Algonkins, or Alogonquins. One of the two great families of Indians who formerly peopled the country east of the Mississippi. The Chippewas are at present the most numerous race descended from this stock.
Alhama. A city in Spain, in the province of Granada. It was a most important fortress when the Moors ruled Granada, and its capture by the Christians in 1482 was the most decisive step in the reduction of their power.
Alhambra. The ancient fortress and residence of the Moorish monarchs of Granada; founded by Mohammed I. of Granada about 1253; surrendered to the Christians in November, 1491.
Ali Bey. Colonel of Turkish cavalry; also the rank of a district commander.
Alibi (Lat. “elsewhere”). An alibi is the best defense in law if a man is innocent; but if it turns out to be untrue, it is conclusive against those who resort to it.
Alicante. A fortified city and seaport in Spain, where the French defeated the Spaniards in a naval battle, April 1, 1688.
Alidade. The movable arm or rule carrying the sights of an angle-measuring instrument.
Alien. In law, implies a person born in a foreign country, in contradistinction to a natural born or naturalized person.
Alife (Alifa). A city in the kingdom of Naples, where Fabius defeated the Samnites in 307 B.C.
Alighur. See Allyghur.
Align. To form in line as troops; to lay out the ground-plan, as of a road.
Alignment. A formation in straight lines, for instance, the alignment of a battalion means the situation of a body of men when drawn up in line. The alignment of a camp signifies the relative position of the tents, etc., so as to form a straight line from given points.
Aliwal. A village on the banks of the Sutlej, contiguous to the Punjab, where a British division, commanded by Maj.-Gen. Sir Henry Smith, on the 29th of January, 1846, encountered and defeated a superior body of Sikhs.
Aljubarrota (Portugal). Here John I. of Portugal defeated John I. of Castile, and secured his country’s independence, August 14, 1385.
Alkmaer. See Bergen-op-Zoom.
Allahabad (Northwest Hindostan). The holy city of the Indian Mohammedans, situated at the junction of the rivers Jumna and Ganges; founded by Akbar, in 1583; incorporated with the British possessions in 1803. During the Indian mutiny several Sepoy regiments rose and massacred their officers, June 4, 1857; Col. Neil marched promptly from Benares and suppressed the insurrection. In November, 1861, Lord Canning made this the capital of the northwest provinces.
Allecrete. Light armor used by both cavalry and infantry in the 16th century, especially by the Swiss. It consisted of a breastplate and gussets, often reaching to the middle of the thigh, and sometimes below the knees.
Allecti Milites. A name given by the Romans to a body of men who were drafted for military service.
Allegiance. In law, implies the obedience which is due to the laws. Oath of Allegiance is that taken by an alien, by which he adopts America and renounces the authority of a foreign government. It is also applied to the oath taken by officers and soldiers in pledge of their fidelity to the state.
Allegiant. Loyal; faithful to the laws.
Allia (Italy). A small river flowing into the Tiber, where Brennus and the Gauls defeated the Romans, July 16, 390 B.C. The Gauls sacked Rome and committed so much injury that the day was thereafter held to be unlucky (nefas), and no public business was permitted to be done on its anniversary.
Alliage (Fr.). A term used by the French to denote the composition of metals used for the fabrication of cannon, mortars, etc.
Alliance. In a military sense, signifies a treaty entered into by sovereign states for their mutual safety and defense. In this sense alliances may be divided into such as are offensive, where the contracting parties oblige themselves jointly to attack some other power; and into such as are defensive, whereby the contracting powers bind themselves to stand by and defend one another, in case of being attacked by any other power. Alliances are variously distinguished according to their object, the parties in them, etc. Hence we read of equal, unequal, triple, quadruple, grand, offensive, defensive alliances, etc.
Alligati. A name given by the Romans to prisoners of war and their captors. A chain was attached to the right wrist of the prisoner and the left wrist of the warrior who captured him.
Allobroges. A powerful race in ancient Gaul; inhabited a part of Savoy; vanquished by Fabius Maximus, 126 B.C.
Allocutio. An oration addressed by a Roman general to his soldiers, to animate them to fight, to appease sedition, or to keep them to their duty.
Allodial. Independent; not feudal. The Allodii of the Romans were bodies of men embodied on any emergency, in a manner similar to our volunteer associations.
Allonge. A pass or thrust with a rapier or small sword, frequently contracted into lunge; also a long rein used in the exercising of horses.
Allowance. A sum paid periodically for services rendered. The French use the word traitment in this sense. The allowances of an officer are distinct from his pay proper, and are applicable to a variety of circumstances.
Alloy. Is a composition by fusion of two or more metals. The alloy most used for gun-making is bronze (which see).
Allumelle. A thin and slender sword which was used in the Middle Ages, to pierce the weak parts or joints of armor.
Ally. In a military sense, implies any nation united to another—under a treaty either offensive or defensive, or both.
Allyghur. A strong fortress on the northwest of India, which was captured, after a desperate conflict, by Lord Lake, in 1803. The French commander-in-chief, Gen. Perron, surrendered himself after the siege.
Alma. A river in the Crimea, near which was fought a great battle on September 20, 1854, between the Russian and Anglo-French armies; the Russians were defeated with great loss.
Almadie. A kind of military canoe or small vessel, about 24 feet long, made of the bark of a tree, and used by the negroes of Africa. Almadie is also the name of a long boat used at Calcutta, often from 80 to 100 feet long, and generally 6 or 7 broad; they are rowed with from 10 to 30 oars.
Alman-rivets, Almain-rivets, or Almayne-rivets. A sort of light armor derived from Germany, characterized by overlapping plates which were arranged to slide on rivets, by means of which flexibility and ease of movement were promoted.
Almaraz, Bridge of. In Spain, which on the 18th of May, 1812, was captured by Lord Hill, when he defeated a large French corps d’armée, which was one of the most brilliant actions of the Peninsular war.
Almeida. A strong fortress of Portugal, in the province of Beira. The capture of it by the Duke of Wellington, in 1811, after it had fallen into the hands of the French, was deemed a very brilliant exploit.
Almenara, or Almanara. City in Spain, in the province of Lerida, where, in 1710, Gen. Stanhope, with 4 regiments of dragoons and 20 companies of grenadiers, defeated a Spanish corps, composed of 4 battalions