Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett
Tennessee State Library and Archives
Civil War Resources
Civil War Source Book
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| A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |
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| Banquette: | The inside step at the base of a parapet wall that allowed a soldier to stand, load and fire over the crest of the parapet while being sheltered. |
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| Banquette Slope: | An access ramp to the banquette. |
| Barbette Battery: | Cannons (referred to as guns) were said to be in barbette when they were mounted so as to be able to fire over the crest of the parapet, providing a wide range of fire. In this position the firing angle of the guns was not limited, as in firing through embrasures. The disadvantage of firing in barbette was the increased exposure of the artillery crew to direct enemy fire. |
| Barricade: | To obstruct the avenues of access, as roads, streets, etc. This was accomplished by overturning wagons, placement of large stones, abatis; and ditches. | Bastion: | A projection from a main work (or field fortification) containing two faces and two flanks that provide flanking fire to the front of the main work. |
| Bastion Fort: | A polygon work with bastions at the corners. These eliminate dead spaces and angles in the main work. |
| Bastioned Front: | An area of the work between the capitals of two adjacent bastions. |
| Battalion: | Battalions consisted of approximately 500 men or one half the strength of a 1000 man infantry regiment. The term battalion was used loosely during the Civil War. Occasionally two companies (200 men) were referred to as a battalion, while the whole regiment was often mistakenly called a battalion. It was commonly accepted, however, that a regiment was composed of two battalions. |
| Battle: | A contest between two large bodies of hostile troops. The term battle usually applies to a larger and more significant contest than a skirmish or an affair or engagement. |
| Battlefield: | The area over which two large bodies of hostile troops engaged in combat. During the Civil War military site surveys conducted in Tennessee, battlefields were divided into two categories, small or large engagements. Small engagements involved a relatively small number of troops, while large engagements were fought by units the size of a division or greater, approximately 12,000 troops or more. |
| Battle Order: | In the use of tactics, the order of battle referred to the arrangement or formations of troops drawn up in a line of battle, ready to meet the enemy. The theory of military formations was defined in all the U.S. and Confederate drill manuals of the day and was derived almost exclusively from translations of French manuals dating back to the Napoleonic era. Scott’s Infantry Tactics of 1835 was updated by Hardee’s Rifle and Light Infantry Tactics in 1855, and in 1862 both of the above were combined in Silas Casey’s, Evolution of a Brigade and Corps D’Armee. Casey’s manual soon became the most popular on the subject. The usual order of battle began with a skirmish line, generally two companies, deployed 400 to 500 yards in front of the main line of battle. These were positioned at wide intervals and were used to locate the enemy or protect the main line from surprise. As the war progressed, frequently half of the regiment would form as skirmishers. The main line of troops (usually composed of six companies) was next in line and was drawn-up in two lines or ranks, for both attack and defense. The double line formation allowed the maximum number of muskets to fire and made it possible for officers to better control their men in the confusion of battle. A brigade might occupy less than 500 yards of front. To the rear of the main battle line (300 yards) two companies were placed in reserve. |
| Berm: | A narrow shelf between the parapet and the ditch (or exterior slope and the scarp), which prevented the parapet from collapsing into the ditch. |
| Bivouac: | A temporary encampment for one night or longer with troops using tents or other types of hastily constructed shelters or lean-tos of wood branches or other types of available natural cover. |
| Blockhouse: | In Tennessee, blockhouses were wooden defensive structures that served primarily to guard railroad trestles. They were constructed of heavy vertical timbers and incorporated flat overhead ceilings of heavy timber, usually covered with a thick layer of dirt and capped with sloping board and batten roofs to shed water. The exterior walls contained loopholes for the firing of weapons, and these were located just above an embankment made from dirt removed from a surrounding ditch. As the war progressed, horizontal timbers were added to double the thickness of the walls to enable them to withstand artillery fire. Most of the blockhouses constructed in Tennessee were square, rectangular or cross-shaped. |
| Bombproof: | A structure built of wood and earth that could withstand artillery fire. |
| Boyau: | In siege work fortifications a boyau trench was constructed to allow troops to move from one parallel trench to another. They were usually made in zigzag form to provide protection from enemy fire. |
| Breach: | An opening in an enemy wall or position usually made by artillery fire, for the purpose of allowing entry by attacking troops. During the Battle of Franklin, Tennessee in 1864, Confederate infantry, without the aid of supporting artillery, breached the federal entrenchments. |
| Break Joints: | In sod revetments, each layer of sod overlapped the joints of the prior layer, adding strength to the sod wall. |
| Breastwork: | A hastily constructed parapet that was breast high and usually did not include a banquette or step at the base of the parapet. |
| Bridge Head: | A work composed of one or more redans or bastions that protected a bridge from enemy fire. It was also known by its French name, the tete-du-pont. |
| Brigade: | A military unit, ideally consisting of four regiments, or approximately 4,000 soldiers, though during the Civil War actual numbers varied. Brigades were commanded by brigadier generals. |