and are thus read, as _a_ is to _b_, so is _d_ to _e_, &c.

> or ⫍ are signs of majority; thus _a_ > _b_ expresses that _a_ is greater than _b_.

< or ⫎ are signs of minority; and when we would denote that _a_ is less than _b_, we write _a_ < _b_, or _a_ ⫎ _b_, &c.

± signifies _more_, or _less such a quantity_, and is used often in the extraction of roots, completing of squares, &c.

_Artillery_-CHARACTERS, most generally used, are as follow:

_C. qr. lb._ which signifies centners, or hundreds of 112 pounds, _qr._ quarters of 28 pounds, _lb._ pounds of 16 ounces avoirdupois. Thus a piece of artillery with 14 _c._ 3 _q._ 16 _lb._, is 14 hundred, 3 quarters, and 16 pounds.

_Pr._ signifies pounder. Thus 24 _pr._ is a 24 pounder.

_T. C. qr. lb._ signifies tons, hundreds, quarters, pounds; and 28 _lb._ is one quarter: 4 _qr._ is one centner, or 112 pounds; and 20 _C._ or _cwt._ is one ton.

_lb. oz. dr._ means, pounds, ounces and drams: 16 _dr._ is one ounce, and 16 _oz._ is one pound avoirdupois.

_lb. oz. dwts. gr._ is pounds, ounces, penny-weights, and grains; of which 24 _gr._ make one penny-weight, 20 _dwt._ make one ounce, and 12 _oz._ one pound of troy-weight.

CHARACTERS in fire-works, are the following.

_M_ Meal-powder. Э Corned powder. Ө Saltpetre. _Z_ Brimstone. _C Z_ Crude Sulphur. _C_ + Carbon or charcoal. _C S_ Sea-Coal. _B R_ Beech raspings. _S_ X Steel or iron filings. _B_ X Brass-dust. _G_ X Glass-dust. _T_ X Tanners dust. _C I_ Cast-iron. _C A_ Crude antimony. ♓ Camphor. _A Y_ Yellow amber. _L S_ Lapis calaminaris. ᘏ Gum. _B L_ Lamp-black. _G I_ Ising-glass. _W_ Spirit of wine. _S T_ Spirit of turpentine. _P O_ Oil of spike.

CHARACTERS, used in the arithmetic of infinites, are dots over letters, denoting the character of an infinitesimal, or fluxion. Thus the first fluxions of _x_, _y_, _z_, being marked thus, _ẋ_, _ẏ_, _ż_; the second are _ẍ_, _ÿ_, _z̈_, and the third

.: :. :. _x_, _y_, _z_.

_Geographical_ CHARACTERS, are °, ′, ″, ‴ &c. which signify degrees, minutes, seconds, thirds. Thus 40°, 55′, 18″, 55‴, is read 40 degrees, 35 minutes, 18 seconds, 55 thirds. It is also used in the elevation of pieces of artillery.

_Characters._ See GUNPOWDER.

CHARBON, See AIGREMORE.

CHARGE, _Fr._ The French technically use this term in two different senses, viz. _charge precipitée_ and _charge à volonté_. _Charge precipitée_ is given when the four times are expressly marked, as _chargez vos armes_, _un_, _deux_, _trois_, _quatre_; and applies chiefly to the drill. _Charge à volonté_ is executed in the same manner as the _charge precipitée_, with this difference, that the soldiers do not wait for the specific words.

CHARGES for field guns.