Part 111

Meat without bone 8.4 ounces. Bread 35.3 „ Or biscuit 26.5 „ Beans 2.12 „ Salt .5 ounce. Sugar .7 „ Coffee .6 „ Or in lieu of coffee, wine 9. ounces. Or brandy 2.2 „ Being 24.56 ounces of anhydrous food.

PRUSSIA.

About one-half the daily pay is retained by the government for the soldier’s food.

_Peace Ration._

Garrison. Marching or Fatigue. Bread 26.5 ounces 26.5 ounces. Meat 6. „ 8.2 „ Rice 3.2 „ 4.22 „ Or groats 4.21 „ 5.28 „ Or peas or beans 8.22 „ 10.6 „ Or potatoes 53.8 „ 70.5 „ Salt .87 ounce .87 ounce. Coffee .468 „ .468 „ 26.57 oz. of anhydrous food. 28.26 oz. of anhydrous food.

_War Ration._

Bread 26.5 ounces. Or biscuit 17. „ One { Fresh beef 13. „ of { Salt beef 9. „ these. { Bacon 5.75 „ Rice 4.4 „ One { Groats 4.4 „ of { Beans 8.8 „ these. { Flour 8.8 „ Potatoes 50. „ Salt 8.7 „ Coffee, pure .7 ounce. Coffee, roasted 1. „ 40.2 ounces anhydrous food.

RUSSIA.

169 Fast Days. 196 Meat Days 117 days 52 days with schtschi schtschi and peas and and gruel. gruel. gruel. Meat 7. oz. Bread 42. oz. 42. oz. 42. oz. Sour-krout 14.5 fl. oz. 14.5 fl. oz. Chervil 1.1 oz. Peas 2.33 oz. Buckwheat 1.87 fl. oz. 1.87 fl. oz. 1.87 fl. oz. Oats .5 fl. oz. .7 fl. oz. .28 fl. oz. Flour .7 fl. oz. .7 fl. oz. Onions .2 fl. oz. .3 fl. oz. .5 fl. oz. Vegetable oil .25 fl. oz. Butter .6 oz. Lard .5 oz. .5 oz. Salt 1.86 oz. 1.86 oz. 1.86 oz. Pepper .07 oz. .07 oz. .07 oz. Bay leaves .07 oz. .07 oz. .07 oz. Water 70. fl. oz. 70. fl. oz. 70. fl. oz. (Buckwheat cooked into gruel.)

_Sepoy Ration._

Flour 16. ounces. Rice 16. „ Butter or vegetable oil 2. „ Peas 4.25 „ Salt 1.33 ounce. 34.9 ounces of anhydrous food.

=Ratisbon=, or =Regensburg=. A town of Bavaria, on the right bank of the Danube, 67 miles north-northeast of Munich. In 1524 the Roman Catholic powers of Germany assembled here, and formed a league against the Protestants; and near it, in 1809, Napoleon I. was wounded in a battle in which he forced the Austrians to retreat.

=Raucoux= (Belgium). Here Marshal Saxe and the French army totally defeated the allies, October 11, 1746.

=Ravage.= Desolation by violence; violent ruin or destruction; devastation; havoc; waste; ruin; as, the ravages of an army. Also, to lay waste by force; to desolate violently; to commit havoc or devastation upon; to plunder.

=Ravelin.= In fortification, is the work constructed beyond the main ditch, opposite the curtain, composed of two faces, forming a salient angle, and two demi-gorges, formed by the counterscarp. It is separated from the covered way by a ditch which runs into the main ditch. See DEMI-LUNE.

=Ravenna= (anc. _Ravenna_). An important city of Central Italy, 43 miles east-southeast from Bologna, 4¹⁄₂ miles from the Adriatic. Augustus made it a first-class seaport and naval station. It was taken by Odoacer, then by Theodoric, and by Totila; was subdued by the Lombards in 752, and their king, Astolphus, in 754, surrendered it to Pepin, king of France. In 1275, Guido da Polenta conquered it. Ravenna was afterwards taken by the Venetians, who kept it till 1509. Under the walls of Ravenna a battle was fought between the French under Gaston de Foix (duke of Nemours and nephew of Louis XII.) and the Spanish and Papal armies. The confederate army was cut to pieces. De Foix perished in the moment of his victory, and his death closed the good fortune of the French in Italy. Ravenna became a part of the kingdom of Italy in 1860.

=Ravine.= In field fortification, a deep hollow, usually formed by a great flood, or long-continued running of water; frequently turned to advantage in the field.

=Raw.= Unseasoned, unripe in skill, wanting knowledge in tactics.

=Raw Troops.= Are inexperienced soldiers, or men who have been little accustomed to the use of arms.

=Razant.= See RASANTE.

=Razed.= Works or fortifications are said to be razed when they are totally demolished.

=Razzia.= A plundering and destructive incursion.

=Readiness.= A state of alertness or preparation; thus, to hold a corps in readiness, is to have it prepared in consequence of some previous order to march at a moment’s notice.

=Reading.= A town of England, in Berkshire, on the Kennet, 36 miles west by south from London. In 871 it was in possession of the Danes, who, after resisting an assault of the West Saxons, were in the following year obliged to evacuate it. In 1006 they again made their appearance, and burned the town. In the civil war of the 17th century Reading was at different times in the possession of both parties, and suffered much during the contest.

=Ready.= In tactics, a word of command in firing, being a contraction of _make ready_.

=Reamer.= See ORDNANCE, CONSTRUCTION OF, BORING.

=Rear.= In general acceptation, anything situated or placed behind another.

=Rear.= The direction opposite the enemy. The opposite of front.

=Rear Assembling-bar.= See ORDNANCE, CARRIAGES FOR, THE CAISSON.

=Rear Foot-board.= See ORDNANCE, CARRIAGES FOR, THE CAISSON.

=Rear Open Order.= An open order taken by moving the rear rank backwards.

=Rear-chest.= See ORDNANCE, CARRIAGES FOR, THE CAISSON.

=Rear-front.= The rear rank of a body of troops when faced about and standing in that position.

=Rear-guard.= A detachment of troops whose duty it is to protect the rear of an army.

=Rear-line.= The line in the rear of an army.

=Rearward.= The last troop; the rear-guard.

=Rebel.= One who rebels; one who revolts from the government to which he owes allegiance, either by openly renouncing the authority of that government, or by taking arms and openly opposing it; one who defies and seeks to overthrow the authority to which he is rightfully subject; a revolter; an insurgent.

=Rebel.= Acting in revolt; rebellious; as, rebel troops.

=Rebel.= To revolt; to take up arms traitorously against the state or government; to renounce the authority of the laws and government to which one owes allegiance.

=Rebellion.= The act of rebelling; open and avowed renunciation of the authority of the government to which one owes allegiance; the taking of arms traitorously to resist the authority of lawful government; revolt; insurrection.

=Rebellious.= Engaged in or marked by rebellion; traitorously renouncing the authority and dominion of the government to which allegiance is due; violently resisting government or lawful authority; as, rebellious troops.

=Rebounding-lock.= A gun-lock in which the hammer rebounds to half-cock after striking the cap; specially used in sporting arms.

=Rebuffo= (_Fr._). A bastard cannon, or three-fourth carthoum (or karthaune), a 36-pounder of 15 calibers long; according to Ufano a 45-pounder.

=Recall.= A call on the trumpet, bugle, or drum, by which the soldiers are recalled from duty, labor, etc.

=Recaptor.= One who retakes; one who takes a prize which had been previously taken.

=Recapture.= The act of retaking; especially the retaking of a prize or goods from a captor. That which is captured back; a prize retaken.

=Recast.= To mold anew; to cast anew; to throw into a new form or shape; to reconstruct; as, to recast cannon.

=Receipt.= A voucher or acknowledgment, which should always be given when official papers are received. When flags of truce are the bearers of a parcel or a letter, the officer commanding an outpost should give a receipt for it, and require the party to depart forthwith.

=Receive.= In a military sense, to await the approach of a friend or foe. _To receive an enemy_, is to make the best disposition possible of your troops, for the purpose of meeting the attack of an advancing enemy.

=Recharge.= A renewal of the charge or attack.

=Rechaud= (_Fr._). A chafing-dish, or pan used for various purposes, particularly during a siege. Rechauds are filled with burning materials and hung in different parts of the walls, so as to throw light into the ditches, and to prevent surprises.

=Rechute= (_Fr._). Literally means a second fall; but in fortification it signifies a greater elevation of the rampart in those parts where it is likely to be commanded.

=Recoil.= In gunnery, is the retrograde motion impressed upon cannon by the discharge. The gas produced by the ignition of the charge in the bore, expanding with equal force in every direction, finds only two ways of escape (the muzzle and the vent); the pressure upon these points will therefore cease while it will be proportionally increased upon the parts directly opposite, that is, the bottom of the bore and that portion directly opposite the vent, producing in the first case the recoil, and in the other, indirectly, the dipping of the muzzle. The distance of the recoil depends entirely upon the nature and inclination of the ground upon which the carriage stands, the situation of the trunnions, angle of elevation, comparative weight of the gun and carriage, and upon the strength of the charge. The recoil has no appreciable effect upon the flight of a projectile, the latter being expelled from the gun before it has recoiled a fraction of an inch.

The recoil of heavy guns fired with large charges is a serious consideration in gunnery. The recoil must be checked in a comparatively short space, and yet checked too suddenly the shock destroys the carriage as well as platform. Various methods have been tried. The truck-wheels upon which the top carriage runs in and out of battery are provided with eccentrics, which are thrown out of gear to produce sliding friction,--but this alone is not sufficient in most cases. Counter-mortars are sometimes clamped on the chassis-rail against the carriage, but this is objectionable, as it tends to destroy the chassis. Friction-plates, with clamping attachments to the carriage between them, and extending full length of the chassis, have also been tried, but the buckling of the plates soon ruined them. This plan has been recently revived, and the buckling prevented by interposing india-rubber between the rear ends of the plates and the transom of the chassis. For the most approved methods, see AIR-CYLINDERS and HYDRAULIC LOADING APPARATUS.

=Recommend.= To commend to the favorable notice of another. Non-commissioned officers of companies are appointed by the colonel upon the recommendation of company commanders. Recommendation of members of a court-martial in favor of the person being tried, is introduced after the finding and sentence are closed and authenticated. The recommendation should distinctly set forth the reasons which prompt it.--_Hough._

=Reconnoissance.= The reconnoitring or examination of any tract of country preparatory to the march of an army, in order either to take up quarters for the season, or commence operations against an opposing enemy.

The _military reconnoissance_ of a country is generally performed under the protection of an armed force. It is considered as one of the most essential operations connected with the tactics of the field, and serves as the basis of every movement or combination which it may be proposed to make. Those who are charged with this duty should be habituated to the performance of topographical surveys; in the first place, by the most accurate methods, and with the best instruments; and, secondly, by such methods as admit of being practiced rapidly, on foot or on horseback. In these cases a compass held in the hand must be used for observing the angles, and the distances must be obtained by pacing, or be merely estimated by the eye. The nature of the roads should be described with indications denoting that they are passable for artillery, for cavalry, or merely for infantry; and if defective, estimates should be made of the materials and time requisite for repairing them. In contemplating rivers and marshes as means of retarding an advance of the enemy, it should be ascertained and reported whether by being dry in summer, or frozen in winter, they may not at times cease to be obstacles. It should be also stated how, on a retreat, the roads may be blocked up, the fords rendered impassable, or the bridges destroyed.

=Reconnoitre.= To make oneself acquainted by personal inspection, as far as may be practicable, with the enemy’s position and movements; also, to survey, and draw in a rapid manner, ground of importance to operations of war, not represented in existing maps, with sufficient accuracy or minuteness; and likewise to particularize the banks of rivers, canals, streams, mountains, passes, positions, villages, forts, and redoubts.

=Record.= To preserve by committing to writing; to make official note of; as, to record the proceedings of a court.

=Record.= An authentic copy; a statement of the proceedings of a court or board; a written history; an official account or register.

=Recorder.= One who keeps a record; specifically, the officer who registers the proceedings of a board or minor court.

=Recover.= In tactics, a word of command in firing whereby the piece is brought from the position of aim to that of ready.

=Recreant.= Crying for mercy, as a combatant in the trial of battle; yielding; cowardly. Also, one who yields in combat, and cries craven; one who begs for mercy; a mean-spirited, cowardly wretch.

=Recruit.= To supply with new men, as an army; to fill up or make up by enlistment. Also, a person enlisted to make up deficiency in an army; a newly-enlisted soldier.

=Recruiting.= The act of obtaining men for service. The people of the United States and Great Britain resemble each other in their jealousy of large standing armies and their abhorrence of a system of universal service, as well as in their warlike spirit and self-sacrificing patriotism. The organization of the English army, based upon voluntary enlistment, has been pronounced by foreign officers of thorough education and acute observation as unworthy of scientific study,--that is, for home application, although the United States have borrowed a great deal from it,--in the writer’s opinion, to their detriment. In Great Britain the whole recruiting has been placed under the immediate direction of the adjutant-general since 1802. For this purpose, the country has been divided into recruiting districts, at the head of which is placed an inspecting field-officer with the duty of superintending all recruiting parties in his district, and of approving the recruits brought. Staff-officers and sergeants of the Pensioner Force are also occasionally intrusted with the obtaining of recruits. The United States recruiting service is conducted by the adjutant-general, under the direction of the Secretary of War. Recruiting officers consist generally of captains and lieutenants of the line, who must not permit any man to be deceived or inveigled into the service by false representations. If the recruit is a minor, his parents or guardians must, if possible, be informed of the minor’s wish to enlist, and their written consent obtained therefor. Any male person above the age of eighteen, and under thirty-five years, being effective, able-bodied, sober, free from disease, of good character and habits, with a competent knowledge of the English language, may be enlisted. No man having a wife or child can be enlisted in time of peace without special authority from the adjutant-general’s office. The Prussian system is based upon the theory that military service is not a trade or craft, to be followed by a portion of the population, but a duty owed by every male citizen to his country. For further particulars of this system, see LANDWEHR. The Prussian system has been adopted by all other states of the German empire, and also by most of the other European nations.

=Recruiting Flag.= See FLAG, STORM.

=Recruitment.= The act or business of recruiting or raising new supplies of men for an army.

=Recursant.= In heraldry, moving or coursing backward;--said of an eagle displayed with the back towards the spectator’s face.

=Red Hand.= In heraldry, a sinister hand erect, open, and couped, or the wrist gules, being the arms of the province of Ulster, was granted to the baronets of England and of Ireland as their distinguishing badge, on the institution of that order in 1611, and is borne by the baronets of Great Britain and of the United Kingdom. It is assumed into the armorial coat, and may be borne upon a canton, or on an escutcheon, which may be placed either in the middle chief or in the fess point, so as least to interfere with the charges composing the family arms.

=Red River Settlement.= Is in British North America, between Lakes Superior and Winnepeg. While the proposed transfer to the crown (1869-70) of the rights of the Hudson’s Bay Company was pending, it was the scene of much contention and violence. The hasty action of the Canadian authorities incensed the French-speaking population, who, led by Louis Riel, organized a force, imprisoned their opponents (English and Scotch), seized on Fort Garry, established a provisional government, robbed the strong-box, and dictated terms to the governor of the Hudson’s Bay Company, who was obliged to submit to them. In July, 1870, a military force suddenly appeared in the province, and Riel fearing capture, escaped, and thus closed the insurrection.

=Red Tape.= The tape used in public offices for tying up documents, etc.; hence, official formality.

=Redan.= Is the simplest work in field fortification. It consists of two parapets whose faces join in forming a salient angle toward the enemy, like a letter V, in which the apex is to the front. Regarded by itself, the redan is a work of very little strength, since there is no flanking fire to protect its faces, and nothing to prevent an enemy from forcing an entrance at the gorge; but redans are useful in many positions, and the rapidity with which they may be constructed renders them favorites with engineers and generals. A row of redans along an exposed front of an army adds much to its strength, the troops behind protecting the gorge, and the redans flanking each other. It forms an excellent defense for a bridgehead, the gorge being covered by the river. Redans figured largely in Wellington’s works for defending Lisbon in 1810. The redan of Sebastopol in 1855 was the principal point of the English attack, and the scene of two bloody repulses by the Russians in June and September.

=Redcoat.= A soldier who wears a red coat; an English soldier.

=Red-hot Shot.= Are cannon-balls heated to redness, and fired from cannon at shipping, magazines, wooden buildings, etc., to combine destruction by fire with battering by concussion. In modern warfare, shells containing molten iron are intended to be used in lieu of red-hot shot; but they have not yet been tested in actual practice, although a similar device was attempted unsuccessfully in 1863 by the U. S. forces when besieging Charleston.

=Redinha.= A village of Portugal, province of Estremadura, the scene of an affair between the British under Lord Wellington, and the French retreating army under Marshal Masséna, in 1811.

=Redoubt.= Is a small fort of varying shape, constructed for a temporary purpose, and usually without flanking defenses. The term is vague in its acceptation, being applied equally to detached posts and to a strong position within another fortress. Redoubts are made square, pentagonal, and even circular. Each redoubt has parapet, ditch, scarps, banquette, etc., as in regular fortification; but it is commonly rather roughly constructed, haste and unprofessional labor precluding mathematical accuracy. The entrance may be by a cutting through the parapet, the cutting being covered within by a traverse, or, preferably, by an excavated gallery leading into the ditch, and thence by a ramp through the counterscarp. For the sake of flanking the ditch, and preventing an assaulting party from forming in it, caponnières of timber, loop-holed, are sometimes formed; or, if the soil be stiff or chalky, a gallery may be cut behind the counterscarp, and loop-holed towards the ditch. In some modern redoubts, the line of each side is broken to afford flanking defense. Redoubts have the weak feature of not defending their own ditches, and of being approached at their salient angles with comparative impunity. They are therefore not adapted to a protracted defense, but as temporary field-works, or in war of posts, they are often of incalculable importance. Troops whose stability in open field is doubtful are especially strengthened by redoubts in their line. Redoubts are particularly useful in fortifying the tops of hills, or commanding passes, or where the object is to occupy a hostile territory, or to feel the way gradually through a wooded country.

=Redoubtable.= Formidable; to be dreaded; terrible to foes; as, a redoubtable hero; hence, valiant; often in contempt or burlesque.

=Redout Kalé=, or =Redoot Kalé=. A flourishing, fortified seaport of Russia, in Trans-Caucasia, stands on the eastern shore of the Black Sea, about 15 miles north of Poti. During the Crimean war, the Russian garrison at Redout Kalé, finding the fort invested by Sir Edmund Lyons, with several men-of-war, set fire to the town, May 19, 1854.

=Redressing Wrongs.= See APPENDIX, ARTICLES OF WAR, 29, 30.

=Reduce a Place.= Is to oblige the commander to surrender it to the besiegers, by capitulation. _To reduce the square_, is to restore or bring back a battalion or battalions, which have been formed in a hollow or oblong square, to their natural situation in line or column. _To reduce to the ranks_, is to degrade, as to reduce a non-commissioned officer, for misconduct, to the station of a private soldier.

=Reduce, To.= To degrade to a lower rank.

=Reduced.= In a military sense, is to be taken off the establishment, and to cease to receive pay as soldiers. When a regiment is reduced, the officers are generally put upon half-pay. Sometimes the corps are reduced, and the officers remain upon full pay. This happens at the close of a war, when the standing army of the country is confined to a certain number of battalions. Hence is derived the expression, _in_ and _out_ of the _break_. _In the break_, is the liability of being reduced. _Out of the break_, is the certainty of being kept upon the establishment.