Part 29

AVANT-fossé, Fr. The ditch of the counterscarp next to the country. It is dug at the foot of the glacis. See FORTIFICATION.

AVANT-garde. See VAN GUARD.

AVANT-train, Fr. The limbers of a field piece, on which are placed one or two boxes containing ammunition enough for immediate service.

AUDITOR, the person who audits regimental or other military accounts.

AVENUE, in fortification, is any kind of opening or inlet into a fort, bastion, or out-work.

AUGET, or AUGETTE, Fr. A wooden pipe which contains the powder by which a mine is set fire to.

AULNE de Paris, a French measure, containing 44 inches, used to measure sand-bags.

AUTHORITY, in a general acceptation of the term, signifies a right to command, and a consequent right to be obeyed. The appointment of officers in the army of the United States is in the nomination by the president, and approved by a majority of the Senate. The president may however dismiss at his discretion. The king of Great-Britain has the power to exercise military authority without controul, as far as regards the army; and may appoint or dismiss officers at his pleasure.

AUXILIARY. Foreign or subsidiary troops which are furnished to a belligerent power in consequence of a treaty of alliance, or for pecuniary considerations. Of the latter description may be considered the Hessians that were employed by Great-Britain to enslave America.

AWARD, the sentence or determination of a military court.

AXLE-TREE, a transverse beam supporting a carriage, and on the ends of which the wheels revolve. See CARRIAGES.

BACK-Step, the retrograde movement of a man or body of men without changing front; it is half the forward step.

BACKWARDS, a technical word made use of in the British service to express the retrograde movement of troops from line into column, and vice versa. See WHEEL.

BAGGAGE, in military affairs, signifies the clothes, tents, utensils of divers sorts, and provisions, &c. belonging to an army.

BAGGAGE-Waggons. See WAGGONS.

BAGPIPE, the name of a musical warlike instrument, of the wind kind, used by the Scots regiments, and sometimes by the Irish. Bagpipes were used by the Danes; by the Romans, and by the Asiatics at this day; there is in Rome a most beautiful bas-relievo, a piece of Grecian sculpture of the highest antiquity, which represents a bag-piper playing on his instrument exactly like a modern highlander. The Greeks had also an instrument composed of a pipe and blown-up skin. The Romans in all probability, borrowed it from them. The Italians still use it under the names of piva and cornumusa. The Bagpipe has been a favorite instrument among the Scots. There are two varieties: the one with long pipes, and sounded with the mouth; the other with short pipes, filled with air by a bellows, and played on with the fingers: the first is the loudest and most ear-piercing of all music, is the genuine highland pipe, and is well suited to the warlike genius of that people. It formerly roused their courage to battle, alarmed them when secure, and collected them when scattered: solaced them in their long and painful marches, and in times of peace kept up the memory of the gallantry of their ancestors, by tunes composed after signal victories. The other is the Irish bagpipe.

BAGS, in military employments, are used on many occasions: as,

Sand BAGS, generally 16 inches diameter, and 30 high, filled with earth or sand to repair breaches, and the embrasures of batteries, when damaged by the enemies fire, or by the blast of the guns. Sometimes they are made less, and placed three together, upon the parapets, for the men to fire through.

Earth-BAGS, containing about a cubical foot of earth, are used to raise a parapet in haste, or to repair one that is beaten down. They are only used when the ground is rocky, and does not afford earth enough to carry on the approaches.

BALANCE, Fr. a term used in the French artillery to express a machine in which stores and ammunition are weighed.

BALL, in the military art, comprehends all sorts of balls and bullets for fire-arms, from the cannon to the pistol.

BALLS of Lead, of different kinds.

-----------+-------+---------+------------ |Number|Diameter| No. made |to one | in |from one ton KINDS. |Pound.| Inches.| of Lead. -----------+-------+---------+------------ Wall pieces| 6³⁄₄ | .89 | 14,760 Musquets | 14¹⁄₂ | .68 | 32,480 Carabine | 20 | .60 | 44,800 Pistol | 34 | .51 | 78,048 7 Brl. guns| 46¹⁄₂ | .46 | 104,160 -----------+-------+---------+------------

Lead balls are packed in boxes containing each 1 cwt. About 4 pounds of lead in the cwt. are generally lost in casting. See SHOT.

Cannon-BALLS are of iron; and musket and pistol-balls are of lead. Cannon-balls are always distinguished by their respective calibres, thus,

A 42} {6,684 inches. 32} {6,105 24} {5,547 18} {5,040 12} pound ball, the diameter of which is {4,403 9} {4,000 6} {3,498 3} {2,775 2} {2,423 1} {1,923

Fire-BALLS, Light-BALLS, of which there are various sorts, used for various purposes. Their composition is mealed powder 2, saltpetre 1¹⁄₂, sulphur 1, rosin 1, turpentine 2¹⁄₂. Sometimes they are made of an iron shell, sometimes a stone, filled and covered with various coats of the above composition, until it conglomerates to a proper size; the last coat being of grained powder. But the best sort in our opinion, is to take thick brown paper, and make a shell the size of the mortar, and fill it with a composition of an equal quantity of sulphur, pitch, rosin, and mealed powder; which being well mixed, and put in warm, will give a clear fire, and burn a considerable time.

When they are intended to set fire to magazines, buildings, &c. the composition must be mealed powder 10, saltpetre 2, sulphur 4, and rosin 1; or rather mealed powder 48, saltpetre 32, sulphur 16, rosin 4, steel or iron filings 2, fir-tree saw-dust boiled in saltpetre ley 2, birch-wood charcoal 1, well rammed into a shell for that purpose, having various holes filled with small barrels, loaded with musket-balls; and lastly the whole immerged in melted pitch, rosin and turpentine oil.