V.

=Vacancy.= The state of an office or commission to which no one is appointed.

=Vacant Companies.= Companies to the permanent command of which no person is appointed for the time being.

=Vacate.= To annul; to make void; to deprive of force; to make of no authority or validity; as, to vacate a commission.

=Vacca=, =Vaga=, or =Vaba= (now _Beja_). A city of Zeugitana, in Northern Africa, on the borders of Numidia, a good day’s journey south of Utica. It was destroyed by Metellus in the Jugurthine war, but was restored and colonized by the Romans. Its fortifications were renewed by Justinian, who named it Theodorias, in honor of his wife.

=Vadimonis Lacus= (now _Lago di Bassano_). A small lake of Etruria. It is celebrated in history for the defeat of the Etruscans in two great battles, first by the dictator Papirius Cursor in 309 B.C., from the effects of which the Etruscans never recovered; and again in 283, when the allied forces of the Etruscans and Gauls were routed by the consul Cornelius Dolabella.

=Værfvade.= The standing army of Sweden, recruited by voluntary enlistment. They receive pay, and serve from three to six years. They form the foot- and horse-guards, the artillery and engineers.

=Vair.= In heraldry, tinctures are either of metal, color strictly so called, or fur. The furs were originally but two,--ermine and vair. Vair is said to have been taken from the fur of a squirrel, bluish-gray on the back, and white on the belly, is expressed by blue and white shields, or bells in horizontal rows, the bases of the white resting on the bases of the blue. If the vair is of any other colors than white and blue, they must be specified. Various modifications of these furs were afterwards introduced, among others: _counter-vair_, or vair with the bells of one tincture placed base to base, and _potent counter-potent_, vair with crutch-shaped figures instead of bells.

=Vaivode= (_Fr._). An old Sclavonian word, which signifies prince or general. This title was formerly given to the sovereign princes of Wallachia, Moldavia, and Transylvania.

=Valais= (Ger. _Wallis_). A frontier canton of Switzerland, bounded on the north by the cantons of Vaud and Bern, and on the south by Italy. At the period of the struggle of the Swiss with the Duke of Burgundy, the Upper Valais took possession of the Lower Valais, and reduced it to the position of a vassal state; and in this condition it remained until 1798, the period of the French conquest, when the distinction was set aside.

=Valdivia.= A town of Chili, capital of the province of the same name, on the river Valdivia, or Calle, 210 miles south from Concepcion. It was founded in 1551 by the conqueror Pedro de Valdivia. In 1590 it was taken and plundered by the Araucanians, the native inhabitants of the country.

=Valencia= (anc. _Valentia_). An ancient city of Spain, capital of the ancient kingdom and modern province of the same name, on the Turia, about 2 miles from the sea, and 190 miles east-southeast from Madrid. Valencia is a very ancient city. It was destroyed by Pompey, and rebuilt by Sertorius. It was taken by the Goths in 413, from whom it was captured by the Moors in 714. From the Moorish sway it was rescued in 1094 by the Cid, from whom it is sometimes called _Valentia del Cid_. The Moors once more got possession of it in 1101, but were compelled finally to relinquish it in 1238. It was taken by the Earl of Peterborough in 1705, but submitted to the Bourbons after the unfortunate battle of Almanza, in 1707. It resisted the attempts made on it by Marshal Moncey, but was taken from the Spaniards with a garrison of more than 16,000 men, and immense stores, by the French under Suchet, January 9, 1812; and held by them till 1813.

=Valenciennes.= A fortified town of France, in the department of the North, 27 miles southeast from Lille, at the confluence of the Rhonelle and the Scheldt. The town is defended by a citadel constructed by Vauban. The city was besieged from May 23 to July 28, 1793, when the French garrison surrendered to the allied English and Austrian armies, under the Duke of York. It was retaken by the French, August 27-30, 1794; on capitulation, the garrison and 1100 emigrants were made prisoners, with immense stores.

=Valenciennes.= See LABORATORY STORES.

=Valenza= (anc. _Valentia Valentinum Forum_). A city of Northern Italy, on an elevated plain on the right bank of the Po, 8 miles north of Alessandria. It is a very ancient town, belonged to the Liguri, and was conquered by Marcus Fulvius, the proconsul. In 1635 it was besieged for fifty days by the armies of France, Savoy, and Parma, and taken. In 1707 it came into the possession of Victor Amadeus II., Duke of Savoy; in 1805 the French destroyed its gates and fortifications; and in 1815, after the fall of Napoleon’s empire, it reverted to the king of Sardinia.

=Valetta=, or =La Valetta=. An important city and capital of the island of Malta, on the northeast side of which it is situated. The town and harbors are defended by a series of fortifications of great strength. They are mostly hewn out of the solid rock, and, mounted with the most powerful artillery, are considered impregnable. The city was founded by La Valette, grand master of the Knights of St. John, in 1566. Its history is identical with that of Malta (which see).

=Valetudinarium.= An infirmary or hospital for the sick. Among the Romans, _valetudinarium_, or hospital, was only established in time of war, when their armies marched beyond the boundaries of the republic.

=Valiant.= Personally brave, fearless of danger in war, etc.

=Valladolid.= A famous city of Spain, capital of the province of the same name, on the left bank of the Pisuerga, 150 miles northwest from Madrid. It is the Roman _Pincia_ and the Moorish _Belad Walid_; was recovered for the Christians by Ordogno II., the first king of Leon, 914-23. It was captured from the French by the English, June 4, 1813.

=Vallary Crown.= A crown bestowed by the ancient Romans as an honorary reward on the soldier who first surmounted the outworks, and broke into the enemy’s camp. It is in form a circle of gold with palisades attached. The crown vallary occasionally occurs as a heraldic bearing.

=Valls.= A town of Spain, in the province of Tarragona, 9 miles north from Tarragona. The French here defeated the Spaniards in 1809, and afterwards sacked the town; but they suffered a defeat themselves near the same place, in 1811, by some Spanish troops under Sarsfield.

=Vallum.= Among the Romans, the parapet which fortified their encampments. It consisted of two parts,--the _agger_ and the _sudes_; the agger was the earth thrown up from the vallum, and the sudes were a sort of wooden stakes to secure and strengthen it. _Vallus_ was the name of the stake which served as a palisade in the Roman intrenchment. Every soldier carried one of these _valli_, and on some occasions three or four bound together like a fagot.

=Valmy.= A village of France, department of Marne, 20 miles northeast from Chalons. This village is celebrated as the place where the republican armies of France under Kellerman, in 1792, defeated for the first time the allied armies under the Duke of Brunswick.

=Valor.= Strength of mind in regard to danger; that quality which enables a man to encounter danger with firmness; personal bravery; warlike courage; intrepidity; bravery.

=Valparaiso.= The principal seaport of Chili, South America, on the bay of the same name, about 80 miles west-northwest of Santiago. The bay is sheltered from all quarters except the north; and is defended by three forts and a water-battery. Valparaiso was bombarded by the Spanish fleet, March 31, 1866. Few lives were lost, but buildings and other property, the value of which was estimated at from $9,000,000 to $20,000,000, were destroyed.

=Valtelline=, or =Valtellina= (Northern Italy). A district near the Rhætian Alps, seized by the Grison league in 1512, and ceded to it in 1530. At the instigation of Spain, the Catholics rose and massacred the Protestants, July 19-21, 1620. After much contention between the French and Austrians, the neutrality of the Valtelline was assured in 1639. It was annexed to the Cisalpine republic in 1797; to Italy, 1807; to Austria, 1814; to Italy, 1860.

=Vambrace.= In ancient armor, the piece designed to protect the arm below the elbow.

=Vambraced= (Fr. _avant-bras_, “fore-arm”). A term applied to an arm clothed in armor, as in the subjoined crest; a dexter embowed arm vambraced proper, the gauntlet holding a sword below the hilt in bend sinister, point downwards, argent, hilt and pommel or.

=Vamplate.= A round piece of iron on a tilting-spear, used to protect the hand.

=Van.= The front of an army, the first line, or leading column.

=Vancouver’s Island.= Now, jointly with British Columbia, one of the colonies of Great Britain, forms a part of British North America. Settlements were made here by the English in 1781, which were seized by the Spaniards in 1789, but restored. By a treaty between the British government and that of the United States in 1846, this island was secured to the former.

=Vandals= (_Vandalii_, or _Vindalii_). A confederacy of German nations, probably of the great Suevic race, to which the Burgundiones, Gothones, Gepidæ, and Rugii belonged. They dwelt originally on the northern coast of Germany, but were afterward settled north of the Marcomanni, in the Riesengebirge, which are hence called Vandalici Montes. They subsequently appear for a short time in Dacia and Pannonia; but at the beginning of the 5th century (409) they traversed Germany and Gaul, and invaded Spain. In this country they subjugated the Alani, and founded a powerful kingdom, the name of which is still preserved in Andalusia (Vandalusia). In 429 they crossed over into Africa, under their king Genseric, and conquered all the Roman dominions in that country. Genseric subsequently invaded Italy, and took and plundered Rome in 455. The Vandals continued masters of Africa till 535, when their kingdom was destroyed by Belisarius, and annexed to the Byzantine empire.

=Van-foss.= In fortification, a ditch dug without the counterscarp, and running all along the glacis, usually full of water.

=Vanguard.= That part of the army which marches in front.

=Vanquish.= To conquer; to overcome; to subdue in battle, as an enemy.

=Vant-bras.= Armor for the arm.

=Variation of the Needle.= Is the angle included between the true and magnetic meridians of a place; the deviation of a magnetic needle from the true north or south points of the horizon;--called also _declination of the needle_.

=Varna.= An important fortified seaport of European Turkey, in Bulgaria, on the northern side of a semicircular bay, an inlet of the Black Sea, 180 miles north-northwest from Constantinople. A great battle was fought near this place, November 10, 1444, between the Turks under Amurath II. and the Hungarians under their king Ladislaus, and John Hunniades. The latter were defeated with great slaughter; the king was killed, and Hunniades made prisoner. The Christians had previously broken the truce for ten years, recently made at Szegedin. The emperor Nicholas of Russia arrived before Varna, the headquarters of his army, then besieging the place, August 5, 1828. The Turkish garrison made a vigorous attack on the besiegers, August 7, and another on August 21, but were repulsed. Varna surrendered, after a sanguinary conflict, to the Russian arms, October 11, 1828. It was restored at the peace in 1829; its fortifications were dismantled, but have since been restored. The allied armies disembarked at Varna, May 29, 1854, and remained there till they sailed for the Crimea, September 3, following. While at Varna they suffered severely from cholera.

=Varveled.= In heraldry, when the leather thongs which tie on the bells to the legs of hawks are borne flotant with rings at the end, the bearing is termed _jessed_, _belled_, and _varveled_.

=Vascones.= A powerful people on the northern coast of Hispania Tarraconensis, between the Iberus and the Pyrenees, in the modern Navarre and Guipuzco. Their chief towns were Pompelon and Calagurris. They were a brave people, and fought in battle bare-headed. Under the empire they were regarded as skillful diviners and prophets. Their name is still retained in that of the modern Basques.

=Vassy.= A town of France, in the department of the Upper Marne, 29 miles northwest from Chaumont. The massacre of the Protestants at this place by the Duke of Guise on March 1, 1562, led to the civil wars which desolated France to the end of the century.

=Vaud.= A canton which forms the western corner of Switzerland between the Jura and the Bernese Alps. After having been successively held by the Franks, kings of Burgundy, emperors of Germany, dukes of Zahringen, and dukes of Savoy, it was conquered by the Bernese, January, 1536, and annexed, 1554. Vaud was made independent in 1798, and joined the Confederation in 1815.

=Vaunt-mure.= In fortification, a false wall; a work raised in front of the main wall. This word is written also _vaimure_ and _vamure_.

=Vectis=, or =Vecta= (now _Isle of Wight_). An island off the southern coast of Britain. It was conquered by Vespasian in the reign of Claudius.

=Vedettes=, or =Videttes=. Mounted sentinels stationed at the outposts of an army or encampment, and so posted at all the avenues and rising grounds, that they can best observe the approach of an enemy, and communicate by signal to their respective posts, as well as with each other, when any danger is to be apprehended.

=Veii= (now _Isola Farnese_). One of the most ancient and powerful cities of Etruria, situated on the river Crimera, about 12 miles from Rome. It possessed a strongly-fortified citadel, built on a hill rising precipitously from the deep glens which bound it, save at the single point where a narrow ridge unites it to the city. The Veientes were engaged in almost unceasing hostilities with Rome for more than three centuries and a half, and we have records of fourteen distinct wars between the two nations. Veii was at last taken by the dictator Camillus, after a siege of ten years, 396 B.C. The city fell into his hands, according to the common story, by means of a _cuniculus_, or mine, which was carried by Camillus from the Roman camp under the city into the citadel of Veii. The citizens were massacred or sold as slaves, and the land confiscated.

=Vekilchares.= A word used among the Turks, which signifies the same as _fourrier_ in the French and corresponds with quartermaster.

=Velez-Malaga.= A fortified town in the south of Spain, in the province of Malaga, 16 miles east from the city of that name. The town was taken from the Moors, by Ferdinand the Catholic, after a long siege.

=Velish.= A town of Russia in Europe, in the government of Vitepsk, situated on the Dwina. This place, which was founded by the Russians in 1536, was taken by the Poles in 1580, but in 1772 it again reverted to Russia.

=Velites.= In the Roman armies, the name of the light-armed troops, who were first instituted during the second Punic war, and were remarkable for their agility.

=Velletri= (anc. _Velitræ_). A town of the Papal States, in the Comarca, and 21 miles southeast from Rome. The ancient _Velitræ_ was an important Volscian city destroyed by the Romans, but afterwards rebuilt. In 1734, Carlo Borbone, king of Naples, gained, near Velletri, a decisive victory over the Austrians, which secured the kingdom of the two Sicilies to the Spanish Bourbons.

=Vellore.= A town and fortress of British India, in the presidency of Madras, situated on the river Palar, 80 miles southwest from Madras. It is very strongly fortified. After the capture of Seringapatam, in 1799, Vellore was fixed on for the place of confinement or residence of the family of Tippoo Sahib. In July, 1806, a very serious mutiny took place among the garrison, composed principally of native troops. It was speedily suppressed by the gallant conduct of Col. Gillespie of the 19th Dragoons.

=Velocimeter.= An instrument for obtaining initial velocity, invented by Col. Benton, U. S. Ordnance Department. See CHRONOSCOPE.

=Velocity.= Is rate of motion; the relation of motion to time, measured by the number of units of space passed over by the moving body in a unit of time, usually the number of feet in a second. The velocity of a projectile, at any point of its flight, is the space in _feet_ passed over in a _second_ of time, with a continuous, uniform motion. _Initial velocity_ is the velocity at the muzzle of the piece; _remaining velocity_ is the velocity at any point of the flight; _terminal velocity_ is the velocity with which it strikes its object; and _final velocity_ of descent in air, is the uniform velocity with which a projectile moves, when the resistance of the air becomes equal to the accelerating force of gravity. The initial velocity of a projectile may be determined by the principles of mechanics which govern the action of the powder, the resistance of the projectile, etc., or by direct experiment.

The instant that the charge of a fire-arm is converted into gas, it exerts an expansive effort which acts to drive the projectile out of the bore. If the gaseous mass be divided into elementary sections perpendicular to its length, it will be seen that, in their efforts to expand, each section has not only to overcome its own inertia, but the inertia of the piece and projectile, as well as the inertia of the sections which precede it. The tension of each section, therefore, increases from the extremities of the charge to some intermediate point where it is a maximum. The pressure on all sides of the section of maximum density being equal, it will remain at rest, while all the others will move in opposite directions, constantly pressing against the projectile and piece, and accelerating their velocities. As the projectile moves in the bore, the space in which the gases expand is increased, while their density is diminished; it follows that the force which sets a projectile in motion in a fire-arm varies from several causes: (1st) It varies as the space behind the projectile increases, or as the velocity regarded as a function of the time; (2d) It varies throughout the column of gas for the same instant of time; and (3d) It varies from the increasing quantities of gas developed in the successive instants of the combustion of the powder. See INITIAL VELOCITY.

The motion of a body falling through the air will be accelerated by its weight, and retarded by the buoyant effort of the air, and the resistance which the air offers to motion. As the resistance of the air increases more rapidly than the velocity, it follows that there is a point where the retarding and accelerating forces will be equal, and that beyond this the body will move with a uniform velocity, equal to that which it had acquired down to this point. The buoyant effort of the air is equal to the weight of the volume displaced, or

(_d_) _P_(---); (_D_)

in which _P_ is the weight and _D_ the density of the projectile, and _d_ the density of the air. When the projectile meets with a resistance equal to its weight, we shall have,

( _d_) ( _v_) _P_(1 - ---) = _A_{p}R²v²_(1 + ---); (15) ( _D_) ( _r_)

in which the weight of the displaced air is transferred to the first member of the equation. As the density of the air is very slight compared to that of lead or iron, the materials of which projectiles are made, _d_/_D_ may be neglected. Making this change, and substituting for _P_, _⁴⁄₃_{p}R^{3}D_, the expression for the _final velocity_ reduces to

( _v_) _RD_ _v_²(1 + ---) = ⁴⁄₃-----. (16) ( _r_) _A_

The resistance on the entire projectile for a velocity of 1 foot, is _A_{p}R²_; dividing this by _P_/_g_, or the mass, we get the resistance on a unit of mass. Calling this 1/(2_c_) we have,

1 _A_{p}R²_ _P_ ---- = ---------, or 2_gc_ = --------. 2_c_ _P_ _A_{p}R²_ --- _g_

Substituting for _P_ its value in the equation of vertical descent, we have,

( _v_) 2_gc_ = _v_²(1 + ---); ( _r_)

from which we see that _v_ depends only on _c_; but

_RD_ _c_ = ²⁄₃----- (17) _gA_

hence, the _final velocity_ of a projectile falling through the air is directly proportional to the product of its diameter and density, and inversely proportional to the density of the air, which is a factor of _A_. The expression for the value of _c_ shows that the retarding effect of the air is less on the larger and denser projectiles. To adapt it to an oblong projectile of the pointed form, the value of _D_ should be increased (inasmuch as its weight is increased in proportion to its cross-section), while that of _A_ should be diminished. It follows, therefore, that for the same caliber an oblong projectile will be less retarded by the air than one of spherical form, and consequently with an equal and perhaps less initial velocity, its range will be greater.

=Velocity of Light.= See LIGHT, VELOCITY OF.

=Velocity of Sound.= See SOUND.

=Vendée, La.= A department in the west of France. The _wars of La Vendée_ denote the armed opposition to the religious and political changes in France, which burst out into a species of partisan warfare in 1793, 1794, 1795, 1799, and 1815.

=Venezuela.= A republic in the northwest of South America. The east coast of Venezuela was discovered by Columbus in 1498; Ojeda and Vespucci followed in 1499. The first settlement was made at Cumana in 1520, by the Spaniards; and Venezuela remained subject to Spain till it claimed independence in 1811. In 1812, it returned to allegiance to Spain, but again revolted in 1813, and, forming with New Granada and Ecuador the republic of Colombia, it was declared independent in 1819. In 1831, the states separated. During the ten years from 1861-1871, upwards of 60,000 persons were killed in the civil wars. The revolution triumphed, and Guzman Blanco attempted to establish a government at Caraccas, which was captured by revolutionists, April, 1870.

=Venice.= A fortified city of Northern Italy, one of the noblest, most famous, and singular cities in the world, is built upon a crowded cluster of islets, in the lagoon of the same name, on the northwest fringe of the Adriatic Sea, 23 miles east of Padua. It was founded by families from Aquileia and Padua fleeing from Attila, about 452. Under their third doge (720-737) the Venetians entered upon that career of enterprise in which their prudence and valor were almost always conspicuous, and which they continued to pursue to the last. Venice after a series of enterprises which covered a period of 700 years, and in which she was nearly always successful, gaining territory and prestige, entered into a war with the Turks in 1461, which lasted until 1477, and in which she lost many of her Eastern possessions. The Venetians took Cyprus in 1475, and helped to overcome Charles VIII. of France in 1495; they excited the Turks against Charles V. in 1504, and were nearly ruined by the league of Cambray in 1508. They also assisted in defeating the Turks at Lepanto in 1571, but lost Cyprus to the Turks in the same year. The Venetians gained several important naval victories over the Turks at Scio in 1651, and in the Dardanelles in 1655, but lost Candia, one of their possessions, in 1669; recovered part of the Morea in 1683-99, but lost it again in 1715-39. Venice was occupied by Bonaparte in 1797, who, by the treaty of Campo Formio, gave part of its territory to Austria, and annexed the remainder to the Cisalpine republic. In 1805 the whole of Venice was annexed to the kingdom of Italy by the treaty of Presburg; but was transferred to the empire of Austria in 1814, and the city declared a free port in 1830. An insurrection began in Venice on March 22, 1848, and the city, which was defended by Daniele Manin, surrendered to the Austrians after a long siege on August 22, 1849. It was transferred to Italy, October 17, 1866, by the treaty of Vienna.

=Venlo.= A small but strongly fortified town in the Netherlands, province of Limburg, situated on the right bank of the Maas, 45 miles north-northeast from Maastricht. Venlo was walled by Duke Reynold of Gelder in 1343. It has many a time felt the horrors of a siege, and has been taken and retaken, the last time by the Belgians in 1830, in whose hands it remained till the conference of London, June 22, 1839, when it returned to the Dutch.

=Vennones.= A people of Rhætia, and, according to Strabo, the most savage of the Rhætian tribes, inhabiting the Alps near the sources of the Athesis.

=Vent.= In gunnery, is the aperture through which fire is communicated to the charge. It should be as small as the use of the priming-wire and tube will allow. See ORDNANCE, CONSTRUCTION OF, INTERIOR FORM OF CANNON.

=Ventail.= That part of a helmet which is made to lift up.

=Vent-gauges.= See INSPECTION OF CANNON.

=Vent-piece.= In some ordnance is a piece of copper containing the vent, and screwed in at the proper position.

=Vent-punch.= See IMPLEMENTS, EQUIPMENTS AND MACHINES.

=Vent-searcher.= See INSPECTION OF CANNON.

=Vera Cruz.= An ancient city on the east coast of Mexico, about 185 miles east of the city of Mexico. The castle of Ulloa and the city were bombarded and taken by the Americans in 1847, and the city was taken by the allies, December 17, 1861. Vera Cruz was retaken by the liberals, under Juarez, June 27, 1867.

=Verat= (_Fr._). A 12-pounder gun of 17 calibers, weighing 2300 pounds, having a charge of 8 pounds.

=Verbal Orders.= Instructions given by word of mouth, which, when communicated through an official channel, are to be considered as equally binding with written ones.

=Vercelli= (anc. _Vercellæ_). A town of the kingdom of Sardinia, capital of a province of the same name. Near this place Varus defeated the Cimbri, 101 B.C. It was the seat of a republic in the 13th and 14th centuries. It was taken by the Spaniards in 1630; by the French in 1704; and allies, 1706; it subsequently partook of the fortunes of Piedmont.

=Verden.= A town in Hanover, Germany, on the right bank of the Aller. Here Charlemagne massacred about 4500 Saxons, who had rebelled and relapsed into idolatry, 782.

=Verdict.= See FINDING.

=Verdoy.= In heraldry, a term indicating that a bordure is charged with flowers, leaves, or vegetable charges. Thus a bordure argent verdoy of oak-leaves proper, is equivalent to a bordure argent charged with eight oak-leaves proper.

=Verdun= (anc. _Verodunum_). A fortified town of France in the department of Meuse, on the right bank of the river of that name, about 150 miles (direct line) east-northeast from Paris, it was fortified by Vauban, and its defenses consist of a wall with bastions and a citadel. It was acquired by the Franks in the 6th century, and formed part of the dominions of Lothaire by the treaty of Verdun, 543, when the empire was divided between the sons of Louis I. It was taken and annexed to the empire of Otho I. about 939. It surrendered to France in 1552, and was formally ceded in 1648. It was taken and held by the Prussians forty-three days, September-October, 1792. Gen. Beaurepaire, the commandant, committed suicide before the surrender, and fourteen ladies were executed in 1794, for going to the king of Prussia to solicit his clemency for the town. Verdun surrendered to the Germans, November 8, 1870, after a brave defense, two vigorous sallies being made October 28. Above 4000 men and 108 cannon were captured, and much arms and ammunition.

=Vere, de.= The name of an ancient and noble family of England, descended from a Norman knight who had a high command at the battle of Hastings. His son became earl of Oxford, and minister of Henry I. The third earl was one of the barons who extorted the Magna Charta from King John. John de Vere, seventh earl, was a famous commander, and fought at Crécy and Poitiers (1356). The thirteenth earl was a leader of the Lancastrian party in the war of the Roses, and commanded the van of the army of Henry VII. at Bosworth (1485). The twentieth earl was Aubrey de Vere, who fought for Charles I. in the civil war, and after the restoration became lord-lieutenant of Essex.

=Vergette= (_Fr._). In heraldry, a pallet or small pale; hence, a shield divided by pallets or pales.

=Vermeuil.= A town of France, in the department of the Eure, situated on the Arve. It was the scene of a battle between the Burgundians and English, under the Duke of Bedford, and the French, assisted by the Scots, commanded by the Count de Narbonne and the Earls of Douglas and Buchan, etc. The French at first were successful; but some Lombard auxiliaries, who had taken the English camp, commenced pillaging. Two thousand English archers then came fresh to the attack; and the French and Scots were totally defeated, and their leaders killed.

=Vermont.= One of the United States of America, and one of the five New England States; it was the first State received after the adoption of the Federal Constitution. Vermont is bounded on the north by Canada, on the east by the Connecticut River, which separates it from New Hampshire, on the south by Massachusetts, and on the west by New York, from which it is separated for 100 miles by Lake Champlain. The first settlement made in this State was in 1724, when it was claimed as a part of the New Hampshire grants. In 1763, it was claimed by New York, under grants of Charles II. to the Duke of York. For ten years the New York officers were resisted, and sometimes tied to trees and whipped by the lawless settlers. These contests were stopped by the Revolution, but this State, a refuge for settlers from the other States, remained eight years out of the Union. It was chiefly the Vermont militia that gained the victory of Plattsburg, on Lake Champlain, in 1812; and the Green Mountain State contributed largely to the Union forces in the war of the Rebellion.

=Verolamium=, or =Verulamium= (now _Old Verulam_, near St. Alban’s). The chief town of the Catuellani in Britain, probably the residence of the king Cassivellaunus, which was conquered by Cæsar. It was subsequently made a Roman _municipium_. It was destroyed by the Britons under Boadicea, in their insurrection against the Romans, but was rebuilt, and continued to be an important place.

=Verona.= An ancient city of Northern Italy, in Venetia, 72 miles west of Venice by railway. Verona is a fortress of the first rank, a member of the famous Quadrilateral (which see), and has always been considered a place of strength since it was surrounded with walls by the emperor Gallienus, 265. Its modern fortifications are among the most extraordinary works of military engineering in Europe. After passing into the hands of the Austrians, in 1815, it was greatly strengthened; and since 1849 every effort has been made to render it impregnable. The early history of Verona is involved in obscurity. It fell into the hands of the Romans, and under the empire became one of the most flourishing cities in the north of Italy. Constantine took it by assault in 312; Stilicho defeated the Goths here in 402; and on September 27, 489, Theodoric defeated Odoacer, king of Italy. Charlemagne took it in 774, and made it the royal residence of his son, King Pepin. In 1405 the city gave itself over to Venice, in order to free itself from its tyrants, who were alternately of the Scala, the Visconti, or the Carrara families. It was held by Venice till its capture by the French general Masséna, June 3, 1796. Near here Charles Albert of Sardinia defeated the Austrians, May 6, 1848. It was surrendered to the Italian government, October 16, 1866.

=Versailles.= A celebrated city of France, and long the residence of the French court, capital of the department of Seine-et-Oise, 11 miles southwest from Paris. Here was signed the treaty (September 3, 1783), at which England recognized the independence of the United States of America. On the same day a treaty was signed here between Great Britain, France, and Spain, by which Pondicherry and Carical, with other possessions in Bengal, were restored to France, and Trincomalee restored to the Dutch. Here was held the military festival of the royal guards, October 1, 1789, which was immediately followed (on the 5th and 6th) by the attack of the mob, who massacred the guards and brought the king back to Paris. Versailles, with the troops there, surrendered to the Germans September 19, 1870, and the crown-prince of Prussia entered the next day. On September 26, he awarded the iron cross to above thirty soldiers at the foot of the statue of Louis XIV. The palace was converted into a hospital. The royal headquarters were removed here from Ferrières, October 5.

=Vert.= In heraldry, coats of arms are distinguished from one another not only by the charges or objects borne on them, but by the color of these charges, and of the field on which they are placed. _Vert_ (green) is indicated in uncolored heraldic engravings by diagonal lines from dexter chief to sinister base.

=Vertical Fire.= See FIRE, VERTICAL.

=Vervels=, or =Varvels=. Small rings attached to the ends of the jesses of a hawk, through which a string was passed to fasten them to its leg. They occur as a heraldic charge.

=Vervins.= A town of France, in the department of the Aisne, 23 miles northeast from Laon. A treaty of peace was concluded here in 1598 between Philip II. of Spain and Henry IV. of France.

=Veseronce.= In Southeast France, near Vienne. Here Gondemar, king of the Burgundians, defeated and killed Clodomir, king of Orleans, and revenged the murder of his brother Sigismond and his family, 524. This conflict is also called the battle of Voiron.

=Vespers, Sicilian.= See SICILIAN VESPERS.

=Vestini.= A Sabellian people in Central Italy, lying between the Apennines and the Adriatic Sea. They are mentioned in connection with the Marsi, Marrucini, and Peligni; but they subsequently separated from these tribes, and joined the Samnites in their war against Rome. They were conquered by the Romans, 328 B.C., and from this time appear as the allies of Rome. They joined the other allies in the Marsic war, and were conquered by Pompeius Strabo in 89.

=Veteran.= Long exercised in anything, especially in military life and the duties of a soldier; long practiced or experienced; as, a veteran officer or soldier.

=Veteran.= One who has been long exercised in any service or art,

## particularly in war; one who has grown old in service, and has had much

experience.

=Veteran Corps.= Are among the military reserves of all nations. They consist of old soldiers past the prime of active manhood, and incapable of taking the field. Their discipline and steadiness, however, admirably fit them for garrisons or fortresses, and for the instruction of young troops. During the civil war in America (1861-65), a veteran reserve corps was established under the command of the provost-marshal-general. The men admitted into this corps were drawn from three sources, viz.: (1) By taking officers and men still in the field, who had been disabled by wounds or by disease contracted in the line of duty; (2) By taking officers and men who were absent sick in hospitals or convalescent camps; and (3) By accepting officers and men who had been honorably discharged on account of wounds or disease contracted in the line of duty, and who desired to re-enter the service. This corps was divided into companies, battalions, and regiments, and was employed to enforce the enrolling and drafting of men for active service, for arresting deserters, stragglers, etc., and as a garrison for permanent barracks, etc. Upon the reduction of the army in 1869, the corps was discontinued.

=Veterinary.= Of or pertaining to the art of healing or treating the diseases of domestic animals, as horses, etc. In England and some other European countries, a veterinary surgeon is a commissioned officer, who has medical charge of horses used in the military service. In the U. S. service there is one veterinary surgeon allowed to each of the regiments of cavalry, and the 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th regiments of cavalry have an additional veterinary surgeon. These veterinary surgeons are recognized as civilians.

=Vetterlin Rifle.= See SMALL-ARMS.

=Vexilla.= Flags or streamers, given to the Roman soldiers who distinguished themselves. They were embroidered in silk, and fixed on the top of a spear. _Vexillum roseum_ was a red flag, which the general, on any sudden tumult or unforeseen danger, brought out of the Capitol, and encouraged the people to flock to it as recruits for infantry.

=Viazma.= A town of European Russia, on the river of the same name, in the government and 100 miles east-northeast from Smolensk. The French were defeated here by the Russians, October 22, 1812, when a great part of the town was destroyed by fire.

=Vibo= (now _Bivona_). The Roman form of the Greek town Hipponium, situated on the southwestern coast of Bruttium. It was destroyed by the elder Dionysius, who transplanted its inhabitants to Syracuse. It was afterwards destroyed, and at a later time it fell into the hands of the Bruttii by the Romans, who colonized it 194 B.C., and called it Vibo Valentia.

=Vicenza.= A city of Northern Italy, in the province of Venice, 39 miles west from Venice. Vicenza was a Roman station, and suffered greatly on the irruption of the northern tribes. It was successively pillaged by Alaric, Attila, the Lombards, and the emperor Frederick II. In the early part of the 15th century it came into the possession of the Venetians, who held it till 1796, when it became the scene of sanguinary conflicts between the French and Austrians.

=Vicksburg.= A city and port of Mississippi, on the Mississippi River, 408 miles north of New Orleans, and is the chief town between Memphis and New Orleans. It was strongly fortified in 1861, and provided with a large garrison. In January, 1862, it was attacked by the Federal naval forces from Memphis and New Orleans, but without success. In April, 1863, a naval attack was combined with the land forces under Gen. Grant, who defeated Gen. Pemberton near Jackson, cut off supplies and reinforcements from the garrison, and with a close siege and continual assaults, compelled a surrender, July 4, 1863, with 30,000 prisoners of war, 200 cannon, and 70,000 stand of arms.

=Victor.= The winner in a contest; one who gets the better of another in any struggle; especially, one who conquers in war; a vanquisher; one who defeats an enemy in battle.

=Victoria Cross.= The peculiarities of this decoration, which was instituted on the termination of the Crimean campaign in 1856, are, that it may be granted to a soldier of any rank, and for a single act of valor. The Cross of the Legion of Honor, as was felt during the Crimean campaign, served a purpose in the French army which was served by none of the British decorations, and it was in imitation of it that the Victoria Cross was founded, with the inscription “For Valor,” and which can be given to none but those who have performed, in presence of the enemy, some signal act of valor or devotion to their country. The general distribution of the crosses earned in the Crimean war took place in Hyde Park on June 26, 1857. The recipients were 62 in number. The Victoria Cross is in the form of a Maltese cross, formed from the cannon captured at Sebastopol. In the centre is the royal crown, surmounted by the lion, and below, on a scroll, the words, “For Valor.” The ribbon is blue for the navy, and red for the army. On the clasp are two branches of laurel, and from it the cross hangs, supported by the initial “_V_.” The decoration is accompanied by a pension of £10 a year.

=Victorious.= Belonging or relating to victory, or a victor; having conquered in battle or contest; having overcome an enemy; conquering; winning; triumphant; as, a victorious general; victorious troops; victorious army. Producing conquest; as, a victorious day. Emblematic of conquest, indicating victory. “Brows bound with victorious wreaths.”

=Victory.= The defeat of an enemy in battle, or of an antagonist in contest; a gaining of the superiority in war, struggle, or combat; conquest; triumph.

=Victuals.= Food or sustenance allowed to the troops, under certain regulations, whether on shore or embarked in transports. Relieving the enemy with money, victuals, etc., is punishable by court-martial. See APPENDIX, ARTICLES OF WAR, 45.

=Vienna.= A celebrated city of Europe, capital of the Austrian empire, is situated about 2 miles from the main stream of the Danube, 251 miles southeast of Prague by railway. Vienna was the Roman _Vindobona_. On the decline of the Roman empire it experienced the common fate, and was pillaged by the Goths and Huns. In the 13th century Vienna was subjected to a six weeks’ siege, in consequence of the refusal of Ottokar of Bohemia (who was then in possession of Vienna) to acknowledge the election of the emperor Rudolph. It was besieged by the Turks under Solyman the Magnificent, with an army of 300,000 men; but the defense, though conducted by only about 16,000 regular troops, and 4000 citizens, was so valiant that the Turks were forced to retire with the loss of 70,000 of their best troops. In July, 1683, it was again besieged by the Turks, headed by the grand vizier Kara-Mustapha. The defense was most valiantly conducted by Count Rudiger of Starhemberg, but had become almost hopeless, when John Sobieski, king of Poland, suddenly appeared with an army, and the Turkish host was almost annihilated, September 12, 1683. Vienna was taken by the French under Prince Murat, November 14, 1805; evacuated January, 1806; was again captured by the French, May 13, 1809; but was restored on the conclusion of peace, October 14, 1809. The revolt in Hungary induced an insurrection in Vienna, March 13, 1848. A second insurrection broke out, barricades were raised, and Count Latour, the war minister, was murdered, October 6, 1848; the emperor took flight, October 7; and the city was bombarded by Windischgratz and Jeliachich, October 28; it surrendered to the imperial troops on October 30, having suffered considerably from the bombardment. The fortifications were demolished, and the city enlarged and beautified, 1857-58. The Prussians encamped near Vienna, and a state of siege was proclaimed, July, 1866. The following treaties were concluded in Vienna: (1) The treaty between the emperor of Germany and the king of Spain, by which they confirmed to each other such parts of the Spanish dominions as they were respectively possessed of; and by a private treaty the emperor engaged to employ a force to procure the restoration of Gibraltar to Spain, and to use means for placing the Pretender on the throne of Great Britain. Spain guaranteed the Pragmatic Sanction, April 30, 1725. (2) Treaty of alliance between the emperor of Germany, Charles VI., George II., king of Great Britain, and the states of Holland, by which the Pragmatic Sanction was guaranteed, and the disputes as to the Spanish succession terminated (Spain acceded to the treaty on July 22). This treaty was signed March 16, 1731. (3) Treaty of peace between the emperor Charles VI. of Germany and the king of France, Louis XV., by which the latter power agreed to guarantee the Pragmatic Sanction, and Lorraine was ceded to France. Signed November 18, 1738. (4) Treaty between Napoleon I. and Francis (II. of Germany) I. of Austria, by which Austria ceded to France the Tyrol, Dalmatia, and other territories, which were shortly afterwards declared to be united to France under the title of the Illyrian Provinces, and engaged to adhere to the prohibitory system adopted towards England by France and Russia, October 14, 1809. (5) Treaty between Great Britain, Austria, Russia, and Prussia, confirming the principles on which they had acted by the treaty of Chaumont, March 1, 1814. Signed March 23, 1815. (6) Treaty between the king of the Netherlands on the one part and Great Britain, Russia, Austria, and Prussia on the other, agreeing to the enlargement of the Dutch territories, and vesting the sovereignty in the house of Orange, May 31, 1815. (7) Treaty by which Denmark ceded Swedish Pomerania and Rugen to Prussia, in exchange for Lauenburg, June 4, 1815. (8) Commercial treaty for twelve years signed between Austria and Prussia. Signed at Vienna, February 19, 1853. (9) Treaty for the maintenance of Turkey, by the representatives of Great Britain, France, Austria, and Russia. Signed April 9, 1854. (10) Treaty between Austria, Prussia, and Denmark, by which Denmark ceded the duchies, October 30, 1864. (11) Treaty of peace between Austria and Italy; Venetia given up to Italy, October 3, 1866.

=View of a Place.= A reconnoissance of a fortified town, its situation, the nature of the country about it, as hills, valleys, rivers, marshes, woods, hedges, etc.; taken in order to judge of the most convenient place for opening the trenches, and carrying out the approaches; to find out proper places for encamping the army, and for the park of artillery.

=Vigne= (_Fr._). In ancient times, a shed, or gallery with a roof and sides, made of double hurdles, 18 or 20 feet long, and 7 or 8 feet wide, upon wheels. Vignes were used to establish a covered communication between the towers, testudos, etc., of the besiegers.

=Vigo.= A seaport town of Spain, in Galicia, situated on an inlet of the Atlantic called the Ria de Vigo, 78 miles southwest from Corunna. Vigo was attacked and burned by the English under Drake and Norris in 1589. Vigo was taken by Lord Cobham in 1719, but relinquished after raising contributions. It was again taken by the British, March 27, 1809.

=Vikings.= Scandinavian chiefs, Swedes, Danes, and Norsemen, who in the 4th century migrated eastward, to the countries beyond the Baltic, and westward and southward, chiefly to the British Isles.

=Villafranca.= A town of Austrian Italy, in the delegation and 9 miles southwest from Verona, on the Tartaro. This place is remarkable for the personal interview which took place here between the emperors of France and Austria, July 11, 1859, and the peace in consequence concluded, by which Lombardy was given to Sardinia.

=Villages.= Cavalry, the better to preserve their horses, should occupy villages whenever the distance of the enemy, and the time necessary to repair to its posts in battle, will permit. Their quarters should be preferably farm-houses or taverns having large stables. Posts are established by the colonel or commanding officer, and the squadrons conducted to their quarters by their respective captains. Where in an exceptional case regular distributions are not made, the resources which the household assigned as quarters presents are equally divided. About two hours after their arrival, the squadrons in succession water their horses and then give forage. Cavalry, and infantry also, should, wherever thus cantoned near an enemy, occupy, when it can be done, houses which will hold an entire company or some constituent fraction of a company, and at break of day stand to their arms. When in the same cantonment, cavalry should watch over the safety of the cantonment by day and the infantry by night; and in the presence of an enemy they should be protected by an advance guard and natural or artificial obstacles.

=Villa Viciosa.= A village of Spain, in New Castile, in the province of Guadalajara. Here, in 1710, was fought the battle which closed the War of Succession, and placed Philip V. upon the Spanish throne.

=Villa Vicosa.= A town of Portugal, province of Alemtejo. Here the Portuguese under the French general Schomberg defeated the Spaniards, 1665.

=Villeta.= In Paraguay, South America, where Lopez and the Paraguayans were totally defeated by the Brazilians and their allies, December 11, 1868.

=Vimeira.= A village of Portugal, in the province of Estremadura, 7 miles north from Torres Vedras. At this place the British under Sir Arthur Wellesley defeated the French and Spanish forces under Marshal Junot, August 21, 1808. The attack made by the French with great bravery was gallantly repulsed; it was repeated by Kellerman at the head of the French reserve, which was also repulsed, and the French being charged with the bayonet, withdrew on all points in confusion, leaving many prisoners.

=Vincennes.= A town of France, department of Seine, 5 miles east-southeast from the Louvre in Paris. In reality, the town is merely a great fortress and barracks, and is famous for its arsenal, and for its school for the practice of shooting. At the latter the Chasseurs de Vincennes, and all the best marksmen of the army, are trained. Among the famous men who have been confined in this fortress may be mentioned Henry IV., the Prince of Condé, Cardinal de Retz, Mirabeau, and the Duc d’Enghein, who was shot in the moat of the castle by order of Bonaparte.

=Vincent, St.= An island in the West Indies; it was long neutral, but at the peace of 1703 the French agreed that the right to it should be vested in the English. The latter soon after engaged in a war against the Caribs, on the windward side of the island, who were obliged to consent to a peace. In 1779 the Caribs greatly contributed to the reduction of this island by the French, who, however, restored it in 1783. In 1795 the French landed some troops, and again instigated the Caribs to insurrection, which was not subdued for several months.

=Vincible.= Capable of being overcome or subdued; conquerable.

=Vindelicia.= A Roman province south of the Danube, bounded on the north by the Danube which separated it from Germany, on the west by the territory of the Helveti in Gaul, on the south by Rhætia, and on the east by the river Œnus (now _Inn_). It was originally part of the province of Rhætia, and was conquered by Tiberius in the reign of Augustus. The southern portion of this province was inhabited by the Vindelici, a warlike people. The other tribes in Vindelicia were the Brigantii, the Licatii, and the Brunii. Vindelicia fell into the hands of the Alemanni in the 4th century, and from this time the population of the country appears to have been entirely Germanized.

=Vinegar.= In transportation by water vinegar is essential to the comfort of horses, and should be freely used by sponging their mouths and noses repeatedly, and also their mangers. A small portion of vinegar drank with water supplies the waste of perspiration of men in the field. It is better than rum or whisky; it allays thirst, and men who use it avoid the danger of drinking cold water when heated, and are not fevered as they are too apt to be by the use of spirituous liquors.

=Vinegar-Hill.= Near Enniscorthy, in Wexford, Southeast Ireland. Here the Irish rebels encamped and committed many outrages in the surrounding country. They were gradually surrounded by the British troops, commanded by Lake, June 21, 1798, and after a fierce struggle, with much slaughter, totally dispersed.

=Violence.= See APPENDIX, ARTICLES OF WAR, 21 and 56.

=Vireton= (_Fr._). An arrow formerly made very long, light, and so feathered as to revolve round its own axis; also called vire.

=Virginia.= One of the thirteen original United States of America, and is bounded on the north by Pennsylvania, Maryland, and West Virginia, east by Maryland and the Atlantic Ocean, south by North Carolina and Tennessee, and west by Kentucky and West Virginia. The shores of Virginia were first explored by Sebastian Cabot, 1498, and again under the auspices of Sir Walter Raleigh in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, in whose honor it was named; was first settled by an English colony, on the James River, May 13, 1607, which consisted mostly of gentlemen of fortune, and persons of no occupation. The friendly Indians sold them land and provisions; but the diseases of a damp climate swept off half the settlers the first autumn. The energy of Capt. John Smith saved the colony from destruction; and in 1609 it was reinforced by 500 persons, who were reduced by sickness and starvation to 60. They had embarked to abandon the settlement, when Lord Delaware came with emigrants and supplies. In 1622 the colony was reduced by wars and massacres from 4000 to 2500; but in 1624 it became a crown colony, and increased, so that in 1649 there were 15,000 English and 300 negroes in it. In 1754, the colonial militia took part in the French war; and Maj. George Washington took part in Gen. Braddock’s campaign. In 1769, Thomas Jefferson, a member of the House of Burgesses, asserted for the colony the right of self-taxation, denying the right of Parliament to tax the colonies. In 1773, Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, and Richard Henry Lee were appointed a committee to confer with the other colonies, and urged upon their delegates the Declaration of Independence. Virginia, the earliest settled, largest, and most populous of the thirteen original States, called the Old Dominion, was the first to propose the confederacy and the Constitution. On April 17, 1861, this State passed the ordinance of secession. The Confederate government was invited to Richmond, which became the centre of military operations. Virginia was occupied by the Federal troops during the whole of the civil war, and a great many hotly-contested battles were fought on her soil. The State was restored to the Union, January 26, 1870.

=Virginia, West.= A new State of the American Union, and separated from the above, because antagonistic in political interests; it was organized in August, 1861, and admitted into the Union by act of Congress, December 31, 1862, taking effect June 20, 1863. The State comprises 52 counties, lying west of the Alleghanies.

=Virole.= In heraldry, the hoop, ring, or mouth-piece of a bugle or hunting-horn.

=Viroled.= In heraldry, furnished with a virole or viroles.

=Visigoths.= See GOTHS.

=Visit, To.= To go to any place, as guard quarters, barracks, hospital, etc., for the purpose of noticing whether the orders or regulations which have been issued respecting it are observed.

=Visiting Officer.= He whose duty it is to visit the guards, barracks, messes, hospital, etc. The same as orderly officer.

=Visor.= That part of the helmet which covers the face.

=Vitrified Forts.= The name given to certain remarkable stone inclosures bearing traces of the action of fire, about 50 of which exist in various parts of Scotland. They are generally situated on a small hill, overlooking a considerable valley, and consist of a wall, which may have originally been about 12 feet in height, inclosing a level area on the summit of a hill. The most remarkable feature of these structures is, that the wall is always more or less consolidated by the action of fire,--in some cases only giving a glassy coating to its inner side, while in other instances the vitrification has been most complete, the ruins assuming the character of vast masses of coarse glass.

=Vittoria.= A town of Spain, the chief town of the province of Alava, 30 miles southeast from Bilboa. This place is the site of a brilliant victory obtained by Wellington over the French army commanded by Joseph Bonaparte, king of Spain, and Marshal Jourdan, June 21, 1813. The hostile armies were nearly equal, from 70,000 to 75,000 each. After a long and fearful battle, the French were driven, towards evening, through the town of Vittoria, and in their retreat were thrown into irretrievable confusion. The British loss was 22 officers and 479 men killed; 167 officers and 2640 men wounded. Marshal Jourdan lost 151 pieces of cannon, 451 wagons of ammunition, all his baggage, provisions, cattle, and treasure, with his baton as marshal of France. Continuing the pursuit on the 25th, Wellington took Jourdan’s only remaining gun.

=Vivandière.= In continental armies, and especially that of France, a female attendant in a regiment, who sells spirits and other comforts, ministers to the sick, marches with the corps, and contrives to be a universal favorite. Although a familiar friend to all, these women contrive to maintain themselves respectable, and generally respected; and a corps is usually extremely jealous of the slightest discourtesy being shown to its vivandière. The woman wears the uniform of the regiment, short petticoats taking the place of the man’s tunic.

=Vlissingen=, or =Flushing=. See FLUSHING.

=Vocontii.= A powerful and important people in Gallia Narbonensis, inhabiting the southeastern part of Dauphiné, and a part of Provence. They were allowed by the Romans to live under their own laws, and, though in a Roman province, they were the allies and not the subjects of Rome.

=Voided.= In heraldry, having the inner part cut away or left vacant, a narrower border being left at the sides, the color of the field being seen in the vacant space;--said of a charge or ordinary.

=Voider.= In heraldry, one of the ordinaries, whose figure is much like that of the flanch or flasque.

=Volant.= In heraldry, flying. A bird volant is represented flying bendways towards the dexter side of the shield; and its position may be distinguished from that of a bird rising, by the legs being drawn up towards the body.

=Volant.= A piece of steel on a helmet, presenting an acute angle to the front.

=Volcæ.= A powerful Celtic people in Gallia Narbonensis, divided into the two tribes of the Volcæ Tectosages and the Volcæ Arecomici, extending from the Pyrenees and the frontiers of Aquitania along the coast as far as the Rhone. They lived under their own laws, without being subject to the Roman governor of the province, and they also possessed the Jus Latii. The Tectosages inhabited the western part of the country from the Pyrenees as far as Narbo, and the Arecomici the eastern part from Narbo to the Rhone. A portion of the Tectosages left their native country under Brennus, and were one of the three great tribes into which the Galatians in Asia Minor were divided.

=Volhynia.= A frontier government of West Russia, bounded on the southwest by Galicia, and on the west by Poland, from which it is separated by the river Bug. Volhynia in early times belonged to the ancient Russians, but was conquered by the Lithuanians and Poles in 1320, and remained in their hands till its annexation to Russia in 1798.

=Volley.= The simultaneous discharge of a number of fire-arms.

=Volokolamsk.= A town of Russia in Europe, in the government of Moscow, 60 miles northwest from Moscow. It has suffered many misfortunes, having been twice plundered and almost destroyed by the Tartars, and taken by the Poles in 1613.

=Volsci.= An ancient people in Latium, but originally distinct from the Latins, dwelt on both sides of the river Liris, and extended down to the Tyrrhene Sea. Their language was nearly allied to the Umbrian. They were from an early period engaged in almost unceasing hostilities with the Romans, and were not completely subdued by the latter till 338 B.C., from which time they disappear from history.

=Volsinii=, or =Vulsinii= (now _Bolsena_). Called _Velsina_, or _Velsuna_, by the Etruscans, one of the most ancient and most powerful of the twelve cities of the Etruscan Confederation, was situated on a lofty hill on the northeastern extremity of the lake called after it, _Lacus Volsiniensis_ and _Vulsiniensis_ (now Lago di Bolsena). Volsinii is first mentioned in 392 B.C., when its inhabitants invaded Roman territory, but were easily defeated by the Romans, and were glad to purchase a twenty years’ truce on humiliating terms. The Volsiniensis also carried on war with the Romans in 311, 294, and 280, but were on each occasion defeated, and in the last of these years appear to have been finally subdued. On their final subjugation their city was razed to the ground by the Romans, and its inhabitants were compelled to settle on a less defensible site in the plain.

=Voltigeurs.= Are picked companies of irregular riflemen in the French regiments. They are selected for courage, great activity, and small stature. It is their privilege to lead the attack.

=Volturno.= A river of Naples, which rises in the province of Sannio or Molise, and, after a course of 90 miles, falls into the Gulf of Gaeta 20 miles from Naples. A great battle was fought on the banks of this river in 1800, between the troops of Francis II., king of Naples, and the followers of Garibaldi.

=Volunteers.= See MILITIA.

=Vorant.= In heraldry, a term applied to an animal represented as swallowing another; as, sable, a dolphin naiant, vorant a fish proper.

=Vossem, Peace of.= Between the elector of Brandenburg and Louis XIV. of France; the latter engaged not to assist the Dutch against the elector; signed June 6, 1673.

=Votes.= See FINDING.

=Vougle=, or =Vouillé= (Southwest France; near Poitiers). Here Alaric, king of the Visigoths, was defeated and slain by Clovis, king of France, 507. Clovis immediately after subdued the whole country from the Loire to the Pyrenees, and thus his kingdom became firmly established. A peace followed between the Franks and the Visigoths, who had been settled above one hundred years in that part of Gaul called Septimania.

=Vulned.= A heraldic term, applied to an animal, or part of an animal,--as, for example, a human heart, wounded, and with the blood dropping from it.

=Vulnerable.= Susceptive of wounds; liable to external injuries; capable of being taken; as, the town is extremely vulnerable in such a quarter. It is also applied to military dispositions; as, the army was vulnerable in the centre, etc. An assemblage of men without arms, or with arms but without discipline, or having discipline and arms, without officers, are vulnerable.

W.

=Wad.= To insert or crowd a wad into; as, to wad a gun.

=Wad.= See GROMMET, and JUNK-WADS.

=Wad-hook.= A screw or hook to draw wadding out from a gun.

=Wage Battle, To.= To give gage or security for joining in the _duellum_, or combat.

=Wager of Battle.= In ancient law, the giving of gage or pledge for trying a cause by single combat, formerly allowed in military, criminal, and civil causes. In writs of right, where the trial was by champions, the tenant produced his champion, who, by throwing down his glove as a gage or pledge, thus waged or stipulated battle with the champion of the demandant, who, by taking up the glove, accepted the challenge. The wager of battle, which has long been in disuse, was abolished in England in 1820.

=Wagon.= A vehicle for the conveyance of goods or passengers, is mounted on four wheels, but varies considerably in the construction of its other parts, according to the species of traffic in which it is employed. They are used by armies for the transportation of subsistence, other military stores, baggage, ammunition, sick and wounded. The following wagon has been adopted for use in the service of the U. S. army: The body to be straight, 3 feet 6 inches wide, 1 foot 9 inches deep, 9 feet 6 inches long at the bottom, and 10 feet at the top, sloping equally at each end, all in the clear or inside; the floor 9 feet 10¹⁄₂ inches long, 3 feet 6 inches wide, and 7¹⁄₈ inches thick. Top sides 6 inches wide, 7¹⁄₈ inches thick, 10 feet 2 inches long on the bottom edge, sloping the same as the lower side boards. Six bows of good ash or oak, 2 inches wide, ¹⁄₂ inch thick, with three staples to confine the ridge-pole to its place; one ridge-pole 11 feet 3 inches long, 1³⁄₄ inches wide, ⁵⁄₈ inch thick; seat-boards 3 feet 6 inches long, 1 foot wide, ⁷⁄₈ inch thick to rest on top edge of sides on upright spiral springs, so arranged as to be used with or without the top sides; two plates 7 inches long, 1¹⁄₂ inches wide, ³⁄₄ inch thick, with two bolts in each, for the front wheels to strike against in turning the wagon. The tongue to be 10 feet 6 inches long, 4 inches wide, 2¹⁄₄ inches deep at front end of hounds, 1³⁄₄ inches wide, and 2¹⁄₄ inches deep at point or front end, and so arranged as to lift up the front end of it to hang within 2 feet 6 inches of the ground when the wagon is standing at rest on a level surface; front hounds 6 feet long, 2¹⁄₄ inches deep, 3¹⁄₂ inches wide over axle, and to retain that width to the back end of tongue; jaws of hounds 1 foot 6 inches long and 2¹⁄₄ inches square at the front end. Axle-stock 4 feet ¹⁄₂ inch long, 3¹⁄₂ inches wide, 3¹⁄₄ inches deep. Hind hounds 4 feet 11 inches long, 2¹⁄₄ inches deep, and 2³⁄₄ inches wide back, and 2¹⁄₂ inches wide front; jaws 10 inches long and 4 inches wide at the end where they rest on coupling-pole. Coupling-pole 8 feet 9 inches long, 3¹⁄₂ inches wide, 2³⁄₈ inches deep, with a rivet through front end. Wheels 3 feet 8 inches and 4 feet 8 inches high; sixteen spokes 2 inches wide and 2 inches thick at hub, and 2 inches wide and 1¹⁄₂ inches thick at felloes; eight felloes 2 inches wide, 2³⁄₈ inches deep; hubs 9 inches diameter at flanges, 3¹⁄₂ inches diameter at front, 4 inches diameter at back end, 12 inches long; tires 2 inches wide, ¹⁄₂ inch thick, fastened with 8 screw-bolts, one in each felloe. Distance from the centre of king-bolt hole to centre of back axle, 5 feet 9¹⁄₂ inches; and from centre of king-bolt hole to the centre of bolt in jaw of hind hounds, 1 foot 10 inches; distance from the centre of hind axle to centre of bolt in jaw of hind hounds, 3 feet 11¹⁄₂ inches, and from the centre of king-bolt to centre of slider 2 feet 2¹⁄₂ inches; distance between the inside of front and hind standards, 5 feet 8¹⁄₂ inches,--to receive the body, which is 5 feet 8 inches from outside to outside of cleats of sides. Weight of model wagon, 1325 pounds, complete, for four horses or mules. See ORDNANCE, CARRIAGES FOR, TRAVELING KITCHEN, and TRAVELING FORGE.

=Wagon-body, Ponton.= See PONTONS, WAGON-BODY PONTONS.

=Wagoner.= One who conducts a wagon; a wagon-driver. The number of master-wagoners and wagoners allowed in the quartermaster’s department U. S. army is limited only by the exigencies of the service.

=Wagon-master.= A person in charge of one or more wagons, especially of those used for transporting freight, as the supplies of an army, and the like. The quartermaster-general is authorized to employ from time to time as many forage-masters and wagon-masters as he may deem necessary for the service, not exceeding 20 in the whole, who shall be entitled to receive $40 per month and three rations a day, and forage for one horse; and neither of whom shall be interested or concerned directly or indirectly in any wagon or other means of transport employed by the United States, nor in the purchase or sale of any property procured for or belonging to the United States, except as an agent of the United States.

=Wagon-train.= An indispensable companion of an army under this or some other title. It serves to convey the ammunition, provisions, sick, wounded, camp equipage, etc. Wagons in convoy travel at a rate of from 1 to 2 miles an hour, according to the state of the roads, and other circumstances; and a mile may be said to contain 100 wagons. A great object in the march of a convoy, is to preserve the draught animals as much as possible from fatigue. For this purpose, if the convoy amount to many hundred wagons, they must be formed into divisions of not more than 500 each. Should it consist of thousands, it will be advisable to form them into grand divisions, and then again into subdivisions of 500 each. By this means, and by calculating the time of departure, each division may remain at rest until just before its time of movement, and the necessity will thus be prevented of the latter part of a large convoy being harassed for a considerable time before its turn to move. The different divisions of the convoy should be numbered, and obliged each day to change the order of their marching. Whenever the progress of a wagon-train is arrested by the breaking down of one of the wagons, or other delay, all the wagons in rear of the stoppage should immediately drive up into the first open space, to as great a number as it will hold. This will keep the convoy together, and better under the care of the escort. The escort should be divided into front, centre, and rear guards; besides the divisions in the flanks, which should never be more than 400 yards from each other.

=Wagram.= A village of Lower Austria, on the left bank of the Rossbach, 11 miles northeast from Vienna. It is the site of a battle between the French under Napoleon, Davoust, Masséna, and Macdonald, and the Austrians under the Archduke Charles, in which the former were victorious, July 5-6, 1809. The Austrians retreated in the most orderly manner, carrying with them about 5000 prisoners, and leaving about 25,000 dead or wounded on the field of battle,--the French loss being about equal; the latter claim to have taken 20,000 prisoners.

=Wahabees=, =Wahabis=, or =Wahabites=. A warlike Mohammedan reforming sect, considering themselves the only true followers of the Prophet, arose in Arabia about 1750, under the rule of Abd-el-Nahab (Ibn-abdul-Wahab). His grandson Savoud (Saud, or Saood), in 1801, defeated an expedition headed by the caliph of Bagdad. The conquest of Hejaz was next undertaken by the Wahabees. In 1803, Saoud collected a large army, defeated Ghaleb, the ruler of Mecca, in several battles, laid siege to Mecca, which, after a resistance of two or three months, surrendered at discretion. Not the slightest excess was committed, but the people had to become Wahabees. Failing to take Jiddah, into which Ghaleb had thrown himself, the Wahabi forces went northwards, and, in 1804, took Medina, where they stripped the tomb of Mohammed of its accumulated treasures, and prohibited the approach to it of all but Wahabees. For several years after the conquest of Hejaz, Saoud continued to extend and consolidate his power. Plundering incursions were made to the very vicinity of Bagdad, Aleppo, and Damascus. On the east, Saoud took the island of Bahrein, and annexed a part of the Persian coast, on the east side of the Gulf, and exacted tribute from the sultan of Oman. This brought him into conflict with Great Britain, which sent (1808) a force and severely chastised the Wahabi pirates that infested the commerce of the Persian Gulf. Saoud’s son, Abdallah, long resisted Mehemet Ali, pasha of Egypt, but in 1818 he was defeated and taken prisoner by Ibrahim Pasha, who sent him to Constantinople, where he was put to death. Ibrahim continued some months in Arabia, consolidating his conquests throughout Nejed and the adjoining provinces. But soon an insurrection broke out, and the Egyptians had to retire to Kasim, and Turki, a son of Abdallah, was proclaimed sultan of Nejed. Renewed expeditions were undertaken by the Egyptian commanders, driving, first, Turki from his capital for a time and then his son and successor, Feysul. But soon after the death of Mehemet Ali (1849) the Egyptians gave up the struggle; Feysul was recalled from exile; and under him and his son Abdallah II., who unites in a high degree the fanaticism and ferocity of the Wahabi, with great skill in military tactics, the Wahabi sway, according to the accounts of Palgrave in 1863, and of Col. Pelly in 1865, had become more powerful and extensive, and threatens to swallow up the entire peninsula.

=Wahlstatt.= See KATSBACH.

=Wait.= Ambush. _To lay wait_, to lie in ambush; to prepare an ambuscade. _To lie in wait_, to lie in ambush; to be secreted in order to fall by surprise on an enemy.

=Waiting, In.= This term is used in the British service, to mark out the person whose turn is next for duty; as, an officer in waiting. _Field-officer in waiting_, is the term applied to the monthly duty taken by the field-officers of the three regiments of Foot Guards, who attend the sovereign on court-days, to present the detail of his corps, and receive the parole or other orders from her personally, which are afterwards given to the guards in orders. The field-officer in waiting commands all the troops on duty, and has the immediate care of the sovereign’s person within-doors, as the gold stick has of it while in court. The latter also receives the parole from the sovereign.

=Waiving Amain.= A salutation of defiance, as by brandishing weapons, etc.

=Waiwode=, or =Waywode=. In the Turkish empire, the governor of a small province or town; a general.

=Wakefield.= A town of England, in the West Riding of Yorkshire, 26 miles from York. Near it is the site of a battle between Margaret, the queen of Henry VI., and the Duke of York, in which the latter was slain, and 3000 Yorkists fell upon the field, December 31, 1460. The death of the duke, who aspired to the crown, seemed to fix the good fortune of Margaret; but the Earl of Warwick espoused the cause of the duke’s son, the Earl of March, afterwards Edward IV., and the civil war was continued.

=Walcheren.= An island of Holland, in the province of Zealand, in the German Ocean, at the mouth of the Scheldt. The unfortunate expedition of the British to this isle in 1809 consisted of 35 ships of the line, and 200 smaller vessels, principally transports, and 40,000 land forces, the latter under the command of the Earl of Chatham, and the fleet under Sir Richard Strachan. For a long time the destination of the expedition remained secret; but before July 28, 1809, when it set sail, the French journals had announced that Walcheren was the point of attack. Perhaps a more powerful and better appointed armament had never previously left the British ports, or ever more completely disappointed public expectation. The plan was to send the fleet and army up the Scheldt, and attack Antwerp (the principal naval station and arsenal in the north of France), whose fortifications, though formidable, were much in need of repair, and whose garrison at the time only numbered about 2000 invalids and coast-guards; while there were not more than 10,000 French soldiers in Holland. The expedition, after numberless needless delays, at last sailed on July 28, and reached the Dutch coast on the following day. But, instead of obeying the orders of the minister of war, Lord Castlereagh, to _advance at once in force against Antwerp_, the commander-in-chief, Lord Chatham, frittered away his time in the reduction of Vlissingen (Flushing), which was not effected till August 16, by which time the garrison of Antwerp had been reinforced by King Louis Bonaparte with the troops at his command (about 6000), and by detachments sent from France, which swelled the garrison, by August 20, to 15,000 men. About the end of August, Chatham, who, as a general, was a methodical incapable, “found himself prepared” to march upon Antwerp, but by this time 30,000 men, under Bernadotte, were gathered to its defense, and the English army was decimated by marsh-fever, so that success was not to be hoped for. However, it was judged right to hold possession of Walcheren, in order to compel the French to keep a strong force on the watch in Belgium, and, accordingly, 15,000 men remained to garrison the island, the rest returned to England; but the malaria proved too fatal in its ravages, and as peace had been concluded between Austria and France, this force was also recalled. Thus an excellently devised scheme, through utter stupidity of the agent chosen by royalty to carry it out, failed in every point of consequence, and ended in the loss of 7000 men dead, and the permanent disablement of half the remainder. The House of Commons instituted an inquiry, and Lord Chatham resigned his post of master-general of the ordnance, to prevent greater disgrace; but the policy of the ministers in planning the expedition was, nevertheless, approved.

=Wales= (anc. _Britannia Secunda_). A principality in the southwest part of Great Britain. After the Roman emperor Honorius quitted Britain, Vortigern was elected king of South Britain. He invited over the Saxons to defend his country against the Picts and Scots; but the Saxons perfidiously sent for reinforcements, consisting of Saxons, Danes, and Angles, by which they made themselves masters of South Britain. Many of the Britons retired to Wales, and defended themselves against the Saxons, in their inaccessible mountains, about 447. In this state Wales remained unconquered till Henry II. subdued South Wales in 1157; and in 1282, Edward I. entirely reduced the whole country, putting an end to its independence, by the death of Llewelyn, the last prince. The Welsh, however, were not entirely reconciled to this revolution, till the queen gave birth to a son at Caernarvon in 1284, whom Edward styled prince of Wales, which title the heir to the crown of Great Britain has borne almost ever since. For further history of Wales, see separate articles in this work.

=Walk About.= A military expression used by British officers when they approach a sentinel, and think proper to waive the ceremony of being saluted.

=Wall.= A series of brick, stone, or other materials, carried upward and cemented with mortar. When used in the plural number, wall signifies fortification; works built for defense. _To be driven to the wall_, a figurative term, signifying to be so pressed that you can neither advance nor retreat.

=Wallachia.= One of the Danubian principalities, in the northeast of Turkey in Europe. This country formed part of the ancient Dacia of the Romans, and was subsequently brought under the dominion of the Goths and Huns. During the two centuries which preceded the fall of the empire of the East, it was sometimes subject to the Greek emperors, and sometimes to the monarchs of Hungary. It was conquered by the Turks in the 14th century, but the inhabitants struggled to assert their independence until 1536, when it became a province of the Ottoman empire. In 1829 it was placed under the protection of Russia, though it was still considered a dependency of Turkey. See MOLDAVIA.

=Walloon Guard.= The body-guard of the Spanish monarch;--so called because formerly consisting of Walloons.

=Wall-piece.= A small cannon (or, in ancient times, an arquebuse) mounted on a swivel, on the wall of a fortress, for the purpose of being fired at short range on assailants in the ditch or on the covert way. There are distinct evidences that the great wall of China was originally constructed for the reception of wall-pieces.

=Wandewash.= A town on the Coromandel coast, about 30 miles south of Madras. In 1739, when M. de Lally, the French governor in the East Indies, threatened with utter subjection the English settlements in the Carnatic, he was opposed most gallantly by Col. Coote, upon the Coromandel coast. Coote reduced the French settlements of Masulipatam and Conjeveram, and made a vigorous attack upon Wandewash, which he captured. Lally, in the autumn of 1739, made a bold attempt to regain possession of the disputed settlement, but his force was utterly broken; he lost 600 men, and was happy to save the wreck of his army by abandoning his camp to the victor.

=Wapinschaw.= A periodical gathering of the people, instituted by various Scots statutes, for the purpose of exhibiting their arms, these statutes directing each individual to be armed on a scale proportionate to his property. There are numerous Scots acts of the 15th and 16th centuries regulating the subject of wapinschaws. In the time of war or rebellion, proclamations were issued charging all sheriffs and magistrates of burghs to direct the attendants of the respective wapinschawings to join the king’s host. During the reign of the later Stuarts, attendance on the wapinschaws was enforced with considerable strictness; and in addition to military exercises, sports and pastimes were carried on by authority at these gatherings. The Covenanters, in consequence of this sport being of a kind disapproved by them, did what they could to discourage attendance on the wapinschaws.

=War.= A contest between nations or states, carried on by force, either for defense or for revenging insults and redressing wrongs, for the extension of commerce or acquisition of territory, or for obtaining and establishing the superiority and dominion of one over the other. It is the armed conflicts of sovereign powers, declared and open hostilities. Wars are various in their occasions and objects; but in all cases, the aim of each contending party is to weaken and overthrow the opposing party. At one time, the art of war was supposed to consist very much in wearing out the enemy by a slow process of exhaustion, and thus wars were much protracted. But more recently, the greatest generals have adopted the method of rather endeavoring to strike sudden and terrible blows, by which the war is sooner brought to a termination, and this method, although it may often have been adopted without regard to considerations of humanity, is, in all probability, less productive of suffering to mankind than the other. Among rude nations, wars are conducted by tumultuary hosts, suddenly congregated, and in general, either after defeat or victory, soon dispersed. But the wars of the more civilized and powerful nations have long been conducted by armies carefully trained and disciplined; and in the case of maritime powers, by means of fleets at sea as well as of armies on land. Preparation for war among such nations requires not only the forming and training of the army, but vast provision in many various ways of the means and _matériel_ of war. Much science and skill are also applied to the conduct of military operations, and the principles upon which they ought to be conducted have been carefully investigated and theories tested by an examination of the history of the most important campaigns. See STRATEGY and TACTICS.

Wars are classified in various ways. They are classified from the nature of the military operations employed in their prosecution; into _offensive_ or _defensive_ wars: from the end to be attained; into wars of _conquest_, wars of _independence_, etc.: from the causes producing the war; into wars of _insurrection_, _religious_ wars, etc.: from the general locality in which they are waged; into _American_, _African_, _European_, etc. Other classifications than these are also used, being based on the nature and object of the war. War is both a _science_ and _an art_. All investigations which have for their object the determination of the great principles which should govern a general in conducting his military operations; all analyses which are made to show the important and essential features which characterize a campaign or battle, and comparisons made with other campaigns and battles; all deductions and formations of rules which are to be used in military operations; all these belong to the _science_ of war. The practical application of these great principles and rules belongs to the _art_ of war. In the science of war as well as in the other physical sciences, the facts must precede theory; and although the number of known facts is steadily increasing, the number of general principles upon which the theories of the science are based is constant, if not decreasing. These general principles are deduced by a close and critical examination of such methods of waging war as have been adopted by those great generals who are known as eminent in their profession. It is evident, then, that an intimate connection exists between military history and the science of war. Napoleon said, “Alexander made eight campaigns; Hannibal, seventeen,--one in Spain, fifteen in Italy, and one in Africa; Cæsar, thirteen, of which eight were against the Gauls and five against the legions of Pompey; Gustavus Adolphus, three; Turenne, eighteen; Prince Eugène of Savoy, thirteen; Frederick, eleven, in Bohemia, Silesia, and on the banks of the Elbe. The history of these eighty-four campaigns, written with care, would be a complete treatise on the art of war. From this source, the principles which ought to be followed, in offensive as well as defensive warfare, could at once be obtained.” To these campaigns are to be added the battles and campaigns of Napoleon. Jomini, an eminent writer on military art, says, “Correct theories, founded upon right principles, sustained by actual events of war, and added to accurate military history, will form a true school of instruction for generals.” If these means do not produce great men, they will at least produce generals of sufficient skill to take rank next after the “natural masters of the art of war.” The sources of all treatises on the “Art and Science of War,” are to be found in the military histories narrating the events and results of the battles and campaigns just enumerated.

In the progress of society, certain _usages of war_ have come to be generally recognized. These, of course, have varied at different times, and in different parts of the world, according to the state of civilization and the prevalent feelings of the time. They are also subject to modification from causes less general. But the changes which have taken place in them during the lapse of ages have been in general favorable to the interests of humanity. Prisoners of war are no longer put to death, nor are they reduced to slavery, as was once very frequently the case, but their treatment has become generally more and more mild and kind. It is a well-understood rule, however, that a prisoner of war obtaining his liberty by exchange or otherwise, with the condition of not serving again during a fixed period against the same power, forfeits his life, if he is found so serving, and is again taken prisoner. Among all civilized nations, quarter is granted in battle whenever it is sought; and there are certain usages universally prevalent with regard to the capitulation of fortified places, and of bodies of troops hopelessly hemmed in by superior forces, etc.

=War, Articles of.= See APPENDIX, ARTICLES OF WAR.

=War, Auxiliary.= Is that in which a nation succors its neighbors, either in consequence of alliances or engagements entered into with them; or sometimes to prevent their falling under the power of an ambitious prince.

=War, Civil.= A war between different sections or parties of the same country or nation.

=War, Council of.= See COUNCIL OF WAR.

=War, Defensive.= Is a war undertaken to repel invasion or the attacks of an enemy. Defensive war may be divided into three kinds. It is either a war sustained by a nation, which is suddenly attacked by another who is superior in troops and in means; or a nation makes this sort of war by choice on one side of its frontiers, while it carries on offensive war elsewhere; or it is a war become defensive by the loss of a battle.

=War Department.= See DEPARTMENT OF WAR.

=War Establishment.= See ESTABLISHMENT.

=War, Game of.= See STRATEGOS.

=War, Holy.= A crusade; a war undertaken to deliver the Holy Land, or Judea, from infidels. See CRUSADE.

=War Minister.= See MINISTER, and SECRETARY OF WAR.

=War, Offensive.= See OFFENSIVE WAR.

=War Office.= The immediate office of the British secretary of state for war, and the centre on which pivots the entire administration of the army. It is subdivided into a number of departments, each under a chief officer, who is at the head of that section of the labor, and is directly responsible to the secretary of state. The last named high officer is aided by two under-secretaries of state, an assistant under-secretary, and a military assistant. Under these and the heads of departments there are about 450 clerks, with 50 messengers, etc.

=War of Succession.= See SUCCESSION WARS.

=War, Religious.= Is a war maintained in a state on account of religion, one of the parties refusing to tolerate the other.

=Warasdins.= A kind of Sclavonian soldiers, clothed like the Turks, with a sugar-loaf bonnet instead of a hat.

=War-beat=, or =War-beaten=. Worn down in service.

=Warburg= (Northern Germany). Here the French were defeated by the Duke of Brunswick and the allies, July 31, 1760.

=War-cry.= A cry or signal used in war. For mutual recognition and encouragement in battle, war-cries have always been common, each rude nation or tribe having its own. The ancient war-cry of the English was _Saint George!_ that of the Spaniards, _San Jago!_ and that of the French, _Montjoie Saint-Denis!_ that of the dukes of Burgundy, _Montjoie Saint-André!_ and that of the dukes of Bourbon, _Montjoie Notre-Dame!_. In the feuds of the Middle Ages, each party, or the retainers of each noble family, had a distinctive war-cry. Sometimes the war-cry was the name of the family. Thus, in Scotland, the retainers of the noble houses of Douglas and of Home rushed into battle with the cry of _A Douglas! a Douglas!_ or _A Home! a Home!_ The French armies under Napoleon were accustomed to charge with shouts of _Vive l’Empereur!_

=Ward.= Watch, the act of guarding. A garrison or party stationed for defense of any place; a position of defense or guard made by a weapon in fencing. Also, to guard; to watch; to defend; to parry an attack.

=Ward-Burton Rifle.= See MAGAZINE GUNS.

=War-dance.= A dance among savages preliminary to going to war. Among the North American Indians, it is begun by some distinguished chief, and whoever joins in it thereby enlists as one of the party engaged in a warlike excursion. The war-dance is also indulged in upon the close of any successful expedition, as well as for pleasure.

=Warden.= An officer appointed for the naval or military protection of some particular district of country. In order to keep the districts of England adjoining to Scotland and Wales in an attitude of defense, great officers, called _lord wardens_ of the marches, were appointed, to whom the duty of protecting the frontier was committed. From this source originated the name _ward_, applied to the subdivisions of the counties of Cumberland, Westmoreland, and Durham,--a term afterwards extended to divisions of a city, town, or burgh adopted for municipal purposes. The custodier of Dover Castle was created by William the Conqueror warden of the Cinque Ports, and guardian of the adjacent coast, an office comprising extensive jurisdiction, civil, naval, and military, the greater part of which was taken away by 18 and 19 Vict., c. 48.

=Warder.= A truncheon, or staff of command, carried by a king or any commander-in-chief, the throwing down of which seems to have been a solemn act of prohibition to stay proceedings.

=Warfare.= Military service; military life; war; hostilities; contest carried on by enemies.

=Warfarer.= One engaged in warfare; a military man; a soldier.

=War-field.= A field of war or battle.

=War-horse.= A horse used in war; the horse of a cavalry soldier; especially, a strong, powerful, spirited horse for military service; a charger.

=Warlike.= Fit for war; disposed for war; as, a warlike state. Belonging or relating to war; military; martial.

=Warlike Virtues.= Are love of our country, courage, valor, prudence, intrepidity, temperance, disinterestedness, obedience, wisdom, vigilance, and patience. In the celebration of the anniversary of the destruction of the Bastile, which took place at Paris July 14, 1789, the French characterized these eleven virtues by the following emblems: a pelican, a lion, a horse, a stag, a wolf, an elephant, a dog, a yoked ox, an owl, a cock, and a camel.

=Warned.= Admonished of some duty to be performed at a given time or place. Thus, officers and soldiers are warned for guard, etc.

=War-paint.= Paint put on the face and other parts of the body by savages, as a token of going to war.

=War-path.= The route taken by a party going on a warlike expedition,--usually applied to hostile Indians.

=War-proof.= Valor tried by war.

=Warrant.= A certificate of rank issued by commissioned officers. See OFFICERS, WARRANT-.

=Warrant.= In Great Britain, is a royal ordinance on any matter relating to the army.

=Warrington.= A town of England, in Lancashire, on the river Mersey, 17 miles east by south from Liverpool. As the best passage of the river, it was the scene of frequent conflicts during the civil war in the reign of Charles I. In 1643 the town was twice taken by storm by the Parliamentary forces. In 1648 the Scottish army made a stand here, but were defeated by Gen. Lambert, who also here repulsed the troops under Charles II. on his way to Worcester in 1651; and in 1745 the centre arches of the bridge, over the Mersey, were broken down to impede the progress of the Highlanders under the Pretender.

=Warrior.= A man engaged in war or military life; a soldier; a man noted for valor and prowess; a champion.

=Warsaw.= Formerly the capital of Poland, now capital of the Russian, or rather Russianized, government of Warsaw, on the left bank of the Vistula, about 300 miles east of Berlin by railway. The Poles were defeated in a three days’ battle by the Swedes, July 28-30, 1656. An alliance was formed here, between Austria and Poland against Turkey, in pursuance of which John Sobieski assisted in raising the siege of Vienna (see VIENNA), March 31, 1683. Warsaw surrendered to Charles XII., 1703. A treaty was concluded here between Russia and Poland, February 24, 1768. The Russians, placed here in 1794, were expelled by the citizens with the loss of 2000 killed and 500 wounded, and 30 pieces of cannon, April 17, 1794; the Poles were defeated, by the Russians at Maciejovice, near Warsaw, October 4, 1794. The king of Prussia besieged Warsaw, July, 1794; was compelled to raise the siege in September; but it was taken by the Russians, November, 1794. On November 4, 1794, the Russian general Suwarrow, after the siege and destruction of Warsaw, cruelly butchered 30,000 Poles, of all ages and conditions, in cold blood. In August, 1807, Warsaw was constituted a duchy, and annexed to the house of Saxony. In 1813 the duchy was overrun by the Russians, and Warsaw made the residence of a Russian viceroy. A Polish revolution commenced at Warsaw, November 29, 1830. The subsequent principal events in the history of this city being intimately connected with that of the state of which it was the capital, are narrated in the article Poland.

=War-scot.= A contribution for the supply of arms and armor, in the time of the Saxons.

=War-song.= A song exciting to war; especially, among the American Indians, a song at the war-dance, full of incitements to military ardor.

=War-traitor.= A person who betrays to the enemy anything concerning the condition, safety, operation, or plans of the troops holding or occupying a place. The punishment is usually death.

=War-whoop.= The cry or shout uttered by Indians in war.

=Warwickshire.= A county occupying almost the very heart of England, and the centre and highest point of the great district of midland table-land. At the time of the Roman invasion the county was inhabited

## partly by the Cornavii, and partly by the Wigantes, or Wiccii. Under the

Romans it formed part of the province of Flavia Cæsariensis. Under the Saxons, the county was included in the kingdom of Mercia, whose rulers occasionally resided at Warwick, Tamworth, and Kingsbury. After the Conquest, the powerful families, the Newburghs, Beauchamps, and Nevilles, who held the earldom of Warwick, involved the county in all the great civil wars recorded in English history. In the troubles in Henry III.’s reign, Kenilworth stood a long siege by the royal forces; in the wars of the Roses, the city of Coventry warmly embraced the Lancastrian, and the town of Warwick the Yorkist cause; and in the war between Charles I. and his Parliament, Warwickshire was torn by the contending factions, who made special head in the neighborhood of Birmingham. Charles slept at Aston Hall, near that town, on his march through Warwickshire in 1642, and two days afterwards the first great battle of the civil war was fought on the borders of the county at Edge Hill. Swords and other weapons, used in the battle, are still occasionally plowed up. Maxstoke Castle (inhabited) is externally a remarkably perfect specimen of the fortified residences of the period of the 14th century.

=Warwolf.= In ancient military history, an engine for throwing stones and other great masses.

=War-worn.= Worn with military service; as, a war-worn soldier.

=Washington City.= The seat of the government of the United States of America, is in the District of Columbia, on the left bank of the Potomac River, between Anacostia River and Rock Creek, which separates it from Georgetown, 39 miles southwest from Baltimore, and 120 miles northeast from Richmond. This city was commenced in 1793, but operations were subsequently suspended in consequence of the war, and much that had been done was destroyed by the British in 1814, so that the whole edifice was recommenced in 1815, and was not entirely finished till 1828. During the civil war (1861-65), from its exposed position, it was threatened with capture, and was surrounded with fortifications, and converted into an intrenched camp.

=Washington Territory.= A Territory of the United States; bounded north by British Columbia, east by the Territory of Idaho, south by the Columbia River, which separates it from Oregon, and west by the Pacific Ocean. This Territory was discovered by Juan de Fuca, a Greek, in 1592; visited by a Spanish navigator in 1775, and three years after by Capt. Cook. In 1787, Berkeley, an Englishman, re-discovered the Strait of Fuca, which had been missed by the others. Settlements were made in this Territory by the Hudson Bay Company in 1828; in 1845, American settlers entered the Territory, then a part of Oregon. Wars with the Indians, in 1855 and 1858, retarded immigration, but in the latter year, 15,000 persons were attracted by gold discoveries. This Territory was organized in 1853.

=Wat Tyler’s Insurrection.= See TYLER’S INSURRECTION.

=Watch.= The non-commissioned officers and men on board of transports are divided into three watches, one of which is constantly to be on deck, with at least one subaltern officer in charge of the watch.

=Watch and Ward.= The charge or care of certain officers to keep a watch by night and a guard by day in towns, cities, and other districts, for the preservation of the public peace.

=Watch-tower.= A tower on which a sentinel is placed to watch for enemies or the approach of danger.

=Watch-word.= See PAROLE.

=Water.= In calculating the quantity of water required per man for drinking and cooking, it may be put down at 6 pints in temperate, and 8 pints in tropical climates. A similar amount will just allow men to wash their bodies. In stationary camps, however, the minimum daily allowance per man should be 5 gallons for all purposes, washing clothes included. Horses not doing work will thrive well on 6 gallons a day, but require from 8 to 12 when at work, according to their condition and the nature of the work. A couple of gallons extra should, under all circumstances, be allowed for washing them. Oxen require about 6 or 7 gallons daily.

In selecting positions, particularly those that are likely to be of a permanent character, a careful analysis of the water should be made by a medical man. A fair opinion can be formed as to whether it is wholesome or not, by the appearance of the inhabitants, and by tasting the water oneself. “It should be transparent, colorless, without odor, and tasteless; well aërated, cool, and pleasant to drink; it must have no deposit; vegetables should be easily cooked in it.” Shallow water is always to be examined with suspicion. The water of some rivers at certain seasons is thick and muddy; in some, it is always so. To examine it without the aid of chemical tests, fill a long tumbler or other glass vessel with it. If the water has been drawn in a bucket or other vessel, shake it up and stir it well before pouring it into the tumbler or glass cylinder; let it stand for a day, or as many hours as possible; draw off the water without disturbing the sediment, which should then be carefully examined through a microscope. Vegetable decompositions and iron are the chief substances that give color to water. When water is very bad it should be boiled before drinking; after boiling it should be placed in shallow vessels, and poured from a height from one into another. Very muddy water when placed in barrels or other vessels, can be cleaned by immersing the hand containing a lump of alum in it, and moving it about for a few seconds. All the coloring matter will sink to the bottom. The longer the time that elapses between the operation and drinking, the better. Growing vegetable substances may not be always injurious, but dead vegetable matter is so without doubt. At the maximum density (39.8° Fahr.), the barometer being at 30 inches, a gallon of distilled water weighs 8.33888 avoirdupois pounds or 58,373 grains.

=Water-battery.= One nearly on a level with the water.

=Water-bucket.= See IMPLEMENTS.

=Water-budget.= A heraldic bearing, in the form of a yoke with two pouches of leather appended to it, originally intended to represent the bags used by the Crusaders to convey water across the desert, which were slung on a pole, and carried across the shoulders. The Trusbuts, barons of Wartre in Holderness, bore _Trois boutz d’eau_, “_three water-budgets_,” symbolizing at once their family name and baronial estate; and by the marriage of the heiress, similar arms came to be assumed by the family of De Ros, who bear gules, three water-budgets argent.

=Water-deck.= A covering of painted canvas for the saddle, bridle, and the like, of a dragoon’s horse.

=Waterford.= A maritime county of the province of Munster, in Ireland. In the time of Ptolemy, it was inhabited by the tribe of the Brigantes. It was afterwards peopled by the Desii, who are supposed to have migrated from a tribe of the same name in Meath; and having spread themselves also over the plain country of Tipperary; those settled in Waterford were distinguished by the name of South Desii, and the others by that of North Desii. Here the Danes established a permanent settlement in the 9th century, making the city of Waterford their chief seat of government; and though frequently involved in wars with the surrounding natives, they retained possession of the city and district until their subjugation by the English, who, in 1170, under Strongbow, stormed Waterford, took their chieftain or prince prisoner, and brought the whole of the Desiis into the possession of the English. Shortly after, Henry II. granted the greater part of the county to Robert le Poer, and the remainder, with that of Cork, then a petty kingdom, to Milo de Cogan, two of his followers. King John landed at Waterford in 1211, and personally visited many parts of the country. The next king of England who visited Ireland, Richard II., landed at Waterford in 1394, with an army of 4000 men-at-arms, and 30,000 archers. The county suffered severely in the reign of Elizabeth, through the rebellion of the Earl of Desmond, and the Spanish invasion; and also in the wars of 1641, during the first years of which, its possession was the subject of continued sanguinary contention between the English and Irish forces, until it was ultimately reduced under the authority of the English Parliament by Cromwell. During the war of the Revolution, it took part with King James, and was reduced by King William’s forces, under Gen. Kirk, after the decisive battle of the Boyne.

=Watering-bucket.= See IMPLEMENTS.

=Watering-call.= A trumpet sounding, on which the cavalry assemble to water their horses.

=Waterloo.= A village of Belgium, province of South Brabant, on the highway from Charleroi to Brussels; which was the scene of the greatest and most decisive battle of modern times. This battle was fought on June 18, 1815, between the French army of 71,947 men and 246 guns, under Napoleon, and the allies, commanded by the Duke of Wellington; the latter with 67,661 men and 156 guns, resisted the various attacks of the enemy from 10 o’clock in the morning until 5 o’clock in the afternoon. About that time 16,000 Prussians reached the field of battle; and by 7 o’clock, the force under Blücher amounted to above 50,000 men, with 104 guns. Wellington then moved forward his whole army, and in every point this attack succeeded. The French were forced from their positions, and fled in the utmost confusion, leaving 227 pieces of artillery in the hands of the victors. The pursuit was kept up with great energy throughout the whole night by the Prussian troopers, who seemed bent upon at once avenging the defeats of Jena, Auerstadt, and Ligny, and glutted their fierce animosity by an indiscriminate slaughter. The total loss in this battle was, from the obstinacy and determination with which it was contested, necessarily large; the figures are: British and Hanoverians, 11,678; Brunswickers, 687; Nassauers, 643; Netherlanders, 3178; a total of 16,186; which added to 6999 Prussians, gives the aggregate allied loss, 23,185. The French had 18,500 killed and wounded, and 7800 prisoners (some French accounts raise the total list of _hors de combat_ to 32,000). Napoleon, quitting the wreck of his flying army, returned to Paris; and, finding it impossible to raise another, abdicated the throne of France.

=Wattignies.= A village of France, department of Nord, where Jourdan and the French republicans defeated the Austrians under the Prince of Coburg, and raised the siege of Maubeuge, October 14-16, 1793.

=Waver.= A body of troops is said to waver when it becomes unsteady if at the halt, or to hesitate and lose its order if on the march, under the fire of the enemy.

=Wavre.= A town in the province of South Brabant, Belgium. It is known as the scene of a desperate and protracted conflict between the French and Prussians, on June 18-19, 1815. The former under Grouchy, Gérard, and Vandamme, advanced against the Prussians at the same time as Napoleon directed the troops under his immediate orders against Wellington at Waterloo, and being much superior in number (32,000 to 15,200), drove the Prussians under Thielman into Wavre, where they defended themselves with desperate firmness, repulsing thirteen different assaults in the course of the 18th. On the following morning, Thielman, who had heard of the victory at Waterloo, attacked Grouchy, but was repulsed with vigor, though the urgent orders of Napoleon forced the latter to retreat to Laon, instead of following up his success.

=Wawz=, or =Wawer= (Poland). The Poles under Skrzynecki attacked the Russians at Wawz, and after two days’ hard fighting, all the Russian positions were carried by storm, and they retreated with the loss of 12,000 men and 2000 prisoners, March 31, 1831. The loss of the Poles was small, but their triumph was soon followed by defeat and ruin.

=Way, Covert.= See COVERT WAY.

=Way of the Rounds.= In fortification, a space left for the passage of the rounds between the rampart and the wall of a fortified town.

=Waywode.= A Slavic word meaning “leader in war,” was first applied simply to the military commanders, but afterward also to the governors of the provinces, and used in Poland, Hungary, Transylvania, Moldavia, and Wallachia. It has been superseded by another title, also of Slavic origin,--_hospodar_.

=Weapon.= An instrument of offensive or defensive combat; something to fight with; anything used, or designed to be used, in destroying or annoying an enemy.

=Weaponed.= Furnished with weapons or arms; armed; equipped.

=Weaponless.= Having no weapons; unarmed.

=Wear and Tear.= Said of military stores which have been worn out in service; as, the equipments were rendered useless by the wear and tear of service.

=Wednesfield.= A parish of England, in Staffordshire. Edward the Elder gained a victory over the Danes near this place in the beginning of the 10th century.

=Well.= A depth which the miner sinks under ground, with branches or galleries running out from it, either to prepare a mine, or to discover the enemy’s mine.

=Well Found.= Fully equipped.

=Werder Rifle.= See SMALL-ARMS.

=Werndl Rifle.= See SMALL-ARMS.

=Westmorland=, or =Westmoreland=. One of the lake counties of England, bounded by Cumberland on the northwest and north, by Durham and Yorkshire on the east, and by Lancashire on the south and west. Its earliest inhabitants, as far as any traces remain, were principally, though not exclusively, Celts of the Cambrian division. Early in the 2d century this part of England was overrun by the Romans, who established their power by means of numerous forts and well-constructed roads. From the withdrawal of the Romans to the coming in of the Angles and the Danes the history of Westmorland is a complete blank. The invasion of the former people, who appear to have penetrated along the lines of the Roman roads, probably commenced about the close of the 7th century, and soon after the Northmen, when driven from the other parts of England, took refuge in this country. Westmorland, with other northern counties, was either held or claimed during some centuries by Scotland, and thus continued for a long time a cause of contention between the two countries; but in 1237 the king of Scotland was induced to give up his claim to it. From this time to the period of the civil war of the reign of Charles I. Westmorland enjoyed comparative tranquillity. In 1648, Sir Marmaduke Langdale raised a force of upwards of 4000 men, chiefly in Cumberland and Westmorland. They were joined by the Scots, who remained in the latter county until they were compelled to remove out of it for want of provisions; and during their stay, and until the final retreat of the royalists, this district was reduced to extreme distress. In 1715 the adherents of the Stuart family passed through Westmorland on their way to Preston. And again in 1745, Prince Charles, with his Highland followers, marched through the county in his invasion of England. During the retreat of this ill-fated expedition, in December of the same year, the rear of the Highlanders was overtaken by the Duke of Cumberland’s horse on Clifton Moor, when a sharp skirmish ensued, which checked the advance of the English for the moment, and hastened the retreat of the rebels.

=Westphalia=, or =Munster, Peace of=. Was signed at Munster and at Osnaburg, between France, the emperor, and Sweden; Spain continuing the war against France. By this peace the principle of a balance of power in Europe was first recognized; Alsace given to France, and part of Pomerania and some other districts to Sweden; the elector palatine restored to the Lower Palatinate; the religious and political rights of the German states established; and the independence of the Swiss Confederation recognized by Germany, October 24, 1648.

=West Point.= Site of the United States Military Academy, and of a fortress erected during the war of Independence, on the right bank of the Hudson River, 52 miles north of the city of New York. The Military Academy is on a plain 160 to 180 feet above the river, surrounded by the bold scenery of one of the finest river-passes in the world. The forts and a river-chain were taken by the British in 1777, but abandoned after Burgoyne’s surrender, and stronger forts were built, which Gen. Arnold bargained to betray,--a plot foiled by the arrest of Maj. André. For history of the Military Academy at West Point, see MILITARY ACADEMIES.

=West Virginia.= See VIRGINIA, WEST.

=Wexford.= A maritime county of the province of Leinster, Ireland. The maritime position of Wexford laid it open early to the incursions of the Danes, to whom the name Wexford, or Weisford, is traced by antiquaries. It was the first landing-place of the English in the invasion, and formed part of the tract granted by MacMurrough to the English adventurers whose assistance he had invoked. During the civil wars which followed 1641, Wexford was the scene of frequent contests; and in the more recent insurrection of 1798, it formed the theatre of the only formidable conflicts of the peasantry with the regular troops.

=Wheel.= See ORDNANCE, CARRIAGES FOR, THE CAISSON.

=Wheel, To.= In tactics, to move forward or backward in a circular manner, round some given point. Wheeling is one of the most essential and important operations of the company, necessary in many changes of position, and in the formation of column and of the line.

=Wheelings.= Different circular motions made by horse and foot, either to the right or left, forward and backward, etc.

=Wheel-lock.= A sort of lock anciently used on arquebuses. It consisted of a roughened steel wheel, with chain and spring, which, when wound up like a watch, revolved rapidly, and struck fire against a flint held in the cock.

=Whinyard.= A sword, or hanger, so called by Butler in his “Hudibras.”

=Whipping.= See FLOGGING.

=White Eagle, Order of the.= An order of knighthood in Poland, instituted by Vladislaus V. in 1325; revived by Frederick Augustus I. in 1705.

=White Feather.= A mark of cowardice. _To show the white feather_, to give indications of cowardice.

=White Gunpowder.= See GUNPOWDER.

=White Plains.= A village of Westchester Co., N. Y., 25 miles north-northeast of New York. A noted battle of the Revolution was fought in the vicinity, October 28, 1776, between the Americans and the British, in which the former were worsted.

=Whiteboys.= A body of ruffians in Ireland, so called on account of their wearing linen frocks over their coats. They committed dreadful outrages in 1761, but were suppressed by a military force, and their ringleaders executed in 1762. They rose into insurrection again and were suppressed 1786-87. Whiteboys have appeared at various times since, committing the most frightful crimes. The insurrection act was passed on their account in 1822.

=Whitworth Gun.= See ORDNANCE, CONSTRUCTION OF.

=Whiz.= To make a humming or hissing sound, like an arrow or ball flying through the air.

=Who Comes There?= The night challenge of a sentinel on post.

=Whoop.= A shout; a loud noise which soldiers make in charging. 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.= A small door in the gate of a fortified place, affording a free passage to the people without opening the great gate.

=Wicklow.= A maritime county in the province of Leinster, in Ireland. According to Ptolemy the geographer, the northern part of the county was the residence of the tribe of the Cauci, and the southern that of the Menapii. It was afterwards occupied by the Irish septs of the Byrnes and O’Tooles, who, though the district was claimed by the English after their settlement, maintained their independence, and carried on an almost continual war against the new settlers until the end of the reign of Elizabeth. The inhabitants adhered to the royal cause during the war of 1641, until the arrival of Cromwell, to whose superior force they submitted without opposition. No other occurrences of historical importance took place until 1798, when several bands of insurgents sought refuge in the mountain fastnesses after the dispersion of their main body in Wexford, and continued to harass the neighboring counties until tranquillity was restored, partly by making terms with the leaders, and partly by establishing military posts in the interior of the country.

=Widdin=, or =Widin=. A fortified town of European Turkey. It is surrounded on the land side by morasses, and is defended by a strong citadel, by walls, and by a fortified island in the Danube. For centuries it has been a strong post in all the contests between the Turks and their northern neighbors, and it is called by the Turks the Virgin Fort, from its never having been taken.

=Wield.= To use with full command or power, as a thing not heavy for the holder; to manage; to handle; as, to wield a sword.

=Wiesbaden.= A town of Prussia, formerly capital of the independent duchy of Nassau. The Romans built a station here, and erected a fort on a hill on the northwest side of the town, still known as the Römerberg, and which was garrisoned by the 22d Roman legion. The _Mattiaci_, a subdivision of the German tribe called the _Catti_, allied themselves with the Romans; but in the 3d century, the barbarian Germans rose against the Romans, and destroyed their forts, including Wiesbaden.

=Wigan.= A town of England, in Lancashire, situated near the small river Douglas. In the civil war the king’s troops, commanded by the Earl of Derby, were defeated and driven out of the town in 1643 by the Parliamentary forces under Sir John Smeaton. The earl was again defeated by Ashton, who razed the fortifications of Wigan to the ground in the same year; and once more by a greatly superior force commanded by Col. Lilburne, 1651.

=Wight, Isle of= (anc. _Vecta_, or _Vectis_). An island in the English Channel, lying off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It was originally peopled by the Celts, who were afterwards expelled or subdued by the Belgæ and these, in their turn, were compelled to submit, in 43, to the Roman legions under Vespasian. The Saxon kings of Wessex conquered it about 530, after a sanguinary action at Wiht-garasbyrig, supposed to be the modern Carisbrooke. In 661, it was subdued by Wulfhere, son of Penda, king of Mercia. The Danes invaded the Wight in 787, 897, 981, 998, and again in 1003, when they destroyed the town of Waltham, supposed to be identical with the modern Werror. The French landed on the island, but were repulsed in 1340. In 1377, the French burnt the towns of Yarmouth, Newtown, and Newport, but were defeated in an attack which they hazarded upon Carisbrooke Castle. In 1545, the French forces, which had assembled under Claude d’Annebault, and fought an indecisive action with Lord Lisle at Spithead, threw themselves upon the island in four detachments at Sea View, Bembridge, Shanklin, and Bonchurch, but were repulsed with signal loss.

=Wigwam= (sometimes written _weekwam_). An Indian cabin or hut. The wigwam, or Indian house, of a circular or oval shape, was made of bark or mats laid over a framework of branches of trees stuck in the ground in such a manner as to converge at the top, where was a central aperture for the escape of smoke from the fire beneath. The better sort had also a lining of mats. For entrance and egress two low openings were left on opposite sides, one or the other of which was closed with bark or mats, according to the direction of the wind.

=Wilderness, Battles of the.= Were fought between the Federal and Confederate armies in Virginia, in May, 1864. They consisted of a series of sanguinary battles, having for their object the capture of Richmond. The plan of Gen. Grant, commander-in-chief of the Union forces, was to follow a line nearly corresponding to the route of the Fredericksburg and Richmond Railroad, making his base at Acquia Creek. For this purpose he moved down the right of the position of Gen. Lee, who commanded the Confederate army, and was prepared either to accept a battle from him on the Rapidan, or to continue his march to Spottsylvania Court-house. Gen. Lee would not consent to be outflanked, and thereby endanger his railroad communication with Richmond. He therefore prepared to resist the progress of Grant, and commenced a rapid movement of his forces parallel with the course of the river. Gen. Hill’s and Ewell’s forces arrived in front of Gen. Grant’s forces on Thursday, May 5, 1864.

Early on the morning of the 5th, Grant’s command began to move. The 5th Corps (Warren’s) advanced from its position near Wilderness Tavern, along the roads leading to Orange Court-house, 5 miles to Parker’s store. This point is in Spottsylvania County, about 8 miles above Chancellorsville. The whole face of the country in that neighborhood is thickly covered with an undergrowth of field-pines, cedars, and scrub-oaks, and therefore utterly unfit for the use of cavalry or artillery. The 6th Corps (Sedgwick’s) was to follow, and the 2d Corps (Hancock’s) was to stretch southwesterly from Chancellorsville toward Shady Grove Church. Sheridan covered the extreme left, with the object of finding the enemy’s cavalry under Stuart. This line extended nearly 5 miles, with the centre thrown forward, when the action commenced. The 5th Corps and the advance of the enemy under Ewell met, when a fierce encounter ensued, the Federals losing about 1000 men. At different periods during the afternoon other portions of the opposing armies came in contact, and the contest became exceedingly bloody. Such was the nature of the undergrowth that there was little opportunity to use artillery. The fire of the enemy’s musketry was furious, and continued until late in the night, but the Federal line was substantially as it had been when the battle commenced; both armies were still face to face, ready to attack at dawn on the morrow.

The battle of the Wilderness was renewed on May 6, and consisted of a succession of fierce attacks made by each side. Both had more or less intrenched their positions by felling timber and covering it with earth, or slight earthworks. The interval of ground between the opposing lines was fought over in some places as many as four or five times, the combatants driving each other in turn from the opposite lines of rifle-pits, and the battle continued with unabated fury until darkness set in, each army holding substantially the same position that they had on the evening of the 5th. After dark, the enemy made a feeble attempt to turn our right flank, but the promptness of Gen. Sedgwick, who was personally present and commanding that part of the line, frustrated their object. During these two days, the total loss was estimated at 15,000. On the morning of the 7th, reconnoissances showed that the enemy had fallen behind his intrenched lines, with pickets to the front, covering a part of the battle-field. Gen. Grant determined to move by his right flank, and put his whole force between Lee’s forces and Richmond.

On the night of the 7th the march was commenced toward Spottsylvania Courthouse, the 5th Corps moving on the most direct road. But Lee having been apprised of the movement, and having the shorter line, was enabled to reach there first, and the battles of Spottsylvania followed, which are given below.

On the 8th, Gen. Warren met a force of the enemy, which had been sent out to oppose and delay his advance, to gain time to fortify the line taken up at Spottsylvania. This force was steadily driven back on the main force, within the recently-constructed works, after considerable fighting, resulting in severe loss to both sides. On the morning of the 9th Gen. Sheridan started on a raid against the enemy’s lines of communication with Richmond.

The 9th, 10th, and 11th were spent in manœuvring and fighting without decisive results. Among the killed on the 9th was that able and distinguished soldier, Gen. Sedgwick, commander of the 6th Corps, of which Gen. H. G. Wright succeeded to the command. Early on the morning of the 12th a general attack was made on the enemy in position. The 2d Corps (Hancock’s) carried a salient of his line, capturing most of Johnston’s division of Ewell’s corps and 20 pieces of artillery. But the resistance was so obstinate that the advantage gained did not prove decisive.

From the 13th to the 18th was consumed in manœuvring and awaiting the arrival of recruits from Washington. Deeming it impracticable to make any further attack upon the enemy at Spottsylvania Courthouse, orders were issued on the 18th with a view to a movement to the North Anna, to commence on the 19th, but owing to an attack of the Confederates the movement was delayed until the night of the 21st. The enemy again having the short line, and being in possession of the main roads, was enabled to reach North Anna in advance of the Federals, and took position behind it, where the battles were again renewed.

_Battles of North Anna._--The 5th Corps reached the North Anna on the afternoon of the 23d, closely followed by the 6th Corps; the 2d and 9th got up about the same time. Gen. Warren effected a crossing the same afternoon and got into position. Soon after getting into position he was violently attacked, but repulsed the enemy with great slaughter. Hancock also effected a crossing after some fighting. The 6th Corps crossed on the 24th and took up a position. The attempt of the Federals on the Confederate centre was repulsed, and finding the enemy’s position on the North Anna stronger than either of his previous ones, Gen. Grant withdrew on the night of the 26th to the north bank, and moved to turn the enemy’s position by his right. The battle of Cold Harbor (which see) was the next serious engagement. The loss of the Federals, not including Burnside’s corps, from May 5 to 31 was about 41,400. The Confederate loss is not known.

=Williamsburg.= A city, capital of James City Co., Va., 60 miles east of Richmond, and 68 miles northwest of Norfolk. It is situated on a level plain between James and York Rivers, 6 miles from each. It was first settled in 1632, is the oldest incorporated town in the State, and was the colonial and State capital till 1779. A battle was fought here between Gen. McClellan and the Confederates on May 5, 1862, which resulted in victory to the former.

=Wilmington.= A city and port of North Carolina, in New Hanover County, and situated on the Cape Fear River. It was captured by the Union forces in February, 1865, Fort Fisher, its principal defense, having been taken by storm on the 15th of the month preceding.

=Wiltshire=, or =Wiltonshire=. An inland county of England. When Cæsar invaded England, Wiltshire was occupied by the Belgæ; and the Wansdyke is pointed to as a portion of the defenses which they constructed. It was afterwards included in the province of Britannia Prima, and important Roman stations were established, of which the chief was placed at Sorbiodunum (Old Sarum). The Saxons under Cedric were defeated by Arthur and his famous knights, but conquered the country when led by Cynric, and annexed it to the kingdom of Wessex. It became the battle-field between Saxon and Dane for many long years of warfare. A great council was held at Sarum in 1086, by William the Conqueror, which firmly fixed upon the conquered land the feudal system of the Normans. During the civil war, many important engagements took place in various parts of the county, and especially at Devizes and Malmesbury, between Roundheads and Cavaliers.

=Winch.= An axle turned by a crank-handle for raising weights, as from mines and the like; a windlass.

=Winchelsea.= A town of England, in Sussex, 37 miles northeast from Brighton. It is a place of great antiquity, and was twice pillaged, first by the French and again by the Spaniards, who landed near Farley Head.

=Winchester= (Rom. _Venta Belgarum_). A town of England, capital of Hampshire. It is a very ancient town, whose erection may reasonably be ascribed to the Celtic Britons. It was taken by the Saxons in 495, and by the Danes in 871-73; and was ravaged by Sweyn in 1013. Winchester was several times taken and retaken between 1641 and 1643; it was taken by Cromwell, and the castle dismantled in 1645.

=Winchester.= A city and capital of Frederick Co., Va., in the valley of the Shenandoah, 150 miles north-northwest of Richmond, 71 miles west by north from Washington. On March 12, 1862, it was occupied by the Federal general Banks, and during the war was the scene of frequent conflicts, and occupied in turn by the Federal and Confederate armies.

=Winchester Rifle.= See SMALL-ARMS, and MAGAZINE GUNS.

=Windage.= Is the space left between the bore of a piece and its projectile, and is measured by the difference of their diameters. The objects of windage are to facilitate loading, and to diminish the danger of bursting the piece; it is rendered necessary by the mechanical impossibility of making every projectile of the proper size and shape, by the unyielding nature of the material of which large projectiles are made, by the foulness which collects in the bore after each discharge, and by the use of hot and strapped shot. The _true windaqe_, which is the difference between the true diameters of the bore and projectile, increases slightly with the size of the bore, and is greater for solid shot, which are sometimes fired hot, than for hollow projectiles, which are never heated.

_Loss of Force._--The ordinary windage of smooth-bore cannon, used in the U. S. service, is about ¹⁄₄₀ of the diameter of the bore, and the loss of force arising from the escape of gas through this windage amounts to a very considerable portion of the entire charge. The amount of loss in any case depends on: (1) The degree of windage; (2) The caliber of the gun; (3) The length of the bore; (4) The kind of powder; (5) The charge of powder; (6) The weight or density of the ball. It is probable that the influence which some of these causes exert on the force of the charge is very slight. It has been determined by experiment, that the loss of velocity by windage is proportional to the windage. It may be stated that the loss of velocity by a given windage is directly as the windage, and inversely as the diameter of the bore, very nearly.

=Wind-gauge.= In a military sense, is an attachment to the sight (either front- or rear-sight) of a fire-arm by which an allowance for the effect of wind on the projectile can be made in aiming. Though usually called _wind-gauge_, it is also used to counteract _drift_ or any other deviation which can be anticipated. In the old model target-rifles, the front-sight is capable of a slight movement. Some of the more recent military arms have a wind-gauge attached to the rear-sight. In the _peep-sights_, the sight-piece is moved by a screw. In the present U. S. service rifle the sight-piece is moved by hand. It has graduations to guide the marksman. The wind-gauge is frequently attached to breech-sights of cannon in Europe. In this country the Parrott gun is similarly equipped.

=Wind-gun.= A gun discharged by the force of compressed air; an air-gun.

=Windlace.= Formerly an apparatus for bending the bow of an arblast or cross-gun.

=Windlass.= An axis, or roller of wood, square at each end, through which are either cross-holes for handspikes, or staves across, to turn it round, by which operation it draws a rope, one end of which is attached to a weight, which is thus raised from any depth.

=Windsor, Knights of.= See KNIGHTS, MILITARY.

=Wing.= The right or left division of an army, regiment, and the like. The word is sometimes used to denote the large sides of horn-works, tenailles, and other outworks.

=Wing.= An ornament worn on the shoulder;--a small imitation epaulette or shoulder-knot.

=Winged.= In heraldry, represented with wings, or having wings, of a different color from the body.

=Winnebagoes.= A tribe of Indians who lived around Lake Winnebago in 1639, and were engaged in the war of Pontiac against the English in 1762. In 1794 they were severely defeated by Gen. Wayne, and were engaged in the Black Hawk war of 1831. They were removed to Minnesota in 1848, from thence to Dakota in 1863, and in the following year to Nebraska. See INDIANS AND THEIR AGENCIES.

=Winter-quarters.= The quarters of an army during the winter; a winter residence or station.

=Wire-cartridge.= A cartridge strengthened by wire ligaments.

=Wires, Pointing-.= See POINTING-WIRES.

=Wisby.= A once famous seaport of the Swedish island of Gothland, capital of the island, and situated on its west coast, about 130 miles south of Stockholm. In 1361, Valdemar III. of Denmark took this town by storm, and, plundering it, obtained an immense booty.

=Wisconsin.= One of the Northwestern States of the United States of America; it is 302 miles from north to south, and 258 from east to west. Wisconsin is bounded on the north by Lake Superior and the State of Michigan, east by Lake Michigan, south by Illinois, and west by Iowa and Minnesota, from which it is separated by the Mississippi and St. Croix Rivers. This State was explored by French missionaries in the latter part of the 17th century, and Indian trading-posts were also established. It was organized as a Territory in 1836, and admitted into the Union as a State in 1848. During the late civil war it filled its quotas cheerfully for the Union cause.

=Wissembourg=, or =Weissenbourg=. A small fortified town of Alsace, in what was formerly the French department of Bas-Rhin, situated on the Lauter. It was formerly an imperial city, was seized by Louis XIV. in 1673, and annexed to France by the treaty of Ryswick, 1697. The “lines” of Wissembourg, erected by Villars, in 1705, were taken by the Austrians and retaken by the French, 1793, after Hoche’s victory at Geisberg. On August 4, 1870, the crown-prince of Prussia crossed the Lauter and gained a brilliant but bloody victory over the French (a part of MacMahon’s division), storming the lines and the Geisberg. Gen. Abel Douay was mortally wounded, and about 500 prisoners were made. The killed and wounded on both sides appear to have been nearly equal. The German army, composed of Prussians, Bavarians, and Würtembergers, were, it is said, about 40,000, against about 10,000 French, who fought with desperate bravery.

=Witepsk=, or =Vitepsk=. A city of Russia in Europe, where a battle was fought between the French under Marshal Victor, duke of Belluno, and the Russians commanded by Gen. Wittgenstein. The French were defeated after a desperate engagement, with the loss of 3000 men, November 14, 1812.

=Withstand.= To oppose; to resist; as, to withstand the attack of troops.

=Witness.= One who testifies in a cause, or gives evidence before a judicial tribunal; one who gives testimony. Every judge-advocate of a court-martial or court of inquiry has power to issue the like process, to compel witnesses to appear and testify, which courts of criminal jurisdiction within the State, Territory, or District where such military courts are ordered to sit may lawfully issue. For oath administered to witnesses, depositions, etc., see APPENDIX, ARTICLES OF WAR, 91, 92, and 118.

=Wittenberg.= A fortified town of Prussian Saxony, capital of a circle of the same name in the government of Merseburg, on the Elbe. It has suffered several times from sieges, particularly in 1756 and 1814, having on the latter occasion been taken by storm from the French after a siege of ten months.

=Wolf-hole.= See TROU DE LOUP.

=Wolgast.= A seaport of Prussia, in Pomerania, situated on the Peene, about 10 miles from its entrance into the Baltic. It is a very old town, and was strongly fortified as early as the 12th century. It was taken and retaken five times between 1628 and 1675; the Russians plundered and burned it in 1713, and the Swedes retook it in 1715.

=Women and Domestic Relations, Protection of.= See APPENDIX, ARTICLES OF WAR, 58.

=Wood.= The most useful timbers in the United States are: the hickory, which is very tough and inflexible; white oak, tough and pliable; white ash, tough and elastic; black walnut, hard and fine-grained; white poplar, soft, light, fine-grained wood; white pine and other pines, for building; cypress, soft, light, straight-grained, and grows to a large size; dogwood, hard and fine-grained. The timber growing in the centre of a forest is best.

=Wooden Fuze.= See LABORATORY STORES.

=Woolwich.= A town of England, in Kent, and is the most ancient military and naval arsenal in England. It is celebrated for its royal dock-yard, where men of war have been built so early as the reign of Henry VIII., 1512. The royal arsenal was formed about 1720; it contains vast magazines of great guns, mortars, shells, powder, and other warlike stores; a foundry with several furnaces for casting ordnance; and a laboratory where fireworks, cartridges, grenades, etc., are made for public service. There is also a royal artillery barracks here which can accommodate nearly 4000 men. About 10,000 persons are employed in Woolwich Arsenal.

=Woolwich Gun.= See ORDNANCE, CONSTRUCTION OF.

=Woordie-Major.= The native adjutant of an Indian irregular cavalry regiment.

=Worcester.= The capital of Worcestershire, England, situated on the left bank of the Severn. It is one of the most ancient cities of the kingdom, and was formerly strongly fortified, as it had to resist frequent attacks from the Welsh, and in turbulent periods of English history was often the object of assault by contending parties. In the civil war the final great battle between the Puritans and the cavaliers took place here. This battle, which Cromwell called his “crowning mercy,” was fought on September 3, 1651, between the Parliamentary troops, commanded by Cromwell in person, and the Scotch army of Charles II. The battle lasted several hours, and at its close the Scotch were utterly routed, nearly all of them being killed or made prisoners.

=Worcestershire.= An inland county of England, forming part of the west midland division. Its early history cannot be determined with accuracy. Under the Saxons the county was included in the kingdom of Mercia. It shared in all the great civil wars of England; it was frequently the scene of contests between the Saxons and the Danes; the great battle which decided the fate of Simon de Montfort was fought in the vale of Evesham; and during the civil war Worcestershire was disturbed by frequent skirmishes. The battle which settled Cromwell in possession of the government was fought under the walls of the chief city. See WORCESTER.

=Words of Command.= Are certain terms which have been adopted for the exercise and movement of military bodies, according to the nature of each particular service. Words of command are classed under two principal heads, and consist of those which are given by the chief or commander of a brigade, or division, and of those which are uttered by the subordinate officers of troops or companies, etc. _Cautionary words_, are certain leading instructions which are given to designate any particular manœuvre. The cautionary words precede the words of command. See COMMANDS.

=Working Party.= A body of soldiers told off, by command, to perform certain work or labor foreign to their ordinary duties. The men generally receive additional pay while performing this labor.

=Works.= Are the fortifications about the body of a place. This word is also used to signify the approaches of the besiegers, and the several lines, trenches, etc., made round a place, an army, or the like, for its security.

=Works, Advanced.= See ADVANCED WORKS.

=Works, Detached.= See DETACHED WORKS.

=Works, Field-.= See FIELD-WORKS.

=Worm.= See IMPLEMENTS.

=Worm a Gun, To.= To take out the charge of a fire-arm by means of a worm.

=Worms.= A city of Western Germany, grand duchy of Hesse, near the left bank of the Rhine, 26 miles southeast of Mayence. This is one of the oldest, and in the early history of Germany was one of the most important, towns in the country. After its destruction by Attila the Hun about the middle of the 5th century, it was rebuilt by Clovis in 496. It afterwards became the seat of many Frankish and Carlovingian kings. Worms was also the seat of many imperial diets, the best known of which is that of 1521, when Luther appeared before the emperor Charles V. In 1689 it was burned by order of Louis XIV.; and was taken by the French under Custine, October 4, 1792. Here, in 1743, an offensive and defensive alliance was entered into by Great Britain and Austria with Sardinia.

=Worst, To.= To defeat; to overthrow; to put to the rout.

=Wörth.= A village of Alsace, at the junction of the Sulzbach und the Sauerbach, is noted as the point where the first decisive encounter took place between the French and German armies, August 6, 1870. After storming Wissenbourg on August 4, 1870, the crown-prince of Prussia with the 3d army (about 120,000) marched rapidly forward and surprised part of the French army under Marshal MacMahon, including the corps of Canrobert and Failly (about 47,000), and defeated it in a long, desperate, and sanguinary engagement near this place. The battle lasted from 7 A.M. till 4 P.M. The chief struggles occurred in the country around Reichshoffen and in the village of Frœschweiller; the French are said to have charged the German line eleven times, each time breaking it, but always finding a fresh mass behind. The ridge on which Wörth stands was not captured until the French were taken in flank by the Bavarians and Würtembergers. Nearly all MacMahon’s staff were killed, and the marshal himself unhorsed, fell fainting into a ditch, from which he was rescued by a soldier. He then, on foot, directed the retreat towards Saverne, to cover the passes of the Vosges. The victory is attributed to the very great numerical superiority of the Germans (about 130,000) as well as to their excellent strategy. The French loss has been estimated at 20,000 killed and wounded, and about 6000 prisoners, 2 eagles, 6 mitrailleures, 30 cannon, and much baggage. The Germans are stated to have had above 8000 men put _hors de combat_. It was admitted that MacMahon had acted as an able and brave commander.

=Wounded, The.= All the individuals belonging to an army who may have been maimed, or otherwise hurt in battle.

=Wreath=, =Wreathed=. In heraldry, a wreath is a twisted garland of silk of different colors, otherwise called a torce, on which it has, since the 14th century, been usual to place the crest. The side-view of a wreath exhibits six divisions, which are generally tinctured with the living colors,--that is, the principal metal and color of the shield. Every crest is now understood to be placed upon a wreath, except when it is expressly stated to issue out of a _chapeau_ or _coronet_. A wreath, when represented alone, shows its circular form. A Moor’s head is sometimes encircled with a heraldic wreath. A wreath is always understood to be the twisted garland of silk above explained, unless otherwise specified; but wreaths of laurel, oak, ivy, etc., sometimes occur, and savages used as supporters are often wreathed about the head and middle with laurel. Ordinaries are occasionally wreathed, otherwise called _tortille_, in which case they are represented as if composed of two colors, twisted as in the heraldic wreath; as in the coat of Carmichael, argent, a fess wreathed azure and gules.

=Wright-fuze.= See LABORATORY STORES.

=Wrong.= To guard against injustice and oppression in the army, the Articles of War (see APPENDIX, ARTICLES OF WAR) clearly point out the mode of redress to every individual in the service, who considers himself wronged by his superiors.

=Wrought Iron.= See ORDNANCE, METALS FOR.

=Würtemberg=, or =Wirtemberg, Kingdom of=. A state in the southwest of Germany, which was erected into a kingdom in 1806. It was originally part of Suabia, and was made a county for Ulric I., about 1265, and a duchy in 1495. Würtemberg has been repeatedly traversed by hostile armies, particularly since the revolution of France. Moreau made his celebrated retreat October 23, 1796. This kingdom opposed Prussia in the war of 1866, but made peace on August 31, following. On November 5, 1870, it joined the other German states in the formation of the German empire.

=Wyandot Indians.= See HURON INDIANS.

=Wyoming.= A Territory of the United States, organized July 25, 1868, from a region attached to Dakota, but formerly included in Idaho, and still earlier known as part of Nebraska. Its average length from east to west is 355 miles, and its breadth 276 miles. This Territory has been overrun several times by hostile Indians, but under the strong hand of the military the country is becoming rapidly settled.

=Wyoming Valley.= A beautiful fertile valley on the Susquehanna River, in Pennsylvania. It is 21 miles long by 3 wide, and surrounded by mountains 1000 feet high. It was purchased about 1765 by a Connecticut company from the Delaware Indians; but the settlers were soon dispersed by hostile savages. In 1769, forty families came from Connecticut, but found a party of Pennsylvanians in possession, and for several years there were continual contests of the settlers with the Indians, and with each other. In 1776, the settlers armed for their own defense against the English and their Indian allies; but in 1778 most of their troops were called to join the army under Washington. On June 30, a force of 400 British provincials, or “Tories,” and 700 Seneca Indians, led by Col. John Butler, entered the valley, and were opposed by 300 men, under Col. Zebulon Butler. On July 3, the settlers were driven to the shelter of Fort Forty (so called from the original number of families), with the loss of two-thirds of their number, many soldiers and inhabitants being murdered. On the 5th, the remnant of the troops surrendered, and they and the inhabitants were either massacred or driven from the valley, which was left a smoking solitude.

=Wyvern.= A fictitious monster of the Middle Ages, of frequent occurrence in heraldry. It resembles a dragon, but has only two legs and feet, which are like those of the eagle.