Arausio (now Orange, Southeast France). Through jealousy of the Roman proconsul Q. Servilius Cæpio, who would not wait for the arrival of the army of the consul C. Manlius, both were here defeated by the Cimbri with much slaughter, 105 B.C.
Arbalest. In the ancient art of war, a cross-bow made of steel, set in a shaft of wood, with a string and trigger, bent with a piece of iron fitted for that purpose, and used to throw bullets, large arrows, darts, etc.
Arbalestina. In the military system of the Middle Ages, was a small window or wicket through which the cross-bow men shot their quarrels or arrows at an enemy besieging a fortified place.
Arbaletrier d’une Galere (Fr.). That part of a galley where the cross-bow men were placed during an engagement.
Arbalist, or Arblast. A cross-bow man.
Arbela (now Erbil). A city in Asiatic Turkey; near here was fought the third and decisive battle between Alexander the Great and Darius Codomanus which decided the fate of Persia, October 1, 331 B.C., on a plain in Assyria, between Arbela and Gaugamela. The army of Darius consisted of 1,000,000 foot and 40,000 horse; the Macedonian army amounted to only 40,000 foot and 7000 horse. The gold and silver found in the cities of Susa, Persepolis, and Babylon, which fell to Alexander from this victory, amounted to £30,000,000 sterling; and the jewels and other precious spoil belonging to Darius sufficed to load 20,000 mules and 5000 camels.
Arbourg. A city in Switzerland, whose citadel, which was constructed in 1600, is an important depot for military stores.
Arbrier (Fr.). Stock of a cross-bow.
Arc (Fr.). A bow; an arch in building.
Arc à Jalet (Fr.). A small cross-bow, used to throw bullets, etc.
Arc, Elevating. In gunnery, is an arc attached to the base of the breech parallel to the ratchets and graduated into degrees and parts of a degree. A pointer attached to the fulcrum points to the zero of the scale when the axis of the piece is horizontal. Elevations and depressions are indicated by the scale. Besides the graduations on the arc, the ranges (in yards) and the charges for shot and shells are given.
Arch. In military architecture, is a vault or concave building, in form of a curve, erected to support some heavy structure, or passage.
Archers. In military history, a kind of militia or soldiery, armed with bows and arrows. They were much used in former times.
Archery. The use of the bow and arrow; the practice, art, or skill of archers; the art of shooting with a bow and arrow.
Arch-gaye, or Lance-gaye (Fr.). A lance used by the Gauls and Franks, which consisted of a sharp-pointed piece of iron attached to a light wooden handle.
Architonnerre (Fr.). A machine made of copper, which threw iron bullets with great force and noise; it was used in ancient times, being an invention of Archimedes.
Architrave. The master-beam, or chief supporter, in any part of subterraneous fortification.
Arch, Triumphal. In military history, is a stately monument or erection, generally of a semicircular form, adorned with sculpture, inscriptions, etc., in honor of those heroes who have deserved a triumph.
Arcis-sur-Aube. A small town in the French department of Aube; here a battle took place on March 20, 1814, between Napoleon and the allied forces under Prince Schwartzenberg. The battle, beginning with several skirmishes on the first day, and ending in a general engagement on the second day, when the French retreated over the Aube, was not in itself very important. But Napoleon now formed the plan of operating in the rear of the allies, and left the road to Paris open; assuming that they would not venture to proceed without attempting first to secure their rear. The allies marched, nevertheless, on the capital, and thus decided the campaign.
Arco. A metal composed of 70 parts of pure copper, 27 of zinc, and 3 of lead; used for the brass-work of small-arms.
Arcola (Lombardy). The site of battles between the French under Bonaparte, and the Austrians under Field-Marshal Alvinzi, fought November 15–17, 1796. The Austrians lost 18,000 men in killed, wounded, and prisoners, 4 flags, and 18 guns. The French lost about 15,000, and became masters of Italy.
Arcot (East Indies). This city (founded 1716) was taken by Col. Clive August 31, 1751; was retaken, but again surrendered to Col. Coote, February 10, 1760; besieged and taken by Hyder Ali, when the British under Col. Baillie suffered severe defeat, October 31, 1780. Arcot has been subject to Great Britain since 1801.
Arcubalist. See Arbalest.
Ardalion. A river in Algeria. On the banks of this river in 398, Mascezil, a Roman general, defeated Gildo, a Moorish chieftain, then in rebellion against Rome.
Ardebil. A city in Persia; its citadel was constructed by French officers; captured by the Turks in 1827.
Ardres. A city in the department of Pas-de-Calais, France, it was dismantled in 1850. This city was captured by the Duke of Burgundy, brother of Charles V., from the English in 1377; a treaty was concluded here between Francis I. of France and Henry VIII. of England June 7, 1546; captured by the Spaniards in 1596; returned to France in 1598.
Area. In a military sense, is the superficial contents of any rampart or other work of a fortification.
Areoscope. An instrument used for analyzing the air of rooms; used in English medical corps.
Ares. The god of war in Greek mythology, corresponding to the Roman Mars (which see).
Argaum. A village in the Deccan, near to which Gen. Wellesley (afterwards Duke of Wellington) totally defeated the army of Dawlut Rao Scindia in October, 1803.
Argelinos, or Algerinos. The Spaniards so named the foreign legion, which was sent to them from Algiers by France, during the reign of Louis Philippe.
Argent. This word means silver in French, and is always used in heraldry to designate that metal. In engraving English shields the part designated as argent is left white.
Argentaria (now Colmar, Northern France). Where the Roman Emperor Gratian totally defeated the Alemanni and secured the peace of Gaul, 378.
Argentine Republic. Formerly the Confederation of La Plata, a South American federal republic, consisting of 14 provinces extending over an immense area of country. Buenos Ayres, one of its provinces, with the city of the same name, now the capital, seceded from the confederation in 1853, and was reunited in 1860. The country is remarkable chiefly for its internecine wars, revolutions, and struggles, incident to all the countries colonized by the Spanish race. See Buenos Ayres.
Argives. The inhabitants of Argos, a state of ancient Greece of which Mycenæ was the capital, and which was ruled by Agamemnon at the time of the Trojan war. The name is frequently used by Homer to signify the whole body of the Greeks.
Argos (now Panitza). An ancient city of Greece; near here, in 272 B.C., Antigonus Gonatas, king of Macedon, defeated the army of Pyrrhus, king of Epirus; the latter was killed.
Argoulet (Fr.). An ancient dragoon. Also an inferior sort of a musket made at Liege for trading with the negroes.
Arich (anc. Rhinocolura). A fortress in Lower Egypt. The French occupied this place in 1793, but were obliged