Tennessee Secretary of State Tre Hargett
Tennessee State Library and Archives
Civil War Resources
Civil War Source Book
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| Magazine: | A bombproof compartment designed to safely store and contain gunpowder and fixed ammunition. |
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| Merlon: | A portion of the parapet wall between two embrasures. |
| Military Crest: | The military crest of a ridge is a position that allows troops to see all the ground in front of them. The topographical crest of a ridge is the highest point on the ridge and allows for a favorable position for distant observation but would not allow troops to see the foreground and fire upon an enemy. Therefore, on a convex slope, the military crest is below the topographical crest. |
| Military Foundry: | Foundries were used for the manufacture of cast iron or bronze cannons or other metal military products, such as munitions, small arms, swords, and belt buckles. In Tennessee several civilian foundries were converted into military use by the Confederacy, the T. M. Brennan Foundry in Nashville being one of them. |
| Military Hospital: | During the surveys of Civil War military sites in Tennessee, military hospitals were categorized as short term and long term. The first refers to buildings that were used as temporary hospitals following a battle, as well as tent hospitals, known as “brigade depots” or “forward dressing stations.” The latter were located as close as possible to battle fronts, and the wounded from the field were brought there by stretcher-bearers. Soldiers treated in these front line hospitals were often placed in ambulance wagons or train cars and transported to larger field or divisional hospitals further in the rear. Wounded soldiers from brigade depots or divisional hospitals were often transported to “general” or “base” hospitals, which were usually permanent buildings located in larger cities. |
| Military Railroad Depot: | Military depots usually consisted of collections of warehouses built for the storage of large quantities of military goods. Supplies were shipped by river, train, or wagon to these depots, usually located in larger cities and guarded by extensive fortifications. During the Civil War, Nashville, Johnsonville, and Murfreesboro, Tennessee, became major Federal storage facilities. |
| Military Saltpeter Mine: | A military controlled mining operation for extracting saltpeter from the floors of caves. This material was refined and became a major component in the manufacturing of gunpowder. |
| Military Shipyard: | Civil War era military shipyards were designed for the construction and maintenance of vessels such as gunboats, transports, and barges. Most were located in large cities on major waterways. In Tennessee, important military shipyards were located at Nashville, Johnsonville, Chattanooga, and Memphis. |
| Mitre: | Another name for a priest cap or swallow tail earthwork. |
| Mouth: | The narrow opening of an embrasure at the interior slope of a parapet. |