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GLOSSARY Here are some words you might find in the books, with a brief layman’s explanation to their meaning: We've added quite a few engineering terms which crop up in the passages about sieges
Afrancesado Spanish
sympathiser for French cause Banquette Firing
step behind parapet Bastion Work with two faces pushing out from fortress wall to provide flanking fire Battalion The unit of a regiment in
active service. Usually another battalion would be at the regiment’s home base.
Some regiments raised several battalions. Battery
Group of cannon, usually
six or eight Billet
Accommodation indoors Bivouac Soldier’s camp in the field
- outside Brigade A
group of battalions, typically three in the British army Brown
Bess Nickname for standard
British musket Caisson Ammunition wagon Canister Artillery round – a tin
containing lead balls Carbine Short-barrelled rifle used
by cavalry Cerro Spanish for hill CO
Commanding Officer Company Unit within a battalion
(often 10, numbering up to 100 men) Cornet
2nd lieutenant
in British cavalry Corps
A large force capable
of independent action. The classic French unit, although Wellington did give
occasional corps commands to Hill, Beresford or Graham Counterscarp Vertical face of ditch on outer side Cunette A flooded trench dug in bottom of fortress's ditch Demi-lune Half-moon-shaped ravelin, or exterior fortification Division A
group of several battalions, often broken into two brigades Dragoon Cavalry
– often used for patrols, escorts etc Embrasure Gap in parapet for cannon to fire Enceinte The whole perimeter of the fortress Enfilade Fire across the enemy's front - crossfire Ensign
2nd
lieutenant in British infantry Fascine Bundle
of brushwood used for protection Fausse-braie Earthen banking at base of rampart Forlorn Hope Volunteers to be first into breech at siege. Low chance of surviving, but usually well rewarded Fougasse Land mine Gabion
Basket filled with earth,
used for protection Galloper Message-carrier Glacis
Slope leading up to
fortress walls Gorge The rear of an outwork - sometimes vulnerable Grenadier Elite infantrymen Guerrilla The “small war” – Spanish
patriots fighting outside field armies (guerrilleros) Handspike Used to manoeuvre cannon into
position Hidalgo Spanish nobleman Howitzer Short-barrelled cannon for
“lobbing” Hussar
Light cavalry Junta Spanish government body or committee Lodgement Advanced position taken from the enemy Lunette Triangular outwork Materiel Miliary equipment Mortar Short-barrelled artillery for firing over small distances NCO
Non-commissioned
Officer (eg corporal, sergeant) Ordenanza Portuguese patriots, similar to
Spanish guerrilleros Ordnance Cannon, powder etc. Master
General of Ordnance in charge of artillery and engineers, independent of
general army Palisade Fence used to close gaps in fortress outworks Parapet "Wall" at front of trench or rampart Picket
(or picquet)
guard-outpost or stake for tying horses Portfire
Holder for slow-match Rampart Main defence platform of fortress Redan Arrow shaped fortification Redoubt Detached fortress or
strongpoint Retrenchment New defence built within the breach Rifle
Spiralled groove in
barrel made it more accurate, but slower to load than musket Spike
Disabling cannon by
hammering nail into touch-hole Teniente Spanish lieutenant Tio
Pepe/Copas Spanish nicknames for
King Joseph Tiraillleur French skirmisher Troop Cavalry unit, similar
to infantry company Vedette Cavalry scout Vent
Touch-hole on cannon Voltigeur French skirmisher, literally “vaulter” operating with cavalry Zouave French infantry, originally colonial troops from Africa
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© Peter Youds 2018 |