Part 35
=Falerii.= A city of ancient Etruria, which was situated west of the Tiber. The inhabitants, who were called Falisci, joined with those of Veii in assisting the Fidenates against the Romans, and were among the most dangerous enemies of Rome. In 241 B.C. the city was destroyed, and a Roman colony was settled in the time of the triumvirs.
=Falkirk.= A town of Scotland, in Stirlingshire. Sir William Wallace was defeated in a battle near Falkirk by Edward I., and here, also, the royal army was defeated by the adherents of the house of Stuart in 1746.
=Falkoping.= A town of Sweden, near which, in 1338, Margaret, queen of Denmark, defeated Albert, king of Sweden, and took him prisoner.
=Fall.= The surrender or capture of a place after it has been besieged.
=Fall.= The rope rove through blocks, used with gins and shears for raising weights, and with the crab for moving them.
=Fall.= The descent of a body by the attraction of the earth.
=Fall Foul, To.= To attack; to make an assault.
=Fall In.= A word of command for men to form in ranks, as in parade, line, or division, etc.
=Falling Bodies, Laws of.= When a body falls freely _in vacuo_ it is actuated by a force which may be taken as constant, consequently its velocity will be uniformly accelerated. The constant increment to the velocity in one second is called the _acceleration_, and is a measure of the force. (See FORCE OF GRAVITY.) The velocity acquired at the end of a certain time will be found by multiplying the force of gravity by the number of seconds. The laws of falling bodies are given by the following equations:
_v_ = _gt_
_v_ = √(2_gh_)
_v_² _h_ = ----- 2_g_
In which _v_ is the velocity acquired, _h_ the height fallen through, _g_ the force of gravity, and _t_ the time in seconds. These laws are approximately true for dense or heavy bodies falling for a few seconds in the atmosphere. For longer periods, _v_ is less than that due to _h_ under the above laws. For full discussion, see FINAL VELOCITY.
=Falling Branch.= That part of the trajectory of a projectile in which it approaches the earth.
=Fall Out, To.= To quit the rank or file in which you were first posted. Dirty soldiers on a parade are frequently ordered to fall out, and remain in the rear of their companies. The phrase is applicable in a variety of other instances.
=Fall Upon, To.= To attack abruptly.
=Falots= (_Fr._). Small lanterns fixed upon the end of a stick or pole. Small lamps likewise used, attached in the same manner, for the purpose of carrying them readily about to light a camp, or besieged towns, as occasion may require.
=False Alarm.= An alarm or apprehension which is either designedly or unintentionally created by noise, report, or signals, without being dangerous.
=False Attack.= An approach which is made as a feint for the purpose of diverting an enemy from the real object of attack.
=False Fires.= Lights or fires employed for the purpose of deceiving an enemy. When an army is about to retire from a position during the night false fires are lighted in different parts of the encampment to impose upon the enemy’s vigilance.
=False Lights.= In debarkations under cover of the night, may likewise be used as signals of deception, when it is found expedient to attract the attention of the invaded country towards one part of the coast or territory, whilst a real attack is meditated against another.
=False Muster.= An incorrect statement of the number of effective soldiers and horses. See APPENDIX, ARTICLES OF WAR, 14.
=False Return.= A willful report of the actual state of a brigade, regiment, troop, or company, by which the commander-in-chief of the war department is deceived as to the effective force of such regiment or company. See APPENDIX, ARTICLES OF WAR, 8.
=Famagosta=, or =Famagusta=. A seaport town of the island of Cyprus, on the east coast, built on the ruins of the ancient Arsinoe. In 1571 Famagosta was taken by the Turks, and the town was almost entirely destroyed by an earthquake in 1735.
=Fanfare=. The French name of a short and lively military air or call, executed on brass instruments.
=Fang, To.= To pour water into a pump in order to fetch it, when otherwise the boxes do not hold the water left on them.
=Fanion= (_Fr._). A small flag which was sometimes carried at the head of the baggage of a brigade. It was made of serge, and resembled in color the uniform livery of the brigadier, or of the commandant of any particular corps.
=Fantassin= (_Fr._). A foot-soldier. This term is derived from the Italian _fante_, a _boy_, the light troops in the 14th and 15th centuries being formed of boys who followed the armies and were formed into corps with light arms, hence the origin of the word _infantry_.
=Fantee=, or =Fanti=. A maritime country of Guinea, inhabited by a tribe of the same name, who are now under English protection.
=Farcy.= A horse disease of the absorbents, affecting the skin and its blood-vessels; is of the nature of mange, and allied to glanders.
=Farrier.= In a general acceptation of the term, any person who shoes horses, or professes to cure their diseases. In a practical military sense, a man appointed to do the duty of farriery in a troop of cavalry. Troop farriers should be under the immediate superintendence and control of a veterinary surgeon. There is one farrier allowed to each troop of cavalry in the U. S. army.
=Farrier-Major.= A person who was formerly appointed by the colonel of a dragoon regiment to superintend the farriers of troops. He has since been superseded or replaced by a veterinary surgeon.
=Fasces.= Bundles of rods usually made of birch, but sometimes of elm, with an axe projecting from the middle of them, which were carried before the chief magistrates of ancient Rome, as symbols of their power over life and limb. They were borne by the lictors, at first before the kings; in the time of the republic, before consuls and prætors; and afterwards before the emperors.
=Fascine.= A long cylindrical fagot of brushwood, used to revet the interior of batteries and embrasures, and for many other purposes of military engineering.
=Fascines, Covering.= See COVERING-FASCINES.
=Fastness.= A fast place; a stronghold; a fortress or fort; a place fortified; a castle, etc.
=Fatigue.= The cause of weariness; labor; toil; as, the fatigues of war.
=Fatigue.= The labors of military men, distinct from the use of arms.
=Fatigue Call.= A particular military call, sounded on the bugle or drum, by which soldiers are called upon to perform fatigue duties.
=Fatigue Dress.= The working dress of soldiers.
=Fatigue Party.= A party of soldiers on fatigue.
=Faulcon.= A small cannon.
=Faulx= (_Fr._). An instrument nearly resembling a scythe. It was often used to defend a breach, or to prevent an enemy from scaling the walls of a fortified place. This weapon was first resorted to with some success, when Louis XIV. besieged Mons. On the surrender of that town, large quantities of faulx, or scythes, were found in the garrison.
=Fausse Braye.= In fortification, was a parapet constructed at a lower elevation than the main parapet, and between the foot of the parapet and the edge of the ditch. It was used only in permanent fortification, and has long been obsolete.
=Fayetteville.= A small town, capital of Washington Co., Ark. On April 18, 1863, this place, which was garrisoned by two regiments of Federal troops under Col. Harrison, was attacked by the Confederate general Cabell, with about 2000 men; and after six hours’ severe fighting the Confederates were repulsed.
=Fayetteville.= A town of Cumberland Co., N. C., on the left bank of the Cape Fear River. On April 22, 1861, the arsenal at this place surrendered to the Confederates, and about 35,000 stand of arms, besides some cannon and a considerable quantity of ammunition, fell into their hands. The town was taken by Gen. Sherman in March, 1865.
=Fecial.= Pertaining to heralds, and the denunciation of war to an enemy; as, fecial war.
=Federal States.= Are those united by treaty as one state, without giving up self-government,--as in Switzerland or the United States of North America. The Federals were the people of the Northern of the United States of America during the great conflict in 1861-65; their opponents were styled the Confederates.
=Fehrbellin.= A town of Prussia, 22 miles northwest from Potsdam. The elector of Brandenburg defeated the Swedish army near this town in 1675.
=Feint.= In military or naval matters, a mock attack or assault, usually made to throw an enemy off his guard against some real design upon his position.
=Feint.= In fencing, a seeming aim at one part when another is intended to be struck.
=Felloes.= In artillery, the parts of the wheel which form its circumference. There are generally seven in each wheel.
=Feltre= (_Fr._). A Roman cuirass made of strong woolen cloth.
=Fence.= Self-defense by the use of the sword; fencing; the art and practice of fencing or sword-play.
=Fencer.= One who fences; one who teaches or practices the art of fencing with sword or foil.
=Fence-roof.= A covering of defense.
=Fencible.= Capable of being defended, or of making or affording defense.
=Fencible.= A soldier enlisted for the defense of the country, and not liable to be sent abroad.
=Fencible Light Dragoons.= A body of cavalry raised voluntarily in various counties of England and Scotland in 1794, to serve during the war in any part of Great Britain. This force was disbanded in 1800.
=Fencibles.= In England, regiments raised for a limited service, and for a definite period. The officers rank with the militia.
=Fencing.= The art of using skillfully a sword or foil in attack or defense; the art or practice of self-defense with the sword.
=Fenian.= A name formerly applied among the Celts to bodies of troops somewhat similar to our modern militia. They derived their name from Finn McCumhail, a famous Celtic chief. In modern times the name was assumed by an association formed for the liberation of Ireland, whose principal headquarters was in the United States, but ramifications of which extended through Great Britain, Ireland, and the colonies. In 1866 the Fenians attempted to invade Canada, and succeeded in crossing the frontier; but they were soon dispersed, and their leaders arrested by the U. S. authorities for violation of the neutrality laws. In 1867 there were several demonstrations made by them in England and Ireland, but their leaders were promptly arrested, and after some were executed, and others sentenced to long terms of imprisonment, the movement was crushed.
=Fer= (_Fr._). Iron. Figuratively, this word is used for a sword or dagger; as, _manier le fer_, to wear the sword, to follow the profession of arms.
=Fer à Cheval= (_Fr._). In fortification, a horseshoe, a small round or oval work, with a parapet, generally made in a ditch or in a marsh. It further means, according to the French acceptation of the term, a work constructed for the purpose of covering a gate, by having within it a guard-house, to prevent the town from being taken by surprise.
=Ferdwit.= In ancient military history, a term formerly used to denote a freedom from serving upon any military expedition; or, according to some, the being acquitted of manslaughter committed in the army.
=Fere Champenoise, La.= A town of France, in the department of the Marne, 20 miles from Epernay. In 1814 the French were defeated here by the allies.
=Fere, La.= A fortified town of France, in the department of the Aisne, on an island in the Oise. It has an arsenal and a school of artillery. This town was taken by the Spaniards in 1530; and by the allies in 1814.
=Ferentarii.= Among the Romans, were auxiliary troops lightly armed; their weapons being a sword, arrows, and a sling. We have also mention of another sort of Ferentarii, whose business was to carry arms after the army, and to be ready to supply the soldiers therewith in battle.
=Ferozeshah.= A village in Hindostan, situated a few miles from the left bank of the river Sutlej. Here the British, commanded by Sir Hugh Gough, attacked the intrenchments of the Sikhs, and carried their first line of works, December 21, 1845; but night coming on, the operations were suspended till daybreak next day, when their second line was stormed by Gen. Gilbert, and 74 guns captured. The Sikhs advanced to retake their guns, but were repulsed with great loss, and retreated toward the Sutlej, December 22; and recrossed that river unmolested, December 27. The loss of the British was reckoned at 2415.
=Ferrara.= A city of Italy, and the capital of one of the Æmilian provinces of the same name. It was subdued by the Lombards in the 8th century, and taken from them by Pepin, about 752, who gave it to Pope Stephen II. About 1208 it fell into the hands of the house of Este, and in 1598 Pope Clement VIII. obtained the sovereignty. The French under Masséna took Ferrara in 1796; but it was restored to the pope in 1814. An Austrian garrison held it from 1849; it retired in June, 1859, and the people rose and declared for annexation to Sardinia, which was accomplished in March, 1860.
=Ferrara.= A sword of excellent temper, made of steel from Ferrara, Italy. The kind most prized was manufactured by Andrea di Ferrara; hence such a sword was often called an Andrea-Ferrara.
=Ferries, Rope.= See PONTONS.
=Ferrol.= A seaport town of Spain, province of Corunna, and an important naval station. This place was unsuccessfully attacked by the British in August, 1800. Marshal Soult captured Ferrol, January 27, 1809.
=Ferry.= A water conveyance made use of to cross a river, or branch of the sea.
=Fetter.= To put fetters upon; to shackle or confine the feet with a chain; to bind; to enchain. Deserters are sometimes fettered while undergoing punishment for the crime of desertion.
=Feu-de-joie.= A salute fired by musketry on occasions of public rejoicing, so that it should pass from man to man rapidly and steadily, down one rank and up the other, giving one long continuous sound.
=Feu Rasant= (_Fr._). A grazing fire, or a discharge of musketry or cannon, so directed that the balls shall run parallel with the ground they fly over, within 3 or 4 feet of the surface.
=Feud.= A contention or quarrel; especially an inveterate strife between families, clans, or parties in a state; deadly hatred; contention satisfied only by bloodshed.
=Feudal.= Consisting of, or founded upon, feuds or fiefs; embracing tenures by military system; as, the feudal system.
=Fez.= A red cap without a brim, worn by Turkish soldiers and others.
=Fez.= A city of Morocco, Africa; it was founded by Edris, a descendant of Mohammed, about 787; was long capital of the kingdom of Fez. After long-continued struggles it was annexed to Morocco about 1550.
=Fichant.= In fortification, said of flanking fire which impinges on the face it defends; that is, of a line of defense where the angle of defense is less than a right angle.
=Fidenæ.= An ancient city of Latium, on the left bank of the Tiber, 5 miles from Rome. The proximity of the two cities brought them early into collision, and we find that Fidenæ was engaged in successive wars with the early Roman kings. After the expulsion of the Tarquins Fidenæ entered into a league with the Sabines and Latins to effect their restoration, but the attempt proved abortive, and, deserted by their allies, the Fidenates were compelled to surrender to the Roman arms. The city afterwards continued its struggles against Rome, but without success, and, though there is no record of its destruction, it had dwindled into an insignificant village before the close of the Roman republic.
=Fidentia= (now _Bargo S. Domingo_). A town in Cisalpine Gaul, on the Via Æmilia, between Parma and Placentia, memorable for the victory which Sulla’s generals gained over Carbo, 82 B.C.
=Fief.= An estate held of a superior on condition of military service; a fee; a feud.
=Field.= A cleared space or plain where a battle is fought; also, the battle itself. _To take the field_ means to commence active operations against an enemy.
=Field.= In heraldry, the surface of a shield; hence, any blank space or ground on which figures are drawn or projected.
=Field Allowance.= In the British service, is an allowance granted to officers in camp at home, or on a campaign, to enable them to repay themselves the expense of purchasing camp equipage, bat-horses, etc. It is divided into ordinary and extraordinary field allowance, the former being granted in time of peace, the latter in that of war.
=Field Artillery.= That portion of the artillery which is used in the field. In the U. S. army the 3-and 3¹⁄₂-inch rifle guns, Gatling, and 12-pounder smooth-bore, constitute the field artillery. See ARTILLERY.
=Field-battery.= Is a certain number of pieces of artillery so equipped as to be available for attack or defense, and capable of accompanying cavalry or infantry in all their movements in the field. There are allotted to a field-battery 4 pieces in time of peace and 6 in time of war, and it is divided into _mounted artillery_, which usually serves with infantry, and _horse artillery_, which ordinarily serves with cavalry. The main difference between the two consists in the cannoneers of the latter being mounted; in rapid evolutions of the former they are conveyed on the gun-carriages. See ARTILLERY.
=Field-bed.= A folding bed used by officers while on campaigns or in the field.
=Field-carriage.= Field-gun carriages consist of two short cheeks of wood, bolted upon a stock and wooden axle-body, in a recess which fits the iron axle on which the wheels are placed. The stock terminates in a _trail_ and _trail-plate_ which rests on the ground, and has on the end a strong ring called the _lunette_, which is placed on the pintle-hook when the piece is limbered. In the stock is placed an elevating screw-box of bronze in which the elevating screw fits. They have also _limbers_ (which see).
=Field-colors.= Small flags of about a foot and a half square, carried along with troops for marking out the ground for the squadrons and battalions; camp-colors.
=Field-day.= A term used when a regiment is taken out to the field, for the purpose of being instructed in the field exercise and evolutions.
=Fielded.= Being in the field of battle; encamped. This term is now obsolete.
=Field-equipage.= Military apparatus for field service.
=Field Forge.= See FORGE.
=Field-glass.= A binocular telescope, used by officers in field service.
=Field-gun.= A small kind of gun, or cannon, used on the battle-field; a field-piece.
=Field-Marshal= (_Mareschal_, _Feldmarschall_, _Feldzeugmeister_). The commander of an army; a military officer of high rank in France, Germany, and other nations, and the highest military officer in England. Formerly a captain-general was occasionally appointed, who had rank higher even than a field-marshal.
=Field-officer.= Is a colonel, lieutenant-colonel, or major of a battalion or regiment, as distinguished from general officers, who are superior to field-officers in rank; from line-officers, who are inferior; and from staff-officers, general or regimental, who may be of rank superior, equivalent, or inferior to that of field-officers.
=Field-officer’s Court.= In the U. S. service, a court-martial consisting of one field-officer empowered to try cases, subject to jurisdiction of garrison and regimental courts, takes the place of the latter courts in time of war, but cannot be held in time of peace.
=Field of the Cloth of Gold.= A name given to an open plain between Ardres and Guisnes, where Henry VIII. of England had an interview in 1520 with Francis I. of France. The nobility of both kingdoms embraced the opportunity to display their magnificence with the utmost emulation and profusion of expense.
=Field-park.= The spare carriages, reserved supplies of ammunition, tools, and materials for extensive repairs and for making up ammunition, for the service of an army in the field, form the field-park, to which should be attached also the batteries of reserve.
=Field-piece.= A small cannon which is carried along with armies, and used in the field of battle.
=Field Service.= Service performed by troops in the field.
=Field-staff.= A staff formerly carried by gunners in the field, and holding lighted matches for discharging cannon. It is no longer used.
=Field Telegraph.= See TELEGRAPH, FIELD.
=Field-train.= In the British service, a department of the Royal Artillery, consisting of commissaries and conductors of stores, responsible for the safe custody of the ammunition, for the formation of proper depots of shot, etc., between the front and the base of operations, and that a due proportion shall be constantly at the service of each gun during an engagement.
=Field-works.= Are intrenchments and other temporary fortifications thrown up by an army in the field, either as a protection from the onslaught of a hostile force, or to cover an attack upon some stronghold. All works which do not come under the head of permanent fortification are called field-works.
=Fiesole= (anc. _Faesulæ_). One of the most ancient Etruscan cities, situated about 3 miles from Florence. This city was first mentioned in 225 B.C. during the great Gaulish war. Hannibal encamped here after crossing the Apennines. The city was next destroyed by Sulla in the Social war (90-89 B.C.), who afterwards dispatched thither a military colony. About the beginning of the 11th century, it was destroyed by the Florentines, and many of its inhabitants compelled to remove to the city of Florence.
=Fife.= A wooden wind instrument, which is used with the snare-drum for playing military music. The music is produced by blowing through a hole in a reed or tube, while the escape of air is regulated by the fingers stopping or opening a number of other holes in different parts of the pipe.
=Fife-Major.= The chief or superintendent of the fifers of a regiment.
=Fifer.= One who plays a fife; there is one fifer allowed to each company of infantry in the U. S. army. Fifers are also employed aboard men-of-war, and in the marine corps.
=Fight.= To strive or contend for victory, in battle or in single combat; to defeat, subdue, or destroy an enemy, either by blows or weapons; to contend in arms;--followed by _with_ or _against_.
=Fight.= To carry on, or wage, as a conflict, or battle; to win or gain by struggle, as one’s way; to sustain by fighting, as a cause. To contend with in battle; to war against, as, they fought the enemy in two pitched battles. To cause to fight; manage or manœuvre in a fight.
=Fight.= A battle; an engagement; a contest in arms; a struggle for victory, either between individuals or between armies, ships, or navies. A duel is called a single fight or combat.
=Fighter.= One who fights; a combatant; a warrior.
=Fighting.= Qualified for war; fit for battle; as, “A host of fighting men.” Also, occupied in war; being the scene of war; as, a fighting field.
=Fight, Running.= That in which the enemy is continually chased.
=Figueras.= A town in the northeast of Spain, province of Gerona. On a height near the town is the citadel of San Fernando, the strongest fortress of Spain, and the key of the Pyrenees on their south side. It has accommodation for 2000 men.
=Figure.= In fortification, the plan of any fortified place, or the interior polygon. Of this there are two sorts, regular and irregular; a regular figure is that where the sides and angles are equal; an irregular one where they are unequal.