C. (continued 3)

COUNTERMURE, a wall built up behind another in order to increase the strength of any work.

COUNTERMARCH, a change by wings, companies, subdivisions, sections, or files, whereby those who were on the right take up the ground originally occupied by the left; generally used in changing the front. See March.

COUNTERSCARP, in fortification, is properly the exterior talus, or slope or the ditch, on the farther side from the place, and facing it. Sometimes the covert way and glacis are meant by this expression. See Fortification.

COUNTERSIGN, in a general acceptation of the term means any particular word, such as the name of a place or person, which, like the parole, is exchanged between guards, entrusted to persons who visit military posts, go the rounds, or have any business to transact with soldiers in camp or garrison. It ought always to be given in the language most known to the troops.

COUNTERVALLATION, or line of countervallation, a trench with a parapet, made by the besiegers, betwixt them and the place besieged, to secure them from the sallies of the garrison; so that the troops which form the siege, are encamped between the lines of circumvallation and countervallation. When the enemy has no army in the field, these lines are useless.

COUP-DE-MAIN, in military affairs, implies a desperate resolution in all small expeditions, of surprise, &c. The favorable side of the proposed action must ever be viewed; for if what may happen, arrive, or fall out, is chiefly thought upon, it will, at the very best, not only greatly discourage, but, in general, it will produce a total failure. The very name of an expedition implies risk, hazard, precarious warfare, and a critical but desperate operation, or Coup-de-main.

COUP-d’œil, Fr. in a military sense, signifies that fortunate aptitude of eye in a general, or other officer, by which he is enabled at one glance on the ground or on a map to see the weak parts of an enemy’s country, or to discern the strong ones of his own. By possessing a ready coup d’œil, a general may surmount the greatest difficulties, particularly in offensive operations. On a small scale this faculty is of the greatest utility. Actions have been recovered by a sudden conception of different openings upon the enemy, which could only be ascertained by a quick and ready eye, during the rapid movements of opposing armies. See Am. Mil. Lib. articles Reconnoitring, and Coup d’oeil.

COUPURE, in fortification, are passages, sometimes cut through the glacis, of about 12 or 15 feet broad, in the reentering angle of the covert way, to facilitate the sallies of the besieged. They are sometimes made through the lower curtain, to let boats into a little haven built on the rentrant angle of the counterscarp of the out works.

COURANTIN, Fr. a squib; a term used among French artificers.

COURCON, Fr. a long piece of iron which is used in the artillery, and serves to constrain, or tighten cannon.

COURIER, in a military sense, means a messenger sent post, or express, to carry dispatches of battles gained, lost, &c. or any other occurrences that happen in war.

COURIERS des vivres, Fr. were two active and expert messengers attached to the French army, whose duty consisted wholly in conveying packets of importance to and fro, and in taking charge of pecuniary remittances.

COURONEMENT, or Couronnement, in fortification, implies the most exterior part of a work when besieged.

COURSER. See Charger.

COURSIER, Fr. a gun which was formerly placed in the forecastle of a galley for the purpose of firing over the ship’s beak. The weight of its ball was from 33 to 34 lb.

COURT-martial, a court appointed for the investigation and subsequent punishment of offences in officers, under-officers, soldiers, and sailors; the powers of which are regulated by the articles of war for the government of the armies of the United States, passed in the year 1806.

Art. 64. General courts martial may consist of any number of commissioned officers from five to thirteen inclusively, but they shall not consist of less than thirteen, where that number can be convened, without manifest injury to the service.

Art. 65. Any general officer commanding an army, or colonel commanding a separate department, may appoint general courts martial whenever necessary. But no sentence of a court martial shall be carried into execution until after the whole proceedings shall have been laid before the officer ordering the same, or the officer commanding the troops for the time being; neither shall any sentence of a general court martial, in time of peace, extending to the loss of life, or the dismission of a commissioned officer, or which shall, either in time of peace or war, respecting a general officer, be carried into execution, until after the whole proceedings shall have been transmitted to the secretary of war, to be laid before the President of the United States, for his confirmation or disapproval and orders in the case. All other sentences may be confirmed and executed by the officer ordering the court to assemble, or the commanding officer for the time being, as the case may be.

Art. 66. Every officer commanding a regiment, or corps, may appoint, for his own regiment or corps, courts martial, to consist of three commissioned officers, for the trial and punishment of offences, not capital, and decide upon their sentences. For the same purpose all officers, commanding any of the garrisons, forts, barracks, or other places where the troops consist of different corps, may assemble courts martial, to consist of three commissioned officers, and decide upon their sentences.

Art. 67. No garrison, or regimental court martial shall have the power to try capital cases, or commissoned officers; neither shall they inflict a fine exceeding one month’s pay, nor imprison, nor put to hard labor, any non-commissioned officer or soldier, for a longer time than one month.

Art. 68. Whenever it may be found convenient and necessary to the public service, the officers of the marine shall be associated with the officers of the land forces, for the purpose of holding courts martial and trying offenders belonging to either; and in such cases the orders of the senior officers of either corps who may be present and duly authorised, shall be received and obeyed.

Art. 69. The judge advocate, or some person deputed by him, or by the general, or officer commanding the army, detachment, or garrison, shall prosecute in the name of the United States, but shall so far consider himself as council for the prisoner, after the said prisoner shall have made his plea, as to object to any leading question to any of the witnesses, or any question to the prisoner, the answer to which might tend to criminate himself; and administer to each member of the court before they proceed upon any trial, the following oath, which shall also be taken by all members of the regimental and garrison courts martial.

“You A. B. do swear that you will well and truly try and determine, according to evidence, the matter now before you, between the United States of America, and the prisoner to be tried, and that you will duly administer justice, according to the provisions of “An act establishing rules and articles for the government of the armies of the United States,” without partiality, favor or affection; and if any doubt shall arise, not explained by said articles, according to your conscience, the best of your understanding, and the custom of war, in like cases; and you do further swear, that you will not divulge the sentence of the court until it shall be published by the proper authority; neither will you disclose or discover the vote or opinion of any particular member of the court martial, unless required to give evidence thereof as a witness, by a court of justice, in a due course of law. So help you God.”

And as soon as the said oath shall have been administered to the respective members, the president of the court shall administer to the judge advocate, or person officiating as such, an oath in the following words:

“You A. B. do swear, that you will not disclose or discover the vote or opinion of any particular member of the court martial, unless required to give evidence thereof as a witness, by a court of justice in due course of law. Nor divulge the sentence of the court to any but the proper authority, until it shall be duly disclosed by the same. So help you God.”

Art. 70. When any prisoner arraigned before a general court martial shall, from obstinate and deliberate design, stand mute or answer foreign to the purpose, the court may proceed to trial and judgment as if the prisoner had regularly pleaded not guilty.

Art. 71. When a member shall be challenged by a prisoner, he must state his cause of challenge, of which the court shall, after due deliberation determine the relevancy or validity, and decide accordingly; and no challenge to more than one member at a time shall be received by the court.

Art. 72. All the members of a court martial are to behave with decency and calmness; and in giving their votes, are to begin with the youngest in commission.

Art. 73. All persons who give evidence before a court martial, are to be examined on oath or affirmation in the following form:

“You swear or affirm (as the case may be) the evidence you shall give in the cause now in hearing, shall be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. So help you God.”

Art. 74. On the trials of cases not capital, before courts martial, the deposition of witnesses not in the line or staff of the army, may be taken before some justice of the peace, and read in evidence; provided, the prosecutor and person accused are present at the taking the same, or are duly notified thereof.

Art. 75. No officer shall be tried but by a general court martial, nor by officers of interior rank, if it can be avoided. Nor shall any proceedings or trials be carried on excepting between the hours of eight in the morning, and three in the afternoon, excepting in cases, which, in the opinion of the officer appointing the court martial, require immediate example.

Art. 76. No person whatsoever shall use any menacing words, signs, or gestures, in presence of a court martial, or shall cause any disorder or riot, or disturb their proceedings, on the penalty of being punished at the discretion of the said court martial.

Art. 77. Whenever any officer shall be charged with a crime, he shall be arrested and confined in his barracks, quarters, or tents, and deprived of his sword, by the commanding officer. And any officer who shall leave his confinement before he shall be set at liberty by his commanding officer, or by a superior officer, shall be cashiered.

Art. 78. Non-commissioned officers and soldiers, charged with crimes, shall be confined until tried by a court martial, or released by proper authority.

Art. 79. No officer or soldier who shall be put in arrest, shall continue in confinement more than eight days, or until such time as a court martial can be assembled.

Art. 80. No officer commanding a guard, or provost martial, shall refuse to receive or keep any prisoner committed to his charge by an officer belonging to the forces of the United States; provided the officer committing, shall, at the same time, deliver an account in writing, signed by himself, of the crime with which the said prisoner is charged.

Art. 81. No officer commanding a guard, or provost martial, shall presume to release any person committed to his charge, without proper authority for so doing, nor shall he suffer any person to escape, on the penalty of being punished for it by the sentence of a court martial.

Art 82. Every officer or provost marshal, to whose charge prisoners shall be committed, shall within twenty-four hours after such commitment, or as soon as he shall be relieved from his guard, make report in writing, to the commanding officer, of their names, their crimes, and the names of the officers who committed them, on the penalty of being punished for disobedience or neglect, at the discretion of a court martial.

Art. 83. Any commissoned officer convicted before a general court martial of conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman, shall be dismissed the service.

Art. 84. In cases where a court martial may think it proper to sentence a commissioned officer to be suspended from command, they shall have power also to suspend his pay and emoluments from the same time, according to the nature and heinousness of the offence.

Art. 85. In all cases where a commissioned officer is cashiered for cowardice or fraud, it shall be added in the sentence, that the crime, name, and place of abode, and punishment of the delinquent, be published in the newspapers, in and about the camp, and of a particular state from which the offender came, or where he usually resides, after which it shall be deemed scandalous for an officer to associate with him.

Art. 86. The commanding officer of any post or detachment, in which there shall not be a number of officers adequate to form a general court martial, shall, in cases which require the cognizance of such a court, report to the commanding officer of the department, who shall order a court to be assembled at the nearest post or detachment, and the party accused, with necessary witnesses, to be transported to the place where the said court shall be assembled.

Art. 87. No person shall be sentenced to suffer death but by the concurrence of two thirds of a general court martial, nor except in the cases herein expressly mentioned; nor shall more than fifty lashes be inflicted on any offender, at the discretion of a court martial, and no officer, non-commissioned officer, soldier, or follower of the army, shall be tried a second time for the same offence.

Art. 88. No person shall be liable to be tried and punished by a general court martial for any offence which shall appear to have been committed more than two years before the issuing of the order for such trial, unless the person by reason of having absented himself, or some other manifest impediment, shall not have been amenable to justice within that period.

Art. 89. Every officer authorised to order a general court martial, shall have power to pardon or mitigate any punishment ordered by such court, except the sentence of death, or of cashiering an officer; which in the cases where he has authority (by article 65) to carry them into execution, he may suspend until the pleasure of the President of the United States can be known; which suspension, together with copies of the proceedings of the court martial, the said officer shall immediately transmit to the President for his determination. And the colonel or commanding officer of the regiment or garrison, where any regimental or garrison court martial shall be held, may pardon or mitigate any punishment ordered by such court to be inflicted.

Art. 90. Every judge advocate, or person officiating as such, at any general court martial, shall transmit, with as much expedition as the opportunity of time and distance of place can admit, the original proceedings and sentence of such court martial, to the secretary of war, which said original proceedings and sentence shall be carefully kept and preserved in the office of the said secretary, to the end that the persons entitled thereto may be enabled, upon application to the said office, to obtain copies thereof.

The party tried by any general court martial, shall, upon demand thereof made by himself, or by any person, or persons in his behalf, be entitled to a copy of the sentence and proceedings of such court martial.

The following section is extracted from the laws of Congress of 1808.

Sec. 10. And be it further enacted, That the officers, non-commissioned officers, musicians, and privates of the said corps, shall be governed by the rules and articles of war, which have been established by the United States in Congress assembled, or by such rules and articles as may be hereafter, by law established; Provided nevertheless, That the sentence of general courts martial, extending to the loss of life, the dismission of a commissioned officer, or which shall respect the general officer, shall, with the whole of the proceedings of such cases, respectively, be laid before the President of the United States, who is hereby authorised to direct the same to be carried into execution, or otherwise, as he shall judge proper.

Court of inquiry, an assemblage of officers who are empowered to inquire into the conduct of an officer, or to see whether there is ground for a court-martial, &c. Courts of inquiry cannot award punishment, but must report to the officer by whose order they were assembled. Courts of inquiry are also appointed to examine into the quality and distribution of military stores. See Articles of War, §. 91, and 92.

A regimental Court-Martial cannot sentence to the loss of life or limb. The colonel or commanding officer approves the sentence of a regimental court-martial.

A garrison Court-Martial resembles a regimental one in as much as the members are not sworn, and only differs by its being composed of officers of different regiments. The governor, or other commanding officer of the garrison, approves the sentence.

COURTINE, Fr. See Curtain.

COUSSINET à mousquetaire, Fr. a bag formerly worn by a French soldier on his left side beneath the cross belt. It hung upon hooks near the but of his musquet. It likewise signifies a wedge used to support the mortar in its frame.

COUTELAS, Fr. See Cutlass.

COUVERT, Fr. See Cover.

COUVRE-FACE, Fr. a term used by some engineers, and among others by Cohorn, to express the counter-guard: others, particularly Montalembert, convey by couvre face géneral a second line of complete investment.

To COVER, in the mechanical disposition of a battallion, company or squad, only means that a man is to stand in such a position in files, as that when he looks exactly forward to the neck of the man who leads him, he cannot see the second man from him. Nothing but great attention at the drill can bring men to cover so truly as never to destroy the perpendicular direction of any leading body. The least deviation in the men who cover upon either flank of a leading column or division, will throw all that follow out of the true line.

To Cover ground, is to occupy a certain proportion of ground individually, or collectively. A foot soldier upon an average covers 22 inches of ground when he stands in the ranks. The dimensions are taken from his shoulder points.

A file on horseback covers or occupies in the ranks about 2 feet 8 inches. Thus three file, 8 feet; twelve file will occupy about 32 feet or 10 yards and 2 feet; thirteen file, 34 feet 8 inches, or 11 yards, 1 foot 8 inches; fourteen file, 37 feet 4 inches, or 12 yards 1 foot 4 inches, and so on.

One horse’s length from nose to croup, on an average, 8 feet and about 2 inches, or 2 yards 2 feet 2 inches. This consequently will be the space which about three files occupy in front.

Cavalry and infantry officers cannot pay too much attention to the calculation of distances by an accurate knowlege of which, ground will be properly covered, and any proportion of men, on horseback or on foot, be drawn up so as to answer the intentions of an able general. The best way that an officer can form his eye, is to exercise it to the measurement of ground by the regular pace of two feet, used in the military drawing; by this he can calculate his interval exactly, when he once knows how many feet his division occupies; for it is only halving the number of feet, and the number, so produced, is his distance in paces of two feet each. This instruction has been given to cavalry officers, by a very able Tactician.

Cover, a term in war to express security or protection: thus, to land under cover of the guns, is to advance offensively against an enemy who dares not approach on account of the fire from ships, boats or batteries. It likewise signifies whatever renders any movement imperceptible: as, under cover of the night, under cover of a wood, &c. The gallery or corridor in fortification is however, particularly distinguished by the term Chemin Couvert, covert way, because the glacis of the parade is its parapet.

COVERT-WAY, in fortification, is a space of 5 or 6 fathoms on the border of the ditch towards the country, covered by a rising ground, which has a gentle slope towards the field. This slope is called the glacis of the covert-way. See Fortification.

Second Covert-way, or as the French call it avant chemin couvert, is the covert-way at the foot of the glacis. See Fortification.

CRAB. See Gin.

CRANE, an instrument made with ropes, pullies, and hooks, by which great weights are raised.

CREDITS. See Debts and Credits.

CREMAILLE, in field fortification, is when the inside line of the parapet is broken in such a manner as to resemble the teeth of a saw; whereby this advantage is gained, that a greater fire can be brought to bear upon the defile, than if only a simple face were opposed to it; and consequently the passage is rendered more difficult.

Redouts en Cremaillere, or Cremaille, are such as are constructed as above mentioned.

CRESSET, any great light upon a beacon, light-house, or watch-tower.

CRETE, in fortification, implies the earth thrown out of the ditch in a fortification, trench, &c. The most elevated part of a parapet or glacis.

CRI des armes, Fr. a savage custom which is still preserved by the Turks and other uncivilized nations, whenever they go into action. It was formerly practised among the French, Spaniards, and the English, &c. The national exclamations were Montjoie and St. Dennis for France, St. James for Spain, St. George for England, St. Malo or St. Yves for the Dukes of Britanny, St. Lambert for the principality of Liege, &c. The war-whoop may likewise be considered in this light. It is still practised among the savages of America. See War-whoop.

Every species of noise however is now exploded in Europe. When two armies are upon the point of engaging, a dead silence prevails, the eye and ear of the soldier are rivetted to the word of command; and when he comes into close contact with the enemy, nothing is heard besides the noise of drums, trumpets and cymbals, to which are added the discharge of ordnance and the fire of the musquetry.

In making any desperate assault, or in charging bayonet, or when one battalion is directly opposed to another, or squadron to squadron, the French soldiery frequently use the cri des armes; tué tué; and the Spaniards vociferate amat. Silence and calmness in the soldier, with steadiness and observation in the officer, are nevertheless superior to such ungovernable effusions. The former must contribute to regularity, the latter seldom fails to create disorder.

CRIQUES, Fr. small ditches which are made in different parts of a ground, for the purpose of inundating a country, in order to obstruct the approaches of an enemy.

CROATS, in military history, light irregular troops so called; generally people of Croatia. They are ordered upon all desperate services, and their method of fighting is the same as the Pandours. They wear a short waist-coat, and long white pantaloons, with light boots, a cap greatly resembling the hussar cap. Their arms are a long firelock with rifled barrel, and short bayonet, a crooked hanger, and brace of pistols.

CROCUS, a calcined metal used by the soldiers to clean their musquets, &c.

CROIX de St. Louis, Fr. The cross of St. Louis, a French order which was purely of a military nature. It was instituted by Louis, surnamed the Great, in 1693.

In 1719 the number of grand crosses to be distributed in the French army was limited, with appropriate allowances, in the following manner.

445 Commandeurs and chevaliers. 12 grand crosses at 6000 livres, 13 commandeurs at 4000 livres, 27 ditto at 3000, 25 chevaliers at 2000, 38 ditto at 1500, 100 ditto at 1000, 1 ditto at 900, 99 ditto at 800, 45 ditto at 600, 23 ditto at 500, 35 ditto at 400, 5 ditto at 300, and 4 ditto at 200.

The King was Sovereign Grand Master of the order. Land and sea officers wore it promiscuously. The cross consisted of an enamelled golden fleur de lis which was attached to the button hole of the coat by means of a small riband, crimson colored and watered.

On one side was the cross of St. Louis, with this inscription Ludovicus Magnus instituit, 1693; on the reverse side a blazing sword with the following words, Bellicæ virtutis, præmium.

This is the only order which could be properly and strictly called military. There were several others during the old French government, which we judge superfluous to the present work.

CROSS, the ensign or grand standard borne by the crusaders in the holy-war.

CROSS-fire, in the art of war, is when the lines of fire of two or more adjoining sides of a field-redoubt, &c. cross one another; it is frequently used to prevent an enemy’s passing a defile. It may be two ways obtained: first, by constructing the redoubt with the face opposite the defile, tenailled; that is, forming a re-entering angle. The other way is, to defend the defile by 2 redoubts, whose faces command the passage, flanking each other at the same time.

Cross-bar shot, shot with iron bars crossing through them, sometimes standing 6 or 8 inches out at both sides: they are used at sea, for destroying the enemy’s rigging. At a siege they are of great service in demolishing the enemy’s palisading, &c.

Cross-bars. See Carriages.

Cross-bow, a missive weapon used to propel arrows, &c. previous to the use of gunpowder.

CROTCHET, of cavalry. See Cross.

CROW, an iron bar used as a lever, in moving heavy ordnance, or carriages, &c.

CROWS-feet, or Caltrops, in the art of war, are 4 pointed irons, so made that what way soever they fall, one point is always uppermost. The short ones are about 4 inches in length, and the long ones 6 or 7. The short ones are thrown on bridges, &c. and the long ones on the earth, both to incommode the cavalry, that they may not approach without great difficulty.

CROWN-work, in fortification, an out work that takes up more ground than any other. It consists of a large gorge, and two sides terminating towards the country in two demi-bastions, each of which is joined by a particular curtain, forming two half bastions and one whole one: they are made before the curtain, or the bastion, and generally serve to inclose some buildings which cannot be brought within the body of the place, or to cover the town gates, or else to occupy a spot of ground which might be advantageous to the enemy. See Fortification.

CROWNED horned-work, in fortification, is a horn-work, with a crown-work before it.

CROWNS, in ancient military history, were of various uses and denominations, viz.

Oval Crown, corona ovalis, given to a general who, without effusion of blood, had conquered the enemy.

Naval Crown, corona navalis distributed to those who first should board an enemy’s ship.

Camp Crown, corona castrensis, the reward of those who first passed the palisades of, and forced an enemy’s camp.

Mural Crown, corona muralis, the recompense and mark of honor due to those who first mounted the breach at an assault of a besieged town.

Civic Crown, corona civica, more esteemed than the preceding: it was the distinguishing mark of those who had saved the life of a Roman citizen in battle. It was given to Cicero for dissipating the conspiracy of Catiline, and denied to Cæsar, because he embrued his hands in the blood of his fellow citizens.

Triumphal Crown, corona triumphalis, the symbol of victory, and presented to a general who gained any signal advantage to the republic.

Grass Crown, corona graminea was delivered by the whole Roman people to any general who had relieved an army invested or besieged by the enemy. The other crowns were distributed by the emperors and generals; this was given to Fabius by the Roman people, for obliging Hannibal to decamp from Rome.

Olive Crown, corona oliva, the symbol of peace, and presented to the negotiators of it.

CROISADE -

CRUSADE

in military history, also called a holy war, barbarous expeditions of the Christians against the Saracens or Turks for the recovery of the holy land, and so called from those who engaged in it wearing a cross on their clothes.

CUBE a solid, consisting of 6 equal square sides. The solidity of any cube is found by multiplying the superficial content of any one of the sides by the height. Cubes are to one another in the triplicate ratio of their diagonals.

Cube-root, is the side of one of the squares constituting the cube.

CUBIC foot, implies so much as is contained in a cube whose side is 1 foot, or 12 inches.

Cubic hyperbola, is a figure expressed by the equation x y² = a, having 2 asymptotes, and consisting of 2 hyperbolas, lying in the adjoining angles of the asymptotes, and not in the opposite angles, like the Apollonian hyperbola, being otherwise called, by Sir Isaac Newton, in his enumeratio linearum tertii ordinis, an hyperbolismus of a parabola: and is the 65th species of lines, according to him.

Cubic number, is that which is produced by multiplying any number by itself, and then again the product by that number.

Cubic parabola, a curve of the second order, having infinite legs, diverging contrary ways.

CUE or Queue, the hair tied in form of a tail. All the British soldiers, excepting the grenadiers and light infantry, till very lately wore their hair cue’d.

CUIRASSE, a piece of defensive armor, made of plate, well hammered, serving to cover the body, from the neck to the girdle, both before and behind, called breast and back plate.

CUIRASSIERS, in the military art, are a sort of heavy cavalry armed with cuirasses, as most of the German horse are. The several German powers have regiments of cuirassiers, especially the emperor, and the king of Prussia. The late king of France had also one regiment; but there were none in the English army since the revolution of 1688.

CUISH, the ancient armor which covered the thighs, was so called.

CUISSARS, Fr. are plates or scales made of beaten iron, which formerly served to cover the thighs.

CUITE, Fr. a technical word to express the preparation of saltpetre for the making of gunpowder. See Saltpetre.

CULASSE, Fr. See Breech of a Gun.

CULBUTER, une Colonne, to overthrow a column. This term is frequently used when cavalry attack infantry by rapidly charging it.

CULEE d’un pont, Fr. butment of a bridge.

CULVERIN, -

Culverin ordinary,

Culverin of the largest size,

See Cannon.

CUNEUS. See Wedge.

CUNETTE. See Cuvette.

CURFEW-bell, a signal given in cities taken in war, &c. to the inhabitants to go to bed. The most eminent curfew was that in England, established by William the Conqueror, who appointed, under severe penalties, that, at the ringing of a bell, at 8 o’clock in the evening, every one should put out their lights and fires, and go to bed, &c.

CURTAIN, in fortification, is that part of the body of the place, which joins the flank of one bastion to that of the next. See Fortification.

Angle of the Curtain. See Fortification.

Complement of the Curtain. See Fortification.

CURTELASSE, -

CURTELAX,

See Cutlass.

CUSTREL, the shield-bearer of the ancients was so called.

CUT. There are six cuts used by the cavalry, to be made with the broad sword, or sabre. See Sword Exercise.

To Cut off. To intercept, to hinder from union or return. In a military sense, this phrase is variously applicable, and extremely familiar.

To Cut off an enemy’s retreat, is to manœuvre in such a manner as to prevent an opposing army, or body of men, from retiring, when closely pressed, either to their entrenchments, or into a fortified town from which they had marched or sallied. Whole armies may be cut off either through the mismanagement of their own generals, by extending the line of operation too far, or through the superior talents of an individual, who in the midst of the hurry, noise, and desolation, which invariably attend a pitched battle, suddenly takes advantage of some opening in the wings or centre, and cuts off a material part of his enemy’s line. When one army is superior to another in numbers, and is commanded by a shrewd and intelligent officer, it may always cut off a part at least of the opposing forces that come into action.

To Cut short. To abridge: as the soldiers were cut short of their pay.

To Cut up. When the cavalry are sent in pursuit of a flying enemy, the latter are generally cut up.

To Cut through. A small body of brave men, headed by a good officer, will frequently extricate itself from apparent captivity, or destruction, by cutting its way through superior force.

CUTLER, a military artificer, whose business is to forge, temper, and mount all sorts of sword blades.

CUTTING-off. See Retrenchment.

CUVETTE, in fortification, is a small ditch of 10 or 12 feet broad, made in the middle of a large dry ditch, about 4 or 4¹⁄₂ feet deep, serving as a retrenchment to defend the ditch, or else to let water in, (if it can be had during a siege,) and afford an obstacle, should the enemy endeavor to cross the fosse.

CYCLOPOEDIA. See Encyclopoedia.

CYCLOID, a curve in geometry.

CYLINDER, or concave cylinder of a gun, is all the hollow length of the piece, or bore. See Cannon.

Charged Cylinder, the chamber, or that part which receives the powder and ball. See Cannon.

Vacant Cylinder, that part of the hollow or bore which remains empty when the piece is loaded.

CYMAR, a slight covering; a scarf.

CYMBAL, in ancient military history, a war-like musical instrument in use among the ancients, made of brass and silver. They are derived from Asia, where they are of a variety of sizes. They are now used by the British and other European nations, in their martial music.

CZAR, in military history, a title assumed by the great dukes, or, as they are now stiled, emperors of all the Russias. This title is no doubt, by corruption, taken from Cæsar, emperor; and the Czars accordingly bear an eagle, as the symbol of their empire. The first that bore this title was Basil, the son of Basilides, about the year 1470. The Empress is called the Czarina or Tzarina.