Part 82

Cartridges for cannon, are made with the best effect, when the flannel does not admit the leakage of powder; to effect this the flannels are first sewed to the size of a mandril or wooden roller; and the sewing completed, the end is tied, and hammered on the end of the mandril, the whole is then smeared with a coat of paste made of wheat flour and gum; and then drawn over, so that the pasted side may be inward; then set to dry, before filling they must be examined.

The experiment is worth the trial of making cartridges of cotton saturated with alum; its cheapness, its abundance, and easy formation, all recommend it. The alum would render it fire proof.

CARTRIDGE-Box, a case of wood, made in a circular form, to wear before the body of the soldier, holding 24 or more musket-ball cartridges in rows: it is covered with leather, and worn upon a belt, both on duty, and on the day of battle. See POUCH.

The light infantry in the French service carry a cartridge box in front which covers the abdomen; and contains several rounds; some carry the cartridges on the side one above the other.

CARTRIDGES for guns.

-------------+-----------+--------+----------------------------------- | Weight of | | | one | | Tonnage. Of Paper. | Dozen. | Length.| No. packed ³⁄₄ Ton Vat. -------------+-----------+--------+----------------------------------- Pounders. |lb. oz. dr.|Ft. in. |Number. 42 ---- | 3 0 0 | 2 4 | 1000 32 ---- | 3 0 0 | 2 4 | 1100 24 ---- | 3 0 0 | 2 4 | 1400 18 ---- | 2 14 0 | 2 4 | 1500 12 ---- | 2 4 0 | 2 4 | 1600 9 ---- | 2 4 0 | 2 4 | 1800 6 ---- | 1 5 0 | 2 0 | 2000 4 ---- | 1 1 0 | 1 7 | 2200 3 ---- | 1 1 0 | 1 7 | 2200 Of Flannel. | | | 42 and 32 | 2 2 0 | 2 3 |The tonnage of flannel cartridges {Heavy | 1 12 0 | 1 10 |is 1-fifth more than that of paper. 24{Med. | 1 6 0 | 1 5 | {Light | 1 1 8 | 1 0 | 18 ---- | 1 6 0 | 2 3 | {Heavy | 1 3 0 | 1 6 | 12{Med. | 0 11 0 | 1 2 | {Light | 0 8 0 | 0 10 | 9 ---- | 0 10 0 | 1 4 | {Heavy | 0 14 0 | 1 1 | 6{Med. | -- | -- | {Light | 0 5 0 | 0 9¹⁄₂| 3 ---- | 0 6 0 | 0 8 | 13 in. Morts.| 1 2 8 | 1 6 | 10 -- ---- | 0 10 8 | 1 1- | 8 -- ---- | 0 7 0 | 1 0 | 5¹⁄₂ ---- | 0 4 0 | 0 9 | 4²⁄₅ ---- | 0 3 0 | 0 7 | 8 in. How’r | 0 10 8 | 1 1- | 5¹⁄₂ ---- | 0 4 8 | 0 9- | 4²⁄₅ ---- | 0 4 0 | 0 9- | -------------+-----------+--------+-----------------------------------

CARTRIDGES for small arms.

+-----------+-------+-------+-------------+--------------------+-----+ | | Powder| | No. | | | | | con- | No. of| contained | | One | | |tained | each | in one | Weight of one |Sheet| | |in each| tied | Barrel. | Barrel filled. | of | | | Car- | in one+------+------+-----------+--------+paper| | Kinds. |tridge.|Bundle.|Whole.| Half.| Whole. | Half. |makes| +-----------+-------+-------+------+------+-----------+--------+-----+ | | drs. | No. | No. | No. |ct. qr. lb.|qr. lb.| No. | |Wall pieces| 10 | 6 | 1400 | 500 | 2 2 19 | 3 24| | |Musquet | 6 | 10 | 2100 | 1000 | 1 3 10 | 3 24| 6 | |Carbine | 4 | 10 | 2853 | 1500 | 1 3 7 | 3 26| 12 | |Do. pistol | 3 | 10 | 4400 | 1500 | 1 3 17 | 3 21| 16 | |Com. pistol| 3 | 10 | | 2000 | | 3 11| 24 | |7 bar. guns| 1¹⁄₂| 14 | | 1000 | | | 24 | | | | | | in | | | | | | | | | kegs | | | | +-----------+-------+-------+------+------+-----------+--------+-----+

Musquet CARTRIDGES, by different powers in Europe.

+-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+ | Weight | | | | | of | English. | Hessian. | Austrian. | +-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+ | |oz. dr. gr.|oz. dr. gr.|oz. dr. gr.| |Powder | 0 6 0 | 0 7 10 | 0 6 13 | |Cartridges,| | | | |complete. | 1 9 11 | 1 7 2 | 1 6 4 | +-----------+-----------+-----------+-----------+

+-----------+------------+------------+ | Weight | | | | of | Dutch. | French. | +-----------+------------+------------+ | |oz. dr. gr. |oz. dr. gr. | |Powder | 0 10 10¹⁄₂| 0 7 4¹⁄₂| |Cartridges,| | | |complete. | 1 12 4 | 1 6 0 | +-----------+------------+------------+

CASCABLE, in artillery, is the very hindermost knob or button of the cannon, or the utmost part of the breech. See CANNON.

CASCANS, in fortification, holes in the form of wells, serving as entrances to galleries, or giving vent to the enemy’s mines. See FORTIFICATION.

CASEMATE, in fortification, a vault, or arch of mason-work, in that part of the flank of a bastion which is next the curtain, made to defend the ditch, and the face of the opposite bastion. See FORTIFICATION.

CASEMATES nouvelles, Fr. arched batteries which are constructed under all the openings of revetements or ramparts. The different forts at Cherbourg, are defended by these casemates: the works erected round Dover Castle, come likewise under this description; the works at fort Columbus, New York, are erected on the same principles.

CASERNES, in fortification, are buildings for the soldiers of the garrison to live in; generally erected between the houses of fortified towns, and the rampart.

CASERNES, in a general acceptation, signify barracks.

CASE-Shot. See SHOT, and LABORATORY.

CASHIERED. An officer sentenced by a general court-martial, or peremptorily ordered by the king, to be dismissed from the service, is said to be cashiered.

CASK, or CASQUE, the ancient helmet or armor for the head.

CASSINE, in military history, signifies a small house in the country, generally surrounded by a ditch. Cassines are very convenient to post small parties in, where they will be sheltered from any sudden attack, and can even make head till the nearest detachments can come and relieve them.

CASSIONS. See CAISSONS.

CASTING, in founding guns, implies the operation of running any sort of metal into a mould prepared for that purpose.

CASTLE, in military affairs, a fortified place, or strong hold, to defend a town or city from an enemy. English castles are for the most part no higher in antiquity than the Norman conquest; or rather about the middle of king Stephen’s reign. Castles were erected in almost all parts of that kingdom, by the several contending parties; and each owner of a castle was a kind of petty prince, coining his own money, and exercising sovereign jurisdiction over his people. History informs us that 1017 castles were built in one reign.

CASTRAMETATION, is the art of measuring or tracing out the form of a camp on the ground; yet it sometimes has a more extensive signification, by including all the views and designs of a general; the one requires only the knowlege of a mathematician, the other the experience of an old soldier. The ancients were accustomed to fortify their camps by throwing up entrenchments round them. The Turks, and other Asiatic nations, fortify themselves, when in an open country, with their waggons and other carriages. The practice of the Europeans is quite different; for the surety of their camp consists in the facility and convenience of drawing out their troops at the head of their encampment; for which reason, whatever particular order of battle is regarded as the best disposition for fighting, it follows of course, that we should encamp in such a manner as to assemble and parade our troops in that order and disposition as soon as possible. It is therefore the order of battle that should regulate the order of encampment; that is to say, the post of each regiment in the line of battle should be at the head of its own encampment; from whence it follows, that the extent of the line of battle from right to left of the camp, should be equal to the front of the troops in line of battle, with the same intervals in the camp as in the line. By this means every battalion covers its own tents, and they can all lodge themselves, or turn out in case of necessity, at a minute’s warning.

If the front of the camp is greater than the line, the troops must leave large intervals, or expose their flanks; if less, the troops will not have room to form with the proper intervals.

The front or principal line of the camp is commonly directed to face the enemy. See CAMP.

CAT o’ nine tails, a whip with nine knotted cords, with which the British soldiers are punished. Sometimes it has only five cords. A barbarous and unmilitary usage, unknown in any other European army.