Part 250

Centre LEADING-FILE, the last man of the right centre company, division, or section; and the first man of the left centre company, division, or section, are so called, when the line files from the centre to the front or rear. At close order, the colors stand between them.

LEAGUE, in military history, a measure of length, containing more or less geometrical paces, according to the different usages and customs of countries. A league at sea, where it is chiefly used by us, being a land measure mostly peculiar to the French and Germans, contains 3000 geometrical paces, or 3 English miles.

The French league sometimes contains the same measure, and, in some parts of France, it consists of 3500 paces: the mean or common league consists of 2400 paces, and the little league of 2000. The Spanish leagues are larger than the French, 17 Spanish leagues making a degree, or 20 French leagues, or 69¹⁄₂ English statute miles. The German and Dutch leagues contain each 4 geographical miles. The Persian leagues are pretty near of the same extent with the Spanish; that is, they are equal to 4 Italian miles, which is pretty near to what Herodotus calls the length of the Persian parasang, which contained 30 stadia, 8 whereof, according to Strabo, make a mile. See MEASURE.

LEAGUE also denotes an alliance or confederacy between princes and states for their mutual aid, either in attacking some common enemy, or in defending themselves.

LEAVE, indulgence, licence, liberty.

LEAVE of absence, a permission which is granted to officers, non-commissioned officers, and soldiers, to be absent from camp or quarters for any specific period.

General LEAVE, an indulgence which is annually granted on home service, by the commander in chief, to a certain proportion of the army, to be absent from military duty. This generally occurs in the winter months, and ends on the 10th of March, and in time of peace only.

LECTURES. Lectures are read at the British establishment at Woolwich to the officers of artillery, and engineers, and cadets, on chemistry: lectures upon topography and upon other essential parts of military science are given at High Wycombe: British colleges.

LEEKUK, Ind. a secretary or writer.

LEFT give point. See SWORD-EXERCISE.

LEFT protect. See SWORD-EXERCISE.

To put on the LEG, among cavalry, is to press the inside of the foot and leg against the horse’s flank. It is always used in passaging to direct the horse which way to passage, and again on the opposite flank to stop him after he has passaged to his place.

LEGATUS, in Roman antiquity, a military officer who commanded as deputy of the chief general.

Kennett, in his Antiquities, observes, that the design of the legati, at their first institution, was not so much to command as to advise. The senate selecting some of the oldest and most prudent members to assist the general in his councils.

Dionysius calls this the most honorable and sacred office among the Romans, bearing not only the authority of a commander, but with all, the sanctity and veneration of a priest.

Under the emperors there were two sorts of legati, consulares and prætorii; the first of which commanded the whole armies, as the emperor’s lieutenant generals, and the other only particular legions.

Machiavel highly extols the wisdom of the Romans, in allowing their generals unlimited commissions.

LEGER. This word although it be not strictly military, is in some degree connected with the profession, as diplomacy is not wholly foreign to military negociation. A leger ambassador, or resident signifies any person acting in that capacity, who remains stationary.

Artillerie Légère, Fr. The light or horse artillery.

Cavalerie Légère, Fr. Light horse.

Un Cheval léger à la main, Fr. A horse which is easily managed, or is not hard mouthed.

Troupes Légères, Fr. Light troops, or such as act in desultory warfare.

LEGION, in Roman antiquity, a body of foot, which consisted of ten cohorts, or 5000 men.

The exact number contained in a legion, was fixed by Romulus at 3000; though Plutarch assures us, that, after the reception of the Sabines into Rome, he increased it to 6000. The common number afterwards, in the first times of the free state, was 4000; but in the war with Hannibal, it rose to 5000; and after that, it is probable that it sunk again to 4200, which was the number in the time of Polybius.

In the age of Julius Cæsar, we do not find any legions exceeding the Polybian number of men; and he himself expressly speaks of two legions, that did not make above 7000 between them. (Commentar. lib. 5.)

The number of legions kept in pay together was different, according to the various times and occasions. During the free state, four legions were commonly fitted up every year, and divided between the consuls: yet in cases of necessity, we sometimes meet with no less than 16 or 18 in Livy.

Augustus maintained a standing army of 23 (or as some will have it) of 25 legions; but in aftertimes we seldom find so many.

They borrowed their names from the order in which they were raised, as prima, secunda, tertia, &c. but because it usually happened, that there were several primæ, secundæ, &c. in several places, upon that account they took a sort of surname besides, either from the emperors who first constituted them, as Augusta, Claudiana, Galbiana, Flavia, Ulpia, Trajana, Antoniana, or from the provinces which had been conquered chiefly by their valor, as Parthica, Scythica, Gallica, Arabica, &c. or from the names of the particular deities for whom their commanders had an especial honor, as Minervia and Appollinaris; or from the region where they had their quarters, as Cretensis, Cyrenaica, Britannica, &c. or sometimes upon account of the lesser accidents, as Adjutrix, Martia, Fulminatrix, Rapax, &c.