Part 228

Dinapore, with one barrack-master, and one engineer.

Midnapore, with one adjutant and quarter-master.

Fort-William, with one fort-major, one barrack-master, one fort-adjutant, one garrison store-keeper, one surgeon, and one assistant surgeon.

Monghyr, under one major-general, who commands; one fort-adjutant, one engineer, and one surgeon.

Buxar, under one major-general commandant, one fort-adjutant, and one assistant surgeon.

Chunar, with one fort-adjutant, and barrack-master, one engineer, and one garrison store-keeper.

Allahhabad, with one lieutenant-colonel commandant, one fort adjutant, and one barrack-master.

There is likewise, an establishment for European invalids at Chunar, consisting at present, of one captain from the first company of artillery, two captains from the third company of infantry, two lieutenants, two ensigns, one adjutant, and one quarter-master.

The medical department of India consists of an hospital board, under one first member and director of the hospitals, one second member of the hospital board, one secretary, one surgeon and apothecary, one assistant surgeon and deputy apothecary, one purveyor and contractor for bedding and clothing, one head surgeon at head quarters, and six hospital mates.

The armed force of the East Indies independent of the troops sent from Europe, consists in a marine battalion which has six companies stationed at Bengal, one company at Fort-Marlborough, and one at the Prince of Wales’s Island. There is likewise a battalion distinguished by the name of the Ramghur battalion, and a corps of hill rangers. To which must be added the Calcutta native militia, the Hindustan cavalry, and three volunteer battalions serving in the Carnatic.--The Calcutta militia, properly so called, is commanded by the right honorable the governor general. This establishment consists of one troop of cavalry; one infantry battalion, one Armenian corps, and one Portuguese corps.

The general staff of India in 1800, consisted of one commander in chief, one military auditor general, one military paymaster general, one adjutant general, one quarter-master general, one judge-advocate general, two deputies at Dinapore and Chunar, and Cawnpore, and Futtyghur, one surveyor general, one military secretary to the governor general, four aids-de-camp to the governor general, two aids-de-camp to the commander in chief, one secretary to the commander in chief, one surgeon to the commander in chief, one Persian translator to the commander in chief.

INDOSTAN. This word properly spelled Hindustan; from Stan a country, and Hindus the people; usually called India.

INEXPUGNABLE. See IMPREGNABLE.

INFAMOUS behaviour, (infamie, Fr.) a term peculiarly applicable to military life when it is affected by dishonorable conduct. Hence the expression which is used in the Articles of War, relative to scandalous infamous behaviour; on conviction of which, an officer is ordered to be cashiered. Infamy may be attached to an officer or soldier in a variety of ways; and some countries are more tenacious than others on this head. Among European nations it has always been deemed infamous and disgraceful to abandon the field of action, or to desert the colors, except in cases of the greatest emergency. In Germany, a mark of infamy was attached to the character of every man that was found guilty of misbehaviour before the enemy. He could not assist at the public sacrifices, nor be present at a court-martial. Many destroyed themselves in consequence of the ignominy they suffered on these occasions. According to the old French salique law, any person who should upbraid another with having fled from the field of battle, and not be able to prove it, was heavily fined.

Among the Romans the punctilious nicety of military fame was carried to a much higher pitch. It was considered as infamous and disgraceful to be taken prisoner, and a Roman soldier was impressed with the idea, that he must either conquer or die in the field. Regulus, the Roman general, was so much influenced by these high sentiments, that when the Carthagenians by whom he had been taken prisoner, sent him to Rome, in order to arrange certain conditions of peace, he deemed himself unworthy to appear in the senate, notwithstanding that his fellow citizens invited him to the sitting. The advice which he gave his countrymen, and the punishment he suffered on his return to Carthage are well known.

Although these notions have considerably degenerated among the moderns, the military character is nevertheless so far elevated above every other profession in life, that the slightest imputation of cowardice or dishonor is sufficient to affect it. Among the French the most punctilious nicety is observed; so much so, that the common soldier considers himself superior to the lower orders of mankind, and will resent a blow or a lie with a pertinacity of honor, that puts him upon a level with the most scrupulous duellist. How far this sense or honor ought to be encouraged in the ranks we will not pretend to determine. But we shall scarcely be found fault with, or run the hazard of contradiction, when we assert, that no officer ought to hold a commission in any service, who can either take or give the lie, or receive a blow without resenting the insult in the most summary manner. For we may pronounce, that man incapable of doing justice to the service, who can be insensible himself. Nor does the term infamous apply in this instance only. There are various cases, in which the conduct of an officer may render him unworthy of the situation he fills: such as cheating at play, taking unfair advantages of youth, imposing upon the credulity or confidence of a tradesman, habitual drunkenness, flagrant breaches of hospitality, &c.

INFANTRY, (Infanterie, Fr.) This term being little understood with respect to its derivation, and having by some writers been either vaguely interpreted, or erroneously traced, we think it our duty to give the best, and we presume, the only correct explanation of the word. In so doing we should be unthankful to one of the most acute observers in life, and one of the closest reasoners, were we to omit acknowleging that we have been favored by the ingenious and learned author of the Diversions of Purley, with the following account of its derivation.

Johnson generally states, that infantry are foot soldiers belonging to the army; and the compilers of other dictionaries content themselves with assimilating the term infantry to the name of a Spanish princess, who marched at the head of a body of Spaniards on foot, and defeated the Moors. She was called Infanta. Our learned friend, on the contrary, traces it to the source of genuine etymology, and grounds his opinion upon the best authorities. His first root is from the Greek phe-mi, Latin, Fa-ri, participle Fans--In-fans; Italian, Infante, by abridgment, Fante; Infanteria, by abridgment, Fanteria; French, Infanterie; English, Infantry.

It is still in French and in English a common expression to soldiers, allons mes enfans, come on my lads, (or my boys). So a servant is called a lad or a boy (and formerly a knave or a page), although a full grown man.

The military profession is still called service; and a soldier is said to serve in the army.

Skinner says well;--“The infantry, Fr. G. infanterie; Italian, fanteria, peditatus: fante, pedes et famulus; quia scilicet olim pedites equitum famuli, vel pedissequi fuerunt.--fante autem a Lat. Infans, manifeste ortum ducit. Et nos Boy, non tantum pro puero sed et pro famulo, secundario sensu usurpamus.”

After which he refers us to Lansquenet.

A Lansquenet, a Fr. G. Lansquenet, pedes, miles, gregarius, utr. a Teut. Lance, lancea, et Knecht, servus: olim enim pedites equitum lanceariorum quasi servi erunt; et quilibet eques quatuor vel quinque pedites, tanquam famulos circumduxit. Exercitus autem numero equitum, non peditum censebantur.

Vide Comineum et alios illorum seculorum Scriptores.

It appears, that Machiavelli, in his Arte della Guerra, sufficiently points out what, and how considered, the infantry were in his time, when he says (libro primo) “Venuta la pace, che i gentil huomini alla loro particolare arte.”

It is plain, the fanti were huomini bassi, e soldati gregarii, i. e. hired servants, and therefore called fanti, and the corps fanteria. The term infantry was given to them when they were considered merely as lads attending on the army: and the term has continued, though their condition is altered.

From these sensible observations, it is evident that although the primary sources of infantry are in the Greek and Latin languages, its modern derivation is from the Italian word fante, which signifies a follower. In the first stages of modern warfare, battles were chiefly fought by cavalry or horsemen; but in Italy, and afterwards in Spain, the bodies of horse were always attended by a certain number of squires or armed men on foot, who marched in the rear and assisted their leaders.

Boccacio mentions the latter under the term fanteria, and other Italian writers, one of whom we have already quoted, call it infanteria, both being derived from fante. Nothing can be more out of date, out of place, and superficial than to imagine that because the Spaniards have recorded a gallant action, which was performed by an infanta of that nation, the rest of Europe should bury the real etymology of infantry beneath the flimsy texture of court adulation. It is, besides, extremely erroneous to state, that until that period men did not fight on foot. It is well known that the Greeks and Romans frequently placed the greatest confidence in men of that description. The former had their Hoplitai, their Psiloi, and their Peltastai; and the latter their Celeres, Velites, Hastati, Principes, and Triarii, or Pisarii. The French word Fantassin which signifies a foot soldier, is manifestly derived from fante.