Part 117
=Round Table, Knights of.= Known in early English history as knights belonging to a celebrated order instituted by King Arthur, and whose exploits and adventures form the subjects of many ballads, and much of the early romantic poetry of England. The members of the order are said to have been 40 in number, and to have derived their name from their custom of sitting about a large, round, marble table, in order to avoid all distinction of rank.
=Roundel=, or =Roundelle=. Was a shield used by the Norman soldiers. The word is also applied to the semicircular bastions in early fortification, as introduced by Albert Dürer. This bastion consisted of a semicircle of masonry about 300 feet in diameter, containing roomy casemates for the troops, and for artillery and musketry, with which the ditch and curtains were flanked.
=Roundheads, The.= In English history, a nickname given, in the reign of Charles I., to the Puritans, or Parliamentary party, who were accustomed to wear their hair cut close to the head. They were so called in opposition to the Cavaliers, or Royalists, who wore their hair in long ringlets.
=Roundle=, or =Roundlet=. In heraldry, a general name given to charges of a circular form, which in English heraldry have more special names indicative of their tinctures. A roundle or is called a _Bezant_; a roundle argent, a _Plate_; a roundle gules, a _Torteaux_; a roundle azure, a _Hurt_; a roundle sable, an _Ogress_, or _Pellet_; a roundle purpure, a _Golpe_; a roundle sanguine, a _Guze_; a roundle tenney, an _Orange_. In the heraldry of Scotland and of the continent, it is, on the other hand, usual to design all roundles of metal bezants, and those of color, torteaux, adding the tincture. Thus the coat blazoned in England azure three plates, would be in the Scottish mode of blazon, azure three bezants argent.
=Rounds.= An officer or non-commissioned officer who, attended by one or more men, visits the sentinels in barracks, in order to ascertain whether they are vigilant. There are two sorts of rounds, _grand_ and _visiting_. Grand rounds are the rounds which are gone by general officers, commandants, or field-officers. When there are no officers of the day, the officer of the main guard may go the grand rounds. The grand rounds generally go at midnight; the visiting rounds at intermediate periods, between sunset and reveille. The grand rounds receive the parole, and all other rounds give it to the guards. In officers’ rounds the officer guarding is preceded by a drummer carrying a lantern, and followed by a sergeant and a file of men. Ordinary rounds consist of a sergeant and a file of men. Both ordinary and officers’ rounds are termed visiting rounds. The design of _rounds_ is not only to visit the guards, and keep the sentinels alert, but likewise to discover what passes in the outworks, and beyond them.
=Rout.= The confusion created in an army or body of troops when defeated or dispersed. _To put to the rout_, is to defeat and throw into confusion. The term expresses more than a defeat, because it implies a dispersion of the enemy’s forces; for a defeated enemy may retreat in good order; but when routed, order and discipline are at an end.
=Route.= An open road; the course of march of troops. Instructions for the march of detachments, specifying daily marches, means of supply, etc., are given from the headquarters of an army in the field, and are called marching routes.
=Route Step.= In tactics, is a style of march whereby the men carry their arms at will, keeping the muzzles elevated; they are not required to preserve silence, or to keep the step, but each man covers the file in his front. The ranks preserve the distance of 32 inches from each other. The route step is at the rate of from 2¹⁄₂ to 3 miles per hour.
=Routine.= This word has been adopted by us in the same sense that it is familiarly used by the French. It signifies capacity, or the faculty of arranging; a certain method in business, civil or military, which is as much acquired by habit and practice as by regular study and rule. We say familiarly the routine of business.
=Rowel.= The pointed part of a riding spur, which is made in a circular form, with rays or points like a star.
=Royal.= A small mortar which carries a shell whose diameter is 5.5 inches. It is mounted on a bed the same as other mortars.
=Royal.= In England, one of the soldiers of the first regiment of foot, called the _Royals_, and supposed to be the oldest regular corps in Europe.
=Rubicon.= A small stream of Central Italy, falling into the Adriatic, has obtained a proverbial celebrity from the well-known story of its passage by Cæsar, who by crossing this river--which, at the outbreak of the civil war between him and Pompey, formed the southern boundary of his province--virtually declared war against the republic. Hence the phrase to “cross the Rubicon” has come to mean, to take an irrevocable step.
=Rudiments.= The first principles, the elements of any particular science; as, the rudiments of war, which are the first principles or elements of war; as, marching, facing, wheeling; the drill, manual, and platoon exercises, manœuvres, etc.
=Ruffle.= Is a low vibrating sound, less loud than a roll, produced by drummers. It is used as a compliment to general officers and at military funerals.
=Rugen.= The largest of the islands of Germany, belongs to Prussia, and lies in the Baltic, off the coast of Pomerania. In 1169 it was conquered by the Danish king Waldemar I. By the peace of Westphalia it was ceded to Sweden, but in 1815 it was transferred to Prussia.
=Rules and Articles of War.= See APPENDIX, ARTICLES OF WAR.
=Run.= The greatest degree of swiftness in marching. It is executed upon the same principles as the _double-quick_, but with greater speed.
=Run the Gantlope.= See GANTLOPE.
=Running Fight.= A battle in which one party flees and the other pursues, but the party fleeing keeps up the contest.
=Running Fire.= A constant fire of musketry or cannon.
=Rupture.= This word signifies the commencement of hostilities between any two or more powers.
=Rusellæ= (_Rusellanus_; ruins near _Grosseto_). One of the most ancient cities of Etruria. It was taken by the Romans in 294 B.C., when 2000 of its inhabitants were slain, and as many more were made prisoners.
=Rush.= To move or drive forward with impetuosity, violence, and tumultuous rapidity; as, armies rush to battle. Also, a driving forward with eagerness and haste; as, a rush of troops.
=Russia.= The largest empire of the world, occupying about one-sixth of the firm land of our globe, bounded north by the Arctic Ocean, east by the Pacific, south by China, Independent Toorkistan, Persia, Asiatic Turkey, the Black Sea, and Roumania, and west by Austria, Prussia, the Baltic, and the Scandinavian peninsula. When the Greeks founded their commercial stations along the northern coast of the Black Sea, in the Crimea, and on the shores of the Sea of Azof, they found the interior occupied by roving tribes of a fierce and savage character. They called them Scythians and Sarmatians, and for about eight centuries these two nations continued to be mentioned in the history of Greece and Rome as inhabiting the same country, pursuing the same occupations, etc. Then came, during the migration of nations beginning in the 4th century, the Goths, Avars, Huns, Alans, etc., rolling over them wave after wave. In the 6th century the name of the Slaves first appears. They founded Kiev and Novgorod. The name of _Russians_ is first met with in the 9th century. Rurik, a Varangian chief, came to Novgorod in 862, not as a conqueror, but invited, and henceforth his family reigned in the country till it became extinct, and the people received the name of Russians. His successor, Oleg (879-912), conquered Kief, defeated the Khazars, and even attacked the emperor of Constantinople. In the beginning of the 13th century, the Mongols under Genghis Khan broke in from Asia; the Russians were unable to withstand them. Most of the princes were wholly subdued. The brilliant victories of Demetrius Donski, prince of Moscow, in 1378 and 1380, only caused the Mongols to return in larger hordes; in 1382, Moscow was burned to the ground and 24,000 of its inhabitants were slain. Ivan III. the Great (1462-1505), who united Novgorod, Perm, and Pskov to Moscow, refused to pay the tribute to the Mongols, defeated them when they attempted to enforce their claim by arms, and commenced extending the Russian power to the east, conquering Kazan in 1469, and parts of Siberia in 1499. Ivan IV., the Terrible (1533-84), conquered Astrakhan in 1554, the land of the Don Cossacks in 1570, Siberia in 1581, opened a road to Archangel in 1553, and organized in 1545 a body-guard, the famous _Streltzi_. With his son Feodor I. (1584-98) the house of Rurik ceased to exist, and after a protracted and severe struggle between Boris Godunoff, Basil V., and the two pseudo-Demetriuses, who were supported by the Poles, Michael Feodorovitch Romanoff, the founder of the present dynasty, ascended the throne in 1612. Some progress was made under each of his successors,--Catharine I. (1725-27), Peter II. (1727-30), Anne (1730-41), Elizabeth (1741-62). Catharine II. (1762-76) carried on successful wars with Persia, Sweden, and Turkey, conquering the Crimea; she also acquired Courland and half of Poland. (For history regarding Poland, see POLAND.) Under Alexander I. (1801-25) Russia appears not only as one of the great powers, but as the true arbiter in European politics. In the Napoleonic wars he sided first with Austria, and was beaten at Austerlitz; then with Prussia, and was beaten at Friedland. By the peace of Frederikshamn (1809) he obtained Finland from Sweden; by the peace of Bucharest (1812), Bessarabia and Moldavia from Turkey; and the war with Persia was successfully progressing when his friendship with Napoleon suddenly began to wane. A rupture took place, and now followed with fearful rapidity the invasion of Russia by Western Europe, the destruction of the grand army, and the overthrow of Napoleon. By the peace of Paris (1856) Russia lost its supremacy in the Black Sea. (See CRIMEA.) It only bided its time, however, and October 31, 1870, when neither England, France, nor Turkey was able to resist, Prince Gortschakoff informed the various cabinets that Russia felt compelled to deviate from the stipulations of the treaty of Paris, and keep a fleet of sufficient capacity in the Black Sea.
=Russo-German War.= The name given by German historians to the last stage of the great European war against Napoleon, beginning with the Russian campaign of 1812, and terminating on the field of Waterloo. For important battles, etc., see appropriate headings.
=Russo-Turkish War.= The name applied to the war which took place between Russia on one side, and Turkey, France, and Great Britain on the other; it commenced in 1853 and terminated in 1856. For important events of this war, see appropriate headings.
=Rustre.= In heraldry, one of the subordinaries, consisting of a _lozenge_ with a circular opening pierced in its centre. Ancient armor was sometimes composed of rustres sewed on cloth.
=Rustschuk.= A fortified town of Turkey in Europe, in Bulgaria, situated at the influx of the Kara Lom into the Danube, 67 miles southwest from Silitria. Giurgevo (which see) is almost immediately opposite. The Russians took these towns in 1711 and 1810, but were defeated by the Turks, before Giurgevo, in 1854.
=Rutuli.= An ancient people in Italy, inhabiting a narrow slip of country on the east coast of Latium, a little to the south of the Tiber. They were subdued at an early period by the Romans, and disappeared from history.
=Ryswick.= A village in the province of South Holland, where the celebrated treaty of peace was concluded between England, France, Spain, and Holland, and was signed by their representatives, September 20, and by the emperor of Germany, October 30, 1697.
S.
=Saalfeld.= A town of Germany, in the duchy of Saxe-Meiningen, on the Saale, 23 miles south from Weimar. Here the Prussians under Prince Louis Frederick of Prussia were defeated and their leader slain by the French under Lannes, October 10, 1806.
=Saarbrück= (anc. _Augusti Mari_, or _Saræpons_). An open town on the left bank of the Saar, in Rhenish Prussia. It was founded in the 10th century, and was long subject to the bishops of Metz; it was afterwards ruled by counts (about 1237), and by the house of Nassau about 1380. It was captured by the French and retaken by the Germans, 1676; reunited to France, 1794-1814, and ceded to Prussia, 1815. On August 2, 1870, it was bombarded by the French under Frossard, and the Prussians in small force were dislodged, and the town occupied by the French general Bataille. The emperor Napoleon and his son were present during this bombardment. On August 6, the Prussian generals Goeben and Von Steinmetz, with the first army, recaptured Saarbrück, after a sanguinary conflict at the village of Spicheren. The heights taken by the French on the 2d are in Germany, those taken by the Germans on the 6th are in France, and both battles were fought between Saarbrück and the town of Forbach, which was captured and has given a name to the second conflict. The loss was great on both sides. The French general François was killed, and the 2d Corps under Frossard nearly destroyed. The French retreated to Metz. They were greatly superior in numbers at the beginning of the fight, but were badly commanded.
=Sabander.= The familiar of _shah-bander_, an Eastern title for captain or governor of a post.
=Sabantines.= Steel coverings for the feet; sometimes slippers or clogs.
=Sabbatons.= A round-toed armed covering for the feet, worn during a part of the 16th century.
=Sabini.= An ancient people of Central Italy, were generally supposed to have derived their name from Sabus, their chief tutelary deity. Their antiquity was very great. They were the parent-stock of many of the neighboring tribes, such as the Samnites, the Peligni, and the Picentes. The Sabini inhabited the mountain region lying to the northeast of Rome. They were a valiant warlike race, and at an early age of authentic history they issued from their mountain fastness and began a system of warlike aggression upon their neighbors. Gradually and by repeated attacks, their invading hordes subdued the aborigines, and advanced southward, occupying the land. At length, pushing their outposts to the very gates of Rome, they commenced to interfere with the affairs of that rising city. By victory or by compromise they gained admittance into the state upon very advantageous terms. They were not satisfied, but persisted in their encroachments upon the Roman territory, until defeated by Tullus Hostilius and by Tarquinius Priscus; however, they continued their raids until 449 B.C., when M. Horatius gave them a defeat which kept them quiet for more than a century and a half. They recovered in 290 B.C., only to be overthrown by Manlius Curius Dentatus with greater completeness than ever. They finally became a part of the Roman empire.
=Sable.= One of the tinctures in heraldry, implying black. In heraldic engravings, it is represented by perpendicular and horizontal lines crossing each other.
=Sabot.= Is a thick, circular disk of wood, to which, in fixed ammunition, the cartridge-bag and projectile are attached. For a spherical projectile, the sabot has a spherical cavity, and circular groove to which the cartridge-bag is tied; in the canister-sabot, the spherical cavity is omitted, and a circular offset is added. The effects of a sabot are: (1) To prevent the formation of a _lodgment_ in the bore. (2) To moderate the action of the powder on the projectile; and, (3) To prevent the projectile from moving from its place. In consequence of the scattering of the fragments, it is dangerous to use the sabot in firing over the heads of one’s own men. The term is also applied to the soft metal device attached to the base of rifled projectiles to take the grooves of the bore.
=Sabre.= A long curved or straight cavalry sword, with a broad and heavy blade, used for cutting and thrusting.
=Sabre.= To strike, cut, or kill with a sabre.
=Sabretache= (Ger. _Sabeltasche_, “sword-pocket”). A square pocket or pouch suspended from the sword-belt on the left side, by three slings to correspond with the belt. It is usually scolloped at the bottom, has a device in the centre, and a broad lace round the edge. The color of it always corresponds with that of the uniform. The sabretache is an appointment or part of accoutrement of hussars in European armies.
=Sabreur= (_Fr._). A blood-thirsty soldier; brave soldier.
=Sabugal.= A town of Portugal, on the Spanish frontier, where an affair took place between an English light division and the French, April 3, 1811, in which the latter were defeated.
=Sac and Fox Indians.= Two Algonkin tribes, who have always associated. They formerly dwelt in Canada, but afterward occupied a large tract of land on both sides of the Mississippi. The Sacs and Foxes often engaged in wars with the English, French, and Indians. They were gradually removed southwestward prior to 1849. There are now in the Indian Territory about 400 Sacs and Foxes. There are also about 200 Sacs and Foxes in Kansas, about 100 in Nebraska, and about 300 Sacs and Foxes in Iowa. See FOX INDIANS.
=Sacæ.= One of the most numerous and powerful of the Scythian nomad tribes, had their abodes in the steppes of Central Asia, which are now peopled by the _Kirghiz Khasaks_. They were very warlike, and excelled especially as cavalry, and as archers, both on horse and foot. Their women shared in their military spirit; and according to Ælian, they had the custom of settling before marriage whether the man or woman should rule the house, by the result of a combat between them. In early times they extended their predatory incursions as far west as Armenia and Cappadocia. They were made tributary to the Persian empire, to the army of which they furnished a large force of cavalry and archers, who were among the best troops that the kings of Persia had.
=Saccatoo=, or =Socoto=. A kingdom of Soodan, in Central Africa. Its inhabitants, the Fellatas, first made their appearance as conquerors, coming from the west, apparently from the Senegal; they profess the Mohammedan religion. Othman, or Danfodio, one of the Fellata chieftains, marshaled his countrymen under his colors for a crusade against the unbelievers. Though at first defeated in almost every encounter, yet the warlike spirit of fanaticism grew so high that Othman obtained for himself an extensive empire. Under Alin, who ascended the throne in 1837, great internal disturbance took place, which brought the country into a wretched condition.
=Sachem.= A chief of a tribe of the American Indians; a sagamore. See SAGAMORE.
=Sack.= The pillage or plunder, as of a town or city; the storm and plunder of a town; devastation; ravage. Also, to plunder or pillage, as a town or city; to devastate; to ravage.
=Sackage.= The act of taking by storm and pillage; sack.
=Sacker.= One who sacks; one who captures and plunders a town.
=Sackett’s Harbor.= A town in Jefferson Co., N. Y., on the south shore of Black River Bay, 8 miles east of Lake Ontario and 170 miles west-northwest of Albany, having a navy-yard, barracks, etc. In the war of 1812-15 it was an important port, where the frigate “Superior,” of 66 guns, was built in eighty days, and the “Madison” in forty-five days, from timber standing in the forest. It is a military post of the United States named Madison Barracks, which is generally garrisoned by artillery.
=Sacramento, St.= A Portuguese settlement in South America, claimed by Spain in 1680; but relinquished in 1713; was several times seized; ceded in 1777; acquired by Brazil in 1825.
=Sacramentum Militare= (_Lat._). The oath formerly taken by the Roman soldiers when they were enrolled. This oath was pronounced at the head of the legion, in an audible voice, by a soldier who was chosen by the tribune for that purpose. He thereby pledged himself before the gods to expose his life for the good and safety of the republic, to obey his superior officers, and never to absent himself without leave. The aggregate of the legion assented to the oath without going through the formal declaration of it.
=Sacred Battalion.= A band of infantry composed of 300 young Thebans, united in strict friendship and affection, who were engaged, under a particular oath, never to fly, but to defend each other to the last drop of their blood. At the famous battle of Leuctra, in which the Spartans were signally defeated by Epaminondas, the Sacred Battalion was commanded by Pelopidas, and mainly contributed to the success of the day.
=Sacred Wars.= (1) Declared by the Amphictyons against Cirrha, near Delphi, for robbery and outrage to the visitors to the oracle, 595 B.C. Cirrha was razed to the ground, 586 B.C. (2) Between the Phocians and Delphians for the possession of the temple at Delphi, 448, 447 B.C. (3) The Phocians, on being fined for cultivating the sacred lands, seized the temple, 357. They were conquered by Philip of Macedon, and their cities depopulated, 346 B.C.
=Sacriportus.= A small place in Latium, of uncertain site, memorable for the victory of Sulla over the younger Marius, 82 B.C.
=Sacs and Foxes.= See SAC AND FOX INDIANS.
=Saddle.= The seat which is put upon a horse for the accommodation of the rider. In the earlier ages the Romans used neither saddles nor stirrups. Saddles were in use in the 3d century, and are mentioned as made of leather in 304; they were known in England about 600. _Boots and saddles_, is a sound on the trumpet which is the first signal for mounted drill, and for all other formations mounted; it is also the signal for the trumpeters to assemble.
=Saddle-bags.= Bags, usually of leather, united by straps, for transportation on horseback, one bag being placed on each side. In the U. S. service saddle-bags are issued to the cavalry as a part of the horse equipments.
=Saddle-cloth.= In the military service is a cloth under a saddle, and extending out behind; the housing.
=Saddler.= One whose occupation is to make and repair saddles. Each company of cavalry in the U. S. service is allowed one saddler. Saddlers are also employed in the cavalry service of European countries.
=Saddler Corporal.= In the British service, is a non-commissioned officer who has charge of the saddlers in the Household Cavalry.
=Saddler Sergeant.= Is a sergeant in the cavalry who has charge of the saddlers. In the U. S. service, saddler sergeants are non-commissioned staff-officers, and one is allowed to each cavalry regiment.
=Saddle-Tree Maker.= An artificer in the cavalry who makes and repairs saddle-trees.
=Sadowa.= A village of Bohemia, about 8 miles from Königgratz. Here, on the morning of July 3, 1866, the Prussians attacked the Austrians, and after a desperate struggle of seven hours, the latter were defeated and driven from the village by the 7th division of the Prussian infantry. This engagement formed the prelude to the decisive battle of Königgratz.
=Safe-conduct.= A passport granted, on honor, to a foe, enabling him to pass where it would otherwise be impossible for him to go with impunity. Safe-conducts are granted in war for the purposes of conference, etc.; and to violate the provisions of such a pass has always been esteemed a disgraceful breach of the laws of honor.
=Safeguard.= A protection granted by the general of an army for the safety of an enemy’s lands or persons, to preserve them from being insulted or plundered. For punishment of persons forcing a safeguard, see APPENDIX, ARTICLES OF WAR, 57.
=Sagaie=, or =Zagie=. A dart or javelin used by the inhabitants of Madagascar.