Part 205

HAUT-LE-PIED, Fr. a term used to distinguish such persons as were formerly employed in the French armies without having any permanent appointment. Commissaires hauts-le-pied were known in the artillery during the monarchy of France. They were usually under the quarter-master general.

Le HAUT Rhin, Fr. the Upper Rhine.

Le HAUTE Saxe, Fr. Upper Saxony.

HAUTBERT, Fr. a coat of mail, which covered the neck and arms, formerly worn by the seigneurs de haubert, or lords-paramount, in France, in lieu of the hausse-col, brassarts, and cuissarts.

HAUTBOY, (hautbois, Fr.) a wind-instrument, now almost universally adopted by the European armies, and which forms a part of the regimental bands.

HAUTES-payes, Fr. were soldiers selected by the captains of companies to attend them personally, for which service they received something more than the common pay. Haute-paye became afterwards a term to signify the subsistence which any body of men superior to, or distinguished from the private soldier were allowed to receive.

HAUTEUR, Fr. in geometry, signifies elevation.

HAUTEUR, Fr. in architecture, the extreme height of any building. Thus, un bâtiment est arrivée à hauteur signifies that the last stones or bricks are laid ready for the roof to be covered in.

HAUTEUR d’appui, Fr. breast-height.

HAUTEUR de marche, Fr. The usual height which a man takes in stepping, being about six or seven inches above ground.

HAUTEUR d’un escadron, ou d’un battaillon, Fr. the depth of a squadron of horse, or battalion of foot. The word hauteur in the French service is equivalent to depth in the English: as--an army consisting of many squadrons of horse and battalions of foot, one in front of the other and forming several columns, is said to stand that number of columns deep; the term being applicable in all services to the army collectively or separately considered from several columns to a mere rank and file.

HAUTS-officers, Fr. superior officers.

With respect to an army composed of several regiments, the following fall under the description of hauts officiers according to the old French system: generals, lieutenant-generals, colonels, and lieutenant-colonels. The hauts-officiers, or superior officers in distinct corps, were majors, aid-majors, captains, lieutenants, sub-lieutenants, and ensigns.

HAYE, Fr. a military disposition in which soldiers stood aside one another on a straight line. Se mettre en haie, is to stand rank entire. Faire un double haie, to stand two deep. Border la haie, is a disposition to which infantry has recourse when attacked by cavalry. See BORDER LA HAYE.

HAZAREE, an East Indian term signifying a commander of armed men.

HEAD, in gunnery, the fore part of the cheeks of a gun or howitz carriage.

HEAD of a work, in fortification, is the front next to the enemy, and farthest from the place; as the front of a horn-work is the distance between the flanked angles of the demi-bastions: the head of a double tenaille is the salient angle in the centre, and the two other sides which form the re-entering angles. See FORT.

HEAD of an army, or body of men, is the front, whether drawn up in lines, or on a march.

HEAD of a double tenaille, the salient angle in the centre, and the two other sides which form the re-entering angle.

HEAD-piece, armor for the head; an helmet, such as the light dragoons wear.

HEAD-of a camp, the ground before which the army is drawn up.

HEAD-QUARTERS, the place where the officer commanding an army or independent body of troops takes up his residence.

HEADSTALL, that part of the bridle which goes over the horse’s head.

HEAUME, Fr. A word derived from the German, which formerly signified casque, or helmet. The heaume has been sometimes called among the French salade, armet, and celate from the Latin word which means engraved, on account of the different figures which were represented upon it. The heaume covered the whole of the face, except the eyes, which were protected by small iron bars laid cross-ways.

The heaume was not only worn by the chevaliers or knights when they went to war, but also at tilts and tournaments. It serves as an ornament or helmet in coats of arms and armorial bearings. Various appellations have been given to this piece of armor, such as habillement de tête, covering for the head, casque, helmet; and under Francis I. it was distinguished by the name of armet. It does not resemble the morion, the salade, or headpiece, the pot, or bourgignote, burganet, which were worn only in the infantry. The heaume, as we have observed above, covered the face. There was an opening opposite to the eyes which was guarded by small iron bars, or latice-work, and was a kind of visier. The heaume, or helmet, is still preserved in heraldry, and is a distinguishing mark of nobility. In tournaments, the helmet was presented as a prize of honor to the most active champion, because it was the principal piece of defensive armor; but a sword was given to the assailants, as that was an offensive weapon.

HEBDOMADIER, Fr. The person whose week it is to be on duty.

HELEPOLIS, in the ancient art of war, a machine for battering down the walls of a place besieged. The invention of it is ascribed to Demetrius the Poliorcetes. Diodorus Siculus says, that each side of the helepolis was 450 cubits broad, and 90 in height; that it had 9 stages or floors, and was carried on four strong solid wheels, 8 cubits in diameter; that it was armed with huge battering rams, and had 2 roofs capable of supporting them; that in the lower stages there were different sorts of engines for casting stones; and in the middle, they had large catapulta’s for lancing arrows.

HELICOMETRY, an art which teaches how to draw or measure spiral lines upon a plane, and shew their respective properties.