Part 123
=Serre-demi File= (_Fr._). That rank in a battalion which determines the half of its depth, and which marches before the demi-file. Thus a battalion standing six deep, has its _serre-demi file_ in the third rank, which determines its depth.
=Serre-file= (_Fr._). The last rank of a battalion, by which its depth is ascertained, and which always forms its rear. When ranks are doubled, the battalion resumes its natural formation by means of the serre-files. _Serre-file_ literally signifies a “bringer up.”
=Servans d’Armes=, or =Chevaliers Servans= (_Fr._). Were persons belonging to the third class of the order of Malta. They were not noblemen, although they wore the sword and the cross.
=Servants.= In the British service, regimental and staff officers are allowed the indulgence of a steady and well-drilled soldier for a servant; and field-officers, keeping horses, two each. These soldiers are to take their share of any duty on which the officer to whom they are attached is employed, and they must fall in with their respective troops and companies at all reviews, inspections, and field-days. In the U. S. service, officers are not permitted to employ soldiers as servants.
=Serve.= To be in service; to do duty; to discharge the requirements of an office or employment; and, specifically, to act as a soldier, seaman, etc. _To serve a piece_, in the artillery, is to load and fire with promptitude and correctness. _To serve the vent_, to stop it with the thumb.
=Servia.= One of the Danubian principalities, nominally included in the Ottoman empire, but in reality only tributary to that power. It is bounded on the north by Austria, on the east by Wallachia and Bulgaria, on the south by Rumli and Bosnia, and on the west by Bosnia. In the earliest times of which we have any record, Servia was inhabited by Thracian or Illyrian races; shortly before Christ it was subjugated by the Romans, and formed part of the province of Illyricum, whose fortunes it shared during the vicissitudes of the empire. Overrun successively by the Huns, Ostrogoths, Longobards, etc., it reverted to the Byzantine rulers about the middle of the 6th century, but was wrested from them by the Avars in the 7th century, who in turn were routed by the Serbs, and compelled to give up the country. They were converted to Christianity in the 9th century, but this did not in the least abate their ardor for battle, and for nearly 200 years they were almost constantly at war with the neighboring Bulgarians,--the inveterate enemies of their Byzantine liege lord. In 1043, however, the royal governors were expelled, and they became an independent kingdom. For the next 100 years the Serbs had to fight hard to maintain their independence, and the struggle terminated in their favor; and in 1165, Stephen Nemanja founded a dynasty which lasted for two centuries, during which period the kingdom of Servia attained the acmé of its power and prosperity. Eventually the progress of the Turks, however, was fatal to its welfare, and in 1389 King Lazar fell in the disastrous battle at Kossovapolje. Sultan Bajazet divided the country between Lazar’s son and son-in-law, compelled them to pay tribute and follow him in war. Gradually the Serbs sunk more and more under the Turkish yoke, until, in 1459, Servia was thoroughly subjugated by the sultan Mahmoud. It was uniformly the theatre of the bloody wars between Hungary and Turkey, and frequently suffered the uttermost horrors of devastation. Prince Eugène’s brilliant successes for a moment flashed a ray of hope into the miserable hearts of the long-suffering Serbs, and by the treaty of Passarowitz (1718), a considerable portion of the country was made over to Austria; but in 1739 it reverted to Turkey, and for the next sixty years the cruelty and oppressions of the pashas and their Janissaries surpass all belief. At length the unhappy people could endure the tyranny of their foreign masters no longer, and in 1801 an insurrection broke out, headed by George Czerny, which, by the help of Russia, ended in the triumph of the patriots, and in the election of Czerny by the people as prince of Servia. The invasion of Russia by France, however, left the Serbs at the mercy of their late rulers and the war again broke out. Czerny was forced to flee, and the tyranny of the Turks became more ferocious than ever. Again the people flew to arms under the leadership of Milosch Obrenovitch, and were a second time successful in winning back their liberties. Milosch ruled as prince of Servia until 1839, when he was forced to abdicate; but in 1858 he was restored to his former dignity. In the war between Russia and Turkey in 1876, the Servians took the side of the former, but were not actively engaged.
=Service.= In a military sense is the art of serving the state in war. All studies, acts, and efforts of the profession of arms have this end in view. To belong to the army and to belong to the land service, are the same thing. In a more restricted sense, service is the performance of military duty. In its general sense, service embraces all details of the military art. But in its restricted sense, actual service is the exercise of military functions. _To see service_, is a common expression denoting actual collision with an enemy. _To retire from service_, to quit the army, or resign.
=Service, Foreign.= See FOREIGN SERVICE.
=Service, Home.= See HOME SERVICE.
=Service, Secret.= Any service performed by an individual in a clandestine secret manner. It likewise means intelligence or information, given by spies when countries are engaged in war, for which they receive pecuniary compensation.
=Serviceable.= Capable of performing all military duty, or of being used in the military service.
=Servile or Slave War.= See ROME.
=Session.= The actual sitting of a court, council, etc., or the actual assembly of the members of such a body for the transaction of business. Hence, also the time, period, or term during which a court, council, and the like, meet daily for business; or the space of time between the first meeting and prorogation or adjournment.
=Sestus.= A town in Thrace, situated at the narrowest part of the Hellespont, opposite Abydos in Asia, from which it was only seven stadia distant. It was always reckoned a place of importance in consequence of its commanding, to a great extent, the passage of the Hellespont. It was for some time in possession of the Persians, but was retaken by the Greeks, 478 B.C., after a long siege. It subsequently formed part of the Athenian empire.
=Set.= A word used in a military sense in various combinations; as, to set a sentinel, is to place a soldier at any particular spot for its security. To _set on_, is to attack. To _set at defiance_, is to defy, to dare to combat, etc. To _set up_, is to make a man fit for military movements and parade.
=Seteef=, or =Setif= (anc. _Sitipha_, or _Sitifi_). A town of Algeria, distinguished by the obstinate resistance it made against the Saracens, when Northern Africa was overrun by that fierce and warlike people. The old city is now in ruins.
=Setendy.= In the East Indies, the militia is so called.
=Setia.= An ancient town of Latium, in the east of the Pontine Marshes; originally belonged to the Volscian confederacy, but was subsequently taken by the Romans and colonized. It was here that the Romans kept the Carthaginian hostages.
=Setter.= In gunnery, a round stick, to drive fuzes, or any other compositions, into cases of paper.
=Sevastopol.= See SEBASTOPOL.
=Seven Weeks’ War.= The war declared by Prussia, on June 18, 1866, which ended in the total defeat of Austria and her allies. See PRUSSIA.
=Seven Years’ War.= This was the third, last, and by far the longest and most terrible of the contests for the possession of Silesia. This long and desperate war was maintained by Frederick II. of Prussia against Austria, Russia, and France, from 1756 to 1763. It made no change in the territorial distribution of Europe, but it increased tenfold the moral power of Prussia, and gave its army a prestige it retained till the battle of Jena. It cost Europe 1,000,000 lives, and prostrated the strength of almost all the powers who had engaged in it.
=Seville=, or =Sevilla= (anc. _Hispalis_, or _Hispal_). A famous city of Spain, capital of the province of the same name, on the left bank of the Guadalquiver, 60 miles north-northeast of Cadiz. It was captured by Julius Cæsar, 45 B.C. It surrendered to the Moors at once, after the defeat of Don Roderick on the Guadalete, and it continued its allegiance to the caliph of Damascus until 756; it surrendered to Ferdinand III. of Castile on November 23, 1248, when 300,000 Moors left for Granada and Africa. In 1810 it was taken and ravaged by Soult. It was taken by assault by the British and Spaniards, August 27, 1812. It capitulated to Espartero in 1843. The peace of Seville between England, France, and Spain, and also a defensive alliance to which Holland acceded, was signed November 9, 1729.
=Sevir.= A captain of cavalry among the Romans was so called.
=Sextant.= An instrument of reflection for measuring angular distances between objects. It is constructed on the same optical principle as Hadley’s quadrant, but usually of metal, with a nicer graduation, telescopic sight, and its arc the sixth, and sometimes the third part of a circle.
=Seymeny-bassy.= Appellation given to the lieutenant-general of Janissaries in the Turkish service.
=Shabrack=, or =Shabraque.= A Hungarian term, generally used among cavalry officers, to signify the cloth furniture of a troop-horse.
=Shaft.= A body of a long, cylindrical shape; a stem, stalk, trunk, or the like. Hence, the stem of an arrow, upon which the feather and head are inserted; hence, an arrow; a missile weapon. Also, the handle of a weapon; as, the shaft of a spear. It likewise means a perpendicular excavation into the earth for the purpose of mining.
=Shafted.= In heraldry, borne on a shaft;--applied to a spear-head.
=Shaftesbury.= A town of England, in Dorsetshire, 95 miles southwest of London. It was destroyed by the Danes both before and after 888, but each time it was afterwards restored.
=Shag-bush.= An old term for a hand-gun.
=Shahporee=, or =Shapuree.= An island of British Burmah, lying off the coast of Aracan. The capture of this island by the Burmese led to the first British war with that nation, in 1824.
=Sham.= False; counterfeit; pretended; as, a sham fight.
=Shamaka=, =Shamachi=, or =Shemakha=. A town of Russia in Asia, Transcaucasia, 207 miles east-southeast from Tiflis. It was taken and sacked by Nadir Shah in 1734.
=Shambrie.= In the manège, is a long thong of leather, made fast to the end of a cane or stick, for the purpose of animating a horse, or of punishing him if he refuses to obey the rider.
=Shang-hae=, or =Shanghai=. A seaport city of China, in the province of Kiangsu, on the river Woo-sung, one of the five ports opened for European commerce. It was captured by the British, June 19, 1842, by the Taeping rebels, September, 1853; retaken by the imperialists, 1855. The rebels were defeated near here by the English and French, allies of the emperor, March 1, 1862.
=Sharp.= Fierce; ardent; fiery; violent; impetuous. “In sharp contest of battle.”
=Sharps Rifle.= One of the oldest of successful breech-loading rifles. The chamber of this piece is fixed, and the barrel closed by a vertical sliding breech-piece, which moves nearly at right angles to the axis of the piece. The fire-arm is loaded by depressing the lever, or trigger-guard, which withdraws the slide and opens the breech for the insertion of the cartridge. Originally a paper cartridge was used, the rear end of which was broken open by the breech-piece in closing; this was superseded by a linen cloth cylinder to contain the powder, one end of which overlaps and is gummed to the base of the bullet; the other is closed with a layer of thin bank-note paper. The flame of the percussion-cap penetrates through this paper and ignites the powder. The linen case is carried out with the bullet and drops to the ground a short distance in front of the piece. A metallic cartridge is now used.
=Sharpsburg.= See ANTIETAM CREEK.
=Sharpshooters.= An old term applied in the army to riflemen.
=Sharp-shooting.= A shooting with great precision and effect.
=Shawnees.= A tribe of American Indians, which were first known on the banks of Fox River, Wisconsin, in 1648. They were a warlike tribe, and waged war with the Iroquois. The Shawnees eventually became a scattered race, and dispersed to several parts of the country; we find a part of them afterwards taking part with the French in their wars in America; joined in Pontiac’s conspiracy, but were subdued by Col. Boquet. They took a prominent part in the Western wars, especially against the expeditions of Harmer, Wayne, etc.; but made peace at Greenville in 1795. They afterwards effected an alliance with some tribes of Northwestern Indians, and under their celebrated leader Tecumseh gave battle to the whites under Gen. Harrison, at Tippecanoe, but were defeated. Tecumseh, with a band of Shawnees, proceeded to Canada at the outbreak of the war of 1812, and made an alliance with the English, who gave him a brigadier-general’s commission; he was killed while leading the right wing at the battle of the Thames in 1813. Since then the Shawnees have again reunited and are now upon reservations in Indian Territory, and numbered in 1870 about 800.
=Sheaf.= A bundle of arrows.
=Sheathe.= To put into a sheath, case, or scabbard; to inclose or cover with a sheath or case. _To sheathe the sword_, to put an end to war or enmity; to make peace.
=Sheeting.= The term sheeting is applied to the coarse hempen cloth used for making tarpaulins.
=Sheffield.= A large town of England in the West Riding of Yorkshire, at the confluence of the Sheaf and Don, 43 miles southwest from York. During the civil wars in the time of Charles I., the castle sustained a long siege for the king, but scarcely a vestige of it can now be discerned.
=Shell.= To throw shells or bombs upon; to bombard; as, to shell a town.
=Shell Extractor.= An instrument for extracting headless cartridge-cases from breech-loading small-arms.
=Shell-hooks.= See IMPLEMENTS.
=Shelling.= The act of bombarding a fort, town, or position.
=Shell-jacket.= An undress military jacket.
=Shell-plug Screw.= See IMPLEMENTS.
=Shell-proof.= Capable of resisting bomb-shells.
=Shells.= Hollow projectiles; also, the cases of metallic cartridges for use in small-arms. See PROJECTILES.
=Shelter.= In a military sense, that which protects the troops in the field. There are various means resorted to for this purpose. A common arrangement is as follows: A cross-bar is supported by two uprights; against this cross-bar a number of poles are made to lean; on the back of the poles abundance of fir branches are laid horizontally; and lastly, on the back of the fir branches is another set of leaning poles, in order to make all secure by their weight. A cloth of any kind is made use of to give shelter by an arrangement of this kind. The corners of the cloth should be secured by a simple hitch in the rope, and not by a knot. The former is sufficient for all purposes of security, but the latter will jam, and you may have to injure both cloth and string to get it loose again. It is convenient to pin a skewer in the middle of the sides of the cloth, round the ropes.
_Shelter-tents_ affording an excellent protection for 6 soldiers may be made as follows: Three tent-sticks are fixed into the ground, whose tops are notched; a light cord is then passed round their tops, and fastened into the ground with a peg at each end. Two sheets are then buttoned together and thrown over the cord, then two others, which are buttoned to the previous ones. Lastly, another sheet is thrown over each of the slanting cords, and buttoned to the others. The sides of the tent are, of course, pegged to the ground. There are many modifications in the way of pitching these tents. For want of sticks muskets can be used.
_Huts_ are also frequently used as a means of protection by troops, as there is scarcely any place which does not furnish materials for their construction.
_Walls._--Those principally in use are as follows: Skins, canvas, felt, tarpaulin, bark, reed mats, reed walls, straw walls, wattle-and-dab, log huts, fascines or fagots, boards, etc., fastened by malay-hitch, brick, sunburnt or baked, turf, stones, gabions, bags or mats filled with sand or shingle, snow huts, underground huts, tents over holes in earth.
_Roofs._--Many of the above list would be perfectly suitable for roofs; in addition may be mentioned slating with flat stones, thatch, sea-weed, and wood shingles.
_Straw walls_ of the following kind are very effective, and they have the advantage of requiring a minimum of string (or substitute for string) in their manufacture. The straw or herbage of almost any description is simply nipped between two pairs of long sticks, which are respectively tied together at the two ends, and at a sufficient number of intermediate places. The whole is neatly squared and trimmed. A few of these would help in finishing the roof or walls of a house. They can be made movable so as to suit the wind, shade, and aspect. Even the hut door can be made on this principle.
_Malay hitch_ is the name given to a wonderfully simple way of attaching together wisps of straw, rods, laths, reeds, planks, poles, or anything of the kind into a secure and flexible mat; the sails used in the far East are made in this way, and the movable decks are made of bamboos joined together with a similar but rather more complicated stitch.
=Shenandoah.= A river of Virginia, United States, the largest tributary to the Potomac, drains the beautiful and fertile valley between the Blue Ridge and the principal range of the Alleghanies. In the war of 1861-65, this valley was the scene of numerous conflicts, was successively occupied by the opposing armies, and finally laid waste by Gen. Sheridan in the autumn of 1864.
=Shield.= A piece of defensive armor, borne on the left arm, to ward off the strokes of the sword and of missiles. It has been constantly used from ancient times, through the Middle Ages, till the invention of fire-arms. The large shield worn by the Greeks and Romans (_clipeus_) was circular, and often ornamented with devices. Another form of shield (_scutum_) was used by the Roman heavy-armed infantry, square, but bent to encircle the body. The early shield or knightly escutcheon of the Middle Ages was circular in outline, and convex, with a boss in the centre; the body generally of wood, and the rim of metal. There were many other kinds of shields, made of leather, wood, basket-work, etc., employed up to the introduction of fire-arms, when they became practically useless, although some savage nations employ shields at the present time.
=Shield.= To cover, as with a shield; to cover from danger; to defend; to protect; to secure from assault or injury.
=Shift.= In a military sense, to change place or station. Hence, to shift quarters.
=Shiloh.= A locality in Tennessee, a few miles from Pittsburg Landing, situated on the Tennessee River. Here on April 6-7, 1862, a great battle was fought between the Union troops under Grant and the Confederate army under Albert Sydney Johnston and Beauregard. The Confederates began the attack, taking the Union forces by surprise, who, after a brave resistance during the first day, were compelled to retire before the victorious Confederates, who, however, lost their gallant chief, Gen. Johnston. The Federals having been reinforced during the night, commenced the attack on the 7th, along the whole of the rebel line, which was resisted gallantly, and the field was stubbornly contested until about 4 o’clock in the afternoon, when the Union army regained their lines of the day before, and drove the enemy off the field. The Confederates retreated to Corinth. The loss of the Confederates was 1735 killed, about 8000 wounded, and 960 missing. Grant’s loss was estimated at something under this number.
=Shirvan=, or =Shirwan=. A province of Russia in Asia, in the country of the Caucasus. Shirvan formed until the 6th century a part of the monarchy of Armenia; but was afterwards conquered by the Persians, and made a part of that empire under Khosroo Nooshirvan, who called this country after his name. The rulers of Shirvan carried on many wars with Persia, over which country they repeatedly gained great advantages. Finally, in the end of the 15th century, it was completely brought under Persian sway. The Russians gradually invaded the country, and it was ceded to them in 1812.
=Sholapore.= Capital of the collectorate of the same name, in British India, in the Presidency of Bombay. It is strongly fortified, and was taken by escalade by a British force under Gen. Pritzter.
=Shoomla.= See SCHUMLA.
=Shoot.= To let fly or cause to be driven with force, as an arrow or bullet;--followed by a word denoting the missile, as an object. Also, to discharge, causing a missile to be driven forth;--said of the weapon or instrument, as an object; as, to shoot a gun and the like.
=Shooter.= One who shoots; an archer; a gunner; a shot. Also, that which shoots; as, a five-shooter.
=Shooting-iron.= A fire-arm is sometimes so called.
=Shoshones=, or =Snakes=. A tribe of North American Indians inhabiting the country between the Sierra Nevada and the Rocky Mountains, and from Idaho southward into Utah. They have generally been peaceable; but they collided with the whites on several occasions, which resulted disastrously for them, several of their bands being almost annihilated. Treaties were formed with them on several occasions between 1863 and 1868, and attempts have been made to place them upon reservations. All the property of a dead Shoshone is buried with him, and formerly his favorite wife and horse were killed over the corpse. In 1870 they numbered about 4000 souls.
=Shot.= See PROJECTILE.
=Shot.= The act of shooting; discharge of a missile weapon. Also, the flight of a missile weapon, or the distance which it passes from the engine; as, a cannon-shot; a musket-shot, etc. Also, a marksman; one who practices shooting; as, an excellent shot.
=Shot.= To load with shot over a cartridge; as, to shot the guns.
=Shot, Canister-.= See CANISTER-SHOT.
=Shot, Case-.= See CASE-SHOT.
=Shot, Chain-.= See CHAIN-SHOT.
=Shot, Grape-.= See GRAPE-SHOT.
=Shot-belt.= A belt having a pouch for carrying shot.
=Shot-gauge.= An instrument for measuring the diameter of round-shot.
=Shot-tower.= A lofty tower for making shot, by dropping from its summit melted lead, which cools in the descent, and is received into water or other liquid.
=Shoulder.= The upper part of a blade of a sword. Also, the salient angle of the flank of a bastion. _To shoulder_, to lay on the shoulder, or to rest anything against it. Hence, to shoulder arms, a word of command in the manual exercise.
=Shoulder-belt.= See BELTS.
=Shoulder-knot.= An ornamental knot of gold cord on cloth of the same color as the facings of the arm to which the officer belongs, with insignia of rank and number of regiment embroidered on the cloth ground. They are worn on the shoulder by commissioned officers of the army, and are sometimes embroidered. A kind of epaulette.
=Shoulder-strap.= A narrow strap, 1³⁄₈ inches wide by 4 inches long, bordered with an embroidery of gold ¹⁄₄ inch wide. It is worn on the shoulder of a commissioned officer in the army, indicating by a suitable device the rank he holds in the service. See RANK, INSIGNIA OF.
=Shrapnel.= See PROJECTILE, SMOOTH-BORE PROJECTILES.