Part 125

ETAPIERS, Fr. were military purveyors, who accompanied the French armies or were stationed in particular places to supply the troops on their march.

ETAT-Major, Fr. Staff. Etat major in the French service, is a more comprehensive term than staff appears to be in our acceptation of the word. As we have in some degree adopted the term, it cannot be superfluous to give a short account of its origin, &c. Among the French, according to the Author of the Recueil Alphabetique de tous les termes propres à l’art de la guerre, état-major signifies a specific number of officers who are distinguished from others belonging to the same corps. It did not follow that every regiment was to have its staff, as the king had the power of appointing or suppressing staff officers at pleasure.

The état-major général de l’infanterie, or the general staff of the infantry, was created under Francis I. in 1525. That of the light cavalry under Charles IX. in 1565. That of the dragoons under Louis XIV. in 1669.

The état-major of an infantry regiment, was composed of the colonel, the major, the aid-major, quarter-master, the chaplain, the provost-marshal, the surgeon, and the attendant commissary, who was called le commissaire à la conduite. To these were added the lieutenant of the provostship, the person who kept the regimental register, or the greffier, the drum-major, six archers, and the executioner. By this establishment it is presupposed, that a provostship, was allowed in the regiment, which was not a general regulation, but depended upon the king’s pleasure.

The état-major, or staff of an old French regiment of cavalry, according to the Ordonnance, or military regulation which was issued on the 4th of November in 1651, consisted of the mestre de camp, or colonel of the horse, the major and the aid-major. It is therein particularly stated, that the état-major of a cavalry regiment shall not have a provostship, a chaplain, a surgeon, nor any other subordinate officer under that denomination.

Every fortified town or place had likewise its appropriate état-major, consisting of a certain number of officers who were subject to specific and distinct regulations.

By an order dated the 1st of August, 1733, the officers belonging to the état major of a garrison town, or citadel, were strictly forbidden to absent themselves more than four days from their places of residence, without especial leave from the king, nor for four days, unless they obtained permission from the governor or commandant of the town or citadel. See Amer. Mil. Lib. Art. STAFF.

ETENDART. Fr. Standard. This word derives its name from the circumstance of its application, being constantly stretched out, étendu or displayed. This etymology does not appear to hold good with our translation of the word.

ETERCILLON, ou arcboutant, Fr. Buttress. A piece of wood which is placed transverse, or horizontally in the galleries of a mine, in order to sustain the earth on both sides; but most especially to keep the chamber well closed, and to support the corners of the gallery.

ETIQUETTE, a French term, primarily denoting a ticket, or title affixed to a bag, or bundle of papers, expressing its contents. It is also used, when applied to the Spanish and some other courts to signify a particular account of what is to be done daily in the king’s household. It likewise denotes those forms that regulate the decorum of conduct towards persons of various ranks and stations. In the Austrian service, military etiquette is punctiliously attended to; and in the old French service the utmost deference was paid to a superior officer by an inferior, at all times, and on all occasions.

ETOILES, Fr. small redoubts, which are constructed by means of angles rentrant and angles sortant, and have from five to eight saliant points. Each one of their sides or faces may contain from 12 to 25 toises. This species of fortification has fallen into disuse, not only because etoiles do not possess the advantage of having their angle rentrant effectually flanked, but because they have been superceded by square redoubts, which are sooner built, and are applicable to the same purposes of defence.

ETOUPILLE, Fr. an inflammable match, composed of three threads of very fine cotton, which is well steeped in brandy mixed with the best priming gunpowder.

EVACUATE, in military history, a term made use of in the articles of capitulation granted to the besieged at the time they surrender to the besiegers; and is the same as quitting a place.

EVENT, Fr. Vent. This word is particularly applicable to the vent or cavity which is left in cannon, or other fire arms, after they have been proved and found defective. The vent is sometimes round and sometimes long. Vents are frequently so exiguous, that they appear like the lines of a small fibre, through which water will ooze, and smoke evaporate. These pieces, whether of ordnance, or of musquetry, are of course rejected.

EVIDENCE, a declaration made viva voce of what any person knows of his own knowlege relative to the matter in question. Military men are obliged to attend and give evidence before courts-martial, without any expence to the prosecutor, or prisoner.

Hearsay EVIDENCE, the declaration of what one has heard from others. As in all other courts of ordinary judicature, this species of evidence is not admissible in courts-martial.

EVOCATI, were a class of soldiers among the Romans, who, after having served their full time in the army, entered as volunteers to accompany some favorite general. Hence they were likewise called emeriti and beneficiarii.

EVOCATION. A religious ceremony which was always observed among the Romans, at the commencement of a siege, wherein they solemnly called upon the gods and goddesses of the place to forsake it, and come over to them. When any place surrendered, they always took it for granted, that their prayer had been heard, and that the Dii Penates, or the household gods of the place had come over to them.

EVOLUTION, in the art of war, the motion made by a body of troops, when they are obliged to change their form and disposition, in order to preserve a post, occupy another, to attack an enemy with more advantage, or to be in a condition of defending themselves the better. That evolution is best, which, with a given number of men, may be executed in the least space, and consequently in the least time possible.

EVOLUTION of the moderns, is a change of position, which has always for its object either offence or defence. The essentials in the performance of an evolution are, order, directness, precision, and the greatest possible rapidity.

EVOLUTIONS may be divided into two classes, the simple and the compound; simple evolutions are those which consist in simple movements, which do not alter the shape or figure of the battalion, but merely afford a more or less extended front or depth, keep it more or less closed to its flanks or centre, turn its aspect to flank or rear, or break it into divisions, subdivisions, sections, or files, in order that it may unfold itself, or defile and resume its proper front or order of battle. All the various ways of defiling, forming line, opening to right and left, closing or deploying, doubling the ranks or files, or changing front upon either of the flanks by conversion, are called simple evolution.

Compound evolutions are those which change the shape and figure of battalions, break them into divisions or companies, separate the companies from the main body, and again replace or rejoin them; in a word which afford the means of presenting a front at every direction.

Compound evolutions are practised either by repeating the same simple evolution several times, or by going through several simple evolutions, or moving in different modes with different parts of the same corps, which ultimately tend to the same object.

The EVOLUTIONS of the ancients were formed and executed with uncommon good sense and ability. Considering the depth and size of the Grecian phalanx, it is astonishing how the different parts could be rendered susceptible of the most intricate and varied evolutions. The Roman legion, though more favorable to such changes and conversions, from being more loose and detached, did not execute them upon more sound or better principles.

EVOLUTION (in geometry) the equal evolution of the periphery of a circle, or any other curve, is such a gradual approach of the circumference to rectitude, as that all its parts do meet together, and equally evolve or unbend; so that the same line becomes successively a less arch of a reciprocally greater circle, till at last they turn into a straight line.

EVOLUTION of powers (in algebra) extracting of roots from any given power, being the reverse of involution.

EXAGON. See HEXAGON.

EXAMINER. One who scrutinizes.