Part 450

There have been officers of the same denomination both in Spain and Germany, who did the duty of Maréchaux de Camp; another term, we presume, for field marshal. But the general field serjeants in those countries were divided into two classes; one class was confined, in its functions, to the infantry, and the other to the cavalry; and both acted independently of one another; whereas in France they acted together.

According to the present establishment of the French army, there is a serjeant major belonging to each company. The sergens majors d’un régiment, or d’une place of the old French service, were what are now simply called majors, majors of regiments, or town majors. The senior serjeant of every company is called serjeant major in the French army at this time. In the British army the serjeant major is the head of the non-commissioned officers, and though sometimes attached to a company, is generally a detached staff officer. See SERJEANT MAJOR.

SERGENTER, Fr. A word frequently used by the French in a figurative sense, signifying to press, to importune. On n’aime pointe à être sergenté; one does not like to be pressed; or as we familiarly say, to be dragooned into a thing.

SERHUD, Ind. A boundary, or frontier.

SERGEANT, SERJEANT, SERGENT, Fr. in war, is a non-commissioned or inferior officer in a company or troop, and appointed to see discipline observed; to teach the private men their exercise; and to order, and form ranks, files, &c. He receives the orders from the serjeant-major, which he communicates to his officers. Each company has generally four serjeants.

SERJEANT-Major. The serjeant-major is the first non-commissioned officer in the regiment after the quarter-master in the English army. He is, in fact, an assistant to the adjutant.

It is his peculiar duty to be perfect master of every thing which relates to drills; and it is always expected, that he should set an example to the rest of the non-commissioned officers, by his manly, soldier-like, and zealous activity.

He must be thoroughly acquainted with all the details which regard the interior management and the discipline of a regiment. For this purpose he must be a good penman, and must keep regular returns of the serjeants and corporals, with the dates of their appointments, as well as the roster for their duties, and rosters of privates orderly duty and commands, as far as relates to the number which each troop or company is to furnish. He is in every respect responsible for the accuracy of these details. He must look well to the appearance of the men, and order such to drill as he sees awkward, slovenly, or in any way irregular. If it be meant as a punishment, he specifies the time for which they are sent to drill: if only for awkwardness, they remain there until their faults are removed.

When he has occasion to put a non-commissioned officer in arrest, he must report him to the adjutant.

It is the duty of the serjeant-major, under the direction of the adjutant, to drill every young officer who comes into the regiment in the manual and marching exercises: he is likewise to instruct him in the slow and quick marches, in wheeling, &c.

He reports regularly to the adjutant the exact state of the awkward drill, &c.

It is scarcely necessary to observe in this place, that the good or bad appearance of a regiment, with or without arms, depends greatly upon the skill and activity of the serjeant major; and that he has every inducement to look forward to promotion.

Quarter-master SERJEANT. A non-commissioned officer who acts under the quarter-master of a regiment; he ought to be a steady man, a good accountant, and to be well acquainted with the resources of a country town or village.

Pay-SERJEANT. An honest, steady, non-commissioned officer, (who is a good accountant, and writes well) that is selected by the captain of a company in the infantry, to pay the men, give out rations, and to account weekly to him, or to his subaltern, (as the case may be) for all disbursements. He likewise keeps a regular state of the necessaries of the men, and assists in making up the monthly abstract for pay, allowances, &c.

Covering SERJEANT. A non-commissioned officer who during the exercise of a battalion, regularly stands or moves behind each officer, commanding or acting with a platoon or company. When the ranks take open order, and the officers move in front, the covering serjeants replace their leaders; and when the ranks are closed, they fall back in their rear.

Drill SERJEANT. An expert and active non-commissioned officer, who, under the immediate direction of the serjeant major, instructs the raw recruits of a regiment in the first principles of military exercise. When awkward or ill-behaved men are sent to drill, they are usually placed under the care of the drill serjeant. This non-commissioned officer will do well to bear constantly in mind the following observations from page 135, Vol I. of the Règlemens pour l’Infanterie Prusienne.

“In teaching young recruits their first duties, the greatest caution must be observed not to give them a disgust to the service, by harsh treatment, angry and impatient words, and much less by blows. The utmost mildness must, on the contrary, be shewn, in order to endear the service to them; and the several parts of exercise must be taught them by degrees; so that they become insensibly acquainted with the whole of the discipline, without having been disgusted in the acquirement. Rustics and strangers must be used with extreme lenity.”

The principle of kind conduct is not less worthy of the officers of a free nation like the United States; a generous but firm conduct is always better calculated to assure good discipline, than violence or brutality. Men learn sooner, learn better, and like what they learn when treated as men, not as brutes. There yet prevails too much of the barbarity of the British and German systems in the American army.

Lance SERJEANT. A corporal who acts as serjeant in a company, but only receives the pay of corporal.

White SERJEANT. A term of just ridicule, which is applied to those ladies who, taking advantage of the uxoriousness of their husbands, and neglect their household concerns, to interfere in military matters.

SERMENT, Fr. Oath.

Prêter SERMENT, Fr. To take an oath.

SERPE, Fr. A billhook.

SERPE d’armes, Fr. An offensive weapon; so called from its resemblance to a hedging bill.

SERPENTEAU, Fr. A round iron circle, with small spikes, and squibs attached to them. It is frequently used in the attack and defence of a breach. It likewise means a fusee, which is filled with gunpowder, and is bent in such a manner, that when it takes fire, it obtains a circular rapid motion, and throws out sparks of light in various directions.

SERPENTEAUX et serpenteaux brochettes, Fr. A species of lardon or fusee, which is garnished or loaded upon a stick or spit that is a third of the length of the cartridge.

SERPENTIN, Fr. The cock of a musquet or firelock.

SERRE-File, Fr. The last rank of a battalion, by which its depth is ascertained, and which always forms its rear. When ranks are doubled, the battalion resumes its natural formation by means of the serre-files. Serre-file literally signifies a bringer up.