Part 83
=Novi.= A town of Northern Italy, situated at the foot of the Apennines, 13 miles southeast from Alessandria. It is noted for a sanguinary battle fought here in August, 1799, between the French under Joubert and the allied Austro-Russian forces under Suwarrow. The former were defeated, and among 10,000 of the French slain were Joubert and several other distinguished officers.
=Noyan= (_Fr._). In English _mandril_; it also means the whole of the vacant space or bore of a cannon, under which are comprehended the diameter of the mouth, the vacant cylinder, the breech, and the vent. With respect to bombs, grenades, and hollow balls, that which is called _noyan_ consists of a globular piece of earth, upon which the cover of bombs, grenades, and hollow balls is cast. The metal is poured in between this cover and the noyan, after which the noyan, or core, is broken, and the earth taken out.
=Nubia.= A large country of Africa, the ancient _Æthiopia supra Ægyptum_, said to have been the site of the kingdom of Meroë, received its name from a tribe named Nubes or Nubates. It is now subject to the viceroy of Egypt, having been conquered by Ibrahim Pasha in 1822.
=Nuddea.= A town of British India, in the district of Burdwan, 80 miles north of Calcutta. It was taken and entirely destroyed in 1204.
=Nuggar.= A term in the East Indies for a fort.
=Nuits.= A small fortified town near Dijon, in Burgundy, Northeast France. It was frequently captured and ravaged, especially in 1569, 1576, and 1636. It was taken by the Badenese under Von Werder, December 18, 1870, after five hours’ conflict, in which above 1000 French are said to have been killed and wounded, and 700 prisoners taken. The German loss was also heavy. A depot of arms and ammunition was gained by the victors.
=Numantia.= The chief town of the Celtiberian people, called Arevaci, in ancient Spain, was situated on the Douro, in Old Castile, and is celebrated for the long war of twenty years which it maintained against the Romans. See NUMANTINE WAR.
=Numantine War.= The war between the Romans and the Celtiberians (Celts who possessed the country near the Iber, now _Ebro_) began 143 B.C., on account of the latter having given refuge to their allies, the Sigidians, who had been defeated by the Romans. Numantia, an unprotected city, withstood a long siege, in which the army of Scipio Africanus, 60,000 men, was opposed by no more than 4000 men able to bear arms. The Numantines fed upon horse-flesh, and on their own dead, and at last drew lots to kill one another. At length, those whom plague and famine had spared destroyed themselves, so that no one remained to adorn the triumph of the conqueror, 133 B.C.
=Numéros= (_Fr._). Round pieces of brass or other metal, which were numbered and used in the old French service in the detail of guards.
=Numidia.= An ancient country of North Africa, the seat of the war of the Romans with Jugurtha, which began 111 B.C., and ended with his subjugation and captivity, 106. The last king, Juba, joined Cato, and was killed at the battle of Thapsus, 46 B.C., when Numidia became a Roman province.
=Nuncio.= An ambassador from the pope.
=Nuremberg= (Ger. _Nürnberg_). A town of Bavaria, in the circle of Middle Franconia, stands on the Pegnitz, an affluent of the Regnitz. In 1219 it became a free city, independent of any European power, and as such it continued till it was given over by Napoleon in 1806 to the king of Bavaria. At the Reformation the inhabitants embraced the Protestant cause; and in the Thirty Years’ War they were on the side of the Swedes, and suffered much in 1632, during the blockade which Gustavus Adolphus endured from the imperial forces under Wallenstein. The city was occupied by the Prussians in 1866, and its fortifications demolished.
=Nurse.= A person whose whole business is to attend the sick in hospital. In the U. S. service, nurses are detailed in post hospitals from the companies who are serving at the post, and are exempt from other duty, but have to attend the parades for weekly inspections and the musters of their companies, unless especially excused by the commanding officer. Ordinarily one nurse is allowed to every ten persons sick in hospital. In the British service there are sergeants, orderly men, and nurses (generally women) in hospitals of regiments of the line.
=Nuthall’s Rifle.= See SMALL-ARMS.
=Nyköping.= A seaport of Sweden, pleasantly situated on the Baltic, about 60 miles southwest of Stockholm. In 1317 the castle of Nyköping was seized and sacked by the people, who demolished its keep and donjons. In 1719 the town was taken and dismantled by the Russians.
=Nystadt.= A town of Finland, on the eastern coast of the Gulf of Bothnia, 50 miles south of Biorneborg. Here, in 1721, a treaty was agreed to between Russia and Sweden, by virtue of which all the conquests of Peter the Great along the coasts of the Gulf of Finland were annexed to Russia.
O.
=Oakum.= A tangled mass of tarred hempen fibres, is made from old rope by untwisting the strands and rubbing the fibres free from each other. Its principal use is in calking the seams between planks, the space round rivets, bolts, etc., for the purpose of preventing water from penetrating.
=Oaths, Military.= The taking of the oath of fidelity to government and obedience to superior officers, was, among ancient armies, a very solemn affair. A whole corps took the oath together, and sometimes an entire army. The tribunes of every legion chose out one whom they thought the fittest person, and gave him a solemn oath at large, the substance of which was, that he should oblige himself to obey the commanders in all things to the utmost of his power, be ready to attend whenever they ordered his appearance, and never to leave the army but by their consent. After he had ended, the whole legion, passing one by one, every man, in short, swore to the same effect, crying, as he went by, _Idem in me_, “the same by me.” In modern times when so many other checks are used in maintaining discipline, the oath has become little more than a form. A recruit enlisting in the army or navy, or a volunteer enrolling himself, swears to be faithful to the government, and obedient to all or any of his superior officers. The members of a court-martial take an oath to try the cases brought before them justly, according to the evidence, to keep secret the finding and sentence of the court, until they shall be published by the proper authority, and to keep secret the votes or opinions given by the members individually. The judge-advocate swears that he will not reveal the individual opinions or votes of the members nor the sentence of the court to any but the proper authority. There is also an oath for the members and an oath for the recorder of a court of inquiry. The only other military oath is the common oath of a witness before a court-martial, to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. See APPENDIX, ARTICLES OF WAR.
=Obedience= (Fr. _obéissance_). Submission to the orders of a superior. The first principle which ought to be inculcated and impressed upon the mind of every officer and soldier is obedience to all lawful commands. It is the mainspring, the soul and essence of military duty. It is evident that if all officers and soldiers are to judge when an order is lawful and when not, the captious and mutinous would never be at loss for a plea to justify their insubordination. It is, therefore, an established principle, that unless an order is so manifestly against law that the question does not admit of dispute, the order must first be obeyed by the inferior, and he must subsequently seek such redress against his superior as the laws allow. If the inferior disputes the legality before obedience, error of judgment is never admitted in mitigation of the offense. The redress now afforded by the laws to inferiors is not, however, sufficient; for doubtful questions of the construction of statutes, instead of being referred to the Federal courts of law for their true exposition, have received variable expositions from the executive, and left the army in an unfortunate state of uncertainty as to the true meaning of certain laws; and this uncertainty has been most unfavorable to discipline. Again, while the punishment of death is meted to officers and soldiers for disobedience of _lawful_ commands, the law does not _protect_ officers and soldiers for obeying _unlawful_ commands. Instances have occurred in the United States, where officers and soldiers have been subjected to vexatious prosecutions, simply for obeying orders according to their oath of office. Would it not be just if the law, instead of requiring officers and soldiers thus nicely to steer between Scylla and Charybdis, should hold the superior who gives an illegal order alone responsible for its execution?
=Obedience to Orders.= An unequivocal performance of the several duties which are directed to be discharged by military men. All officers and soldiers are to pay obedience to the lawful orders of their superior officers.
=Obey, To.= In a military sense, is without question or hesitation to conform zealously to all orders and instructions which are legally issued. It sometimes happens that individuals are called upon (by mistake, or from the exigency of the service) out of what is called the regular roster. In either case they must cheerfully obey, and after they have performed their duty they may remonstrate.
=Obidos.= A town of Portugal, in the province of Estremadura, situated on the Amaya, 45 miles northwest from Lisbon. An engagement took place here between the French and English in 1808.
=Object.= A word in military movements and evolutions, synonymous with _point_. Thus, in marching forward in line, etc., the guide of a squad, company, or battalion, must take two objects at least to fix his line of march by which the whole body is regulated. As he advances he selects succession objects or points to prolong the line.
=Object.= The mark aimed at in the fire of small-arms or artillery.
=Objective-points.= The point to be reached or gained by an army in executing a movement, has been termed the “objective-point.” There are two classes of objectives, viz., _natural_ and _accidental_. The term _geographical_ is frequently used to designate the first of these.
A _natural objective_ may be an important position, strong naturally, or made so by fortifications, the possession of which gives control over a tract of country, and furnishes good points of support or good lines of defense for other military operations. Or, it may be a great business centre, or a capital of a country, the possession of which has the effect of discouraging the enemy and making him willing to sue for peace.
_Accidental objectives_ are dependent upon the military operations which have for their object the destruction or disintegration of the enemy’s forces. These objectives are sometimes called “_objective-points of manœuvre_.” The position of the enemy determines their location. Thus, if the enemy’s forces are greatly scattered, or his front much extended, the central point of his position would be a good objective-point, since the possession of it would divide the enemy’s forces, and allow his detachments to be attacked separately. Or, if the enemy has his forces well supported, a good objective would be on that flank, the possession of which would allow his communications with his base to be threatened. It is well to remark that the term “point” used in this connection is not to be considered merely in its geometrical sense, but is used to apply to the object which the army desires to attain, whether it be a position, a place, a line, or even a section of country.--_Prof. J. B. Wheeler._
=Oblat= (_Fr._). Disabled soldier formerly maintained by abbeys.
=Oblique.= In tactics, indicates a direction which is neither parallel nor perpendicular to the front, but more or less diagonal. It is a command of warning in the tactics for the movement. It is used in referring to diagonal alignments, attacks, orders of battles, squares against cavalry, changes of front, fires, etc.
=Oblique Deployments.= When the component parts of a column that is extending into line, deviate to the right or left, for the purpose of taking up an oblique position, its movements are called _oblique_ deployments.
=Oblique Fire.= See FIRE, OBLIQUE.
=Oblique Flank.= See FLANK, OBLIQUE.
=Oblique Order of Battle.= See ORDER OF BATTLE, OBLIQUE.
=Oblique Percussion.= Is that wherein the striking body is not perpendicular to the body struck, or is not in line with its centre of gravity.
=Oblique Position.= Is a position taken in an oblique direction from the original line of formation.
=Oblique Projection.= Is that wherein the direction of the striking body is not perpendicular to the body struck, which makes an oblique angle with the horizontal line.
=Oblique Radius.= Is a line extending from the centre to the exterior side of a polygon.
=Oblique Step.= Is a step or movement in marching, in which the soldier, while advancing, gradually takes ground to the right or left at an angle of about 25°. It is not now practiced.
=Oblique, To.= In a military sense, is to move forward to the right or left, by obliquing in either of those directions, according to the words of command.
=Oblong Projectiles.= See PROJECTILES.
=Obsequies.= See FUNERAL HONORS.
=Observation, Army of.= An army assigned to the duty of observing and checking the movements of an enemy.
=Observer Sergeants.= In the United States, are sergeants in the signal service, stationed in large towns and important commercial centres, to give timely warning of the approach of storms, rise of rivers, and all other important weather news for the guidance of merchants and others.
=Observe, To.= To watch closely, etc. Hence, _to observe_ the motions of an enemy, is to keep a good lookout by means of small corps of armed men, or of intelligent and steady spies and scouts, and to be constantly in possession of information regarding his different movements.
=Obsession.= The act of besieging.
=Obsidional.= Belonging to a siege.
=Obsidional Crown= (Fr. _couronne obsidionale_). A crown so called among the ancient Romans, which was bestowed upon a governor or general, who by his skill and exertions, either held out or caused the siege to be raised of any town belonging to the republic. It was made from the grass which grew on the spot, and was therefore called _gramineus_ (Lat. _gramen_, “grass”).
=Obsidionale Monnaie= (_Fr._). Any substitute for coin which has a value put upon it that is greater than its intrinsic worth; and a currency given to answer the convenience of the inhabitants of a besieged place.
=Obstacles.= Are narrow passes, woods, bridges, or any other impediments which present themselves when a battalion is marching to front or rear; or abatis, crows-feet, palisades, etc., which, being placed in the glacis of a fortress, obstruct the operations of an assaulting party.
=Obstinate.= In a military sense, means determined; fixed in resolution; as, an obstinate resistance.
=Obstruct.= To block up; to stop up or close, as a way or passage; to fill with obstacles or impediments that prevent passing; as, to obstruct a road, highway, channel, etc.
=Obstruction.= The act of obstructing, or the state of being obstructed. Also, that which obstructs or impedes; obstacle; impediment; hindrance.
=Obtain.= To get hold of by effort; to gain possession of.
=Obus=, or =Obusier= (_Fr._). A species of small mortar, resembling a mortar in everything but the carriage, which was made in the form of that belonging to a gun, only shorter. It has been frequently used at sieges; and was well calculated to sweep the covert way, and to fire ricochet shots. They were usually loaded with cartouches.
=Obusier= (_Fr._). Howitzer, called _haubitz_ by the Dutch. In 1434 it was known under the name of _husenicze_.
=Oc.= A Turkish arrow.
=Ocana.= A town of Spain, in New Castile, 33 miles southeast from Madrid. Near here the Spaniards were defeated by the French, commanded by Mortier and Soult, November 19, 1809.
=Occasion= (_Fr._). Has the same signification in military matters that _affair_ bears among the French. _Une occasion bien chaude_, a warm contest, battle, or engagement; it further means, as with us, the source from whence consequences ensue. _Les malheurs du peuple sont arrivés à l’occasion de la guerre_, “the misfortunes of the people have been occasioned by the war,” or “the war has been the occasion of the people’s misfortunes.” The French make a nice distinction which may hold good in our language, between cause and occasion, viz.: _Il n’en est pas la cause,--il n’en est que l’occasion, l’occasion innocente_,--“He is not the cause, he is only the occasion, the innocent occasion of it.”
=Occupation.= The state of occupying or taking possession. Also, the state of being occupied or possessed; possession.
=Occupation, Army of.= An army which invades an enemy’s country and establishes itself in it either temporarily or permanently, is termed an _army of occupation_.
=Occupy.= Is a military phrase for taking possession of a work or fort, or to remain stationary in any place.
=Octagon.= A figure or polygon that has eight equal sides, which likewise form eight equal angles. The octagon in fortification is well calculated in its ground for the construction of large towns, or for such as have the advantage of neighboring rivers, especially if the engineer can so place the bastions, that the entrances and outlets of the rivers may be in some of the curtains. By means of this disposition no person could come in or go out of the garrison without the commandant’s permission, as the sentinels must have a full view from the flanks of the neighboring bastions.
=Oczakov=, or =Otshakov=. A town of Russia in Europe, in the government of Cherson, near the mouth of the Dnieper. This place was once the object of obstinate contests between the Turks and Russians.
=Oda.= The different corps or companies into which the Janissaries were divided bore this appellation. The word itself means a room, and the companies were so called from messing separately.
=Oda-Bachi.= Captain superintending the gunners at Constantinople.
=Odas.= Company of soldiers.
=Odessa.= A fortified seaport of European Russia, in the government of Cherson, on a small bay of the Black Sea between the Dniester and Dnieper, 85 miles west from Kherson. In the beginning of the 15th century the Turks constructed a fortress here, which was taken by the Russians in 1789. On the outbreak of the Crimean war, April, 1854, the British steamer “Furious” went to Odessa for the purpose of bringing away the British consul. While under a flag of truce, she was fired upon by the batteries of the city. On the failure of the written message from the admiral in command of the fleet to obtain explanations, 12 war-steamers invested Odessa, April 22, and in a few hours destroyed the fortifications, blew up the powder-magazines, and took a number of Russian vessels. On May 12, the English frigate “Tiger” stranded here, and was destroyed by Russian artillery. The captain, Giffard, and many of his men were killed, and the rest made prisoners.
=Odius.= A herald in the camp of the Greeks before Troy.
=Odometer.= An instrument attached to the wheel of a carriage to measure distances in traveling, indicating on a dial the number of revolutions made by the wheel.
=Odrysæ.= The most powerful people in Thrace, dwelt, according to Herodotus, on both sides of the river Artiscus, a tributary of the Hebrus, but also spread farther west over the whole plain of the Hebrus. Their king Teres retained his independence of the Persians 508 B.C. Sitalces, his son, enlarged his dominions, and in 429 aided the Athenians against Perdiccas II. of Macedon with an army of 150,000 men. Sitalces was killed in battle with the Triballi, 424. Cotys, another king (382-353), disputed the possession of the Thracian Chersonesus with Athens; after nine or ten years’ warfare, Philip II. of Macedon reduced the Odrysæ to tributaries.
=Œniadæ= (now _Triyardon_, or _Trikhardo_). An ancient town of Acarnania, situated on the Achelous, near its mouth. Œniadæ espoused the cause of the Spartans in the Peloponnesian war. At the time of Alexander the Great, the town was taken by the Ætolians, who expelled the inhabitants; but the Ætolians were expelled in their turn by Philip V., king of Macedonia, who surrounded the place with fortifications. The Romans captured and restored the town to the Acarnanians 211 B.C.
=Œnophyta= (now _Inia_). A town in Bœotia, on the left bank of the Asopus, and on the road from Tanagra to Oropus, memorable for the victory gained here by the Athenians over the Bœotians, 456 B.C.
=Oesel.= An island belonging to Russia, stretches across the mouth of the Gulf of Riga. It at one time belonged to the Teutonic knights, but was seized by the Danes at an early period, and ceded by them to Sweden in 1645. In the beginning of the 18th century it was taken possession of by Russia, to which power it was finally ceded in 1721.
=Ofanto= (anc. _Aufidus_). A river of Naples, which rises in the province of Principato Ultra, and after a course of 75 miles flows into the Adriatic, 4 miles from Barletta. Near its mouth was fought the famous battle of Cannæ, in which the Romans were defeated by Hannibal.
=Off, To Go.= To be discharged, as a gun.
=Off, To March.= To quit the ground on which you are regularly drawn up, for the purpose of going upon detachment, relieving a guard, or doing any other military duty.
=Off, To Tell.= To count the men composing a battalion or company, so as to have them readily and distinctly thrown into such proportions as suit military movements or evolutions.
=Offa’s Dyke.= An intrenchment from the Wye to the Dee, England, made by Offa, king of Mercia, to defend his country from the incursions of the Welsh, 779.
=Offense, Weapons of.= Those which are used in attack, in distinction from those of _defense_, which are used to repel.
=Offenses.= All acts that are contrary to good order and discipline, omissions of duty, etc., may be called military offenses. The principal ones are specified in the Articles of War (which see). No officer or soldier can be tried twice for the same offense, unless in the case of an appeal; nor can any officer or soldier be tried for any offense committed more than two years before the date of the order for trial, unless in cases where through some manifest impediment the offenders were not amenable to justice in that period, when they may be brought to trial any time within two years after the impediment has ceased.
=Offensive.= Used in attack; assailant; opposed to _defensive_; as, an offensive weapon or engine. Making the first attack; assailant; invading: opposed to _defensive_; as, an offensive war.
=Offensive and Defensive Fireworks.= See PYROTECHNY.
=Offensive and Defensive League.= A league that requires both or all parties to make war together against a nation, and each party to defend the other in case of being attacked.
=Offensive and Defensive Operations.= Are operations the object of which is not only to prevent the enemy’s advance, but to attack him whenever there is a favorable opportunity which promises success.
=Offensive Fortification.= See FORTIFICATION.
=Offensive War.= Military acts of aggression constitute what is called an _offensive war_. Those who assail an opposite or adverse army, or invade the dominions of another power, are said to wage an _offensive war_.
=Office.= Any place or department appointed for the officers and clerks to attend in, for the discharge of their respective employments; as, the adjutant-general’s office, etc.
=Office of Ordnance.= See BOARD OF ORDNANCE and ORDNANCE OFFICE.
=Officer, Brevet.= See BREVET.