Part 12

=Belgrade.= An ancient city in Servia, on the right bank of the Danube. It was taken from the Greek emperor by Solomon, king of Hungary, in 1086; gallantly defended by John Huniades, against the Turks under Mahomet II., July to September, 1456, when the latter was defeated with the loss of 40,000 men; it was taken by Sultan Solyman, 1521, and retaken by the Imperialists in 1688, from whom it was again taken by the Turks, 1690; besieged in May, 1717, by Prince Eugene. On August 5, of that year, the Turkish army, 200,000 strong, approached to relieve it, and a sanguinary battle was fought at Peterwardein, in which the Turks lost 20,000 men; after this battle Belgrade surrendered. In 1739 it was ceded to the Turks, after its fine fortifications had been demolished; retaken in 1789, and restored at the peace of Reichenbach in 1790. The Servian insurgents had possession of it in 1806; in 1815, it was placed under Prince Milosch, subject to Turkey; the fortifications were restored in 1820; the fortress was surrendered by the Turks to the Servians about August, 1867.

=Belier= (_Fr._). A battering-ram, invented by the Carthaginians about 441 B.C.; used in ancient times for siege purposes. Also a wooden machine for driving wedges under a ship’s bottom.

=Bellair.= In North America; this town was attacked by the British forces under Sir Peter Parker, who, after an obstinate engagement, were repulsed with considerable loss; their gallant commander was killed August 30, 1814.

=Belle-Alliance.= A farm-house on the field of Waterloo, Belgium; it is situated on the right side of the high-road to Brussels and about two miles from Mount-Saint-Jean. Here Napoleon marshaled his guards for their last effort at Waterloo; and here Wellington and Blücher met after the battle was gained by the allies.

=Bellegarde.= A hill fortress of France, in the department of the Pyrénées Orientales. Here the French under Philip III. were defeated by Peter III. of Aragon, in 1285; captured by the Spaniards in 1674, and again by the French under Marshal Schomberg, in 1675; blockaded and taken by the Spaniards under Ricardos, but was retaken by the French in the following year.

=Belleisle.= An isle on the southeast of Brittany, France, erected into a duchy for Marshal Belleisle in 1742, in reward of his military and diplomatic services, by Louis XV. Belleisle was taken by the British forces under Commodore Keppel and Gen. Hodgson, after a desperate resistance, June 7, 1761; restored to France in 1763.

=Belley=, =Bellica=, =Bellicum=, or =Bellicium=. A town in the department of Ain, France, 39 miles east from Lyons, formerly fortified. Belley served as a place of arms to Cæsar against the Allobroges; burned by Alaric in 390; it was in the possession of the dukes of Savoy; it was ceded to France in 1601.

=Belligerent.= In a state of warfare. Hence any two or more nations at war are called belligerent powers.

=Bellinzona.= A town in the Swiss canton of Ticino, on the river Ticino. It has several castles, and was captured and recaptured several times by the Germans, Swiss, and French.

=Bellipotent.= Powerful or mighty in war.

=Bell-metal.= An alloy of about 78 parts copper and 22 of tin, used in making bells. It is harder and more sonorous than gun-metal, but much more brittle.

=Bellovaci.= The most powerful of the Belgæ, dwelt in the modern _Beauvais_, between the Seine, Oise, Somme, and Bresle. In Cæsar’s time they could bring 100,000 men into the field, but they were subdued by Cæsar with the other Belgæ.

=Bellows-house.= See ORDNANCE, CARRIAGES FOR, TRAVELING FORGE.

=Bells of Arms.= In the British service, are tents in front of the quarters of each company of infantry, in which the arms are piled. In Indian cantonments, the bells of arms are of masonry.

=Beloochistan=, Southern Asia. The ancient _Gedrosia_. The capital, Kelat, was taken by the British in the Afghan war, in 1839; abandoned in 1840; taken and held for a short time in 1841.

=Belt, Great.= A strait forming the central communication between the Baltic and the Cattegat; it separates the island of Funen from that of Seeland. In the winter of 1658, while frozen, it was crossed by Gustavus Adolphus, king of Sweden, and his army, on his way to besiege Copenhagen.

=Belts.= Leathern suspenders of different sorts and for various purposes, viz.: _sword_ belts, to which swords hang; _shoulder_ or _cross_ belts, broad leathern belts, crossing from the right shoulder, and to which the pouch is affixed; and leathern straps fixed round the waist, by which a sword or bayonet is suspended.

=Benares.= A holy city of the Hindoos in India; it was ceded by the nabob of Oude to the English in 1755; the scene of an insurrection in 1781, which nearly proved fatal to the British interests in Hindostan. In June, 1857, Col. Neil succeeded in suppressing attempts to join the Sepoy mutiny.

=Ben-Azzedin.= A place in Algiers, where the French fought the Kabyles, September 9, 1848.

=Benburb.= Near Armagh (Northern Ireland). Here O’Neill totally defeated the English under Monroe, June 5, 1646. Moore says that it was “the only great victory since the days of Brian Boru achieved by an Irish chieftain in the cause of Ireland.”

=Bend.= In heraldry, is one of the ordinaries, or more important figures. It is formed of two parallel lines drawn from the dexter to the sinister base, and consequently passing athwart the shield. It is supposed to represent a shoulder-belt, or scarf worn over the shoulder.

=Bender= (Bessarabia, European Russia). Was the asylum of Charles XII. of Sweden after his defeat at Pultowa by the czar Peter the Great, July 8, 1709. The peace of Bender was concluded in 1711; it was taken by storm, by the Russians, in September, 1770; again taken by Potemkin in 1789; and again stormed in 1809. It was restored at the peace of Jassy, but retained at the peace of 1812.

=Benevente.= A small town of the province of Alentejo, Portugal, where Lord Paget, afterwards Marquis of Anglesea, in 1808, greatly distinguished himself by a brilliant cavalry action, against the French under Marshal Soult; when Gen. Lefebre Desnouettes, who commanded the advanced guard of the French forces, was taken prisoner.

=Benevento= (anc. _Beneventum_). An ancient city in South Italy, said to have been founded by Diomedes the Greek, after the fall of Troy; Pyrrhus of Macedon, during his invasion of Italy, was totally defeated near Beneventum, 275 B.C. At a battle fought here, February 26, 1266, Manfred, king of Sicily, was defeated and slain by Charles of Anjou, who thus became virtually master of Italy. It was seized by the king of Naples, but restored to the pope, 1773; it was taken by the French in 1798, and restored to the pope in 1814.

=Bengal.= Chief presidency of British India, containing Calcutta, the capital. Its governors were delegated by the sovereigns of Delhi till 1340, when it became independent. It was added to the Mogul empire by Baber about 1529.

=Beni-Abbes.= An Algerian tribe who fought the French, May 16, 1847.

=Beni-Achour.= An Algerian tribe who were defeated by the French, September 22, 1848.

=Benicke.= A kind of military fête among the Turks, similar to a tournament, but without the presence of ladies.

=Beni-Mered.= An Algerian tribe who were defeated by the French, May 27, 1836.

=Beni-Yala.= An Algerian tribe who were chastised by the French, May 31, 1847.

=Ben-Nahr.= A place in Algeria where the French defeated the Arabs, February 7, 1846.

=Bennington.= A post-township of Bennington Co., Vt., 117 miles southwest of Montpelier. Here a detachment of the English army under Gen. Burgoyne were defeated by the Americans under Gen. Stark, August 16, 1777, and 600 prisoners captured.

=Ben-Tijour.= A place in Algeria where the French engaged the Arabs, September 22, 1848.

=Bentonville.= A village in Johnston Co., N. C. Here part of the army of Gen. Sherman encountered a Confederate army (40,000 strong) under Gen. Johnston, March, 1865. The attack was made by Gen. Johnston on the left wing of the Federal army with the intention of overwhelming it before it could be relieved. Six assaults were gallantly sustained by the Federals against the combined forces of Gens. Hoke, Hardee, and Cheatham. During the night Gen. Slocum received reinforcements which rendered his position impregnable. On March 21, Gen. Sherman ordered a general attack by his skirmish-line, and the ensuing night Johnston retreated towards Smithfield, leaving his pickets to fall into Gen. Sherman’s hands. The Federal loss was 1646; the Confederate loss is unknown, but about 1300 prisoners were taken by the Union forces.

=Beraun.= A walled town of Bohemia, capital of a circle, on the Beraun River. Here the Austrians defeated the Prussians in 1744.

=Berbers.= The general name usually given to the tribes inhabiting the mountainous regions of Barbary and the northern portions of the Great Desert. They were conquered in succession by the Phœnicians, Romans, Vandals, and Arabs. They are of middle stature, sparely but strongly built; complexion varies from a red to a yellow brown; hair is, in general, dark, and eyes dark and piercing. Their manners are austere, and in disposition they are cruel, suspicious, and implacable. They are usually at war with their neighbors or among themselves.

=Beresina=, or =Berezina=. A river in Russia, crossed by the French main army after its defeat by the Russians, November 25-29, 1812. The French lost upwards of 20,000 men, and their retreat was attended by great calamity and suffering.

=Bereung.= A description of Swedish militia, consisting of every man in the kingdom, from 20 to 25 years of age, capable of bearing arms.

=Bergamo.= A fortified city of Lombardy, Italy; captured by the French in 1698. During the height of the Venetian power, Bergamo was a dependency on its territory; under Napoleon, it was the capital of the department of Serio.

=Bergedorf.= A town of North Germany; it was taken from the Duke of Saxe-Lauenberg in 1736 by the cities of Hamburg and Lubeck; recaptured in 1412; and again taken by the same two cities in 1720.

=Bergen.= A small town in Germany, about 5 miles from Frankfort. Here the French, under the Duke of Broglie, defeated the allies under the Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick, April 13, 1759. The allies lost 2500 killed and wounded, and the French lost about 1800.

=Bergen.= A town in Holland. Here the allies under the Duke of York were defeated by the French, under Gen. Brune, with great loss, September 19, 1799. In another battle fought October 2, the same year, the duke gained the victory over Brune; but on the 6th, the duke was defeated before Alkmaer, and on the 20th entered into a convention, by which his army was exchanged for 6000 French and Dutch prisoners in England.

=Bergen-op-Zoom=, or =Berg-op-Zoom=. A strongly-fortified town of Holland, in North Brabant, on the river Zoom. In 1586 it was unsuccessfully besieged by the famous Duke of Parma, and afterwards, in 1622, it defied the utmost attempts of Spinola, who was forced to abandon the enterprise after a siege of ten weeks, with the loss of 12,000 men. It was taken by the French under Count Lowendahl in 1747, and in 1795 was again occupied by them. An attempt made by the British under Gen. Sir T. Graham (afterwards Lord Lynedoch) to carry the fortress by storm was defeated; after forcing an entrance, their retreat was cut off, and a dreadful slaughter ensued; nearly all were cut to pieces or made prisoners, March 8, 1814.

=Bergerac.= A town in the department of Dordogne, France; it was formerly fortified, and sustained many sieges; taken by the English in 1345, and retaken by the Duke of Anjou in 1370. Its fortifications were razed by Louis XIII. in 1621.

=Bergfried, Combat of.= A combat which took place between the French and Russians, February 3, 1807, in which the latter were repulsed.

=Bergues.= A fortified town in the department of the North, France; it was captured and recaptured by the Spaniards and French; the last time by Turenne in 1658.

=Berlin.= Capital of Prussia, in the province of Brandenburg; alleged to have been founded by the margrave Albert the Bear, about 1163. It was taken by an army of Russians and Austrians in 1760, but they were obliged to retire in a few days. On October 26, 1806, after the battle of Jena (October 14), the French entered Berlin; and from this place Napoleon issued the famous “Berlin decree” or interdict against the commerce of England, November 20. On November 5, 1808, Napoleon entered into a convention with Prussia by which he remitted to Prussia the sum due on the war-debt and withdrew many of his troops to reinforce his army in Spain. An insurrection commenced here in March, 1848; a treaty of peace between Prussia and Saxony was signed on October 21, 1866.

=Berme.= A narrow path round fortifications between the parapet and the ditch, to prevent the earth from falling in.

=Bermuda Hundred.= In Chesterfield Co., Va., on the right bank of the James River, just above the mouth of the Appomattox. Here on May 16, 1864, the Federal forces under Gen. Butler were attacked by the Confederates under Beauregard, and after several hours’ severe fighting Butler was compelled to fall back to his first line of intrenchments, with a loss of about 2500.

=Bermuda Islands=, or =Bermudas=. A group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, discovered by Juan Bermudez, a Spaniard, in 1527, but not inhabited until 1600, when Sir George Somers was cast away upon them. The Bermudas are garrisoned by British troops.

=Bernard, The Great St.= A famous mountain-pass of the Pennine Alps, so called from a monastery founded on it by Bernardine de Meuthon in 972. Velan, its highest peak, is about 8000 feet high, covered with perpetual snow. Hannibal, it is said, conducted the Carthaginians by this pass into Italy, 218 B.C.; and by the same route, in May, 1800, Bonaparte led his troops to Italy before the battle of Marengo, June 14, 1800.

=Berne.= The sovereign canton of Switzerland; joined the Swiss League in 1352; the town of Berne was made a free city by the emperor Frederick, May, 1218; it successfully resisted Rudolph of Hapsburg, 1288. It surrendered to the French under Gen. Brune, April 12, 1798; the town was made capital of Switzerland in 1848.

=Berry= (anc. _Biturigum regis_), Central France; held by the Romans since the conquest by Cæsar, 58-50 B.C., till it was subdued by the Visigoths; from whom it was taken by Clovis in 507.

=Bersaglieri.= The sharpshooters of the Sardinian army; first employed about 1848.

=Berserker.= A legendary Scandinavian hero of the 8th century, celebrated for his strength and valor. He fought without a coat of mail or helmet, whence his name. The name Berserkers was also applied to a class of warriors who, under the influence of a sort of demoniac possession, fought naked, performing marvelous feats of valor, unmindful or insusceptible of wounds.

=Berwick-on-Tweed.= A fortified town on the northeast extremity of England; the theatre of many bloody contests while England and Scotland were two kingdoms; it was claimed by the Scots because it stood on their side of the river; annexed to England in 1333; and after having been taken and retaken many times, was finally ceded to England in 1482; in 1651 it was made independent of both kingdoms; the town surrendered to Cromwell in 1648, and afterwards to Gen. Monk in 1659.

=Besançon.= A fortified city of France, capital of the department of Doubs; sacked by Attila; captured and ruined by the ancient Germans; rebuilt by the Burgundians; it was ceded to Spain by the peace of Westphalia; taken by Louis XIV. on May 15, 1670; united to France in 1678; in 1814 the Austrians besieged it without success.

=Besiege.= To lay siege to or invest any fortified place with armed forces.

=Besieged.= The garrison that defends the place against the army that lays siege to it.

=Besiegers.= The army that lays siege to a fortified place.

=Bessarabia.= A frontier province of European Russia, part of the ancient Dacia. After being possessed by the Goths, Huns, etc., it was conquered by the Turks in 1474, and ceded to Russia in 1812.

=Bessemer Steel.= See ORDNANCE, METALS FOR.

=Bessi.= A fierce and powerful Thracian people, who dwelt along the whole of Mount Hæmus as far as the Euxine. After the conquest of Macedonia by the Romans, 168 B.C., the Bessi were attacked by the latter, and subdued after a severe struggle.

=Bethoron.= A village of Palestine. Near here Judas Maccabæus gained advantages on two different occasions over the generals of Antiochus.

=Bethsur.= An ancient city of Palestine, now extinct. The Syrian general Lysias captured it, 163 B.C., after a severe combat in which Eleazar, a brother of Judas, perished.

=Béton.= French term for concrete. Much used in permanent fortifications. See CONCRETE.

=Béton Aggloméré.= A species of concrete invented by M. Coignet. Used in building arches, aqueducts, cellar walls, etc. It differs from ordinary béton, having much greater strength and hardness,--qualities derived from the ramming to which it is subjected.

=Betray.= To deliver perfidiously any place or body of troops into the hands of the enemy. To discover that which has been intrusted to secrecy.

=Betty.= A machine used for forcing open gates or doors. See PETARD.

=Bey.= See BEG.

=Beyroot=, or =Beyrout= (anc. _Berytus_). A seaport of Syria, colonized from Sidon; alternately possessed by the Christians and Saracens; and after many changes, fell into the power of Amurath IV., since when it remained with the Ottoman empire up to the revolt of Ibrahim Pasha in 1832. The total defeat of the Egyptian army by the allied British, Turkish, and Austrian forces, and evacuation of Beyroot (the Egyptians losing 7000 in killed, wounded, and prisoners, and 20 pieces of cannon), took place October 10, 1840. Sir C. Napier was the English admiral engaged. Beyroot suffered greatly in consequence of the massacres in Syria in May, 1860.

=Béziers.= A city of France, department of Hérault; sacked by the Vandals in the 5th century; by the Visigoths in the 5th, 6th, and 7th centuries; by the Saracens in 720; by Charles Martel in 737; in 1209, this city was taken by the Catholics under Simon de Montfort and Arnaud, abbé of Citeaux, and was the scene of a barbarous massacre of the Albigenses; 60,000 inhabitants were slain without consideration of sex or age (7000 were found dead in the church _de la Magdeleine_, where they sought refuge from their relentless slayers).

=Bhootan.= A country north of Lower Bengal. Invaded by the British in December, 1864, in consequence of injurious treatment of an envoy.

=Bhurtpoor= (India). Capital of Bhurtpoor, was besieged by the British, January 3, 1805, and attacked five times up to March 21, without success. The fortress was taken by Gen. Lake, after a desperate engagement with Holkar, the Mahratta chief, April 2, 1805; this led to a treaty on April 17. On the rajah’s death, during a revolt against his son, Bhurtpoor was taken by storm, by Lord Combermere, January 18, 1826.

=Biacolytes.= A military organization in the Grecian empire, whose duty was to prevent the committal of any excesses against life or property. Their service was analogous to that of the French gendarmes.

=Biagrasso=, or =Abbiategrasso=. A city on the Ticinella, in Lombardy; here, in 1524, the French were defeated by the Imperialists.

=Bibans=, or =Bibens=. “The Gates of Iron.” A dangerous defile of the Atlas Mountains, between Algiers and Constantine; it is traversed by a number of currents. The French, led by the Duke of Orleans and Marshal Valée, passed through it in 1839.

=Bibaux=, or =Petaux= (_Fr._). In ancient times, were soldiers who fought on foot, with cross-bow and lance.

=Biberach= (Würtemberg). Here Moreau twice defeated the Austrians,--under Latour, October 2, 1796, and under Kray, May 9, 1800.

=Bicker.= A word formerly used in the sense of to skirmish; to fight off and on; to make repeated attacks.

=Bicocca= (Northern Italy). Lautrec and the French were here defeated by Colonna and the Imperialists, April 29, 1522, and Francis thereby lost his conquests in Milan.

=Bicoque= (_Fr._). A term used in France to signify a place ill fortified and incapable of much defense. It is derived from a place on the road between Lodi and Milan, which was originally a gentleman’s country-house surrounded by ditches. In 1522, a body of Imperial troops were stationed in it, and stood the attack of the whole French army, during the reign of Francis I. This engagement was called the battle of Bicoque.

=Bicorneurs= (_Fr._). Name given to the militia of Valenciennes.

=Bidarkee.= A skin boat used by the Aleuts.

=Bidassoa.= A river of the Pyrenees, which forms one of the boundaries of France and Spain, the passage of which is memorable as completing the endeavors of Lord Wellington to drive the French, under Marshal Soult, out of the Peninsula into France. In 1808, Marshal Junot crossed the Bidassoa with the armies of France to invade the Peninsula, and in 1813, Lord Wellington crossed it, after driving the French out of Spain.

=Bidauts=, or =Bidaux= (_Fr._). An ancient French corps of infantry; according to some authorities they were armed with two javelins.

=Bien-Hoa.= A fortified seaport town of the French colony in Cochin China; it was taken from the Annamites by the French under Rear-Admiral Bonard, December 15, 1861.

=Bienne.= A town of Switzerland; it was captured and burned by the bishop of Basel in 1367.

=Biga.= A Roman term applied in ancient times to vehicles drawn by two horses abreast, and commonly to the Roman chariot used in processions or in the circus. In shape it resembled the Greek war-chariot,--a short body on two wheels, low, and open behind, where the charioteer entered, but higher and closed in front.

=Big Bethel.= A village of York Co., Va., near Back River, about 12 miles northwest of Fortress Monroe, on the road from Hampton to Yorktown, and about 3 miles beyond Little Bethel, on the same road. In June, 1861, the main body of the Confederate army, under Gen. Magruder, being in the vicinity of Yorktown, an outpost of considerable strength was established at Little Bethel, which Gen. Butler, who was in command at Fortress Monroe, determined to dislodge. Accordingly, on the night of June 9, two New York regiments were ordered to gain the rear of the enemy’s position, while a battalion of Vermont and Massachusetts troops and a New York regiment were to attack in front at break of day. Before daybreak, through some error, these forces approached and fired into each other, and thus betrayed their projected movements to the enemy, who retreated to Big Bethel, where there was another outpost, with works of some strength in process of erection. Gen. Pierce, who was in command of the Federal expedition, determined to carry these works. An attack was ordered, and after nearly three hours’ fighting, the Federals being exposed to a heavy fire, while the Confederates were almost entirely protected, Gen. Pierce determined to retreat, which he did in good order, the enemy falling back the same day to Yorktown. The number of Federal troops was between 3000 and 4000, while that of the enemy was nearly 1500. The Federal loss was about 60, that of the Confederates was small in comparison.

=Big Horn.= A navigable river of the United States, near Fremont’s Peak, in the Rocky Mountains. It has a northeast course of about 400 miles, being the longest affluent of the Yellowstone, which, again, is the largest affluent of the Missouri. A desperate battle was fought on the Little Big Horn, between the 7th U. S. Cavalry and the Sioux Indians, June 25, 1876.

=Bigles.= A military corps of Rome, whose particular duty was to furnish sentinels; the bread which these troops received was called _bigliaticum_.