Part 59

=Kenilworth.= A small town of Warwickshire, England. The only interest of the place centres in its ruined castle, which stands on a rocky and commanding eminence; it was founded by Geoffrey de Clinton, lord chamberlain to Henry I. It was granted by Henry III. to Simon do Montfort, earl of Leicester, and became the chief rallying-point of the insurgents who sided with that noble. After his death it held out for six months against the royal forces. The castle of Kenilworth was dismantled by Oliver Cromwell.

=Kent.= A maritime county of England, forming the southeastern angle of the kingdom, and approaching nearer to the continent than any other part of the kingdom. It was in this county that the Romans first landed when they invaded Britain. It was then inhabited by the Cantii. Kent was the first kingdom of the Heptarchy established by the Saxons in Britain.

=Kentucky.= One of the Central States of the Mississippi Valley, and the second admitted into the confederacy after the Revolution. It was formerly included in the territory of Virginia, to which it belonged till 1792. Its name, signifying “the dark and bloody ground,” is suggestive of its early history, it being the scene of many bloody conflicts between the settlers and Indians, and also the grand battle-ground of the Indians themselves. The most important battle between the Indians and whites took place near Blue Lick Springs, August 19, 1782, the latter numbering 182, and the former about three times that number. After a desperate engagement the Kentuckians were totally routed, with a loss of 60 killed and wounded. The celebrated Col. Boone bore a part and lost a son in this engagement. In the war of 1812 Kentucky was largely and effectively represented, as also in the Mexican war. In the civil war the State at first declared a strict neutrality; but as this condition could not be maintained, after stormy and exciting discussions in its councils, it declared for the Union in November, 1861. As the population was almost equally divided in its sympathy, Kentuckians were to be found fighting in the ranks of both contending armies. The State was the theatre of several hotly contested actions during the civil war, and suffered considerably during that trying period.

=Kerana.= A long trumpet, similar in shape and size to the speaking-trumpet. The Persians use it whenever they wish to make any extraordinary noise, and they frequently blow it with hautboys, kettle-drums, and other instruments, at retreat or sunset, and two hours after midnight.

=Kerman=, or =Sirjan=. The capital of a province of the same name in Persia, situated about 360 miles southeast from Ispahan. In 1794, after a brave defense, this city was taken by Aga Mohammed Khan, and given up to plunder for three successive months. It has never recovered from the effects of this great disaster.

=Kern= (Ir. _cearn_). A soldier. The Irish infantry were formerly distinguished by this appellation. The men in those days were armed with a sword and a dart or javelin, which was tied to a small cord, so that after they had thrown it at the enemy they could instantly recover it, and use it in any way they thought proper. The javelin was called _skene_, which is also the Irish for a _knife_.

=Kertch= (anc. _Panticapœum_). A town of Russia, in the government of Taurida, on the coast of the Crimea. It was colonized in 500 B.C. by the Milesians, and about 50 B.C. it became part of the Roman empire; and in 375 A.D. it fell into the hands of the Huns. In 1280 it was occupied by the Genoese, who were driven out by the Turks in 1473. It was seized by the Russians in 1771, and formally ceded to them in 1774. In May, 1855, it was taken by the allied French and English during the Crimean war, on which occasion it was ruthlessly plundered by the soldiery.

=Ket’s Rebellion.= A revolt which occurred in England in July, 1549, instigated by William Ket, a tanner, of Norfolk. He demanded the abolition of inclosures and the dismissal of evil counselors. The insurgents amounted to 20,000 men, but were quickly defeated by the Earl of Warwick, whose troops killed more than 200 of the insurgents.

=Kettle-drum.= A drum formed by stretching vellum over the circular edge of a hemispherical vessel of brass or copper. This instrument, which gives forth a sharp, ringing sound, is used in Europe by regiments of cavalry and horse-artillery in lieu of the ordinary cylindrical drum, which would, from its shape, be inconvenient on horseback. Kettle-drums are not used in the U. S. military service.

=Kettle-drum Cart.= A four-wheel carriage drawn by four horses, which was used exclusively by the British artillery as a pageant. The ordnance flag was painted on the fore part, and the drummer, with two kettle-drums, was seated, as in a chair of state, on the back part. This cart, which is finely engraved and richly gilt, has not been in the field since 1743, when the king was present. It is at present kept in the Tower of London.

=Kettle-drummer.= One who plays on a kettle-drum.

=Kettle-hat.= A cap of iron worn by knights in the Middle Ages.

=Key.= In artillery carriages, is a bolt used to secure cap squares and for analogous purposes.

=Key of a Position or Country.= A point the possession of which gives the control of that position or country.

=Key-chain.= A chain attached to the key to prevent it from being lost.

=Key-plates.= See ORDNANCE, CARRIAGES FOR, THE CAISSON.

=Keyserlicks=, or =Imperialists=. The Austrian troops are frequently called so. The term was indeed common among the British soldiers, when they did duty with the Austrians, and invaded France in 1794.

=Khaibar.= A town of Arabia, the capital of an independent Jewish territory, 110 miles north from Medina. In 628 it was taken by Mohammed, who had received from a Jewess of the town the poisoned egg which ultimately cost him his life.

=Khan.= A title of Mongolian or Tartar sovereigns and lords. A _khanate_ is a principality. _Khagan_ means “khan of khans,” but has seldom been applied. The word khan is probably of the same origin as king.

=Khedive.= A title, said to signify a position inferior to an absolute sovereign, but superior to a mere viceroy, which was given to the viceroy of Egypt, Ismail Pasha, by the sultan of Turkey in 1867.

=Kheet= (_Ind._). A fortified city, which is 4 or more coss, or 8 English miles, in length and breadth, and which does not exceed 8 coss, or 16 English miles.

=Khelat.= A hill fortress of considerable strength in the territory of Afghanistan, which was gallantly captured by the British troops in 1839.

=Kherson.= An ancient Dorian colony, which came under the sway of the great Mithridates about 120 B.C., and afterwards of that of Rome in 30. It continued important, and its possession was long disputed by the Russians and Greeks. It was taken by Vladimir, grand duke of Russia, in 988. The city was destroyed by the Lithuanians; and the Turks found it deserted when they took possession of the Crimea in 1475.

=Khiva= (anc. _Chorasmia_), =Khaurezm=, =Kharasm=, or =Urgunge=. A khanate of Turkestan, in Central Asia. In ancient times it was nominally subject to the Selucidæ; subsequently it formed part of the kingdoms of Bactria, Parthia, Persia, and the Caliphate, and became an independent monarchy in 1092 under a Seljuk dynasty. The Khivans, or as they were then called, the Khaurezmians, after conquering the whole of Persia and Afghanistan, were obliged to succumb to the Moguls, under Genghis Khan, in 1221. In 1370 it came into the hands of Timur. Timur’s descendants were subdued in 1511 by Shahy Beg, chief of the Uzbeks, a Turkish tribe, and his successors still rule over Khiva. In 1717, Peter the Great attempted to conquer it, but his army was totally defeated; the attempt was renewed in 1839 by the czar Nicholas, with the same result; the greater part of the Russian army perished in the desert. From 1873 to 1875, however, it was continually invaded by the armies of Russia, who in the latter year occupied a portion of the principality, which is now ruled by the Russian government under the name of the Trans-Caspian Territory.

=Khodadaud Sircar= (_Ind._). The government or ruler blessed or beloved of God; it was a title assumed by Tippoo Sahib, the sovereign of the kingdom of Mysore, who fell in defense of his capital, Seringanatam, when it was stormed, May 4, 1799, by the British forces under Lieut.-Gen. Harris.

=Khoi.= A walled town of Persia, province of Azerbijan, on a tributary of the Khar. In the plain of Khoi, Shah Ismael signally defeated the Turks under Selim I. in 1514.

=Khurd-Cabul.= A village of Afghanistan, situated 16 miles southeast of Cabul. Here, in 1841, the British troops retreating from Cabul to Jelalabad became totally disorganized, and were murdered without resistance by the Afghans; and here, in 1842, Gen. Pollock encamped after the decisive defeat of the Afghans at Terzeen.

=Khyber Pass.= The most practicable of all the openings through the Khyber Mountains, is the only one by which cannon can be conveyed between the plain of Peshawur, on the right bank of the upper Indus, and the plain of Jelalabad, in Northern Afghanistan. It is 30 miles in length, being here and there merely a narrow ravine between almost perpendicular rocks of at least 600 feet in height. It may be said to have been the key of the adjacent regions in either direction from the days of Alexander the Great to the Afghan wars of 1839-42. Here a British army, on its retreat from Cabul in January, 1842, was absolutely annihilated.

=Kibee.= A flaw produced in the bore of a gun by a shot striking against it.

=Kick.= To recoil;--said of a musket, piece of ordnance, and the like.

=Kickapoos.= A tribe of Indians who formerly lived on the Wisconsin River, and were for a long time hostile to the white settlers, but after Wayne’s victory over the tribes in Ohio in 1794 submitted, and concluded a treaty of peace in 1795. In 1811 and 1812, however, they again renewed hostilities, and attacked Fort Harrison in the latter year. Being repulsed, they surprised and murdered 20 persons at the mouth of White River. For this and similar atrocities they were punished by the burning of some of their villages. After a desultory warfare, treaties of peace were again concluded with them, and after the treaty of 1819 they sold their lands and moved beyond the Mississippi River. A few settled down to agriculture, and their descendants now exhibit considerable indications of civilization; but the greater number roamed over the country committing depredations. Some of them are now settled on the Kansas agency, Kansas, and others on the Sac and Fox agency, in Indian Territory. See INDIANS AND THEIR AGENCIES.

=Kidnapper.= Parties were formerly so called, who by improper means decoyed the unwary into the army.

=Kiel.= Chief town of Holstein, a seaport, and a member of the Hanseatic League in 1300. By a treaty between Great Britain, Sweden, and Denmark, signed here January 14, 1814, Norway was ceded to Sweden. An extraordinary assembly of the revolted provinces, Schleswig and Holstein, met here September 9, 1850. By the convention of Gastein between Austria and Prussia, August 14, 1865, the former was to govern Holstein, but Kiel to be held by Prussia as a German federal port. This was annulled in 1866 by the issue of the war.

=Kiev=, or =Kief.= The chief town of the government of that name, on the west bank of the Dnieper; is one of the oldest of the Russian towns, and was formerly the capital. In 864 it was taken from the Khazars by two Norman chiefs, companions of Ruric, and conquered from them by Oleg, Ruric’s successor, who made it his capital. It was nearly destroyed by Batu, khan of Kiptchak. In the 14th century it was seized by Gedimin, grand duke of Lithuania, and annexed to Poland in 1569, but in 1686 was restored to Russia.

=Kilcullen.= In Kildare, Ireland. Here a large body of the insurgent Irish defeated the British forces commanded by Gen. Dundas, May 23, 1798. The general in a subsequent engagement overthrew the rebels near Kilcullen bridge, when 300 were slain.

=Kildare.= A county of Ireland, in the province of Leinster. The insurrection in Ireland which swelled into the rebellion, commenced in Kildare, May 23, 1798. On that night Lieut. Gifford of Dublin, and a number of other gentlemen, were murdered by the insurgents. This rebellion was quelled in 1799.

=Kilkenny.= Capital of a county of the same name in Ireland, on the Nore. After a siege the town surrendered to Cromwell, March 28, 1650, on honorable terms.

=Killa= (_Ind._). A castle, fort, or fortress.

=Killadar.= The governor, or commandant of a fort in India.

=Killala.= A small seaport town of Ireland, in the county of Mayo. It was invaded by a French force landing from three frigates, under Gen. Humbert, August 22, 1798. The invaders were joined by the Irish insurgents, and the battles of Castlebar and Colooney followed; and the French were defeated at Ballinamuck, September 8 of the same year.

=Killaloe.= A town of Ireland, in the county Clare, 12 miles northeast of Limerick. This town was long the royal seat of the O’Briens; and at Kincora, about a mile to the north, are pointed out some remains of the residence. At Killaloe, in 1691, Gen. Sarsfield intercepted the artillery of William III. on its way to Limerick.

=Killese.= The groove in a cross-bow.

=Killiecrankie.= A famous pass through the Grampian Mountains, in Perthshire, Scotland, 15 miles northwest of Dunkeld. At the northwest extremity of this pass a battle was fought in 1689, between the revolutionary army under Gen. Mackay, and the royalists under J. C. Graham of Claverhouse, viscount Dundee, in which the former was defeated.

=Kilmainham Hospital.= An asylum in Dublin, Ireland, for aged and disabled soldiers. It was founded by Arthur, earl of Granard, marshal-general of the army in Ireland, 1675. The appointments to this place are in the gift of the commander-in-chief of the army, who selects them from the old half-pay officers. The expense of the institution to the country is £8000 per annum.

=Kilmallock.= A town of Ireland, in the county Limerick. It was invested by the Irish forces in 1598, but the siege was raised by the Duke of Ormond. There was much fighting done here in 1641 and 1642. Kilmallock police barrack was attacked by 200 armed Fenians on March 5, 1867; the barrack was defended for three hours by 14 police constables, who finally drove off the Fenians, with loss, by a sally.

=Kilsyth.= A village of Scotland, in Stirlingshire, 13 miles southwest from Stirling. Montrose gained a victory over the Covenanters, commanded by Gen. Baillie, near Kilsyth in 1637.

=Kinburn.= A fort at the confluence of the rivers Bug and Dnieper, which was taken by the English and French, October 17, 1855. Three floating French batteries, on the principle of horizontal shell-firing, said to be the invention of the emperor, were very effective. On October 18, the Russians blew up Oczakoff, a fort opposite.

=Kindle.= In a military sense, to kindle is to excite to arms; to excite military ardor.

=Kineton.= A town of England, in Warwickshire, 11 miles southeast from Warwick, in the vicinity of which the famous battle of Edgehill was fought between the royalist and Parliamentary armies in 1642.

=Kinghorn.= A small burgh of Scotland, in the county of Fife, situated on the Frith of Forth. In early Scottish history it was a place of importance. Here Macbeth is said to have routed the Northmen.

=King-of-Arms=, or =King-at-Arms=. The principal herald of England was at first designated king of the heralds, a title exchanged for king-of-arms about the reign of Henry IV. There are four kings-of-arms in England, named respectively Garter, Clarencieux, Norrov, and Bath; but the first three only are members of the College of Arms. Scotland has a heraldic officer called Lyon king-of-arms, or Lord Lyon king-at-arms. Ireland has one king-of-arms, named Ulster. See HERALD.

=King’s Mountain.= A range of mountains in North and South Carolina, about 16 miles from north to south, with several spurs spreading laterally. About a mile and a half south of the North Carolina line, in this range, on October 7, 1780, the British forces about 1100 strong, under Lieut.-Col. Ferguson, were surprised and attacked by the American militia under Cols. Cleaveland, Shelby, and Campbell, and, after an obstinate and bloody contest, their leader being among the slain, the British were made prisoners.

=Kingsland.= A parish of England, in Herefordshire, 4 miles west from Leominster. The battle of Mortimer’s Cross, which fixed Edward IV. on the throne, was fought here in 1461.

=Kingston.= A city in Ulster Co., N. Y., 90 miles north of New York City. It was burnt by a British force under Sir Henry Clinton, October 7, 1777; it was afterwards rebuilt and incorporated as a village in 1805.

=Kingston.= A village and township of Luzerne Co., Pa. In this township the massacre of Wyoming took place, on July 3, 1778. See WYOMING VALLEY.

=Kingston-upon-Thames.= A town in Surrey, England, on the Thames, 10 miles southwest of London. The first armed force of the Parliamentary army assembled in this town, and here the last attempt in favor of Charles I. was made.

=Kinsale.= A town of Ireland, in the county of Cork. This place was taken by the Spaniards in 1601, and in 1608 King James II. landed here.

=Kioge.= A seaport of Denmark, near Copenhagen, where the Danes in 1807 were signally defeated by the British.

=Kiowas.= A warlike and powerful tribe of Indians, who formerly roamed over Kansas, Colorado, and Northern Texas, robbing and murdering settlers. They are now located, to the number of about 2000, with the Comanches, on a reservation in Indian Territory. In 1870, in violation of the terms of their treaty, they made a raid into Texas, where they killed several people. For this two of their principal chiefs, Satantá and Big Tree, were sentenced to be hung; but their sentence was commuted to imprisonment for life, and they were subsequently pardoned. Of late years they have been peaceable.

=Kiptchak=, or =Kipchak=. A term which, in the Middle Ages, designated that vast territory stretching north of the Caspian Sea, from the Don to Turkestan, and occupied by the Kumans and Polovises. This tract formed one of the four empires into which the huge dominion of Genghis Khan was divided, and was the portion of his eldest son Jûjy, under whose son and successor, Batû Khan, it became the terror of Western Europe, and held Russia in iron subjection from 1236 till 1362. Batû also conquered Bulgaria, and invaded Hungary, Austria, and Eastern Germany, but made no permanent conquests in this direction. This extensive empire was dismembered towards the end of the 15th century, and gave rise to the khanates of Kazan, Astrakhan, and Crim-Tartary. The Mongols of Kiptchak were also known as the Golden Horde.

=Kirkee.= A village of Hindostan, near Poona, in the Deccan, memorable for a battle fought there in 1817 between the Anglo-Indian forces and the Mahrattas, who, although greatly superior in number, were compelled to retreat with severe loss.

=Kisselbaches.= Soldiers are so called in India.

=Kissingen.= A town of Bavaria, on the Saale, 30 miles north-northeast of Würzburg. It was taken by storm on July 10, 1866, after a severe engagement between the Bavarians and Prussians, in which the latter were victorious.

=Kit.= A small wooden pail or bucket, wherewith boats are bailed out.

=Kit.= In military language, the equipment in necessaries, such as shirts, boots, brushes, etc., of a soldier, but not applicable to his uniform, arms, or accoutrements.

=Kitchen.= The building or room used by soldiers for cooking purposes.

=Klagenfurth=, or =Clagenfurt=. A town of Austria, the capital of the duchy of Carinthia, on the Glan. In 1809 the French entered this place, and destroyed the fortifications which surrounded it.

=Klamaths=, or =Clamets=. A tribe of Northern California Indians, who lived in Southern Oregon and Northern California, near Klamath Lake, and on Klamath and Rogue Rivers. They are generally peaceable, and number about 700. They are now located on a reservation, and have an agency in Southern Oregon known by their name.

=Klicket.= A small gate in a palisade for the purpose of sallying forth.

=Kliketats=, or =Kliktats=. A tribe of Indians who resided in Washington Territory, in the country between the Cascade Range and the Columbia River, north of the Dalles. They were reduced to complete subjection in 1855, and are now located with kindred tribes to the number of about 4000, on the Yakima reservation, Washington Territory.

=Klinket.= A term used in fortification, signifying a small postern or gate in a palisade.

=Knapsack.= A bag of canvas or skin, containing a soldier’s necessaries, and worn suspended by straps between his shoulders. Those used in the British army are ordinarily of black painted canvas, but a new sort of knapsack, called the valise equipment, has been issued to some regiments. Some other nations, as the Swiss, make them of thick goat-skin, dressed with the hair on.

=Knight.= From the Saxon _cniht_, a servant or attendant, was originally a man-at-arms bound to the performance of certain duties, among others to attend his sovereign or feudal superior on horseback in time of war. The institution of knighthood, as conferred by investiture, and with certain oaths and ceremonies, arose gradually throughout Europe as an adjunct of the feudal system. The character of the knight was at once military and religious; the defense of the Holy Sepulchre and the protection of pilgrims being the objects to which, in early times of the institution, he especially devoted himself The system of knight-service introduced into England by William the Conqueror empowered the king, or even a superior lord who was a subject, to compel every holder of a certain extent of land, called a knight’s fee, to become a member of the knightly order; his investiture being accounted proof that he possessed the requisite knightly arms, and was sufficiently trained in their use. After the long war between France and England, it became the practice for the sovereign to receive money compensations from subjects who were unwilling to receive knighthood, a system out of which grew a series of grievances, leading eventually to the total abolition of knight-service in the reign of Charles II. Since the abolition of knight-service, knighthood has been conferred, without any regard to property, as a mark of the sovereign’s esteem, or a reward for services of any kind, civil or military. The ceremonies practiced in conferring knighthood have varied at different periods. In general, some religious ceremonies were performed, the sword and spurs were bound on the candidate; after which a blow was dealt him on the cheek or shoulder, as the last affront which he was to receive unrequited. He then took an oath to protect the distressed, maintain right against might, and never by word or deed to stain his character as a knight and a Christian. A knight might be degraded for the infringement of any part of his oath, in which case his spurs were chopped off with a hatchet, his sword was broken, his escutcheon reversed, and some religious observances were added, during which each piece of armor was taken off in succession, and cast from the recreant knight. For the different orders of knighthood, see separate articles, under their appropriate headings, in this work.

=Knight, To.= To dub or create a knight, which in modern times is done by the sovereign, who gives the person kneeling a blow with a sword, and says, “Rise, Sir ----.”