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. The shot usually consisted of nine balls placed between two iron plates.
grenadier. 1. A soldier armed with grenades. 2. A specially selected foot soldier in an elite unit selected on the basis of exceptional height and ability.
gun. A cannon. Guns were referred to by the size of the shot they fired. A three-pounder fired a three-pound ball; a six-pounder fired a six-pound ball.
Hessian. A German mercenary soldier who fought with the British army. Most of the German soldiers came from the kingdom of Hesse-Cassel, hence the name. Other German states that sent soldiers included Brunswick, Hesse-Hanau, Waldeck, Ansbach-Bayreuth, and Anhalt-Zerbst.
howitzer. A cannon with a short barrel and a bore diameter greater than thirty millimeters and a maximum elevation of 60°, used for firing shells at a high angle of elevation to reach a target behind cover or in a trench.
hussars or huzzars. Horse soldiers resembling Hungarian horsemen. They usually wore furred bonnets adorned with a cock’s feather; a doublet with a pair of breeches, to which their stockings are fastened; and boots. They were armed with a saber, carbines, and pistols.
jaeger. A hunter and gamekeeper who fought with the Hessians for the British army. They wore green uniforms, carried rifles, and were expert marksmen.
langrage. A particular kind of shot, formed of bolts, nails, bars, or other pieces of iron tied together and forming a sort of cylinder that corresponds with the bore of the cannon.
letter of marque. 1. A license granted by a monarch authorizing a subject to take reprisals on the subjects of a hostile state for alleged injuries. 2. Later, legal authority to fit out an armed vessel and use it in the capture of enemy merchant shipping and to commit acts that would otherwise have constituted piracy. See also privateer.
light infantry. Foot soldiers who carried lightweight weapons and mini mal field equipment.
loophole. Aperture or slot in defenses, through which the barrels of small arms or cannon can be directed at an outside enemy.
Loyalist. An American who supported the British during the American Revolution; also called Tory.
magazine. A structure to store weapons, ammunition, explosives, and other military equipment or supplies.
man-of-war. A warship.
matross. A private in an artillery unit who needed no specialized skills. Matrosses usually hauled cannon and positioned them. They assisted in the loading, firing, and sponging of the guns.
militia. Civilians who are part-time soldiers who take military training and can serve full time for short periods during emergencies.
minuteman. Member of a special militia unit called a Minute Company. A minuteman pledged to be ready to fight at a minute’s notice.
mortar. A cannon with a relatively short and wide barrel, used for firing shells in a high arc over a short distance, particularly behind enemy defenses. They were not mounted on wheeled carriages.
musket. A firearm with a long barrel, large caliber, and smooth bore. It was used between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries, before rifling was invented.
open order. A troop formation in which the distance between the individuals is greater than in close order (which is shoulder to shoulder). Also called extended order.
parapet. Earthen or stone defensive platform on the wall of a fort.
parley. A talk or negotiation, under a truce, between opposing military forces.
parole. A promise given by a prisoner of war, either not to escape or not to take up arms again as a condition of release. Individuals on parole can remain at home and conduct their normal occupations. Breaking parole makes one subject to immediate arrest and often execution. From the French parole, which means “one’s word of honor.”
privateer. An armed vessel owned and crewed by private individuals and holding a government commission known as a letter of marque, authorizing the capture of merchant shipping belonging to an enemy nation. See letter of marque.
rampart. An earthen fortification made of an embankment and often topped by a low protective wall.
ravelin. A small outwork fortification shaped like an arrowhead or a V that points outward in front of a larger defense work to protect the sally port or entrance.
redan. Lines or faces forming salient and reentering angles flanking one another and generally used on the side of a river that runs through a garrisoned town.
redoubt. A temporary fortification built to defend a prominent position, such as a hilltop.
regiment. A permanent military unit usually consisting of two or three companies. British regiments generally consisted of ten companies, one of which was grenadiers. Some German regiments cons
isted of two thousand men.
regular. Belonging to or constituting a full-time professional military or police force as opposed to, for example, the reserves or militia.
ropewalk. A long, narrow building where rope is made.
round shot. Spherical ball of cast iron or steel for firing from smooth-bore cannon; a cannonball. The shots were referred to by the weight of the ball: a nine-pound shot weighed nine pounds; a twelve-pound shot weighed twelve pounds. Round shot was used principally to batter fortifications. The balls could be heated (“hot shot”) and fired at the hulls of ships or buildings to set them on fire. The largest balls (thirty-two-and sixty-four-pounders) were sometimes called “big shot.”
sapper. A soldier who specializes in making entrenchments and tunnels for siege operations.
saucisson. 1. A kind of fascine, longer than the common ones. They serve to raise batteries and to repair breaches. They are also used in making epaulements and stopping passages and in making traverses over a wet ditch and so on. 2. A long pipe or bag, made of cloth or leather, about an inch and a half in diameter, filled with powder going from the chamber of a mine to the entrance of the gallery. It serves to give fire to the mine.
shell. An explosive projectile fired from a large-bore gun, such as a howitzer or mortar. See also bomb, howitzer, and mortar.
ship of the line. A large warship with sufficient armament to enter combat with similar vessels in the line of battle. A ship of the line carried sixty to one hundred guns.
shot. A bullet or projectile fired from a weapon. See also bar shot, canister shot, chain shot, grapeshot, round shot, sliding bar shot, and star shot.
sliding bar shot. A projectile similar to a bar shot. A sliding bar shot has two interlocked bars that extend almost double the length of a bar shot, thereby increasing the potential damage to a ship’s rigging and sails.
spike [a gun]. To destroy a cannon by hammering a long spike into the touch hole or vent, thereby rendering it useless.
spontoon. A type of half-pike or halberd carried by infantry officers in the eighteenth century (from about 1740).
stand of arms. A complete set of arms (musket, bayonet, cartridge box, and belt) for one soldier.
star shot. A kind of chain shot.
Tory. A Loyalist, also called Refugee and Cow-Boy. The Whigs usually used the term in a derogatory manner.
trunnions. Two pieces of metal sticking out of the sides of an artillery piece. They serve to hold the artillery piece on the carriage and allow it to be raised or lowered. The trunnions are generally as long as the diameter of the cannonball and have the same diameter.
Whig. Somebody who supported independence from Great Britain during the American Revolution. The name comes from the British liberal political party that favored reforms and opposed many of the policies of the king and Parliament related to the American War for Independence.
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