Part 149
=Waterford.= A maritime county of the province of Munster, in Ireland. In the time of Ptolemy, it was inhabited by the tribe of the Brigantes. It was afterwards peopled by the Desii, who are supposed to have migrated from a tribe of the same name in Meath; and having spread themselves also over the plain country of Tipperary; those settled in Waterford were distinguished by the name of South Desii, and the others by that of North Desii. Here the Danes established a permanent settlement in the 9th century, making the city of Waterford their chief seat of government; and though frequently involved in wars with the surrounding natives, they retained possession of the city and district until their subjugation by the English, who, in 1170, under Strongbow, stormed Waterford, took their chieftain or prince prisoner, and brought the whole of the Desiis into the possession of the English. Shortly after, Henry II. granted the greater part of the county to Robert le Poer, and the remainder, with that of Cork, then a petty kingdom, to Milo de Cogan, two of his followers. King John landed at Waterford in 1211, and personally visited many parts of the country. The next king of England who visited Ireland, Richard II., landed at Waterford in 1394, with an army of 4000 men-at-arms, and 30,000 archers. The county suffered severely in the reign of Elizabeth, through the rebellion of the Earl of Desmond, and the Spanish invasion; and also in the wars of 1641, during the first years of which, its possession was the subject of continued sanguinary contention between the English and Irish forces, until it was ultimately reduced under the authority of the English Parliament by Cromwell. During the war of the Revolution, it took part with King James, and was reduced by King William’s forces, under Gen. Kirk, after the decisive battle of the Boyne.
=Watering-bucket.= See IMPLEMENTS.
=Watering-call.= A trumpet sounding, on which the cavalry assemble to water their horses.
=Waterloo.= A village of Belgium, province of South Brabant, on the highway from Charleroi to Brussels; which was the scene of the greatest and most decisive battle of modern times. This battle was fought on June 18, 1815, between the French army of 71,947 men and 246 guns, under Napoleon, and the allies, commanded by the Duke of Wellington; the latter with 67,661 men and 156 guns, resisted the various attacks of the enemy from 10 o’clock in the morning until 5 o’clock in the afternoon. About that time 16,000 Prussians reached the field of battle; and by 7 o’clock, the force under Blücher amounted to above 50,000 men, with 104 guns. Wellington then moved forward his whole army, and in every point this attack succeeded. The French were forced from their positions, and fled in the utmost confusion, leaving 227 pieces of artillery in the hands of the victors. The pursuit was kept up with great energy throughout the whole night by the Prussian troopers, who seemed bent upon at once avenging the defeats of Jena, Auerstadt, and Ligny, and glutted their fierce animosity by an indiscriminate slaughter. The total loss in this battle was, from the obstinacy and determination with which it was contested, necessarily large; the figures are: British and Hanoverians, 11,678; Brunswickers, 687; Nassauers, 643; Netherlanders, 3178; a total of 16,186; which added to 6999 Prussians, gives the aggregate allied loss, 23,185. The French had 18,500 killed and wounded, and 7800 prisoners (some French accounts raise the total list of _hors de combat_ to 32,000). Napoleon, quitting the wreck of his flying army, returned to Paris; and, finding it impossible to raise another, abdicated the throne of France.
=Wattignies.= A village of France, department of Nord, where Jourdan and the French republicans defeated the Austrians under the Prince of Coburg, and raised the siege of Maubeuge, October 14-16, 1793.
=Waver.= A body of troops is said to waver when it becomes unsteady if at the halt, or to hesitate and lose its order if on the march, under the fire of the enemy.
=Wavre.= A town in the province of South Brabant, Belgium. It is known as the scene of a desperate and protracted conflict between the French and Prussians, on June 18-19, 1815. The former under Grouchy, Gérard, and Vandamme, advanced against the Prussians at the same time as Napoleon directed the troops under his immediate orders against Wellington at Waterloo, and being much superior in number (32,000 to 15,200), drove the Prussians under Thielman into Wavre, where they defended themselves with desperate firmness, repulsing thirteen different assaults in the course of the 18th. On the following morning, Thielman, who had heard of the victory at Waterloo, attacked Grouchy, but was repulsed with vigor, though the urgent orders of Napoleon forced the latter to retreat to Laon, instead of following up his success.
=Wawz=, or =Wawer= (Poland). The Poles under Skrzynecki attacked the Russians at Wawz, and after two days’ hard fighting, all the Russian positions were carried by storm, and they retreated with the loss of 12,000 men and 2000 prisoners, March 31, 1831. The loss of the Poles was small, but their triumph was soon followed by defeat and ruin.
=Way, Covert.= See COVERT WAY.
=Way of the Rounds.= In fortification, a space left for the passage of the rounds between the rampart and the wall of a fortified town.
=Waywode.= A Slavic word meaning “leader in war,” was first applied simply to the military commanders, but afterward also to the governors of the provinces, and used in Poland, Hungary, Transylvania, Moldavia, and Wallachia. It has been superseded by another title, also of Slavic origin,--_hospodar_.
=Weapon.= An instrument of offensive or defensive combat; something to fight with; anything used, or designed to be used, in destroying or annoying an enemy.
=Weaponed.= Furnished with weapons or arms; armed; equipped.
=Weaponless.= Having no weapons; unarmed.
=Wear and Tear.= Said of military stores which have been worn out in service; as, the equipments were rendered useless by the wear and tear of service.
=Wednesfield.= A parish of England, in Staffordshire. Edward the Elder gained a victory over the Danes near this place in the beginning of the 10th century.
=Well.= A depth which the miner sinks under ground, with branches or galleries running out from it, either to prepare a mine, or to discover the enemy’s mine.
=Well Found.= Fully equipped.
=Werder Rifle.= See SMALL-ARMS.
=Werndl Rifle.= See SMALL-ARMS.
=Westmorland=, or =Westmoreland=. One of the lake counties of England, bounded by Cumberland on the northwest and north, by Durham and Yorkshire on the east, and by Lancashire on the south and west. Its earliest inhabitants, as far as any traces remain, were principally, though not exclusively, Celts of the Cambrian division. Early in the 2d century this part of England was overrun by the Romans, who established their power by means of numerous forts and well-constructed roads. From the withdrawal of the Romans to the coming in of the Angles and the Danes the history of Westmorland is a complete blank. The invasion of the former people, who appear to have penetrated along the lines of the Roman roads, probably commenced about the close of the 7th century, and soon after the Northmen, when driven from the other parts of England, took refuge in this country. Westmorland, with other northern counties, was either held or claimed during some centuries by Scotland, and thus continued for a long time a cause of contention between the two countries; but in 1237 the king of Scotland was induced to give up his claim to it. From this time to the period of the civil war of the reign of Charles I. Westmorland enjoyed comparative tranquillity. In 1648, Sir Marmaduke Langdale raised a force of upwards of 4000 men, chiefly in Cumberland and Westmorland. They were joined by the Scots, who remained in the latter county until they were compelled to remove out of it for want of provisions; and during their stay, and until the final retreat of the royalists, this district was reduced to extreme distress. In 1715 the adherents of the Stuart family passed through Westmorland on their way to Preston. And again in 1745, Prince Charles, with his Highland followers, marched through the county in his invasion of England. During the retreat of this ill-fated expedition, in December of the same year, the rear of the Highlanders was overtaken by the Duke of Cumberland’s horse on Clifton Moor, when a sharp skirmish ensued, which checked the advance of the English for the moment, and hastened the retreat of the rebels.
=Westphalia=, or =Munster, Peace of=. Was signed at Munster and at Osnaburg, between France, the emperor, and Sweden; Spain continuing the war against France. By this peace the principle of a balance of power in Europe was first recognized; Alsace given to France, and part of Pomerania and some other districts to Sweden; the elector palatine restored to the Lower Palatinate; the religious and political rights of the German states established; and the independence of the Swiss Confederation recognized by Germany, October 24, 1648.
=West Point.= Site of the United States Military Academy, and of a fortress erected during the war of Independence, on the right bank of the Hudson River, 52 miles north of the city of New York. The Military Academy is on a plain 160 to 180 feet above the river, surrounded by the bold scenery of one of the finest river-passes in the world. The forts and a river-chain were taken by the British in 1777, but abandoned after Burgoyne’s surrender, and stronger forts were built, which Gen. Arnold bargained to betray,--a plot foiled by the arrest of Maj. André. For history of the Military Academy at West Point, see MILITARY ACADEMIES.
=West Virginia.= See VIRGINIA, WEST.
=Wexford.= A maritime county of the province of Leinster, Ireland. The maritime position of Wexford laid it open early to the incursions of the Danes, to whom the name Wexford, or Weisford, is traced by antiquaries. It was the first landing-place of the English in the invasion, and formed part of the tract granted by MacMurrough to the English adventurers whose assistance he had invoked. During the civil wars which followed 1641, Wexford was the scene of frequent contests; and in the more recent insurrection of 1798, it formed the theatre of the only formidable conflicts of the peasantry with the regular troops.
=Wheel.= See ORDNANCE, CARRIAGES FOR, THE CAISSON.
=Wheel, To.= In tactics, to move forward or backward in a circular manner, round some given point. Wheeling is one of the most essential and important operations of the company, necessary in many changes of position, and in the formation of column and of the line.
=Wheelings.= Different circular motions made by horse and foot, either to the right or left, forward and backward, etc.
=Wheel-lock.= A sort of lock anciently used on arquebuses. It consisted of a roughened steel wheel, with chain and spring, which, when wound up like a watch, revolved rapidly, and struck fire against a flint held in the cock.
=Whinyard.= A sword, or hanger, so called by Butler in his “Hudibras.”
=Whipping.= See FLOGGING.
=White Eagle, Order of the.= An order of knighthood in Poland, instituted by Vladislaus V. in 1325; revived by Frederick Augustus I. in 1705.
=White Feather.= A mark of cowardice. _To show the white feather_, to give indications of cowardice.
=White Gunpowder.= See GUNPOWDER.
=White Plains.= A village of Westchester Co., N. Y., 25 miles north-northeast of New York. A noted battle of the Revolution was fought in the vicinity, October 28, 1776, between the Americans and the British, in which the former were worsted.
=Whiteboys.= A body of ruffians in Ireland, so called on account of their wearing linen frocks over their coats. They committed dreadful outrages in 1761, but were suppressed by a military force, and their ringleaders executed in 1762. They rose into insurrection again and were suppressed 1786-87. Whiteboys have appeared at various times since, committing the most frightful crimes. The insurrection act was passed on their account in 1822.
=Whitworth Gun.= See ORDNANCE, CONSTRUCTION OF.
=Whiz.= To make a humming or hissing sound, like an arrow or ball flying through the air.
=Who Comes There?= The night challenge of a sentinel on post.
=Whoop.= A shout; a loud noise which soldiers make in charging. It is a natural though a barbarous habit, and has been preserved in civilized armies from a prevailing custom among savages, particularly the wild Indians of America.
=Wicket.= A small door in the gate of a fortified place, affording a free passage to the people without opening the great gate.
=Wicklow.= A maritime county in the province of Leinster, in Ireland. According to Ptolemy the geographer, the northern part of the county was the residence of the tribe of the Cauci, and the southern that of the Menapii. It was afterwards occupied by the Irish septs of the Byrnes and O’Tooles, who, though the district was claimed by the English after their settlement, maintained their independence, and carried on an almost continual war against the new settlers until the end of the reign of Elizabeth. The inhabitants adhered to the royal cause during the war of 1641, until the arrival of Cromwell, to whose superior force they submitted without opposition. No other occurrences of historical importance took place until 1798, when several bands of insurgents sought refuge in the mountain fastnesses after the dispersion of their main body in Wexford, and continued to harass the neighboring counties until tranquillity was restored, partly by making terms with the leaders, and partly by establishing military posts in the interior of the country.
=Widdin=, or =Widin=. A fortified town of European Turkey. It is surrounded on the land side by morasses, and is defended by a strong citadel, by walls, and by a fortified island in the Danube. For centuries it has been a strong post in all the contests between the Turks and their northern neighbors, and it is called by the Turks the Virgin Fort, from its never having been taken.
=Wield.= To use with full command or power, as a thing not heavy for the holder; to manage; to handle; as, to wield a sword.
=Wiesbaden.= A town of Prussia, formerly capital of the independent duchy of Nassau. The Romans built a station here, and erected a fort on a hill on the northwest side of the town, still known as the Römerberg, and which was garrisoned by the 22d Roman legion. The _Mattiaci_, a subdivision of the German tribe called the _Catti_, allied themselves with the Romans; but in the 3d century, the barbarian Germans rose against the Romans, and destroyed their forts, including Wiesbaden.
=Wigan.= A town of England, in Lancashire, situated near the small river Douglas. In the civil war the king’s troops, commanded by the Earl of Derby, were defeated and driven out of the town in 1643 by the Parliamentary forces under Sir John Smeaton. The earl was again defeated by Ashton, who razed the fortifications of Wigan to the ground in the same year; and once more by a greatly superior force commanded by Col. Lilburne, 1651.
=Wight, Isle of= (anc. _Vecta_, or _Vectis_). An island in the English Channel, lying off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It was originally peopled by the Celts, who were afterwards expelled or subdued by the Belgæ and these, in their turn, were compelled to submit, in 43, to the Roman legions under Vespasian. The Saxon kings of Wessex conquered it about 530, after a sanguinary action at Wiht-garasbyrig, supposed to be the modern Carisbrooke. In 661, it was subdued by Wulfhere, son of Penda, king of Mercia. The Danes invaded the Wight in 787, 897, 981, 998, and again in 1003, when they destroyed the town of Waltham, supposed to be identical with the modern Werror. The French landed on the island, but were repulsed in 1340. In 1377, the French burnt the towns of Yarmouth, Newtown, and Newport, but were defeated in an attack which they hazarded upon Carisbrooke Castle. In 1545, the French forces, which had assembled under Claude d’Annebault, and fought an indecisive action with Lord Lisle at Spithead, threw themselves upon the island in four detachments at Sea View, Bembridge, Shanklin, and Bonchurch, but were repulsed with signal loss.
=Wigwam= (sometimes written _weekwam_). An Indian cabin or hut. The wigwam, or Indian house, of a circular or oval shape, was made of bark or mats laid over a framework of branches of trees stuck in the ground in such a manner as to converge at the top, where was a central aperture for the escape of smoke from the fire beneath. The better sort had also a lining of mats. For entrance and egress two low openings were left on opposite sides, one or the other of which was closed with bark or mats, according to the direction of the wind.
=Wilderness, Battles of the.= Were fought between the Federal and Confederate armies in Virginia, in May, 1864. They consisted of a series of sanguinary battles, having for their object the capture of Richmond. The plan of Gen. Grant, commander-in-chief of the Union forces, was to follow a line nearly corresponding to the route of the Fredericksburg and Richmond Railroad, making his base at Acquia Creek. For this purpose he moved down the right of the position of Gen. Lee, who commanded the Confederate army, and was prepared either to accept a battle from him on the Rapidan, or to continue his march to Spottsylvania Court-house. Gen. Lee would not consent to be outflanked, and thereby endanger his railroad communication with Richmond. He therefore prepared to resist the progress of Grant, and commenced a rapid movement of his forces parallel with the course of the river. Gen. Hill’s and Ewell’s forces arrived in front of Gen. Grant’s forces on Thursday, May 5, 1864.
Early on the morning of the 5th, Grant’s command began to move. The 5th Corps (Warren’s) advanced from its position near Wilderness Tavern, along the roads leading to Orange Court-house, 5 miles to Parker’s store. This point is in Spottsylvania County, about 8 miles above Chancellorsville. The whole face of the country in that neighborhood is thickly covered with an undergrowth of field-pines, cedars, and scrub-oaks, and therefore utterly unfit for the use of cavalry or artillery. The 6th Corps (Sedgwick’s) was to follow, and the 2d Corps (Hancock’s) was to stretch southwesterly from Chancellorsville toward Shady Grove Church. Sheridan covered the extreme left, with the object of finding the enemy’s cavalry under Stuart. This line extended nearly 5 miles, with the centre thrown forward, when the action commenced. The 5th Corps and the advance of the enemy under Ewell met, when a fierce encounter ensued, the Federals losing about 1000 men. At different periods during the afternoon other portions of the opposing armies came in contact, and the contest became exceedingly bloody. Such was the nature of the undergrowth that there was little opportunity to use artillery. The fire of the enemy’s musketry was furious, and continued until late in the night, but the Federal line was substantially as it had been when the battle commenced; both armies were still face to face, ready to attack at dawn on the morrow.
The battle of the Wilderness was renewed on May 6, and consisted of a succession of fierce attacks made by each side. Both had more or less intrenched their positions by felling timber and covering it with earth, or slight earthworks. The interval of ground between the opposing lines was fought over in some places as many as four or five times, the combatants driving each other in turn from the opposite lines of rifle-pits, and the battle continued with unabated fury until darkness set in, each army holding substantially the same position that they had on the evening of the 5th. After dark, the enemy made a feeble attempt to turn our right flank, but the promptness of Gen. Sedgwick, who was personally present and commanding that part of the line, frustrated their object. During these two days, the total loss was estimated at 15,000. On the morning of the 7th, reconnoissances showed that the enemy had fallen behind his intrenched lines, with pickets to the front, covering a part of the battle-field. Gen. Grant determined to move by his right flank, and put his whole force between Lee’s forces and Richmond.
On the night of the 7th the march was commenced toward Spottsylvania Courthouse, the 5th Corps moving on the most direct road. But Lee having been apprised of the movement, and having the shorter line, was enabled to reach there first, and the battles of Spottsylvania followed, which are given below.
On the 8th, Gen. Warren met a force of the enemy, which had been sent out to oppose and delay his advance, to gain time to fortify the line taken up at Spottsylvania. This force was steadily driven back on the main force, within the recently-constructed works, after considerable fighting, resulting in severe loss to both sides. On the morning of the 9th Gen. Sheridan started on a raid against the enemy’s lines of communication with Richmond.
The 9th, 10th, and 11th were spent in manœuvring and fighting without decisive results. Among the killed on the 9th was that able and distinguished soldier, Gen. Sedgwick, commander of the 6th Corps, of which Gen. H. G. Wright succeeded to the command. Early on the morning of the 12th a general attack was made on the enemy in position. The 2d Corps (Hancock’s) carried a salient of his line, capturing most of Johnston’s division of Ewell’s corps and 20 pieces of artillery. But the resistance was so obstinate that the advantage gained did not prove decisive.
From the 13th to the 18th was consumed in manœuvring and awaiting the arrival of recruits from Washington. Deeming it impracticable to make any further attack upon the enemy at Spottsylvania Courthouse, orders were issued on the 18th with a view to a movement to the North Anna, to commence on the 19th, but owing to an attack of the Confederates the movement was delayed until the night of the 21st. The enemy again having the short line, and being in possession of the main roads, was enabled to reach North Anna in advance of the Federals, and took position behind it, where the battles were again renewed.
_Battles of North Anna._--The 5th Corps reached the North Anna on the afternoon of the 23d, closely followed by the 6th Corps; the 2d and 9th got up about the same time. Gen. Warren effected a crossing the same afternoon and got into position. Soon after getting into position he was violently attacked, but repulsed the enemy with great slaughter. Hancock also effected a crossing after some fighting. The 6th Corps crossed on the 24th and took up a position. The attempt of the Federals on the Confederate centre was repulsed, and finding the enemy’s position on the North Anna stronger than either of his previous ones, Gen. Grant withdrew on the night of the 26th to the north bank, and moved to turn the enemy’s position by his right. The battle of Cold Harbor (which see) was the next serious engagement. The loss of the Federals, not including Burnside’s corps, from May 5 to 31 was about 41,400. The Confederate loss is not known.
=Williamsburg.= A city, capital of James City Co., Va., 60 miles east of Richmond, and 68 miles northwest of Norfolk. It is situated on a level plain between James and York Rivers, 6 miles from each. It was first settled in 1632, is the oldest incorporated town in the State, and was the colonial and State capital till 1779. A battle was fought here between Gen. McClellan and the Confederates on May 5, 1862, which resulted in victory to the former.