Washington's Engineer by Norman Desmarais (speed reading book TXT) 📕

in the office of the Register of Wills, Montgomery County Courthouse, Norristown, Pennsylvania.

11. Kite and Duponceau, “General Duportail,” 354.

12. Journal of the Senate of the United States of America, 1789–1873 (January 7, 1841): 87.

13. US Congress, Documents Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, vol. 23 (Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 1905); US Government Printing Office, United States Congressional Serial Set, vol. 377 [95] (Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 1841).

14. Journal of the House of Representatives of the United States, 1840–1841 (February 12, 1841): 269; Journal of the House of Representatives of the United States, 1841–1842 (December 29, 1841): 104; Journal of the Senate of the United States of America, 1789–1873 (December 22, 1841): 47.

15. Journal of the House of Representatives of the United States, 1841–1842 (August 24, 1842):, 1395; Journal of the Senate of the United States of America, 1789–1873 (January 19, 1841): 114; Journal of the Senate of the United States of America, 1789–1873 (January 28, 1842); Journal of the Senate of the United States of America, 1789–1873 (July 28, 1842): 129; Journal of the Senate of the United States of America, 1789–1873 (August 23, 1842): 596.

GLOSSARY

abatis. Sharpened branches pointing out from a fortification at an angle toward the enemy to slow or disrupt an assault.

accoutrement. Piece of military equipment carried by soldiers in addition to their standard uniform and weapons.

bar shot. A double shot consisting of two half-cannonballs joined by an iron bar, used in sea-warfare to damage masts and rigging.

bastion. A fortification with a projecting part of a wall to protect the main walls of the fortification.

bateau. A light flat-bottomed riverboat with sharply tapering stern and bow.

battalion. The basic organizational unit of a military force, generally five hundred to eight hundred men. Most regiments consisted of a single battalion that was composed of ten companies.

battery. 1. Two or more similar artillery pieces that function as a single tactical unit. 2. A prepared position for artillery. 3. An army artillery unit corresponding to a company in an infantry regiment.

bayonet. A long blade that can be attached to the end of a musket and used for stabbing.

blunderbuss. A short musket with a large bore and wide muzzle capable of holding a number of musket or pistol balls, used to fire shot with a scattering effect at close range. It is very effective for clearing a narrow passage, door of a house or staircase, or in boarding a ship.

bomb. An iron shell, or hollow ball, filled with gunpowder. It has a large touch hole for a slow-burning fuse that is held in place by pieces of wood and fastened with a cement made of quicklime, ashes, brick dust, and steel filings worked together with glutinous water. A bomb is shot from a mortar mounted on a carriage. It is fired in a high arc over fortifications and often detonates in the air, raining metal fragments with high velocity on the fort’s occupants.

bombproof. A structure built strong enough to protect the inhabitants from exploding bombs and shells.

brig. A small, two-mast sailing vessel with square-rigged sails on both masts.

brigade. A military unit consisting of about eight hundred men.

broadside. 1. The firing of all guns on one side of a vessel as simultaneously as possible. 2. A large piece of paper printed on one side for advertisements or public notices.

canister or cannister shot. A kind of case shot consisting of a number of small iron balls packed in sawdust in a cylindrical tin or canvas case, in four tiers between iron plates.

carronade. A short, stubby piece of artillery, usually of large caliber, having a chamber for the powder like a mortar, chiefly used on shipboard.

chain shot. A kind of shot formed of two balls or half-balls, connected by a chain, chiefly used in naval warfare to destroy masts, rigging, and sails.

chandeliers. Large and strong wooden frames used instead of a parapet. Fascines are piled on top of each other against it to cover workmen digging trenches. Sometimes they are only strong planks with two pieces of wood perpendicular to hold the fascines.

chevaux-de-frise. Obstacles consisting of horizontal poles with projecting spikes to block a passageway, used on land and modified to block rivers to enemy ships.

cohorn or coehorn. A short, small-barreled mortar for throwing grenades.

company. The smallest military unit of the army consisting of about 45 to 110 men commanded by a captain, a lieutenant, an ensign, and sometimes by a second lieutenant. A company usually has two sergeants, three or four corporals, and two drums.

Crown forces. The allied forces supporting King George III. They consisted primarily of the British army, Hessian mercenaries, Loyalists, and Native Americans.

cutter. 1. A single-mast sailing vessel similar to a sloop but having its mast positioned further aft. 2. A ship’s boat, usually equipped with both sails and oars. In the eighteenth century, the terms sloop and cutter seem to have been used almost interchangeably.

demilune. Fortification similar to a bastion but shaped as a crescent or half-moon rather than as an arrow.

dragoon. A soldier who rode on horseback like cavalry. Dragoons generally fought dismounted in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

earthworks. A fortification made of earth.

embrasure. A slanted opening in the wall or parapet of a fortification designed for the defender to fire through it on attackers.

envelopment. An assault directed against an enemy’s flank. An attack against two flanks is a double envelopment.

espontoon. See spontoon.

fascine. A long bundle of sticks tied together, used in building earthworks and strengthening ramparts.

flèche. A work of two faces, usually raised in the field, to cover the quarter guards of the camp or advanced posts.

fraise. Sharpened stakes built into the exterior wall of a fortification to deter attackers.

gabion. A cylindrical basket made of wicker and filled with earth for use in building fortifications.

general engagement. An encounter, conflict, or battle in which the majority of a force is involved.

grapeshot. A number of small iron balls tied together to resemble a cluster of grapes. When fired simultaneously from a cannon, the balls separate into multiple projectiles.