Part 231

No country has ever paid so much attention to the art of engineering, as France has under all her vicissitudes; and this has arisen not so much from a natural predilection to that peculiar study, as from a conviction of its utility in all warlike operations, but most especially in sieges. This class of military men was, however, extremely neglected, until the reign of Louis the XIVth. Few ever saw, or were present at above five or six sieges; being either wounded at the beginning, or during the operations of a siege. They seldom indeed, witnessed the termination of it; and from the want of engineers, the investment of a town or fortified place became tedious, and many lives were unnecessarily lost. Louis the XIVth, by his personal appearance and attention gave fresh life to his army, and instilled into every part of it a spirit of subordination, which had been hitherto unknown. He was actuated by a thorough conviction, that in every species of offensive and defensive operation the use of artillery, under the guidance of scientific men, was essentially requisite. In no instance however, does the skill of an able engineer appear so much to advantage as in the attack of a fortified place. This the king witnessed himself, and on that account he considerably increased the number of engineers. Persons of the first distinction became candidates for situations in that honorable body.

Whenever there was a deficiency during a siege of subordinate engineers or ingénieurs en second, it was usual among the French to select lieutenants or sub-lieutenants from the different infantry corps to superintend the works, and to see that the workmen did their duty. They received an additional pay of ten ecus, or one pound five shillings per month, in consideration of this extra service, and their being selected in this manner was a sure step to the rank and emoluments of an engineer. It has been very justly observed by a French writer, that every infantry officer should be acquainted with field fortification at least; for a thousand instances occur, in which the immediate assistance of an engineer is required, and to which in actual service, it is impossible for the regularly bred officer of that establishment to pay personal attention. We allude among other cases, to the temporary defence of out-posts, to the laying and springing of fougasses, &c.

Before the revolution, the frontier towns and other fortified places belonging to France were under the direction of 350 engineers, called ingénieurs du roi, who were subordinate to one director general.

All instructions relative to the fortifications passed through the latter officer to the king.

All engineers were subject to the orders that the commissary general thought proper to issue, with respect to the attack or defence of places, the construction of works, &c. and they were further directed to see, that all the necessary implements for a siege were duly provided. They gave in a weekly report to the director general of the progress and state of the works, and had authority to draw upon the treasury for whatever sums were wanted to pay the contractors. Every engineer was particularly enjoined to see that the contractors furnished good materials.

INGLEZ, Ind. The English are so called by the natives of Bengal: they are frequently called Feringhees, that is strangers, Wullaget, which signifies to the country. Americans are called Nia-Feringhees, or new strangers, or foreigners.

INHIBITION. See EMBARGO.

INN-HOLDERS. In England, persons who have a licence to enable them to sell spirituous liquors, beer, &c. and who are obliged by the conditions specified in that license, to provide victuals and beer for military men, under certain restrictions. See 39th and 40th Geo. III. Cap. 27. Art. XLI. XLII. XLIII.

INIMICAL, hostile.

INLISTING, the act of engaging soldiers, to serve either in the cavalry, infantry, or artillery. For the regulations respecting the inlisting soldiers, see RECRUITING.

INNONDER, Fr. See INUNDATE.

INQUIRY. See COURTS of.

INROAD, incursion, sudden and desultory invasion.

INSCONSED, in the military art. When any part of an army has fortified itself with a sconce, or small work, in order to defend some pass, &c. it is said to be insconsed.

INSIDE guard, a guard with the broad sword, to secure the face and front of the body, from a cut made at the inside of the position above the wrist. See BROADSWORD.

INSPECTEUR, Fr. Inspector. Military inspectors were originally instituted among the French, after the peace of Aix la Chapelle in 1668. Two persons at that epoch occupied this important situation; one being called inspector general of cavalry, and the other inspector general of infantry. Louis XIV. under whom France assumed over the rest of Europe a preponderance of military character, increased the number of inspectors, and ordered them to be distributed in the different departments for the purpose of reviewing the troops every month, and of transmitting to him a regular statement of their effective force, &c.

It was the duty of these inspectors to examine minutely at the commencement of every month the state of each regiment, to look at the books belonging to the several companies, and to mark out such men as did not appear fit for the service. Each inspector had a separate dwelling-house allotted to him in the garrison town of his department, and he had the power, on giving previous notice to the governor, of ordering the men under arms. A brigade major delivered to him every evening the orders of the day.

Inspectors general of this description ranked with the army, without bearing any direct commission, and in time of war, they were acknowleged as general officers, brigadiers, or colonels.

Their inspection did not extend to the troops of the household, the French, or Swiss guards, nor to the regiment du Roi infanterie. The artillery were also out of their superintendance.

Previous to the French revolution, there were eleven inspectors of infantry, and eleven of cavalry attached to the French army. There was likewise one inspector general of infantry, and one inspector general of cavalry.

INSPECTEUR de construction, Fr. an officer in the French army, in whose presence all plans and profiles for fortification, &c. were drawn, before any work could be undertaken. An accurate estimate was made of the wood which would be required to complete it. It was likewise a part of his duty to point out to the carpenters the precise method by which ground, plans, and elevations, forts, batteries, and bridges, &c. were to be conducted. It was his business, in a word, to attend to the construction and repair of every part of a fortification.

INSPECTING officer of a district, a responsible character, selected from the line, who is nominated by the war-office, to superintend the troops, stations, and recruiting parties, within the limits of his station.

Field officers of districts may order detachment courts-martial, to be composed of the recruiting officers in their districts, in the usual number and ranks, and they may approve of every such court martial, and to direct the punishment awarded thereby to be executed, mitigated or remitted, as they shall think expedient. They are to receive orders from the adjutant general respecting the nature of their returns; and all returns and reports are to come to the inspector general through them. Each district field officer in the British service has an allowance of ten shillings a day, in addition to the full pay of his respective regimental rank, and he is to be reimbursed for the actual expence he incurs for stationary and postage of letters; which charge must be accompanied by a certificate upon honor.

Each district field officer is allowed to appoint a subaltern officer (not employed upon the recruiting service) to act as adjutant in the district. The pay or allowance of such subaltern is three shillings a day in addition to his full regimental pay; he is also authorised to nominate two serjeants, with the additional pay of sixpence each, one to act as serjeant major, and the other as clerk to the district.

Each field officer may moreover give directions to the hospital mate, who is placed under his orders, to examine the recruits when brought for inspection, and to give such medical assistance as may be in his power, to the several recruiting parties in the district he belongs to.

When colonels of regiments take upon themselves the whole direction of the recruiting service for their own corps, they must conform to the regulations which require returns to be made to the inspector general of the recruiting service; and they must instruct their officers to send weekly returns to the regulating field officer, in whose district they are stationed, of all the casualties that have occurred.

INSPECTION, a strict examination, a close survey. It likewise signifies superintendance. In a military sense it admits of both interpretations, and may be considered under two specific heads, each of which branches out into a variety of general, regimental, and company duties.

A general INSPECTION is made annually by the reviewing generals of districts. Every regiment, on this occasion, is minutely looked into, and a faithful account must be delivered by each commanding officer of the actual state of his regiment, together with all the casualties that have occurred during the current year. The interior economy of the corps is not only investigated to the bottom, but the discipline of the men is likewise examined. For a more particular explanation of the latter, see REVIEW.