Part 522

VOIE, Fr. Way, means, course of communication.

VOILE, Fr. A sail. This word is frequently used by the French to signify the ship itself; as we say, a sail in sight.

VOILE quarrée ou à trait quarrée, Fr. A square sail, such as the main-sail.

VOILE Latine, Voile à tiers-point, ou a Oreille de Liévre, Fr. A triangular-shaped sail, such as is used in the Mediterranean.

Jet de VOILES, Fr. The complete complement of sails for a ship.

Faire VOILE, Fr. To go to sea.

VOITURES, Fr. Carriages, waggons, &c.

VOL, Fr. Theft. The military regulations on this head during the existence of the French monarchy, were extremely rigid and severe.

Whosoever was convicted of having stolen any of the public stores, was sentenced to be strangled; and if any soldier was discovered to have robbed his comrade, either of his necessaries, bread, or subsistence money, he was condemned to death, or to the gallies for life. So nice, indeed, were the French with respect to the honesty of the soldiery in general, that the slightest deviation from it rendered an individual incapable of ever serving again. When the French troops marched through the United States during the revolution so exact was their discipline, that in marching through an orchard loaded with fruit not an apple was touched.

VOLEE, Fr. The vacant cylinder of a cannon, which may be considered to reach from the trunnions to the mouth.

VOLEE et culasse d’une piece, Fr. This term signifies the same as tête et queue d’une piece. The mouth or head and breech of a piece of ordnance.

VOLEE, Fr. Also signifies a cannon shot, as Tirer une volee, to fire a cannon shot.

VOLEE, Fr. See SONNETTE.

VOLET, Fr. A shutter. It likewise means a small sea compass.

VOLLEY. The discharging of a great number of firearms at the same time.

VOLONTAIRES, Fr. See VOLUNTEERS.

VOLONTE, Fr. Will, &c. It likewise signifies readiness to do any thing. Officier, soldat de bonne volonte. An officer, a soldier that is ready to do any sort of duty.

Dernieres VOLONTES, Fr. The last will and testament of a man.

VOLT, (Volte, Fr.) In horsemanship, a bounding turn. It is derived from the Italian word Volta; and according to the Farrier’s Dictionary, is a round or a circular tread; a gate of two treads made by a horse going sideways round a centre; so that these two treads make parallel tracks; the one which is made by the fore feet larger, and the other by the hinder feet smaller; the shoulders bearing outwards, and the croupe approaching towards the centre.

Mettre un cheval sur les VOLTES, Fr. To make a horse turn round, or perform the volts. They likewise say in the manege, demi-volte, half-turn or volt.

VOLTE, Fr. In fencing, a sudden movement or leap, which is made to avoid the thrust of an antagonist.

VOLTE-face, Fr. Right about.

Faire VOLTE-face, Fr. To come to the right about. It is chiefly applicable to a cavalry movement; and sometimes generally used to express any species of facing about, viz. Les ennemis fuirent jusqu’à un certain endroit, ou ils firent volte face; the enemy fled to a certain spot, where they faced about.

VOLTE, is also used as a sea phrase among the French to express the track which a vessel sails; likewise the different movements and tacks that a ship makes in preparing for action.

VOLTER, Fr. In fencing, to volt; to change ground in order to avoid the thrust of an antagonist.

VOLTIGER, Fr. To float; to stream out; to hover about; La cavalrie voltige autour du camp; the cavalry hovers about the camp. It also means, in the manege, to ride a wooden horse for the purpose of acquiring a good seat.

VOLTIGUER, Fr. A vaulter; a jumper; a hoverer; the French have trained their light troops to run, vault, and bear fatigues; these troops act as riflemen on foot or horseback; swim rivers with their arms; and vault behind horsemen to be transported rapidly to some point where it is necessary to make an impression. These corps were formed from an observance of the hardiness and intrepidity of American riflemen, by general Berthier, who served in America with Rochambeau.

VOLUNTEER. In a general acceptation of the word, any one who enters into the service of his own accord. The signification of it is more or less extensive, according to the conditions on which a man voluntarily engages to bear arms.