Part 67

=Madras.= Called by the natives Chennapatam, a maritime city and fortress of British India, and capital of the presidency of the same name. It was taken by the French in 1744; restored to the English at the peace of Aix-la-Chapelle, in 1749, and was vainly besieged by the French under Lally, December, 1758-59. It is now considered one of the strongest fortresses in India.

=Madrid.= The capital of Spain, in New Castile, on the left bank of the river Manzanares. It is mentioned in history as _Majerit_, a Moorish castle. Madrid was sacked by the Moors in 1109; retaken and fortified by Henry III. about 1400; taken by Lord Galway in 1706; and by the French in March, 1808. The citizens of Madrid attempted to expel the French, and were defeated with much slaughter, May 2, 1808; the French were compelled to retire, but the place was retaken by them December 2, 1808, and retained until Wellington and his army entered it, August 12, 1812.

=Madriers.= Are long planks of broad wood, used for supporting the earth in mining, carrying on a sap, making coffers, caponiers, galleries, and for various other purposes at a siege; also to cover the mouth of petards after they are loaded, and are fixed with the petards to the gates or other places designed to be forced open. When the planks are not strong enough they are doubled with plates of iron.

=Madura.= An island of the Malay Archipelago, situated off the northeast coast of the island of Java, from which it is separated by a narrow channel. The Dutch invaded this island about the year 1747, and made slaves of a great number of the inhabitants.

=Maestricht.= A town of Holland, and capital of the province of Limburg, on the Maas, 110 miles southeast from Amsterdam. This town was taken by the French in 1794; and from 1795 till 1814 it was the capital of the French department of the Lower Meuse.

=Magazine.= A word derived from the Arabic, _makhzan_, “store-house,” means any place where stores are kept; but as a military expression, it always means a store-house for powder, although arms may at times be kept in it. In military structures the magazines must be bomb-proof, and therefore necessitate very thick walls; they must be quite free from damp, and should admit sufficient daylight to render the use of lanterns within generally unnecessary. The entrance is protected by shot-proof traverses, lest an opening should be forced by ricochet shots.

=Magazine Guns.= Are breech-loading small-arms having a magazine capable of holding several cartridges which may be fired in quick succession,--the empty shell being ejected and another cartridge conveyed into the breech from the magazine by working the mechanism of the piece. Among American magazine guns, the _Spencer_ was one of the first that proved successful, and was extensively used during the war of the Rebellion, 1861-65. The magazine was a tube in the stock. The _Spencer_ is no longer made. The _Henry_ was a contemporary, and used a tube under the barrel,--this gun as now improved is known as the _Winchester_, and is sold in every part of the globe. The _Ward-Burton_ and _Hotchkiss_ have tubes, the first under the barrel, the second in the stock like the _Spencer_; they are both _bolt_ guns _as to_ breech mechanism. The _Lee_ uses as a magazine a kind of pocket between the stock and barrel. This is readily detached. A gun carrying a great number of cartridges is the _Evans_, which has a spiral cartridge-carrier in the stock. Other guns, the _Meigs_ and _Cullen_, have been made carrying a still greater number, as many as forty or fifty, but these systems have not met with any considerable success. See SMALL-ARMS.

=Magdala.= A strong mountain fortress in Abyssinia, which King Theodore held against the expedition sent out in 1867 by the British government for the rescue of their subjects. In April, 1867, this stronghold was taken by Gen. Napier, for which he was created Baron of Magdala. See ABYSSINIA.

=Magdeburg.= A fortified city of Prussia, in the province of Saxony, on the Elbe. It was founded by Otto the Great in the 10th century, and is considered one of the strongest fortresses in Germany. It suffered greatly during the Thirty Years’ War, when it was sacked, and its inhabitants massacred, under the direction of Tilly. In 1806 it was taken by the French, and annexed by them to the kingdom of Westphalia; but finally restored to Prussia in consequence of the downfall of Napoleon in 1814.

=Magdolum= (in the Old Testament _Migdol_). A city of Lower Egypt, near the northeastern frontier, about 12 miles southwest of Pelusium, where Pharaoh Necho defeated the Syrians, according to Herodotus.

=Magenta.= A town of Italy, in Lombardy, 15 miles west from Milan. A great battle was fought here in June, 1859, between the French and Austrians, in which the latter were defeated. The French were commanded by Gen. MacMahon, who received the title of Duke of Magenta.

=Magetobria= (now _Moigte de Broie_, on the Saône). A town on the western frontiers of the Sequani, near which the Gauls were defeated by the Germans shortly before Cæsar’s arrival in Gaul.

=Magistral Line.= The tracing or guiding line in fortification,--the first laid down on the work or on paper,--and from which the position of all the other works is determined. In field fortification the crest line of the parapet is the _magistral_; in permanent fortification the _cordon_ or coping of the escarp wall is the guide.

=Magna Charta.= The great charter, so called, obtained by the English barons from King John in 1215, at Runny Meade. This name is also given to the charter which was granted to the people of England in the ninth year of Henry III., and confirmed by Edward I.

=Magnate.= A person of rank or dignity; a grandee or nobleman; one of influence or distinction in any sphere.

=Magnesia= (now _Manissa_). A town of Lydia, usually mentioned with the addition of _ad Sypilum_ (“at or near Sypilus”) to distinguish it from Magnesia on the Mæander, in Ionia, situated on the northwestern slope of Mount Sypilus. It is chiefly celebrated in history for the victory gained under its walls in 190 B.C. by the two Scipios over Antiochus the Great, whereby that monarch was forever driven from Western Asia. The town after the victory of the Scipios surrendered to the Romans.

=Magnetic.= Pertaining to the magnet; possessing the properties of the magnet, or corresponding properties; as, a magnetic needle. _Magnetic needle_, a slender bar of steel magnetized and suspended at its centre on a sharp-pointed pivot, so that it may take freely the direction of the magnetic meridian. It constitutes the essential part of a mariner’s compass.

=Maharajpoor.= A small town in Hindostan, India. This place was the key of the position of the Mahratta army on December 29, 1843, when the battle took place between them and the British army under Sir Hugh Gough. The Mahrattas were totally defeated.

=Mahe.= A seaport in Hindostan, India; is a French settlement on the coast of Malabar, and was taken possession of by them in 1722; retaken by the British in 1761; restored at the peace of Paris in 1763, but was again taken in 1793. It was restored to the French in 1815.

=Mahrattas.= A people of Hindoo (Hindu) race, inhabiting Central India, south of the Ganges, from Gwalior to Goa, and supposed by many to be the descendants of a Persian or North Indian people. They are first mentioned in history about the middle of the 17th century. Under the leadership of Sevaji, a freebooter or adventurer, they overran and subdued a large portion of the emperor of Delhi’s territory. They subsequently were divided into tribes under powerful leaders, and endeavored to overcome the Mogul; but they sustained a frightful defeat in January, 1761, at the hands of Ahmed Shah Abdalli, the ruler of Afghanistan, on the field of Paniput, where they lost 50,000 men, and all their chiefs except Holkar. They still, however, continued to be the hired mercenaries of the Delhi emperor, till the growing influence of the British compelled them to look to their own safety. After many long and bloody contests with the British and their allies, in which sometimes the whole, but more frequently a portion of the Mahrattas joined, they were one by one, with the exception of Scindiah, reduced to a state of dependence. This last-mentioned chief having raised a powerful army, officered by Frenchmen and disciplined after the European method, continued the contest for a number of years, till his power was finally broken in 1843. The Mahratta chiefs still possess extensive dominions under British protection.

=Maida.= A town of Naples, in Calabria Ulta, 9 miles south from Nicastra. It is noted for the defeat of the French under Regnier by the British under Sir John Stuart, in an action that took place in the plains near the town in 1806.

=Maiden.= An instrument resembling the guillotine, formerly used in Scotland for beheading criminals. Also, a fortress which has never been taken.

=Maidstone.= A town of England, in Kent, 29 miles southeast from London, on the Medway. In 1648 this town was stormed by the Parliamentary troops.

=Mail= (Fr. _maille_, It. _maglia_; from the Lat. _macula_, a “spot, hole, or mesh of a net”). Signifies a metal net-work, and is ordinarily applied to such net-work when used as body defensive armor. Well-made mail formed an admirable defense against all weapons except fire-arms, and its pliability and comparative lightness gave it favor over the more cumbrous plate-armor.

=Mail.= To put a coat of mail or armor upon; to arm defensively.

=Maillet= (_Fr._). A mallet. The French formerly made use of this instrument as an offensive weapon in their engagements. In 1351 the mallet was used at the famous battle “des Trente” (of thirty), which derived its name from the number of combatants that fought on each side. This extraordinary combat holds a distinguished place in the history of Brittany, and was entered into by the partisans of Charles of Blois and the king of France on one side, and by the Count Montfort and the king of England on the other. Under the reign of Charles VI. a Parisian mob forced the arsenal, and took out a large quantity of mallets, with which they armed themselves for the purpose of murdering the custom-house officers. The persons who assembled on this occasion were afterwards called _Maillotins_. In the days of Louis XII. the English archers carried mallets as offensive weapons.

=Maillotin= (_Fr._). An old French term which signified an ancient weapon that was used to attack men who wore helmets and cuirasses. A faction in France was also distinguished by this appellation. See MAILLET.

=Mainade= (_Fr._). A body of marauders commanded by a chief.

=Main Body.= The line or corps of an army which marches between the advance- and rear-guard; in camp, the body which lies between the two wings.

=Main Guard.= See GUARD, MAIN.

=Main Work.= In fortification, is the principal work as distinguished from the outworks.

=Maine.= The largest of the New England States, and the most easterly of the United States. The first settlement was made in it at Phippsburg, in 1607, but was subsequently abandoned. Settlements from New Hampshire gradually extended themselves into it, and it was afterwards annexed to Massachusetts, as far as the Kennebec River. In the latter part of the 17th century it suffered much from the incursions of the savages and the French, many of the towns being laid waste and the inhabitants slaughtered. This state of affairs was terminated by the treaty of Utrecht in 1712. During the Revolutionary war Portland was bombarded by the British in 1775, and much property destroyed. Maine was admitted into the Union as a State in 1820. Its northern boundary formed a subject of controversy with Great Britain, which threatened a war, but was settled by compromise in 1842. During the civil war, Maine was one of the most active of the Northern States in the cause of the Union.

=Mainotes.= The inhabitants of the mountainous district of Maina, a peninsula between the bays of the Kolokythia and Koron, forming part of the province of Laconia, in Greece. They number about 60,000, and are a wild and brave race, but addicted to robbery. While the Turks held possession of Greece, the Mainotes were almost completely independent, and when not engaged in a common struggle against the Turks their chiefs were at war with each other. The Mainotes, under their principal chief or bey, took a prominent part in the war for the liberation of Greece; but subsequently their independence was destroyed.

=Maintain.= When any body of men defend a place or post against the attacks of an adverse party, they are said to maintain it.

=Maintenance, Cap of.= Sometimes called Cap of Dignity, a cap of crimson velvet lined with ermine, with two points turned to the back, originally only worn by dukes, but afterwards assigned to various families of distinction. According to Sir John Fearne, “the wearing of the cap had a beginning from the duke or general of an army, who, having gotten victory, caused the chiefest of the subdued enemies whom he led to follow him in his triumph, bearing his hat or cap after him, in token of subjection and captivity.” Most of the reigning dukes of Germany, and various families belonging to the peerage both of England and Scotland, bear their crests on a cap of maintenance.

=Maison-du-Roi= (_Fr._). The king’s household. Certain select bodies of troops were so called during the monarchy of France, and consisted of the _gardes-du-corps_, or body-guards, the _gendarmes_, _chevaux-legèrs_, or light-horse, _mousquetaires_, or musketeers, _la gendarmerie_, _grenadiers à cheval_, or horse-grenadiers, the regiments belonging to the French and Swiss guards, and the _cent Suisses_, or hundred Swiss guards. The _maison-du-roi_, or king’s household, was not considered a separate establishment from the rest of the army until the reign of Louis IV. This establishment was successively formed by different kings out of militia companies, which they took into their body-guard.

=Maitre d’Armes= (_Fr._). A term in general use among the French, signifying a fencing-master. Every regiment has a _maitre d’armes_ attached to it.

=Majesty.= A title applied to sovereigns; as, Her Britannic Majesty.

=Major.= An officer next in rank above a captain and below a lieutenant-colonel; the lowest field-officer.

=Major, Aid-= (_Fr._). See AID-MAJOR.

=Major, Brigade-.= See BRIGADE-MAJOR.

=Major, Drum-.= See DRUM-MAJOR.

=Major, Etat-= (_Fr._). See ÉTAT-MAJOR.

=Major, Farrier-.= See FARRIER-MAJOR.

=Major, Fife-.= See FIFE-MAJOR.

=Major, Sergeant-.= See SERGEANT-MAJOR.

=Major, Town-.= See TOWN-MAJOR.

=Major, Trumpet-.= See TRUMPET-MAJOR.

=Majorate.= The office or rank of major.

=Majorca.= The principal of the Balearic Isles, in the Mediterranean, lying about 120 miles to the east of Spain. Majorca rebelled against Philip V. of Spain in 1714; but submitted July 14, 1715.

=Major-General.= See GENERAL, MAJOR-, and GENERAL OFFICER.

=Majority.= High rank; specifically, the military rank of a major.

=Make Good.= A phrase used sometimes in the wording of sentences in proceedings of courts-martial in the case of deserters; as, he will make good the time lost by desertion.

=Make Ready.= See READY.

=Malabar.= An extensive province of Hindostan, in the presidency of Madras. It is supposed that Malabar was, at a very early period, conquered by a king from above the Ghauts. It was invaded by Hyder Ali in 1760, and subdued by him in 1761. On the downfall of Tippoo Sahib, this country was annexed to the British dominions.

=Malabar Guns.= Heavy pieces of ordnance, which were made in the Malabar country, and were formed by means of iron bars joined together with hoops. They were very long, and extremely unwieldy.

=Malacca.= A British settlement situated on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula, about 100 miles northwest from the settlement of Singapore. This district was annexed to the Portuguese dominions about 1511, taken by the Dutch in 1640, and given by the Dutch to the English in 1825.

=Malacca.= The capital of the above country, is situated on the coast, upon the strait which bears its name. In 1507 this town was visited by the Portuguese, and afterwards stormed by them. It was subsequently taken by the Dutch, who retained possession of it till 1795, when it was occupied by a British force.

=Malaga.= A city of Spain, in Granada, on the coast of the Mediterranean, 66 miles northeast from Gibraltar. It fell into the hands of the Moors in 714, and was not wrested from them until 1487, when it was taken by Ferdinand the Catholic. In 1810 it was occupied by the French, and remained in their possession till 1812.

=Malakoff.= A hill near Sebastopol, on which was situated an old tower strongly fortified by the Russians during the siege of 1854-55. The allied French and English attacked it on June 17-18, 1855, and after a conflict of forty-eight hours were repulsed with severe loss. On September 8, the French again attacked the Malakoff; at 8 o’clock the first mine was sprung, and at noon the French flag floated over the conquered redoubt. In the Malakoff and Redan were found 3000 pieces of cannon of every caliber, and 120,000 pounds of gunpowder.

=Malandrins=, or =Tard-venus= (_Fr._). Companies of banditti, who chose their own chief, and overran France and Italy in the 14th century.

=Malatesta.= A noble Italian family, which acquired the lordship of Rimini in the 13th century, and furnished several leaders of the Guelph party. Malatesta II. and Galeotto Malatesta, sons of Pandolfo I., began to reign over Rimini in 1355. They had a great military reputation, and next to the Visconti were perhaps the most powerful princes of Italy. The former died in 1364, and Galeotto in 1385, leaving two sons, Carlo and Pandolfo III. These two became able generals, and commanded the army of Visconti, duke of Milan, from 1393 to 1408. Carlo, who was lord of Rimini, died without issue in 1429. The descendants of Pandolfo III. possessed Rimini until 1528, when it was added to the papal dominions.

=Malavilly.= A town of Hindostan, in the province of Mysore, where the English troops under Gen. Harris defeated Tippoo Sahib’s army in 1799.

=Maldon.= A town of England, in the county of Essex, which was built in 28 B.C. It is supposed to have been the first Roman colony in Britain; was burnt by Queen Boadicea, and rebuilt by the Romans. It was burnt by the Danes in 991, and rebuilt by the Saxons.

=Malignant.= In English history, one of the adherents of the house of Stuart; a cavalier; so called by the opposite party.

=Malinger.= To feign illness, or to protract disease in order to avoid duty.

=Malingerer.= A soldier who feigns himself sick. Any soldier convicted of malingering, feigning or producing disease, or of intentionally protracting his cure or aggravating his disease, is liable to be tried by a court-martial for “conduct prejudicial to good order and military discipline,” and to suffer the punishment attached to that offense.

=Malingery.= A feigning of illness, or protracting of disease in order to escape duty.

=Malkin.= A sponge with a jointed staff for cannon.

=Malleable Iron.= Iron which can be worked under the hammer. The term is specifically applied to cast iron which has had a part of its carbon extracted by cementation with an oxide.

=Mallet.= A wooden hammer, to drive into the ground the pegs by which a tent is fastened; it is likewise used on various other occasions, especially in fortification and artillery.

=Malmesbury.= A town of England, in Wiltshire. This town was taken from the royalists by Sir William Walter in 1643, but it was soon recovered, and again taken a short time after.

=Malo, St.= A seaport of France, in the department of Ille-et-Vilaine, on the small island of Aron. This port sustained a tremendous bombardment by the English under Admiral Benbow in 1693, and under Lord Berkely in July, 1695. In 1758 the British landed in considerable force in Cancalle Bay, and went up to the harbor, where they burnt upwards of a hundred ships, and did great damage to the town, making a number of prisoners.

=Maloi-Jaroslavitz.= A town of Russia, in the government of Kaluga. It is noted for being the scene of a most sanguinary action between the French and Russians, in October, 1812, in which the former were defeated.

=Malplaquet.= A village of France, in the department of the North. It was the scene of a sanguinary battle in 1709, between the French under Marshal Villars, and the allies commanded by the Duke of Marlborough and the Prince Eugène, in which the latter were victorious.

=Malta.= An island belonging to Great Britain, situated in the Mediterranean, 54 miles from the Sicilian coast, and about 200 from Cape Bon, on the African coast. It is strongly fortified around the capital, Valetta, which was built by the Knights of St. John. Malta was colonized by the Carthaginians about 500 B.C., and as early as the first Punic war it was plundered by the Romans, but did not come finally into their possession until 242 B.C. During the 5th century it fell successively under the sway of the Vandals and Goths. The Romans, however, regained it under Belisarius in 533 A.D., and kept possession of it till it was conquered by the Arabs in 870. In 1090, Count Roger of Sicily drove out the Arabs, and established a popular council for the government of the island. Charles of Anjou, after overrunning Sicily, made himself master of it; but after a time, the houses of Aragon and Castile successively held the island. Subsequently, the emperor Charles V. took possession of Malta, and in 1530 granted it to the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, from whom the Turks had recently captured their great stronghold at Rhodes. The knights raised by degrees the stupendous fortifications, and, moreover, spent their large income in beautifying the island in every way. Meanwhile they rendered incessant services to Christendom in the chastisement of the ferocious Barbary pirates. To revenge these acts, the Turks brought immense forces against Malta in 1557, and again in 1565. The siege in the latter year was carried on by the sultan Solyman himself, with the flower of the Ottoman army; but the grand master, La Valette, opposed a heroic resistance, and he was forced to re-embark, with the loss of more than 25,000 of his best troops. The defenders lost 260 knights and 7000 Maltese soldiers; and their gallantry was the theme of admiration throughout the world. After this siege the knights built Valetta. In 1571, they, with the Maltese, behaved most courageously at the battle of Lepanto, where the Turks lost 30,000 men. Though waging perpetual war with the Turks, the knights continued in possession of Malta until 1798, when it surrendered to Napoleon, and received a French garrison. In 1800 it was blockaded by a British squadron, and was forced to surrender to the English, in whose possession it has remained as a dependency.

=Malta, Knights of.= See ST. JOHN OF JERUSALEM, KNIGHTS OF.

=Maltese Cross.= A cross of eight points, of the form worn as a decoration by the Hospitallers and other orders of knighthood.