A Military Dictionary and Gazetteer. Thomas Wilhelm
Читать онлайн книгу.
the place on account of its unhealthiness; on the third day many were treacherously massacred at Columbo. The war was renewed in October, 1814; the king made prisoner by Gen. Brownrigg, February 19, 1815, and the sovereignty vested in Great Britain, March 2, 1815.
Canister. In the U. S. service, a round of canister consists of a hollow tin cylinder filled with cast iron or lead balls, which vary in size and number with the caliber and kind of piece; the cylinder is closed at the bottom by a thick cast-iron plate, and at the top by one of sheet-iron. The interstices between the balls are filled with dry sawdust, the object of which is to give more solidity to the mass, and to prevent the balls from crowding on one another when the piece is fired. In the English service this is called case-shot.
Canister-shot. One of the lead or iron balls in a round of canister.
Cannæ. A town of Naples, province of Terra di Bari. It is celebrated for the great victory gained there by Hannibal over the Romans, in the summer of 216 B.C. The loss of the Romans is stated by Livy at 45,000 infantry and 3000 cavalry.
Cannon. A military engine of which the general form is that of a hollow cylinder closed at one end, and variously mounted, used for throwing balls and other instruments of death by force of gunpowder. Cannons are made of iron, brass, bronze, and sometimes of steel rods welded together, and are of different sizes. They are classified, from their nature, guns, howitzers, and mortars; also from their use, as field, mountain, prairie, sea-coast, and siege; also as rifled and smooth-bore. See Ordnance.
The following are the most famous cannon of all ages, arranged according to the diameter of the bore:
1. The Tsar Pooschka, the great bronze gun of Moscow, cast in 1586; bore 36 inches, weight 86,240 pounds; threw a stone ball weighing 2000 pounds.
2. Mallet’s Mortar, English, 1857–58; built up of cast and wrought iron; bore 36 inches; cast-iron shell weighing 2986 pounds.
3. The Malik-I-Mydan, “Master of the Field,” the great bronze gun of Bejapoor, India; cast 1538; bore 28.5 inches; basalt ball, 1000 pounds.
4. The Bronze Gun of Mahomet II., A.D. 1464; bore 25 inches; granite ball, 672 pounds.
5. The Dulle-Griete of Ghent, wrought iron, A.D. 1430; bore 25 inches; stone ball, 700 pounds.
6. The Dhool-Dhanee, bronze gun of Agra, India; bore 23.2 inches; stone balls, 520 pounds.
7. Mons Meg of Edinburgh; wrought iron, A.D. 1455; bore 20 inches; stone ball, 400 pounds.
8. Rodman Gun, American, 1863; cast iron; bore 20 inches, weight 117,000 pounds; cast-iron solid shot weighing 1080 pounds.
The most powerful cannon the world has ever seen have been made within the present decade (1870–80). They are rifles.
The 100-ton Armstrong guns sold to Italy to arm the “Duilio” and “Dandolo”; bore 17 inches, weight of oblong shot of chilled iron 2000 pounds, charge of Fossano powder 552 pounds. Muzzle-loading.
The 80-ton Woolwich guns made to arm the “Inflexible”; bore 16 inches, weight of shot 1700 pounds, charge of cubical powder 440 pounds. Muzzle-loading.
The 72-ton Krupp guns; bore 15.75 inches, weight of steel shot 1700 pounds, charge of prismatic powder 452 pounds. Guns all steel. Breech-loading.
Cannonade. The act of discharging shot or shells from cannon for the purpose of destroying an army, or battering a town, ship, or fort; usually applied to an attack of some continuance.
Cannon-ball. A ball usually made of cast iron, to be thrown from cannon.
Cannon Baskets. The old English phrase for gabions.
Cannon-bullet. A cannon-ball.
Cannoneer. A man who manages cannon.
Cannoneering. The use of cannon.
Cannoneers’ Seats. See Ordnance, Carriages for, Nomenclature of Artillery Carriages.
Cannon-lock. A contrivance, like the lock of a gun, placed over the vent of a cannon to explode the charge.
Cannon-metal. An alloy of copper with about 9 per cent. of tin;—called also gun-metal.
Cannon-perer. An ancient piece of ordnance throwing stone shot.
Cannon-proof. Proof against cannon.
Cannon Royal. A 60-pounder of 81⁄2 inches bore.
Cannonry. Cannon collectively; artillery.
Cannon-shot. A ball for cannon.
Canonnière (Fr.). This name was given formerly to a tent which served to shelter four canonniers, but later the term was applied to all infantry tents which contained seven or eight men.
Canonnière (Fr.). An appellation formerly given to a gun-proof tower; it also designated an opening in the walls of cities, forts, etc., through which the defenders of these places could fire on an enemy without being exposed.
Canonniers (Fr.). Artillerymen, gunners. In 1671, during the administration of Louvois in France, the name of canonniers was given to the first company of the regiment of the king’s fusileers; in April, 1693, this regiment was named artillerie royal, but the first company retained the name of canonniers.
Canonniers Gardes-côtes (Fr.). Were instituted in 1702, by Louis XIV. of France, for the service of coast batteries. They are similar to the Artillery Coast Brigade in the British service.
Canstadt, or Cannstadt. A town of Würtemberg, on the river Neckar. In the vicinity a battle was fought in 1796, between Gen. Moreau and the Archduke Charles of Austria.
Cantabri. A rude race of ancient mountaineers who lived in Cantabria, the northern part of Spain, near the Bay of Biscay. They made a brave resistance to the Romans in the Cantabrian war, 25–19 B.C. They are said to have been of Iberian origin.
Cantabrum. A large banner used during the time of the Roman emperors, and borne on festive occasions.
Canteen. A tin vessel used by soldiers to carry water on the march, or in the field. It is usually suspended by a strap from the shoulder. In the British service the canteen is made of wood. The name is also applied to the store authorized within the precincts of British barracks for the sale of liquors, small stores, etc. (See Post Trader.) A leather or wooden chest divided into compartments, and containing the table equipage of an officer when on active service, is also called a canteen.
Canterbury (the Durovernum of the Romans). A town in Kent, England. Its cathedral was sacked by the Danes, 1011, and burnt down, 1067; rebuilt, 1130; again burnt down, 1174, and again rebuilt. During the civil war in England, Cromwell’s dragoons used Canterbury Cathedral as a stable.
Cantinière (Fr.). Women who are authorized to establish themselves in the barracks or follow the troops in time of war, selling them liquors and provisions. The cantinières, whether attached to regiments or barracks, are selected from the wives of non-commissioned officers or privates, and wear a uniform. See Vivandière.
Cantle. The hind-bow or protuberance of a saddle; also written cantel.
Canton. The only city in China with which Europeans were allowed to trade till the treaty of August 29, 1842. In 1856 a serious misunderstanding arose between Great Britain and China, on account of the Chinese having boarded