Part 259

When a single battalion halts, it is dressed or lined on its right centre company, and must of course be in a straight line. When several battalions dress from the centre of each on its next colors, the general line will be straight, provided all the colors have halted regularly in a line. On these occasions every thing will depend upon the two centre guides of each battalion.

To LINE a Coast. To line a coast well under the immediate pressure of invasion, requires not only great ability and exertion in the commanding officer of the particular district against which an insult may be offered, but it is moreover necessary, that every individual officer in the different corps should minutely attend to the particular spot on which he may be stationed. The English coast, especially where there are bays, is almost always intersected by narrow passes through the rocks or sandhills. On this account, when any body of men receives orders to line a specified extent of ground, the officers who are entrusted with the several parts of a battalion or brigade, should take care to make the most of their men, and to extend their files in such a manner, as not only to present an imposing front from the crown of the hill, but to be able, at a moment’s warning, to carry their whole strength to prevent the enemy from getting upon the flanks by suddenly rushing up the gap. Much coolness is required on these occasions.

To LINE hedges, &c. to plant troops, artillery, or small arms, along them under their cover, to fire upon an enemy that advances openly, or to defend them from the horse, &c.

To LINE a street or road, is to draw up any number of men on each side of the street or road, and to face them inwards. This is frequently practised on days of ceremony, when some distinguished person is received with military honors on his way through places where troops are stationed.

This is the usage also in funerals, when the corps under arms form a lane, by the ranks being faced to the right and left inward; and the party rests on arms reversed.

To LINE, in a fortification, is nothing more than to environ a rampart, parapet, or ditch, &c. with a wall of masonry or earth.

LINCE, et chaussure du soldat, Fr. necessaries belonging to a soldier. During the monarchy of France, a sol or one English half-penny per day, was added to the pay of each serjeant, and about six deniers or three English farthings to that of each corporal, anspessade or lance-corporal, grenadier, private soldier, and drummer, to enable them to keep up a certain list of necessaries. On any deficiency being discovered it was in the power of the commanding officer of the regiment to reduce the soldier’s subsistence to four sols or two-pence English per day, until the full complement was made up.

LINGERER, one who pretends to be indisposed, in order to avoid his tour of duty--a skulker. Hence the term malingerer, or a soldier who avoids duty in a disreputable manner.

To LINK together, to tie together. Cavalry horses are frequently linked together when it is found necessary for the men to dismount. When the word of command link your horses is given, the right hand files are to move up into the intervals, slip their bridoons and dress by the right, standing in front of their own horses’ heads; the left files slipping the bridoons in their hands at the same time, and stepping to the front of their horses’ heads. As soon as up and dressed, the whole advance their left feet by a motion from the right, and by another motion from the right, the whole go to the left about together, and link; as soon as done linking, the left hand man of each rank falls back, two paces from his horse, and the whole dress well to him, with the carabine in the trailing position. But before they do this they must put their belts and plates in order.

It ought to be recollected, that when the right hand files come up, they must take care not to bring their horses past the others; and in order to dress with the left files they must slip the bridoon to the left hand, leaving the horse in his place in the rank.

When dragoons are ordered to dismount, and are to mount again immediately, without moving from their horses, the word of command unlink your horses is made use of; in which case the dragoon drops his carabine, which is then in a trailing position, on his left arm, and unlinks: as soon as that is done, he takes his carabine in his left hand, the horse in the right, by the right bridoon rein, waiting for the word prepare to mount.

LINKS, in the art of war, are distinct reins, or thongs of leather used by the cavalry to link their horses together, when they dismount, that they may not disperse. Every tenth man is generally left to take care of them.

LINS-pins. See LINCHPINS.

LINSTOCK. (Boute-feu, Fr.) In gunnery, a short staff of wood, about three feet long, having at one end a piece of iron divided into two branches, each of which has a notch to hold a lighted match, and a screw to fasten it there, the other end being shod with iron to stick into the ground.

LIS, Fr. A warlike machine was formerly so called: it consisted of a piece of wood or stake, about the size of the human body, which was made smaller at the top than at the bottom, and resembled a lilly not yet blown. Several of these were tied together with ozier or willow twigs, and were used for the security of a camp. They were not unlike the palisades of the present day.

Fleur de LIS, Luce, Fr. A flower borne in the ancient arms of France, and adopted by the English kings until the French insisted on its abandonment, which was done on the consummation of the union with Ireland. The electoral cap, as emblematic of Hanover, and the shamrock for Ireland, have been substituted in their stead.

FLEUR-de-Lis, during the French monarchy signified also a mark of infamy, which was made with a hot iron, upon the back of a malefactor.

LISSE, Fr. Any smooth and unornamented piece in architecture is so called by the French.

LISSOIRE, Fr. from lisser to smooth. This word was particularly applied in France to an operation which gunpowder went through in order to make coarse grains smooth and round. This was effected by tying several barrels together and by means of a mill, turning them round, so as to occasion considerable friction within.

LISTS, in a military sense, a place inclosed, in which combats are fought.

To enter the LISTS, is to contend with a person.

To LIST soldiers, To inlist, to retain and enroll soldiers, either as volunteers, or by a kind of compulsion.

LISTING. Persons listed, are to be carried before the next justice of peace or magistrate of any city or town and sworn.

Persons, owning before the proper magistrate, that they voluntarily listed themselves, are obliged to take the oath, or suffer confinement by the officer who listed them, till they do take it.

The magistrate is obliged in both cases, to certify, that such persons are duly listed; setting forth their birth, age, and calling, if known; and that they had taken the oath.

Persons receiving inlisting money from any officer, knowing him to be such, and afterwards absconding, and refusing to go before a magistrate to declare their assent or dissent, are deemed to be inlisted to all intents and purposes, and may be proceeded against as if they had taken the oath. See ATTESTATION.

LIT de CAMP, Fr. A camp bed, which takes to pieces, and is portable. The French frequently call it lit brisé, or a bed which may be taken to pieces. The Turks never use these beds; they always carry mattrasses, which they spread upon sophas when they halt at night.

LITTER, a sort of hurdle-bed, on which wounded officers or men are carried off the field.