Beloochistan, Southern Asia. The ancient Gedrosia. The capital, Kelat, was taken by the British in the Afghan war, in 1839; abandoned in 1840; taken and held for a short time in 1841.
Belt, Great. A strait forming the central communication between the Baltic and the Cattegat; it separates the island of Funen from that of Seeland. In the winter of 1658, while frozen, it was crossed by Gustavus Adolphus, king of Sweden, and his army, on his way to besiege Copenhagen.
Belts. Leathern suspenders of different sorts and for various purposes, viz.: sword belts, to which swords hang; shoulder or cross belts, broad leathern belts, crossing from the right shoulder, and to which the pouch is affixed; and leathern straps fixed round the waist, by which a sword or bayonet is suspended.
Benares. A holy city of the Hindoos in India; it was ceded by the nabob of Oude to the English in 1755; the scene of an insurrection in 1781, which nearly proved fatal to the British interests in Hindostan. In June, 1857, Col. Neil succeeded in suppressing attempts to join the Sepoy mutiny.
Ben-Azzedin. A place in Algiers, where the French fought the Kabyles, September 9, 1848.
Benburb. Near Armagh (Northern Ireland). Here O’Neill totally defeated the English under Monroe, June 5, 1646. Moore says that it was “the only great victory since the days of Brian Boru achieved by an Irish chieftain in the cause of Ireland.”
Bend. In heraldry, is one of the ordinaries, or more important figures. It is formed of two parallel lines drawn from the dexter to the sinister base, and consequently passing athwart the shield. It is supposed to represent a shoulder-belt, or scarf worn over the shoulder.
Bender (Bessarabia, European Russia). Was the asylum of Charles XII. of Sweden after his defeat at Pultowa by the czar Peter the Great, July 8, 1709. The peace of Bender was concluded in 1711; it was taken by storm, by the Russians, in September, 1770; again taken by Potemkin in 1789; and again stormed in 1809. It was restored at the peace of Jassy, but retained at the peace of 1812.
Benevente. A small town of the province of Alentejo, Portugal, where Lord Paget, afterwards Marquis of Anglesea, in 1808, greatly distinguished himself by a brilliant cavalry action, against the French under Marshal Soult; when Gen. Lefebre Desnouettes, who commanded the advanced guard of the French forces, was taken prisoner.
Benevento (anc. Beneventum). An ancient city in South Italy, said to have been founded by Diomedes the Greek, after the fall of Troy; Pyrrhus of Macedon, during his invasion of Italy, was totally defeated near Beneventum, 275 B.C. At a battle fought here, February 26, 1266, Manfred, king of Sicily, was defeated and slain by Charles of Anjou, who thus became virtually master of Italy. It was seized by the king of Naples, but restored to the pope, 1773; it was taken by the French in 1798, and restored to the pope in 1814.
Bengal. Chief presidency of British India, containing Calcutta, the capital. Its governors were delegated by the sovereigns of Delhi till 1340, when it became independent. It was added to the Mogul empire by Baber about 1529.
Beni-Abbes. An Algerian tribe who fought the French, May 16, 1847.
Beni-Achour. An Algerian tribe who were defeated by the French, September 22, 1848.
Benicke. A kind of military fête among the Turks, similar to a tournament, but without the presence of ladies.
Beni-Mered. An Algerian tribe who were defeated by the French, May 27, 1836.
Beni-Yala. An Algerian tribe who were chastised by the French, May 31, 1847.
Ben-Nahr. A place in Algeria where the French defeated the Arabs, February 7, 1846.
Bennington. A post-township of Bennington Co., Vt., 117 miles southwest of Montpelier. Here a detachment of the English army under Gen. Burgoyne were defeated by the Americans under Gen. Stark, August 16, 1777, and 600 prisoners captured.
Ben-Tijour. A place in Algeria where the French engaged the Arabs, September 22, 1848.
Bentonville. A village in Johnston Co., N. C. Here part of the army of Gen. Sherman encountered a Confederate army (40,000 strong) under Gen. Johnston, March, 1865. The attack was made by Gen. Johnston on the left wing of the Federal army with the intention of overwhelming it before it could be relieved. Six assaults were gallantly sustained by the Federals against the combined forces of Gens. Hoke, Hardee, and Cheatham. During the night Gen. Slocum received reinforcements which rendered his position impregnable. On March 21, Gen. Sherman ordered a general attack by his skirmish-line, and the ensuing night Johnston retreated towards Smithfield, leaving his pickets to fall into Gen. Sherman’s hands. The Federal loss was 1646; the Confederate loss is unknown, but about 1300 prisoners were taken by the Union forces.
Beraun. A walled town of Bohemia, capital of a circle, on the Beraun River. Here the Austrians defeated the Prussians in 1744.
Berbers. The general name usually given to the tribes inhabiting the mountainous regions of Barbary and the northern portions of the Great Desert. They were conquered in succession by the Phœnicians, Romans, Vandals, and Arabs. They are of middle stature, sparely but strongly built; complexion varies from a red to a yellow brown; hair is, in general, dark, and eyes dark and piercing. Their manners are austere, and in disposition they are cruel, suspicious, and implacable. They are usually at war with their neighbors or among themselves.
Beresina, or Berezina. A river in Russia, crossed by the French main army after its defeat by the Russians, November 25–29, 1812. The French lost upwards of 20,000 men, and their retreat was attended by great calamity and suffering.
Bereung. A description of Swedish militia, consisting of every man in the kingdom, from 20 to 25 years of age, capable of bearing arms.
Bergamo. A fortified city of Lombardy, Italy; captured by the French in 1698. During the height of the Venetian power, Bergamo was a dependency on its territory; under Napoleon, it was the capital of the department of Serio.
Bergedorf. A town of North Germany; it was taken from the Duke of Saxe-Lauenberg in 1736 by the cities of Hamburg and Lubeck; recaptured in 1412; and again taken by the same two cities in 1720.
Bergen. A small town in Germany, about 5 miles from Frankfort. Here the French, under the Duke of Broglie, defeated the allies under the Duke Ferdinand of Brunswick, April 13, 1759. The allies lost 2500 killed and wounded, and the French lost about 1800.
Bergen. A town in Holland. Here the allies under the Duke of York were defeated by the French, under Gen. Brune, with great loss, September 19, 1799. In another battle fought October 2, the same year, the duke gained the victory over Brune; but on the 6th, the duke was defeated before Alkmaer, and on the 20th entered into a convention, by which his army was exchanged for 6000 French and Dutch prisoners in England.
Bergen-op-Zoom, or Berg-op-Zoom. A strongly-fortified town of Holland, in North Brabant, on the river Zoom. In 1586 it was unsuccessfully besieged by the famous Duke of Parma, and afterwards, in 1622, it defied the utmost attempts of Spinola, who was forced to abandon the enterprise after a siege of ten weeks, with the loss of 12,000 men. It was taken by the French under Count Lowendahl in 1747, and in 1795 was again occupied by them. An attempt made by the British under Gen. Sir T. Graham (afterwards Lord Lynedoch) to carry the fortress by storm was defeated; after forcing an entrance, their retreat was cut off, and a dreadful slaughter ensued; nearly all were cut to pieces or made prisoners, March 8, 1814.
Bergerac. A town in the department of Dordogne, France; it