Part 150

=Wilmington.= A city and port of North Carolina, in New Hanover County, and situated on the Cape Fear River. It was captured by the Union forces in February, 1865, Fort Fisher, its principal defense, having been taken by storm on the 15th of the month preceding.

=Wiltshire=, or =Wiltonshire=. An inland county of England. When Cæsar invaded England, Wiltshire was occupied by the Belgæ; and the Wansdyke is pointed to as a portion of the defenses which they constructed. It was afterwards included in the province of Britannia Prima, and important Roman stations were established, of which the chief was placed at Sorbiodunum (Old Sarum). The Saxons under Cedric were defeated by Arthur and his famous knights, but conquered the country when led by Cynric, and annexed it to the kingdom of Wessex. It became the battle-field between Saxon and Dane for many long years of warfare. A great council was held at Sarum in 1086, by William the Conqueror, which firmly fixed upon the conquered land the feudal system of the Normans. During the civil war, many important engagements took place in various parts of the county, and especially at Devizes and Malmesbury, between Roundheads and Cavaliers.

=Winch.= An axle turned by a crank-handle for raising weights, as from mines and the like; a windlass.

=Winchelsea.= A town of England, in Sussex, 37 miles northeast from Brighton. It is a place of great antiquity, and was twice pillaged, first by the French and again by the Spaniards, who landed near Farley Head.

=Winchester= (Rom. _Venta Belgarum_). A town of England, capital of Hampshire. It is a very ancient town, whose erection may reasonably be ascribed to the Celtic Britons. It was taken by the Saxons in 495, and by the Danes in 871-73; and was ravaged by Sweyn in 1013. Winchester was several times taken and retaken between 1641 and 1643; it was taken by Cromwell, and the castle dismantled in 1645.

=Winchester.= A city and capital of Frederick Co., Va., in the valley of the Shenandoah, 150 miles north-northwest of Richmond, 71 miles west by north from Washington. On March 12, 1862, it was occupied by the Federal general Banks, and during the war was the scene of frequent conflicts, and occupied in turn by the Federal and Confederate armies.

=Winchester Rifle.= See SMALL-ARMS, and MAGAZINE GUNS.

=Windage.= Is the space left between the bore of a piece and its projectile, and is measured by the difference of their diameters. The objects of windage are to facilitate loading, and to diminish the danger of bursting the piece; it is rendered necessary by the mechanical impossibility of making every projectile of the proper size and shape, by the unyielding nature of the material of which large projectiles are made, by the foulness which collects in the bore after each discharge, and by the use of hot and strapped shot. The _true windaqe_, which is the difference between the true diameters of the bore and projectile, increases slightly with the size of the bore, and is greater for solid shot, which are sometimes fired hot, than for hollow projectiles, which are never heated.

_Loss of Force._--The ordinary windage of smooth-bore cannon, used in the U. S. service, is about ¹⁄₄₀ of the diameter of the bore, and the loss of force arising from the escape of gas through this windage amounts to a very considerable portion of the entire charge. The amount of loss in any case depends on: (1) The degree of windage; (2) The caliber of the gun; (3) The length of the bore; (4) The kind of powder; (5) The charge of powder; (6) The weight or density of the ball. It is probable that the influence which some of these causes exert on the force of the charge is very slight. It has been determined by experiment, that the loss of velocity by windage is proportional to the windage. It may be stated that the loss of velocity by a given windage is directly as the windage, and inversely as the diameter of the bore, very nearly.

=Wind-gauge.= In a military sense, is an attachment to the sight (either front- or rear-sight) of a fire-arm by which an allowance for the effect of wind on the projectile can be made in aiming. Though usually called _wind-gauge_, it is also used to counteract _drift_ or any other deviation which can be anticipated. In the old model target-rifles, the front-sight is capable of a slight movement. Some of the more recent military arms have a wind-gauge attached to the rear-sight. In the _peep-sights_, the sight-piece is moved by a screw. In the present U. S. service rifle the sight-piece is moved by hand. It has graduations to guide the marksman. The wind-gauge is frequently attached to breech-sights of cannon in Europe. In this country the Parrott gun is similarly equipped.

=Wind-gun.= A gun discharged by the force of compressed air; an air-gun.

=Windlace.= Formerly an apparatus for bending the bow of an arblast or cross-gun.

=Windlass.= An axis, or roller of wood, square at each end, through which are either cross-holes for handspikes, or staves across, to turn it round, by which operation it draws a rope, one end of which is attached to a weight, which is thus raised from any depth.

=Windsor, Knights of.= See KNIGHTS, MILITARY.

=Wing.= The right or left division of an army, regiment, and the like. The word is sometimes used to denote the large sides of horn-works, tenailles, and other outworks.

=Wing.= An ornament worn on the shoulder;--a small imitation epaulette or shoulder-knot.

=Winged.= In heraldry, represented with wings, or having wings, of a different color from the body.

=Winnebagoes.= A tribe of Indians who lived around Lake Winnebago in 1639, and were engaged in the war of Pontiac against the English in 1762. In 1794 they were severely defeated by Gen. Wayne, and were engaged in the Black Hawk war of 1831. They were removed to Minnesota in 1848, from thence to Dakota in 1863, and in the following year to Nebraska. See INDIANS AND THEIR AGENCIES.

=Winter-quarters.= The quarters of an army during the winter; a winter residence or station.

=Wire-cartridge.= A cartridge strengthened by wire ligaments.

=Wires, Pointing-.= See POINTING-WIRES.

=Wisby.= A once famous seaport of the Swedish island of Gothland, capital of the island, and situated on its west coast, about 130 miles south of Stockholm. In 1361, Valdemar III. of Denmark took this town by storm, and, plundering it, obtained an immense booty.

=Wisconsin.= One of the Northwestern States of the United States of America; it is 302 miles from north to south, and 258 from east to west. Wisconsin is bounded on the north by Lake Superior and the State of Michigan, east by Lake Michigan, south by Illinois, and west by Iowa and Minnesota, from which it is separated by the Mississippi and St. Croix Rivers. This State was explored by French missionaries in the latter part of the 17th century, and Indian trading-posts were also established. It was organized as a Territory in 1836, and admitted into the Union as a State in 1848. During the late civil war it filled its quotas cheerfully for the Union cause.

=Wissembourg=, or =Weissenbourg=. A small fortified town of Alsace, in what was formerly the French department of Bas-Rhin, situated on the Lauter. It was formerly an imperial city, was seized by Louis XIV. in 1673, and annexed to France by the treaty of Ryswick, 1697. The “lines” of Wissembourg, erected by Villars, in 1705, were taken by the Austrians and retaken by the French, 1793, after Hoche’s victory at Geisberg. On August 4, 1870, the crown-prince of Prussia crossed the Lauter and gained a brilliant but bloody victory over the French (a part of MacMahon’s division), storming the lines and the Geisberg. Gen. Abel Douay was mortally wounded, and about 500 prisoners were made. The killed and wounded on both sides appear to have been nearly equal. The German army, composed of Prussians, Bavarians, and Würtembergers, were, it is said, about 40,000, against about 10,000 French, who fought with desperate bravery.

=Witepsk=, or =Vitepsk=. A city of Russia in Europe, where a battle was fought between the French under Marshal Victor, duke of Belluno, and the Russians commanded by Gen. Wittgenstein. The French were defeated after a desperate engagement, with the loss of 3000 men, November 14, 1812.

=Withstand.= To oppose; to resist; as, to withstand the attack of troops.

=Witness.= One who testifies in a cause, or gives evidence before a judicial tribunal; one who gives testimony. Every judge-advocate of a court-martial or court of inquiry has power to issue the like process, to compel witnesses to appear and testify, which courts of criminal jurisdiction within the State, Territory, or District where such military courts are ordered to sit may lawfully issue. For oath administered to witnesses, depositions, etc., see APPENDIX, ARTICLES OF WAR, 91, 92, and 118.

=Wittenberg.= A fortified town of Prussian Saxony, capital of a circle of the same name in the government of Merseburg, on the Elbe. It has suffered several times from sieges, particularly in 1756 and 1814, having on the latter occasion been taken by storm from the French after a siege of ten months.

=Wolf-hole.= See TROU DE LOUP.

=Wolgast.= A seaport of Prussia, in Pomerania, situated on the Peene, about 10 miles from its entrance into the Baltic. It is a very old town, and was strongly fortified as early as the 12th century. It was taken and retaken five times between 1628 and 1675; the Russians plundered and burned it in 1713, and the Swedes retook it in 1715.

=Women and Domestic Relations, Protection of.= See APPENDIX, ARTICLES OF WAR, 58.

=Wood.= The most useful timbers in the United States are: the hickory, which is very tough and inflexible; white oak, tough and pliable; white ash, tough and elastic; black walnut, hard and fine-grained; white poplar, soft, light, fine-grained wood; white pine and other pines, for building; cypress, soft, light, straight-grained, and grows to a large size; dogwood, hard and fine-grained. The timber growing in the centre of a forest is best.

=Wooden Fuze.= See LABORATORY STORES.

=Woolwich.= A town of England, in Kent, and is the most ancient military and naval arsenal in England. It is celebrated for its royal dock-yard, where men of war have been built so early as the reign of Henry VIII., 1512. The royal arsenal was formed about 1720; it contains vast magazines of great guns, mortars, shells, powder, and other warlike stores; a foundry with several furnaces for casting ordnance; and a laboratory where fireworks, cartridges, grenades, etc., are made for public service. There is also a royal artillery barracks here which can accommodate nearly 4000 men. About 10,000 persons are employed in Woolwich Arsenal.

=Woolwich Gun.= See ORDNANCE, CONSTRUCTION OF.

=Woordie-Major.= The native adjutant of an Indian irregular cavalry regiment.

=Worcester.= The capital of Worcestershire, England, situated on the left bank of the Severn. It is one of the most ancient cities of the kingdom, and was formerly strongly fortified, as it had to resist frequent attacks from the Welsh, and in turbulent periods of English history was often the object of assault by contending parties. In the civil war the final great battle between the Puritans and the cavaliers took place here. This battle, which Cromwell called his “crowning mercy,” was fought on September 3, 1651, between the Parliamentary troops, commanded by Cromwell in person, and the Scotch army of Charles II. The battle lasted several hours, and at its close the Scotch were utterly routed, nearly all of them being killed or made prisoners.

=Worcestershire.= An inland county of England, forming part of the west midland division. Its early history cannot be determined with accuracy. Under the Saxons the county was included in the kingdom of Mercia. It shared in all the great civil wars of England; it was frequently the scene of contests between the Saxons and the Danes; the great battle which decided the fate of Simon de Montfort was fought in the vale of Evesham; and during the civil war Worcestershire was disturbed by frequent skirmishes. The battle which settled Cromwell in possession of the government was fought under the walls of the chief city. See WORCESTER.

=Words of Command.= Are certain terms which have been adopted for the exercise and movement of military bodies, according to the nature of each particular service. Words of command are classed under two principal heads, and consist of those which are given by the chief or commander of a brigade, or division, and of those which are uttered by the subordinate officers of troops or companies, etc. _Cautionary words_, are certain leading instructions which are given to designate any particular manœuvre. The cautionary words precede the words of command. See COMMANDS.

=Working Party.= A body of soldiers told off, by command, to perform certain work or labor foreign to their ordinary duties. The men generally receive additional pay while performing this labor.

=Works.= Are the fortifications about the body of a place. This word is also used to signify the approaches of the besiegers, and the several lines, trenches, etc., made round a place, an army, or the like, for its security.

=Works, Advanced.= See ADVANCED WORKS.

=Works, Detached.= See DETACHED WORKS.

=Works, Field-.= See FIELD-WORKS.

=Worm.= See IMPLEMENTS.

=Worm a Gun, To.= To take out the charge of a fire-arm by means of a worm.

=Worms.= A city of Western Germany, grand duchy of Hesse, near the left bank of the Rhine, 26 miles southeast of Mayence. This is one of the oldest, and in the early history of Germany was one of the most important, towns in the country. After its destruction by Attila the Hun about the middle of the 5th century, it was rebuilt by Clovis in 496. It afterwards became the seat of many Frankish and Carlovingian kings. Worms was also the seat of many imperial diets, the best known of which is that of 1521, when Luther appeared before the emperor Charles V. In 1689 it was burned by order of Louis XIV.; and was taken by the French under Custine, October 4, 1792. Here, in 1743, an offensive and defensive alliance was entered into by Great Britain and Austria with Sardinia.

=Worst, To.= To defeat; to overthrow; to put to the rout.

=Wörth.= A village of Alsace, at the junction of the Sulzbach und the Sauerbach, is noted as the point where the first decisive encounter took place between the French and German armies, August 6, 1870. After storming Wissenbourg on August 4, 1870, the crown-prince of Prussia with the 3d army (about 120,000) marched rapidly forward and surprised part of the French army under Marshal MacMahon, including the corps of Canrobert and Failly (about 47,000), and defeated it in a long, desperate, and sanguinary engagement near this place. The battle lasted from 7 A.M. till 4 P.M. The chief struggles occurred in the country around Reichshoffen and in the village of Frœschweiller; the French are said to have charged the German line eleven times, each time breaking it, but always finding a fresh mass behind. The ridge on which Wörth stands was not captured until the French were taken in flank by the Bavarians and Würtembergers. Nearly all MacMahon’s staff were killed, and the marshal himself unhorsed, fell fainting into a ditch, from which he was rescued by a soldier. He then, on foot, directed the retreat towards Saverne, to cover the passes of the Vosges. The victory is attributed to the very great numerical superiority of the Germans (about 130,000) as well as to their excellent strategy. The French loss has been estimated at 20,000 killed and wounded, and about 6000 prisoners, 2 eagles, 6 mitrailleures, 30 cannon, and much baggage. The Germans are stated to have had above 8000 men put _hors de combat_. It was admitted that MacMahon had acted as an able and brave commander.

=Wounded, The.= All the individuals belonging to an army who may have been maimed, or otherwise hurt in battle.

=Wreath=, =Wreathed=. In heraldry, a wreath is a twisted garland of silk of different colors, otherwise called a torce, on which it has, since the 14th century, been usual to place the crest. The side-view of a wreath exhibits six divisions, which are generally tinctured with the living colors,--that is, the principal metal and color of the shield. Every crest is now understood to be placed upon a wreath, except when it is expressly stated to issue out of a _chapeau_ or _coronet_. A wreath, when represented alone, shows its circular form. A Moor’s head is sometimes encircled with a heraldic wreath. A wreath is always understood to be the twisted garland of silk above explained, unless otherwise specified; but wreaths of laurel, oak, ivy, etc., sometimes occur, and savages used as supporters are often wreathed about the head and middle with laurel. Ordinaries are occasionally wreathed, otherwise called _tortille_, in which case they are represented as if composed of two colors, twisted as in the heraldic wreath; as in the coat of Carmichael, argent, a fess wreathed azure and gules.

=Wright-fuze.= See LABORATORY STORES.

=Wrong.= To guard against injustice and oppression in the army, the Articles of War (see APPENDIX, ARTICLES OF WAR) clearly point out the mode of redress to every individual in the service, who considers himself wronged by his superiors.

=Wrought Iron.= See ORDNANCE, METALS FOR.

=Würtemberg=, or =Wirtemberg, Kingdom of=. A state in the southwest of Germany, which was erected into a kingdom in 1806. It was originally part of Suabia, and was made a county for Ulric I., about 1265, and a duchy in 1495. Würtemberg has been repeatedly traversed by hostile armies, particularly since the revolution of France. Moreau made his celebrated retreat October 23, 1796. This kingdom opposed Prussia in the war of 1866, but made peace on August 31, following. On November 5, 1870, it joined the other German states in the formation of the German empire.

=Wyandot Indians.= See HURON INDIANS.

=Wyoming.= A Territory of the United States, organized July 25, 1868, from a region attached to Dakota, but formerly included in Idaho, and still earlier known as part of Nebraska. Its average length from east to west is 355 miles, and its breadth 276 miles. This Territory has been overrun several times by hostile Indians, but under the strong hand of the military the country is becoming rapidly settled.

=Wyoming Valley.= A beautiful fertile valley on the Susquehanna River, in Pennsylvania. It is 21 miles long by 3 wide, and surrounded by mountains 1000 feet high. It was purchased about 1765 by a Connecticut company from the Delaware Indians; but the settlers were soon dispersed by hostile savages. In 1769, forty families came from Connecticut, but found a party of Pennsylvanians in possession, and for several years there were continual contests of the settlers with the Indians, and with each other. In 1776, the settlers armed for their own defense against the English and their Indian allies; but in 1778 most of their troops were called to join the army under Washington. On June 30, a force of 400 British provincials, or “Tories,” and 700 Seneca Indians, led by Col. John Butler, entered the valley, and were opposed by 300 men, under Col. Zebulon Butler. On July 3, the settlers were driven to the shelter of Fort Forty (so called from the original number of families), with the loss of two-thirds of their number, many soldiers and inhabitants being murdered. On the 5th, the remnant of the troops surrendered, and they and the inhabitants were either massacred or driven from the valley, which was left a smoking solitude.

=Wyvern.= A fictitious monster of the Middle Ages, of frequent occurrence in heraldry. It resembles a dragon, but has only two legs and feet, which are like those of the eagle.

X.

=Xanthica.= A military festival observed by the Macedonians in the month called Xanthicus (our April), instituted about 392 B.C.

=Xanthus.= The most famous city of Lycia, stood on the western bank of the river of the same name, 60 stadia from its mouth. Twice in the course of its history it sustained sieges, which terminated in the self-destruction of the inhabitants with their property, first against the Persians under Harpagus, and long afterward against the Romans under Brutus. The city was never restored after its destruction by the latter.

=Xeres de la Frontera.= A town in the southwest of Spain, in the province of Cadiz, 14 miles northeast from Cadiz. At the battle of Xeres, July 19-26, 711, Roderic, the last Gothic sovereign of Spain, was defeated and slain by the Saracens, commanded by Tarik and Muza.

=Ximena= (Southern Spain). The site of a battle between the Spanish army under the command of Gen. Ballasteros, and the French corps commanded by Gen. Regnier, September 10, 1811. The Spaniards defeated their adversaries; the loss was great on both sides.

Y.

=Yager.= One belonging to a body of light infantry armed with rifles. Written also _jager_.

=Yankton Indians.= See DAKOTA INDIANS.

=Yataghan.= A Turkish poniard having a Damascus blade, straight or crooked. It has a double edge, and sharp point, with a ridge in the middle of its whole length; the handle and scabbard are generally highly ornamented and costly.

=Yeomanry.= A volunteer force of cavalry in Great Britain, numbering about 14,000 men, and costing the country annually about £85,000. It was originally formed during the wars of the French revolution, and then comprised infantry as well as cavalry; but the whole of the infantry corps, and many of the cavalry, were disbanded after the peace of 1814. The organization of the corps is by counties, under the lords-lieutenant. The men provide their own horses and uniform, in consideration of which they receive annually a clothing and contingent allowance of £2 a man, are exempt from taxation in respect to the horses employed on yeomanry duty, and draw during the annual training 2_s._ a day for forage, besides a subsistence allowance of 7_s._ a day. If called out for permanent duty they receive cavalry pay, with forage allowance. The yeomanry are available in aid of the civil power; and in time of invasion, or apprehended invasion, the sovereign may embody them for service in any part of Great Britain, under the provisions of the Mutiny Act and Articles of War.

=Yeomen of the Guard.= A veteran company, consisting of 100 old soldiers of stately presence, employed on grand occasions, in conjunction with the gentlemen-at-arms, as the body-guard of the sovereign. These yeomen were constituted a corps, in 1485, by King Henry VII., and they still wear the costume of that period. Armed with partisans, and in the quaint uniform, the men present a curious sight in the 19th century. The officers of the corps are a captain (ordinarily a peer), a lieutenant, and an ensign. There is also a “Clerk of the Cheque and Adjutant.” All these appointments are held by old officers, and are considered as important prizes. The whole charge is borne by the sovereign’s civil list. The headquarters of the corps is at the Tower of London, where the men are popularly known as “Beef-eaters.”

=Yermuk= (Syria). Near here the emperor Heraclius was totally defeated by the Saracens, after a fierce engagement, November, 636. Damascus was taken, and his army was expelled from Syria.

=Yesawul.= In India, a state messenger; a servant of parade, who carries a gold or silver staff; an aide-de-camp.