O. (continued 2)

OVENS. The modern improvements in the art of war, has beside making biscuit, the common food of man and horse, also introduced in the equipage of armies, ovens of cast iron, which travel with the waggon train, and the bakers are classed and under military discipline, in the performance of their important functions. The operations of dressing food in military camps, have been also improved by the introduction of count Rumford’s process of boiling, roasting, and baking by steam; all performed by the single fire which heats the oven.

OVERFLOW. See Inundation.

To OVERLAP, to overspread any preceding object. In marching by echellon, for the purpose of forming upon any given point, but particularly in wheeling from column into line, troops may loose their relative distances by not taking ground enough; when this occurs, the rear division, company, or section, unavoidably crouds upon its preceding one, and it is then said to overlap. When this happens on service, the troops, so shut out, must remain as serre-files, or reserve, to fill up the intervals that will necessarily present themselves in action. But whether so or not, the line must, on no account, be deranged by moving it to right or left.

OVERLANDRES, Fr. Small barges that ply upon the Rhine and the Meuse.

To OVER-RUN. In a military sense, to ravage, to lay waste. A country which is harassed by incursions, is said to be over-run.

OVERSEER, an officer in the ordnance department, who superintends the artificer in the construction of works, &c.

OVERSLAGH, as a military phrase, which is derived from the Dutch, to skip over, will be better explained by the following table.—For instance, suppose 4 battalions, each consisting of 8 captains, are doing duty together, and that a captain’s guard is daily mounted: if in the first regiment the second captain is doing duty of deputy adjutant-general; and the 4th and 7th captains in the second are acting, one as aid-de-camp, the other as brigade major; the common duty of these three captains must be overslaghed, that is skipped over, or equally divided among the other captains.

Table of Explanation.

No. of captains. Heads of each column.

Regiments. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Pennslvania. 8 1 5 8 12 15 19 23 26

Georgia. 8 2 6 9 13 16 20 24 27

Massachu’s. 8 3 10 14 17 21 25 28

Virginia. 8 4 7 11 18 22 29

Total. 32

N. B. The three blanks shew where the overslaughs take place.

OVERTHROW, total defeat, discomfiture, rout.

OUEST ou Occident, Fr. One of the four cardinal points of the world, or the west.

OURAGAN, Fr. A violent tempest.

OUTBAR, to shut out by fortification.

OUT-GUARD. See Out-posts.

OUTILS, Fr. Tools of every description that are used by the artificers and workmen belonging to the artillery, &c.

Outils à mineur. Fr. Tools used in mining.

OUTLINE, the line by which any figure is defined.

OUTPART, at a distance from the main body. See Out-posts.

OUT-posts, a body of men posted beyond the grand guard, called out-posts, as being without the rounds or limits of the camp. See Posts.

OUTSIDE, in fencing, that part which is to the right of the line of defence.

OUTSIDE Guard, a guard used with the broad sword and sabre, to defend the outside of the position. See Broadsword.

OUTWALL. See Revetement.

OUTWARD FACE, a word of command for troops to face to the right and left from their centre.

To OUTWING, to extend the flanks of an army or line in action, so as to gain an advantageous position against the right or left wing of an enemy. This manœuvre or evolution is effected by the movement on an oblique line. See Movements.

Out-works, in Fortification, are works of several kinds, which cover the body of the place, as ravelins, half-moons, tenailles, horn-works, crown-works, counter-guards, envelopes, swallow-tails, lunettes, covert-ways, &c.

These out-works, not only cover the place, but likewise keep an enemy at a distance, and hinder his gaining any advantage of hollow or rising grounds; as such cavities and eminences may serve for lodgments to the besiegers, facilitate the carrying on approaches, and enable them to raise their batteries against the town. When outworks are placed one before another, you will find a ravelin before the curtain, a horn-work before the ravelin, and a small ravelin before the curtain of the horn-work; those works which are nearest to the body of the place must be the highest, though lower than the body of the place, that they may gradually command those without them, and oblige the enemy to dislodge, if in possession of them.

OUVERTURE des portes, Fr. The opening of the gates in a fortified town or place, according to specific military rules. The method in all regular governments is too well known to require any particular explanation.

Ouverture et fermeture des portes chez les Turcs, Fr. There are certain laws and regulations among the Turks, by which the janizaries are entrusted with the keys belonging to the gates of every fortified town or place in which they do garrison duty. The gates are always opened at day-break by two or four janizaries. There is a capigy or porter stationed at each gate. Whenever he opens the gate he repeats, in an audible tone of voice, certain words in the praise of God and the sultan, after which he returns the key or keys to the janizaries, who carry them to the governor or commandant or the place. The closing of the gates is done with the same solemnity.

Ouverture de la tranchée, Fr. the opening of the trench or trenches.

OUVRAGES, Fr. Works. See Fortification.

Ouvrage à corne, Fr. Hornwork. See Fortification.

Ouvrage à couronne, Fr. Crowned work. See Fortification.

Ouvrages detachés, pieces detachées, Fr. See Dehors.

OUVRIR, Fr. To open.

Ouvrir les rangs, Fr. To take open order.

En arriére, Ouvrez vos rangs, Fr. Rear ranks take open order.

S’aligner à rangs OUVERTS, Fr. To aligne or dress in line at open order.

A jour OUVRANT. At break of day.

A portes OUVRANTES. At the opening of the gates.

OUVRIERS, Fr. All sorts of artificers and workmen employed in fortification, &c. are so called.

OXFORD Blues. See Horse Guards.

OXYCRAT, Fr. A certain portion of vinegar to five or six times its quantity of water. This mixture is frequently used on service, and in hot weather, to allay the burning heat of any inflamed part. It is likewise employed to cool cannon, during an engagement, in very hot firing.

OXYGENE. The chemical base of vital air with which nitre is found to abound, and to which gunpowder owes its rapid and perfect combustion.

King’s or queen’s Own, a term which has been attached to some British regiments since the revolution in 1688. Thus the 4th, which landed with William III. was called the 4th, or King’s Own.