Part 44
=Glastonbury.= A town of England, in Somersetshire, 25 miles from the city of Bath. It was anciently called Avalonia, or the Isle of Avalon, and no person whatever, not even a bishop or prince, was allowed to enter without leave from the abbot, to whom this power was granted by Canute the Dane. There were 61 abbots of Glastonbury, who sat among the barons in Parliament, and governed it successively for nearly 600 years. Richard Withing, the last, was condemned at Wells for refusing to surrender his abbey to King Henry VIII., and acknowledge his supremacy, and carried, with two of his monks, on a hurdle, to Tor Hill, a bleak hill close to the town, where he was hanged in his robes.
=Glatz.= A town of Prussia, capital of Glatz district; built on both sides of the Neisse, and is strongly fortified. This place surrendered to the Prussians in 1742, and was taken by the Austrians in 1759, but restored at the peace of 1763. It was taken by Würtemberg and Bavarian troops in 1807. The celebrated Baron Trenek was confined in its fortress, but made his escape by leaping from the walls.
=Glave.= See GLAIVE.
=Glazing Powder.= See GUNPOWDER.
=Glencoe.= A valley of Scotland, in Argyleshire, noted for the military execution of its unsuspecting inhabitants, the Macdonalds, by a party of English soldiers, in 1692, in consequence of an order signed by William III. in council for that purpose, and issued contrary to the faith of a royal proclamation. Many of the inhabitants had been in arms for James II. during his attempts to recover the crown of England.
=Glendale, Battle of.= Also known as the battle of Frazier’s Farm, and White Oak Swamp, and Charles City Cross-roads, Virginia, one of the “seven days’ contests,” was fought June 30, 1862, between the Army of the Potomac under Gen. McClellan, on its retreat towards the James River, and the Confederate forces under Gen. Longstreet. The battle commenced in the afternoon, and continued with fury well into the night, the Confederate loss being about 2000 men, and the Union loss about 1500. By next morning McClellan had his whole army in position on Malvern Hill, and communication with the James River was secured.
=Glissade= (_Fr._). A term formerly applied to the forward or backward movement of the pike.
=Globe Sight.= A form of front sight used specially on target rifles. It consists of a pin with a small ball on the end of it, or a disk with a hole in it. For protection it is set in a tube open at both ends.
=Gloire= (_Fr._). An artificial firework which resembles a large sun.
=Glorious Virgin=, or =St. Mary the Glorious, Order of the=. An order of knighthood in Venice, founded by Bartholomew of Vicenza in 1262. This institution was ecclesiastical as well as military; its objects were the protection of widows and orphans, and the furtherance of the peace of Italy. The badge was a purple cross between certain stars, and the costume a white surcoat on a russet cloak. An order of knighthood of St. Mary the Glorious also existed in Rome in the 17th century, whose purpose was the suppression of the Barbary corsairs who infested the Mediterranean.
=Glory, Military.= Honor, reputation, and fame acquired by military achievements. That precarious splendor which plays around the brows of a warrior, and has been collected by hard service, extraordinary genius, and unblemished integrity; but which may desert the greatest hero through one unfortunate failure, occasioned by the fatality of human imperfection.
=Gloucester.= A city and the capital of a county of the same name in England. It became a Roman station under the name of _Colonia Glevium_, and an important town in Mercia under the Saxons, by whom it was called _Glean-Ceaster_,--whence its present name. Here the celebrated single combat between Edmund Ironsides and Canute is said to have taken place. It was repeatedly visited by William I.; afforded a refuge and support to Queen Matilda in her contest with Stephen; saw Henry III. crowned, and Parliaments held under Richard II. and Henry IV., and sided successfully with the Parliament in the civil war against Charles I.
=Gloucestershire.= A county of England, which, previous to the Roman invasion, was inhabited by a tribe called the Dobuni; and after that event, the county, or the greater part of it, was included in the province named _Flavia Cæsarienes_. From the earliest of the Danish invasions down to the battle of Tewkesbury, in 1471, and to the civil wars between the crown and Parliament, Gloucestershire has been the scene of many and disastrous encounters. There are traces of British, Saxon, and Danish works in the county.
=Glove.= A cover for the hand, or for the hand and wrist, with a separate sheath for each finger. _To throw the glove_, an old expression which formerly meant to challenge to single combat.
=Glückstadt.= A town of the German empire, capital of the duchy of Holstein, on the Elbe, 32 miles below Hamburg. It was founded in 1620 by Christian IV. of Denmark, and fortified. During the Thirty Years’ War, it successfully withstood three sieges; its fortifications were demolished in 1815.
=Glycerine, Nitro-.= See EXPLOSIVES.
=Glyoxiline.= See EXPLOSIVES.
=Go.= The verb “to go” is variously used in a military sense; as, to march in a hostile or warlike manner. _To go off_ implies to depart from any post. _To go on_ is to make an attack. _To go over_ is to revolt. _To go out_, to go upon any expedition, etc. It was likewise frequently used to signify the act of fighting a duel; as, he went out with so and so.
=Goa.= A town of Hindostan, on the Malabar coast. It was formerly the capital of the Portuguese dominions in India. This place was taken by the Portuguese under Albuquerque in 1510; and by the English April 2, 1756.
=Gobille= (_Fr._). A small copper ball, a quarter of an inch in diameter, several of which are put into a revolving cask for the purpose of more intimately incorporating the ingredients of powder, carcass, and rocket composition.
=Gobisson=, or =Gambasson= (_Fr._). A quilted and padded dress worn under the habergeon.
=Godesberg.= A village of Rhenish Prussia, on the left bank of the Rhine, 4 miles south of Bonn. In 1582, Gebhard, the deposed archbishop, took refuge here, and intrusted the castle to a Dutch garrison. It was, however, soon after taken possession of by his successor, on which occasion it sustained much injury. During the Thirty Years’ War it was alternately in the possession of the Swedes and the Imperialists, and was finally almost demolished by the French.
=Godolo.= A market-town in Hungary. It was near here that the combined armies of Austria under Prince Windischgrätz and Count Jellachich were defeated in two bloody battles by the Hungarians under Görgei. On the eve of victory, Governor Kossuth held a conference with the generals Görgei, Klapka, and Damjanich for laying down the principles of the famous declaration of independence, issued April 14, 1849. It was this declaration which served the emperor of Russia as a pretext for the invasion of Hungary.
=Gohud.= A fortified town of Hindostan, in the territory of Gwalior, or possessions of the Scindia family. This place was taken from Bheem Singh by the Mahrattas about 1761. When this nation lost the battle of Paniput, the rannah of Gohud attempted to shake off their yoke, but was conquered by Ragoonauth Row in 1766, and compelled to continue tributary. On a subsequent rupture Gohud was taken by Scindia in 1784. Relinquished to Scindia by a treaty with Great Britain subsequent to 1804.
=Goito.= A small town in Lombardy, 15 miles northwest from Mantua. In 1630 this place was carried by assault by the Imperialists, who entered Mantua on the same night, and took it by surprise. During the War of the Spanish Succession in 1701, it was alternately captured by the allies and the Imperialists; and in 1796 the French took it, but were expelled, after a brief tenure, by the Austrians. In 1814, a severe engagement took place here between the Austrian and Italian troops; and during the war of independence in 1848, it became the theatre of two other battles between the same powers, to which it owes its modern celebrity.
=Goladar=, or =Goldar=. An East Indian term signifying a store-keeper, or store-house keeper.
=Golandaazee=, or =Golandauzee=. The Indian term of an artilleryman.
=Golconda.= A town of Hindostan, strongly fortified by nature and art, standing on a hill 5 miles northwest from Hyderabad. It was once noted for its diamonds. Golconda was once the capital of an extensive kingdom which arose on the dissolution of the Bhamenee dynasty, and was governed by native Hindoo princes; but being taken by Aurungzebe by treachery in 1687, after a siege of seven months, the whole territory became incorporated with the empire of Delhi.
=Goldberg.= A town in Prussian Silesia, on an affluent of the Oder, 12 miles southwest from Liegnitz. The French were defeated by the Prussians near this place in 1813.
=Gold Coast Corps.= A corps in the British service formed of drilled Africans, and officered from the West India regiments. It is kept up for the purpose of protecting the possessions of Sierra Leone and Gambia.
=Gold Stick.= A title given to the captain of the gentlemen-at-arms, or body-guard of the British sovereign, and to colonels of the Life Guards. When either of the regiments of Life Guards is given to an officer, he is presented by the sovereign with the gold stick. The colonels of the two regiments are in attendance on the sovereign alternately month and month. The one thus on duty is called _gold stick in waiting_; and all orders relating to the Life Guards are transmitted through him. See SILVER STICK.
=Golden Fleece.= A celebrated order of knighthood in Austria and Spain, founded by Philip III., duke of Burgundy and the Netherlands, at Bruges, January 10, 1429. The order was instituted for the protection of the Roman Catholic Church, and ranks next after the order of the Garter. The insignia of the Austrian order are a golden fleece hanging from a gold and blue enameled flint-stone emitting flame, and borne in its turn by a ray of fire. On the enameled obverse is inscribed _Pretium laborum non vile_. The Spanish decoration differs slightly from the Austrian.
=Golden Horde.= A name given to the Mongolian Tartars, who established an empire in what is now Southeast Russia about 1224, their ruler being Batou, grandson of Genghis Khan. They invaded Russia, and made Alexander Newski grand duke in 1252. At the battle of Bielawisch, in 1481, they were crushed by Ivan III. and the Nogay Tartars.
=Gollette= (_Fr._). A shirt of mail formerly worn by foot-soldiers.
=Gonfalon=, or =Gonfanon=. An ensign or standard; colors.
=Gonfalonier.= A Turkish general and standard-keeper who always precedes the grand seignor during war.
=Gong.= An Indian and Chinese instrument of percussion, made of a mixture of metals, which produces a very loud, piercing sound on being struck by a wooden mallet. It is used by the Chinese as an instrument of martial music.
=Gong Wallas.= Militia in India; so called from _gong_, a village, and _wallas_, a man.
=Goniometer.= A general name for angle-measuring instruments.
=Good-conduct Pay.= Given in the British service as a stimulus to soldiers to conduct themselves with propriety. Soldiers who have not figured in the defaulters’ book are entitled to extra pay, which goes on increasing at intervals upon the same condition of “good conduct.” To mark the soldiers so distinguished, badges are given them in the form of rings of white lace, worn on the right arm. The receipt of good-conduct pay uninterruptedly for some years influences the amount of pension.
=Goojerat.= A village in the Punjab, India, the scene of the last stand made by the Sikh army against the British under Lord Gough, in 1849. In this action the Sikhs lost 53 guns, and their army of 60,000 men was entirely broken up and dispersed. The whole of the Punjab then fell under the British yoke.
=Gordian Knot.= It is said to have been made of the thongs that served as harness to the wagon of Gordius, a husbandman, afterwards king of Phrygia. Whosoever loosed this knot, the ends of which were not discoverable, the oracle declared should be ruler of Persia. Alexander the Great cut away the knot with his sword until he found the ends of it, and thus, in a military sense at least, interpreted the oracle, 330 B.C.
=Goree.= A town and small island, or rather rock, off the coast of Africa, a little more than a mile from Cape Verd. This island was first occupied by the Dutch, and afterwards taken by the French, to whom it was finally ceded by the treaty of Nimeguen, 1678. It is now the bulwark of the possessions of the French in Africa. Goree was taken by the British in 1758, 1779, 1800, and 1804.
=Gorey.= A town in the southeast of Ireland. Near here the king’s troops under Col. Walpole were defeated, and their leader slain by the Irish rebels, June 4, 1798.
=Gorge.= The entrance into any piece of a fortification, which consists of the distance or space between the inner extremities of the two faces; as, between the faces of a half-moon, redoubt, bastion, redan, lunette, etc.
=Gorge, Demi-.= See DEMI-GORGE.
=Gorge of a Bastion.= In fortification, is usually an open space between the extremities of the flanks of the bastion. The larger this gorge is, the better is the defense; for when the ruined bastion is about to fall by siege into the hands of the enemy, the defenders can construct defensive works or dig small ditches in the gorge of the abandoned bastion. Such resistance sometimes drives the besiegers to the necessity of battering in breach the curtain.
=Gorge of Mountains.= Is the passage, more or less compressed, between two mountains, which is used as a passage-way into valleys. Gorges are important military points. If they lead to an intrenched camp, it is necessary to fortify them, and there post grand guards; these positions are the principal theatres for affairs of posts.
=Gorged.= In heraldry, when an animal is represented with a crown round its neck, it is said to be gorged.
=Gorgerin= (_Fr._). In ancient times, that part of the armor which covered the neck of a man. Hence our word _gorget_.
=Gorget= (Ital. _gorgietta_, from _gorga_, a throat). That part of ancient armor which defended the neck. Also a crescent-shaped ornament formerly worn by military officers on the breast.
=Gorgons.= In military antiquity, a warlike female nation of Lybia, in Africa, who had frequent quarrels with another nation of the same sex, called _Amazons_.
=Gothard, St.= The pass of St. Gothard is one of the best and most frequented routes across the Alps. On the northern slope is the celebrated Devil’s Bridge across the Ruess. The French and Russians had several combats here in 1799.
=Gothland.= An island in the Baltic Sea. It was conquered by the Teutonic knights, 1397-98; given up to the Danes, 1524; to Sweden, 1645; conquered by the Danes, 1677, and restored to Sweden, 1679.
=Goths.= A warlike nation that inhabited the country between the Caspian, Pontus, Euxine, and Baltic Seas. They entered Mœsia, took Philippopolis, massacring thousands of its inhabitants; defeated and killed the emperor Decius, 251; but were defeated by Claudius, 320,000 being slain. Aurelian ceded Dacia to them in 272; but they long troubled the empire. After the destruction of the Roman empire by the Heruli, the _Ostrogoths_, under Theodoric, became masters of the greater part of Italy, where they retained their dominion till 553, when they were finally conquered by Narses, Justinian’s general. The _Visigoths_ settled in Spain, and founded a kingdom, which continued until the country was subdued by the Saracens.
=Gotthard, St.= Near the river Raab, Hungary. Here the Turks under the grand vizier Kupriuli were totally defeated by the Imperialists and their allies, commanded by Montecuculli, August 1, 1664. Peace followed this great victory.
=Goudrons= (_Fr._). Small fascines, or fagots, which are well steeped in wax, pitch, and glue, and then are lighted for the purpose of setting fire to beams, planks, traverses, galleries, pontons, etc. They are likewise used in various shapes and ways, to convey light into the ditches, or upon the ramparts.
=Goujat= (_Fr._). A soldier’s boy. It likewise signifies an ignorant, good-for-nothing fellow.
=Gourdin= (_Fr._). A flat stick, two fingers in breadth, which was used by the French to punish galley-slaves.
=Government.= The Constitution of the United States provides that Congress shall make rules for the government and regulation of armies. By government is understood not only the body of fundamental laws of a state, but also the body of persons charged with the management of the executive power of a country; direction, power or authority which rules a community; administration; rule; management. Government of the military is that branch of the code which embraces the creation and regulation of the military hierarchy, or the gradual distribution of inferior authority. The power of making rules of government is that of _supreme command_, and from this living principle proceed the localization of troops, their organization and distribution; rules for rewards and punishments; and generally, all rules of government and _regulation_ whatsoever, which the legislature may judge necessary to maintain an efficient and well-disciplined army. All authority over the land forces of the United States must, therefore, be derived from Congress. For, although the President is the commander-in-chief, yet his functions, as such, must be regulated by Congress, under the 17th clause of Sec. 8 of the Constitution, as well as under the general authority of Congress to make rules for the government and regulation of the land forces. The President cannot be divested of power which Congress may assign to any inferior military commander, because the authority of the greater includes that of the less. But all the authority over the land and naval forces, save the _appointment_ of the commander-in-chief, rests with Congress, and no authority can be exercised not delegated by Congress, except such as may be fairly deduced from powers given for the effective discharge of the duties annexed to his office.
=Government’s Island.= See ROCK ISLAND.
=Governor.= An officer placed by royal commission in the military command of a fortress, not only over the garrison but over the inhabitants. In time of war it is an office of great responsibility, and at all times requires considerable experience and military information. Also, in the United States, one who is invested with supreme authority in a State.
=Governor’s Island.= An island in New York harbor, about a mile and a half south of the City Hall. It belongs to the United States, and is strongly fortified by Fort Columbus, Castle Williams, and a battery commanding the entrance to Buttermilk Channel, the channel which separates the island from Brooklyn. The ordnance department has a depot here. It is now the headquarters of the military division of the Atlantic.
=Gowrie Conspiracy.= One of the most singular events in the history of Scotland took place in August, 1600. John Ruthven, earl of Gowrie, and others entered into a conspiracy to possess themselves of the king’s (James VI.) person, to convey him to England and to administer the government in the interest of the Presbyterian leaders at home. They succeeded in enticing the king to the Gowrie House at Perth, and after they had held him as a prisoner were almost successful in dismissing his attendants without exciting suspicion; but the king crying out for assistance his voice was instantly recognized; his attendants hastened to the rescue, and quickly dispatched the earl and his brother Alexander.
=Grade.= Synonymous with rank; peculiarly applicable to the different ranks among officers, beginning from an ensign to the commander-in-chief of an army.
=Gradivus.= A surname of Mars (which see).
=Grain.= See FORAGE.
=Grainoir=, or =Grénoir= (_Fr._). A term used in the French artillery to signify a sort of sieve, in which there are small round holes for moist powder to be passed through, in order to make the grains perfectly round.
=Gran.= A town of Hungary, on the right bank of the Danube, 25 miles northwest of Pesth. It is one of the oldest towns of Hungary, was formerly fortified, and has undergone assaults and sieges almost without number.
=Granada.= A city of Southern Spain, founded by the Moors in the 8th century. It formed at first part of the kingdom of Cordova. In 1236, Mohammed-al-Hamar made it the capital of his new kingdom of Granada, which was subjugated by the “great captain,” Gonsalvo de Cordova, in 1492. Granada was taken by Marshal Soult in 1810, and held till 1812.
=Granada, New.= The name formerly given to the republic now known as the United States of Colombia (which see).
=Grand.= This word is frequently used, both in French and English, to indicate superiority of position, force, or display; as _grand master_, _grand army_, _grand march_, _grand parade_, etc.
=Grand Division.= A battalion or regiment being told off by two companies to each division, is said to be told off in grand divisions; hence, grand-division firing is when the battalion fires by two companies at the same time, and is commanded by one officer only.
=Grand Guard.= The main guard of an army; the guard covering the army or camp from an attack by the enemy; other guards are called _interior guards_.
=Grand Master.= The title of the head of the military orders, the Hospitallers, the Templars, and the Teutonic knights.
=Grand Master of Cross-bows.= The _personnel_ of the French artillery was for a long time prior to 1420 retained, together with the engineers, under the general direction of an officer who was titled “grand master of cross-bows.” In 1420 the master-general of artillery was made independent of this officer.
=Grand Rounds.= See ROUNDS.
=Grand Tactics.= See TACTICS.
=Granicus.= A river in Northwestern Asia Minor, near which, on May 22, 334 B.C., Alexander the Great signally defeated the Persians. The Macedonian troops (30,000 foot and 5000 horse) crossed the Granicus in the face of the Persian army (600,000 foot and 20,000 horse). Sardis capitulated, Miletus and Halicarnassus were taken by storm, and other great towns submitted to the conqueror.
=Granson=, or =Grandson=. A town of Switzerland, canton of Valid, on the southwest shore of the Lake of Neufchâtel, 20 miles north of Lausanne. Near it the Burgundians under Charles the Rash were defeated by the Swiss with great loss, March 8, 1476.
=Granville.= A fortified seaport of France, in the department of La Manche, on a rocky peninsula 12 miles northwest from Avranches. In 1695 this place was burned by the English, and in 1793 it was besieged by the Vendeans.
=Grape-shot.= A certain number of iron balls, usually nine, put together by means of two cast-iron plates, two rings, and one pin and nut. Each plate has on the inside three beds for the shot, of a depth equal to half the thickness of the plate and of the form of a spherical segment, the curvature of which is the same as that of the shot. An iron pin riveted to the bottom iron plate passes through the centre and also through the top plate, where the whole is secured by a nut and screw. In the United States the use of these shot for field-pieces has been discontinued, canister answering the purpose. (See CANISTER-SHOT.) In the old pattern, the balls were placed in tiers around an iron pin attached to an iron tampion at the bottom, put into a canvas bag, and then quilted around with a strong cord.
=Grapple.= To seize; to contend in close fight; to attach one’s self as if by a grapple, as in wrestling; hence to _grapple with_, to enter into contest with, resolutely and courageously.