Part 108

DEPUTY, a term given to persons employed in the civil departments of the army, and subject to superior trusts.

DEPUTY pay-masters.

DEPUTY muster-masters.

DEPUTY commissaries.

DEPUTY judge-advocate.

DEROUTE, Fr. The total overthrow of an army, battalion, or of any armed party. See DEFEAT.

To DESCEND, signifies to leave any position on an eminence for immediate action.

To DESCEND upon, to invade. When an enemy from surrounding heights suddenly marches against a fortified place, he is said to descend upon it. The term is also applied to troops debarking from their ships for the purpose of invasion.

DESCENT. Hostile invasion of any state or kingdom.

DESCENTES, dans le fossé, Fr. See DESCENTS into the ditch.

DESCENTS into the ditch, are cuts and excavations which are made by means of saps in the counterscarp beneath the covert way. They are covered with thick boards and hurdles, and a certain quantity of earth is thrown upon the top, in order to obviate the bad effects which might arise from shells, &c.

When the ditch or fossé is full of water, the descent must be made to its edge, after which the ditch must be filled with strong fascines covered with earth. When the ditch is dry, the saps are carried on to the bottom, and traverses are made in order to secure a lodgment, or to render the approaches of the miner more practicable. When the ditch or fossé which is full of water, has little or no bank, the descent is simply made over it, care being taken to cover its enfilade or range with blinds and chandeliers, or to execute it as much out of that line as possible.

DESCENTS, in fortification, are the holes, vaults, and hollow places, made by undermining the ground.

DESCRIPTION, Signalement, Fr. The description of a man’s person, his appearance, &c. It not only signifies the figure, but an exact and specific detail of such marks and prominent features, that by comparing the copy taken on paper with the original, the latter may be instantly recognised. It is the custom in all well regulated armies for every regiment to have an exact description of each man that belongs to it, specifically drawn out in the adjutant’s books. So that when a soldier deserts, a copy is instantly taken, and forwarded to those places to which he is most likely to resort.

DESERTER, in a military sense, a soldier who, by running away from his regiment, troop, or company, abandons the service.

DESERTERS. A prudent officer will always be cautious of what he entrusts to a deserter; the judgment of the officer and his knowlege of human character, are the only guides which he has in his conduct; the motives of the deserter are therefore to be considered, whether it was the result of depravity in himself or of causes which might affect a generous mind. In this case, however, he should be as cautious as if it proved to be depravity only. A deserter on reaching the lines is put under arrest and conducted to the commanding officer, where he is examined, and it is usual to notify him he will be punished with death as a spy if he gives false information. Though great caution is required in regard to the information given by deserters, great advantage may be derived from their information, as attacks premeditated, the positions of officers, corps, and magazines, and head quarters, of discontents in the army, or disagreements among the superior officers.

DESERTERS from the militia may be apprehended by any person in the same manner, that deserters are from the regular army. Persons apprehending a deserter are entitled to 10 dollars.

Penalty of DESERTION. All officers and soldiers, who having received pay, or having been duly enlisted in the U. S. service, shall be convicted of having deserted the same, shall suffer death or such other punishment as by a court-martial shall be inflicted. Art. War, § 20, 21, 22, 23.

Any non commissioned officer or soldier, who shall, without leave from his commanding officer, absent himself from his troop or company, or from any detachment with which he shall be commanded, shall, upon being convicted thereof, be punished according to the nature of the offence, at the discretion of a court-martial.

No non commissioned officer or soldier shall inlist himself in any other regiment, troop, or company, without a regular discharge from the regiment, troop, or company in which he last served, on the penalty of being reputed a deserter and suffering accordingly: and in case any officer shall knowingly receive and entertain such non commissioned officer or soldier, or shall not, after his being discovered to be a deserter, immediately confine him, and give notice thereof to the corpse in which he last served, he, the said officer so offending, shall by a court-martial be cashiered.

Whatsoever officer or soldier shall be convicted of having advised any other officer or soldier, to desert our service, shall suffer such punishment as shall be inflicted upon him by the sentence of the court-martial.

Penalty for concealing BRITISH DESERTERS, or buying their arms, clothes, &c. Provided always, that if any person shall harbor, conceal, or assist any deserter from his majesty’s service, knowing him to be such, the person so offending shall forfeit for every such offence, the sum of 5l. or if any person shall knowingly detain, buy, or exchange, or otherwise receive, any arms, clothes, caps, or other furniture belonging to the king, from any soldier or deserter, or any other person, upon any account or pretence whatsoever, or cause the color of such clothes to be changed; the person so offending, shall forfeit for every such offence the sum of 5l. and upon conviction by the oath of one or more credible witness or witnesses, before any of his majesty’s justices of the peace, the said respective penalties of 5l. and 5l. shall be levied by warrant under the hands of the said justice or justices of the peace, by distress and sale of the goods and chattels of the offender; one moiety of the said first mentioned penalty of 5l. to be paid to the informer, by whose means such deserter shall be apprehended; and one moiety of the said last mentioned penalty of 5l. to be paid to the informer; and the residue of the said respective penalties to be paid to the officer to whom any such deserter or soldier did belong: and in case any such offender, who shall be convicted, as aforesaid, of harboring or assisting any such deserter or deserters, or having knowingly received any arms, clothes, caps, or other furniture belonging to the king or having caused the color of such clothes to be changed, contrary to the intent of this act, shall not have sufficient goods and chattels, wherein distress may be made, to the value of the penalties recovered against him for such offence, or shall not pay such penalties within 4 days after such conviction; then, and in such case, such justice of the peace shall and may, by warrant under his hand and seal, either commit such offender to the common gaol, there to remain without bail or mainprise for the space of three months, or cause such offender to be publicly whipped at the discretion of such justice.

DESERTEUR, Fr. See DESERTER.

DESIGN, in a general sense, implies the plan, order, representation, or construction of any kind of military building, chart, map, or drawing, &c. In building, the term ichnography may be used, when by design is only meant the plan of a building or a flat figure drawn on paper: when some side or face of the building is raised from the ground, we may use the term orthography; and when both front and sides are seen in perspective, we may call it scenography.

DESIGNING, the art of delineating or drawing the appearance of natural objects, by lines on a plane.

DESORDRE, Fr. See DISORDER.

DESTINATION, the place or purpose, to which any body of troops is appointed in order to do or attempt some military service.

To DETACH, is to send out part of a great number of men on some particular service, separate from that of the main body.