Part 535

In wheeling, the motion of each man is quicker or slower, according to the distance he is from the right or the left: thus, when you wheel to the right, each man moves quicker than his right-hand man; and, wheeling to the left, each man moves quicker than his left-hand man; the circle that every man wheels being larger, according to the distance he is from the hand he wheels to; as may be seen by describing several circles within one another, at two feet distance from each, which is nearly the space every man is supposed to take up.

WHEEL-carriages. In artillery, &c. The whole doctrine thereof, as it stands on a mathematical theory, may be reduced to the following particulars, viz.

1. WHEEL-carriages meet with less resistance than any other kind of carriage.

2. The larger the wheels, the easier is the draught of the carriage.

3. A carriage, upon four wheels of equal size, is drawn with less force than with two of those wheels, and two of a lesser size.

4. If the load be all on the axle of the larger wheels, it will be drawn with less force than if laid on the axis of the lesser wheels; contrary to the common notion of loading carriages before.

5. Carriages go with much less force on friction-wheels, than in the common way.

WHEELBARROW. A small carriage of burthen, pushed forward by the hands on one wheel; a certain number are always attached to the artillery.

WHINYARD. A sword, so called by Butler in his Hudibras.

WHIPCORD. A tight spun cord, with which the cat-o-nine-tails is made.

WHOLE. All, total, containing all.

Take care the WHOLE. A cautionary word which was formerly used in the British service, and is sometimes, but improperly, given now. The term Attention is adopted in its room.

WHOOP. A shout; a loud noise which soldiers make in charging, &c. It is a natural though a barbarous habit, and has been preserved in civilized armies from a prevailing custom among savages, particularly the wild Indians of America.

WICKET, (guichet, Fr.) A small door in the gate of a fortified place, through which people go in and out, without opening the great gate.

WIDERZOUROUK. A compound word from the German, which signifies back again. The French pronounce it Vuiderzourouk. It means a movement which is made to the rear, in order to bring a squadron to the right about, in the same manner that a battalion is faced about. Marshal Puysegur remarks, that the French adopted this movement from the Germans, in the year 1670. He is of opinion, that previous to this epoch, squadrons were faced to the rear by means of a double caracol, describing a half-circle, the extent of whose front was equal to half of its diameter; on which account, the general order of battle in those days had considerable intervals, and great loss of time and space of course.

WIG. A Saxon termination of the names of men, signifying war.

WIGWAM. A hut used in America by the Indians.

WILBE, Ind. Guardian; protector.

WILDFIRE. A composition of firework, so called from its ready ignition and rapid combustion.

WINCH, (Manivelle, Fr.) The handle or lever by which a jack, windlass, &c. is turned.

WINDAGE of a gun, mortar, or howitzer. The difference between the diameter of the bore, and the diameter of the shot or shell. In England the diameter of the shot is supposed to be divided into 20 equal parts, and the diameter of the bore into 21 of those parts. The French divide the shot into 26, and the bore into 27. The Prussians divide the shot into 24, and the bore into 25. The Dutch nearly the same as the English. The general windage of shells in England is ¹⁄₄ of an inch, let them be large or small, which is contrary to all reason. It is evident, that the less windage a shot or shell has, the farther and truer it will go; and having less room to bounce from side to side, the gun will not be spoiled so soon.

It is true that some artillery officers say, that the windage of a gun should be equal to the thickness of the ladle; because, when it has been loaded for a while, the shot will not come out, without being loosened thereby, in order to unload it--and when this cannot be done, it must be fired away, and so lost: but the most advantageous windage should be in dividing the shot into 24 equal parts, and the bore into 25, on account of the convenient scale it affords, not only to construct guns thereby, but also their carriages. Hence, agreeable to this plan, the windage of a nine-pounder will be 166 of an inch, consequently a sufficient thickness for a ladle; and those of a higher calibre become still thicker in proportion: but suppose this thickness is not enough, the loss of a shot is a mere trifle, in respect to the advantage gained thereby.

WINDAGE. The usual windage of English guns is ¹⁄₂₀ of the calibre. It appears by experiments, that ¹⁄₄, or nearly ¹⁄₃ of the force of the powder is lost by this windage. See VELOCITY.

Windage of Mortars and Howitzers.

From the 13 to 5¹⁄₂ inch the windage is ·15 of an inch, and that of the 4²⁄₅ is ·2 of an inch.

Windage of Guns and Carronades.

+--------+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ |Kind. | 68| 42| 32| 24| 18| 12| 9 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | +--------+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+ |Guns. | --|·33|·30|·27|·25|·22|·20|·17|·15|·14|·12|·09| |Carrona.|·15|·15|·15|·14|·12|·12| | | | | | | +--------+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+---+

Windage of French Guns.