Part 486

TAMBOUR, Fr. See DRUM.

Marcher TAMBOURS battans et drapeaux flottans. To march with drums beating and colors flying.

TAMBOUR, Fr. See DRUMMER. We frequently use the word Drum in the same sense that the French do, viz. to signify drummer. We likewise say fife for fifer; as, one drum and one fife to each company.

TAMBOUR major, Fr. Drum major.

Batteries de TAMBOUR, Fr. The different beats of the drum. The principal beats among the French are--La générale, the general; L’assemblée, the assembly; Le dernier, the last beat; Le drapeau, the troop; Aux champs, to the field; La marche, the march; La diane, the reveille; L’alarme, to arms, or the alarm; La chamade, the parley; L’appel, the roll or call; La fascine ou brelogue, the workman’s call. Le ban et la rétraite.

Aux champs, ou le premier, is beat when any particular corps of infantry is ordered to march; but if the order should extend to a whole army, it is then called La générale, the general. They do not make this distinction in the British service, but omit the premier or first beat when one regiment, detachment, or company, marches out of a camp or garrison where there are other troops.

Le second, ou l’assemblée, is to give notice that the colors are to be sent for.

La marche is beat when troops march off their parade.

Battre la charge, ou battre la guerre. To beat the charge, or the point of war. This occurs when troops advance against an enemy. This beat may be conceived by repeating in seconds of time the sound--bom! bom! bom! bom! Battre la rétraite is to beat the retreat, to cease firing, or to withdraw after the battle. It is likewise used in garrisons to warn soldiers to retire to their quarters.

Battre la fricassée. To beat the long roll. A beat which is practised to call soldiers suddenly together.

Battre la diane. To beat the reveille. This is done in a camp or garrison at break of day. When an army besieges a town, the reveille is confined to those troops belonging to the infantry that have mounted guard, particularly in the trenches; and it is then followed by the discharge of those pieces of ordnance which had ceased firing on account of the darkness of the night, that prevented their being properly pointed against the enemy’s works.

TAMBOUR de basque, Fr. A tabor.

TAMBOUR battant, Fr. Drums beating.

Sortir TAMBOUR battant, enseignes deployées, Fr. To go out drums beating and colors flying.

TAMBOUR in architecture. A term applied to the Corinthian and composite capitals, as bearing some resemblance to a drum, which the French call Tambour.

TAMBOUR likewise denotes a round course of stone, several whereof form the shaft of a column not so high as a diameter.

Un TAMBOURIN, Fr. A timbrel.

TAMBOURINE. A drum, somewhat resembling the tabor, but played in our military bands without either stick or pipe.

TAMIS, Fr. A sieve.

TAMPIONS, or TOMBIONS, are wooden cylinders to put into the mouth of the guns, howitzers, and mortars, in travelling, to prevent the dust or wet from getting in. They are fastened round the muzzle of the guns, &c. by leather collars.

They are sometimes used to put into the chambers of mortars, over the powder, when the chamber is not full.

TAMPIONS, in sea-service artillery, are the iron bottoms to which the grape-shot are fixed, the dimensions of which are as follows, viz.

Diameter.

42 pounders, 6⁶⁄₁₀ths inches. 32 ditto 6 24 ditto 5⁴⁄₁₀ths 18 ditto 4⁹⁄₁₀ths 12 ditto 4³⁄₁₀ths 9 ditto 3⁹⁄₁₀ths 6 ditto 6³⁄₄ths 4 ditto 2⁹⁄₁₀ths 1¹⁄₂ ditto 2¹⁄₁₀th ¹⁄₂ ditto 1⁴⁄₁₀ths

TAMPON, Fr. A wooden peg or instrument which is used to plug up cartridges, petards, &c. A stopper.

TAMPONS, Fr. In mason-work are wooden pegs by which beams and boards for floors are fastened together.

TAMPONS, Fr. Flat pieces of iron, copper, or wood, which are used by the French on board their men of war, to stop up holes that are made by cannon-balls during a naval engagement.

TAMPONS de canon, Fr. The apron made of cork or lead, which is put over the vent of any piece of ordnance.