BATTALION. 



BATTERY. 



It teem*, therefore, that, originally, the name of regiment was 

 applied to the body of men organised for a particular district, or a 

 particular branch of service ; and that, when the numerical strength 

 of the regiment exceeded what was considered convenient, it was 

 divided into two or more HHillrnff Battalions may, therefore, be 

 defined a* the units of the modern tactical system and composition of 

 infantry, which U arbitrarily divided into regiment*. The number of 

 hstulioo* hi a regiment varies much in the different armies of Kmo], . 

 the strength of a battalion, however, i* generally about 800 or 1000 



: - 



The phalanx of the Greeks, and the legion of the Roman*, with 

 their respective constitutions and divisions, will be described under 

 the words PHALAKX and Lroio*. 



The destructive effects of fire-arms among dense bodies of men 

 necessarily caused the close order of battle used in ancient warfare to 

 be abandoned : though, down to the middle of the 18th century, an 

 opinion that the troop* could not otherwise resist effectually a charge 

 of the enemy, and the desire to form them with facility into a column 

 for attack, induced commander* of armies to draw up the battalion* in 

 a line from four to six files deep. But the numerous cnmialtiaa which 

 till occurred, led subsequently to the practice of forming the line in 

 three rank*; and in the present regulations for the disposition of 

 the British army, it is prescribed that the battalions are to be drawn 

 up in two ranks only. The argument in favour of this method, 

 which, it may be observed, was recommended, in 1783, by Turpin. 

 the commentator of Vegetiua. is, that in action two ranks of men 

 only can fire at once, and a* the third rank can only be employed in 

 loading, and h"*K"g the muskets to the men in their front, this ser- 

 vice scarcely compensates for the loss occasioned by the exposure of BO 

 many men to the enemy's fire. This is fully borne out by Marshal 

 Marmont, Duke of Ragusa, in the following passages, which are ex- 

 tracted from a translation of his work which appeared in the ' I'nited 

 Service Journal,' for February, 1845 : " Nothing can be said in favour 

 of a third rank, for without entering into a detail of volleys, persons 

 of experience know that if one can, at a review, fire a volley in three 

 ranks, it is impossible in war." A foreign writer, however, contends 

 that with soldier* as well disciplined as those of Russia, three ranks 

 would be more advantageous than two : since the men in the middle 

 rank are enabled to fire a second time with the muskets obtained 

 from those in the third rank, immediately after they and the front- 

 rank men have made their first fire, so that a much less interval 

 take* place between the vollies than that which occurs when the 

 line consists of only two ranks. Marshal Marmont says it is ascer- 

 tained to be impracticable to hand over the firelock to the third rank 

 a* the French order prescribes. " This method, being merely theoretical, 

 is by no mean* applicable to the face of an enemy. In fact, the 

 third rank, of its own accord, in a few moments, forms into the 

 other two ; the most advantageous formation is, therefore, instinctively 

 adopted ; but as the change is made contrary to order, there results 

 from it a kind of disorganisation." 



During the wars which arose out of the revolution in France, the 

 armies of that nation became habituated to a formation in close 

 columns instead of a line of small depth. This practice, which seemed 

 to be a return to the tactics of the ancients, possesses some advan- 

 tage* when an attack i* to be directed against an enemy's line which 

 is too far extended to allow the divisions to succour each other in 

 time ; and the great merit of Napoleon consisted in manoeuvring so 

 a* to lead hi* opponent to fall into this error, and then overwhelming 

 him by numerous consecutive and powerful attack* directed against 

 the weaker part of hi* line. The system, however, seems to have been 

 pemvered in too tenaciously by the French generals ; for against 

 steady troop*, their column* not only suffered serious losses in making 

 the asuaultii, but were incapable of keeping up a fire equal to that 

 which might have been produced by a more extended order. Such 

 wa* the error committed by Marshal Soult at the battle of All.uera. 

 According to Napier (' History of the Peninsular War), " that general 

 persisted beyond reason in fighting with dense column*, and thus lost 

 the fairest field ever offered to the arm* of France. Hod the fifth 

 corps of the French opened in time," the historian observes, " nothing 

 could have saved the Britiah array from a total defeat" 



A battalion of 800 men, that U disregarding the depot, is divided 

 into ten con>|*niea ; and, for convenience in performing the move- 

 ment* which may be required, each company is subdivided into two 

 equal parts, and each of these into section*. The battalion is com- 

 manded by it* own colonel ; and several battalions or regiments are, 

 on service, united under one general officer; these constitute a brigade, 

 and may be considered a* a small legion. According to the present 

 regulation* each man occupies in line 21 inches, and, a* no intervals 

 exist between the companies, the extent of a battalion formed two 

 deep. U about 240 yards. Six paces are left between every two 

 battalions, and the same interval only separates one brigade from 

 another. 



The company of grenadiers occupies the extreme right, and tdc 

 light company the extreme left of the battalion : these are called the 

 eompanie*, nd the other* take their place* from right to left, 

 " | to the number* by which they an designated. The captain, 

 commanding each company, is stationed in the front rank on 

 the right of hi* company ; and immediately behind him, in the raw 



rank, i* his covering sergeant. The lieutenant*, ensigns, and the 

 sergeant* of the companies form a third, or what is called a super- 

 numerary, rank in rear of the others, at the distance of three pace*. 

 The two regimental colours are placed in the front rank between the 

 two centre companies, and two non-commissioned officer* are in the rear 

 rank behind them ; a sergeant is stationed in the front, between the 

 colours, another stands opposite to him in the rear rank, and a third in 

 n line with both, in the supernumerary rank. These last-mentioned 

 sergeants serve to direct the march of the battalion when it 

 parallel to its front; for which purpose, on that occasion, they f.irm 

 themselves in a line in that direction, and march before the battalion at 

 the distance of six paces. 



The commander of the battalion places himself in front when he has 

 to superintend the ordinary exercises, otherwise his station is in the 

 rear. The lieutenant-colonel is behind the colours in rear of the 

 supernumerary rank; the majors are in rear of the second battilion 

 companies on the right and left flanks respectively, and the adjutant 

 in a line with them, opposite to the centre. The situations of 

 the Stafof the battalion, the musicians, Ac., together with the parti- 

 culars above briefly stated, are fully described in the treatises on the 

 field exercises and evolutions of the British army. 



Originally the grenadiers performed the duty of throwing hand- 

 grenades, or small iron shells charged with powder, among the enemy : 

 and the firelocks of the fusiliers and light infantry were different from 

 those of the other troops ; but, at the present day, all the infantry of 

 the line carry the same kind of musket, namely, the Enfiekl rifle. 



The principal evolutions of a battalion consist in reversing the front 

 of the line, taking a |>.-itin at right-angles to its actual front ; form- 

 ing a column by bringing the different companies or their subdivisions 

 jKiralK'l to, and directly in rear of each other, either at open or close 

 intervals ; forming a column r* tdultm, or with the i irallcl 



to, but in positions receding from, each other towards the right or left, 

 in the manner of steps ; or, lastly, forming a hollow square. By 

 changing the front, a retrograde movement ill line may be made ; by 

 forming the line perpendicularly on either flank, on attempt of the 

 enemy to turn it may be opposed. Columns are formed for the 

 purpose of marching along roads or through defiles, or advancing in a 

 body towards an enemy's position; a movement en r'chclon ,il]o\\- 

 troop* to gain ground obliquely towards the front or rear; and a hollow 

 square is formed in order to resist an enemy in every direction, when 

 the battalion is in danger of being surrounded. 



(Turpin de Crisse", Oommentairet tur let fmtitntiont Militnirt* tic 

 Yigect ; Daniel, U'utoirt de la Milice Franc-otic ; Okounef, Eeamea, 

 Raifmxt del PropritUt del Trnit A rmei ; Bismark on the Tartin nf 

 Cavalry, translated by Major Beamish ; Regulation fur At Formation*, 

 Field EJerciK*, and jforementt of her Ifajetiy't Farce*. For many par- 

 ticulars relative to the present state of the British army, the M<ni'lil>i 

 Littt may be consulted. See also R. E. Aidt-Mtmuirt, art., Evolutions of 

 Infantry.) 



KATTARDEAU. [COFFER-DAM.] 



BATTENS. One description of sawn fir timber planks of small 

 dimensions, imported from the north of Kurope, or from America, is 

 known in commerce under the name of battev, by way of contradis- 

 tinction to the other descriptions known respectively as dealt and phuttt. 

 Battens ore of various lengths, from 10 to 14 or occasionally Hi feet, 

 and generally 7 or 64 inches wide by 3, 24, or 2} inches thick ; they 

 ore sold, however, by what is called the Petersburg standard, which 

 is equivalent to 120 battens 12 feet long, 7 inches wide, by 24 inches 

 thick. The present duty upon their importation U at the rate of lOt. 

 ]r load of 60 cubic feet, from foreign countries; or 2. per load 

 when of or from British possessions ; in the latter case 5 per cent. 

 -ulilitioiial duty is charged. The beet battens come from Norway or 

 St. Petersburg. 



Batten* are principally used for flooring purposes, or for covering 

 roofs to receive slating, on account of their living less exposed to 

 .-drinking than other plank stuff, owing to their smaller scantling. It i.-> 

 customary to cut the 24-inch battens, ax imported, into two boards 

 for, floors, and into three board* for slating; sometimes in inferior 

 floors battens cut into three boards are also used. 



In joiner's work the term batten, or battening, is used to express the 

 species of framing immediately attached to a wall, which subsequently 

 receives any panneled wainscoting, or a canvas lining, intn.lu. -. .1 

 for the purpose of isolating the paper from the wall iUelf, or < v. n ..i 

 isolating the plastering of a room from the wall, if there should ! 

 any danger of the Utter affecting the decorated surfaces by its 

 humidity, or by its tendency to "saltpetre." In mieh cases the battens 

 are usually made about 2} inches wide by 1] inches thick, and are 

 placed at clear distance* asunder of from 7 to 12 inches, according to 

 the nature of the surface they are designed to receive; wdm the 

 batten* are intended to receive canvas they are made wider, hut are 

 placed at rather greater intervals. Sometime* the laths nailed at 

 interval* upon the common rafters of a 'roof to receive the nails of 

 the slating, or the hook of tiles, are called incorrectly baltcnt. 



BATTMUNi; RAM. [ARTILI.KIIV.] 



BATTKHY (IN LAW). [ASSAULT.] 



BATTKKY. 'KLECTRICAL and GALVANIC, or VOLT.U' . 

 [ELKCTRicrrrl. 



BATTERY. This name is given to any number of piece* of orduaac 



