Wicket. A small door in the gate of a fortified place, affording a free passage to the people without opening the great gate.
Wicklow. A maritime county in the province of Leinster, in Ireland. According to Ptolemy the geographer, the northern part of the county was the residence of the tribe of the Cauci, and the southern that of the Menapii. It was afterwards occupied by the Irish septs of the Byrnes and O’Tooles, who, though the district was claimed by the English after their settlement, maintained their independence, and carried on an almost continual war against the new settlers until the end of the reign of Elizabeth. The inhabitants adhered to the royal cause during the war of 1641, until the arrival of Cromwell, to whose superior force they submitted without opposition. No other occurrences of historical importance took place until 1798, when several bands of insurgents sought refuge in the mountain fastnesses after the dispersion of their main body in Wexford, and continued to harass the neighboring counties until tranquillity was restored, partly by making terms with the leaders, and partly by establishing military posts in the interior of the country.
Widdin, or Widin. A fortified town of European Turkey. It is surrounded on the land side by morasses, and is defended by a strong citadel, by walls, and by a fortified island in the Danube. For centuries it has been a strong post in all the contests between the Turks and their northern neighbors, and it is called by the Turks the Virgin Fort, from its never having been taken.
Wield. To use with full command or power, as a thing not heavy for the holder; to manage; to handle; as, to wield a sword.
Wiesbaden. A town of Prussia, formerly capital of the independent duchy of Nassau. The Romans built a station here, and erected a fort on a hill on the northwest side of the town, still known as the Römerberg, and which was garrisoned by the 22d Roman legion. The [Mattiaci], a subdivision of the German tribe called the [Catti], allied themselves with the Romans; but in the 3d century, the barbarian Germans rose against the Romans, and destroyed their forts, including Wiesbaden.
Wigan. A town of England, in Lancashire, situated near the small river Douglas. In the civil war the king’s troops, commanded by the Earl of Derby, were defeated and driven out of the town in 1643 by the Parliamentary forces under Sir John Smeaton. The earl was again defeated by Ashton, who razed the fortifications of Wigan to the ground in the same year; and once more by a greatly superior force commanded by Col. Lilburne, 1651.
Wight, Isle of (anc. Vecta, or Vectis). An island in the English Channel, lying off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It was originally peopled by the Celts, who were afterwards expelled or subdued by the Belgæ and these, in their turn, were compelled to submit, in 43, to the Roman legions under Vespasian. The Saxon kings of Wessex conquered it about 530, after a sanguinary action at Wiht-garasbyrig, supposed to be the modern Carisbrooke. In 661, it was subdued by Wulfhere, son of Penda, king of Mercia. The Danes invaded the Wight in 787, 897, 981, 998, and again in 1003, when they destroyed the town of Waltham, supposed to be identical with the modern Werror. The French landed on the island, but were repulsed in 1340. In 1377, the French burnt the towns of Yarmouth, Newtown, and Newport, but were defeated in an attack which they hazarded upon Carisbrooke Castle. In 1545, the French forces, which had assembled under Claude d’Annebault, and fought an indecisive action with Lord Lisle at Spithead, threw themselves upon the island in four detachments at Sea View, Bembridge, Shanklin, and Bonchurch, but were repulsed with signal loss.
Wigwam (sometimes written weekwam). An Indian cabin or hut. The wigwam, or Indian house, of a circular or oval shape, was made of bark or mats laid over a framework of branches of trees stuck in the ground in such a manner as to converge at the top, where was a central aperture for the escape of smoke from the fire beneath. The better sort had also a lining of mats. For entrance and egress two low openings were left on opposite sides, one or the other of which was closed with bark or mats, according to the direction of the wind.
Wilderness, Battles of the. Were fought between the Federal and Confederate armies in Virginia, in May, 1864. They consisted of a series of sanguinary battles, having for their object the capture of Richmond. The plan of Gen. Grant, commander-in-chief of the Union forces, was to follow a line nearly corresponding to the route of the Fredericksburg and Richmond Railroad, making his base at Acquia Creek. For this purpose he moved down the right of the position of Gen. Lee, who commanded the Confederate army, and was prepared either to accept a battle from him on the Rapidan, or to continue his march to Spottsylvania Court-house. Gen. Lee would not consent to be outflanked, and thereby endanger his railroad communication with Richmond. He therefore prepared to resist the progress of Grant, and commenced a rapid movement of his forces parallel with the course of the river. Gen. Hill’s and Ewell’s forces arrived in front of Gen. Grant’s forces on Thursday, May 5, 1864.
Early on the morning of the 5th, Grant’s command began to move. The 5th Corps (Warren’s) advanced from its position near Wilderness Tavern, along the roads leading to Orange Court-house, 5 miles to Parker’s store. This point is in Spottsylvania County, about 8 miles above Chancellorsville. The whole face of the country in that neighborhood is thickly covered with an undergrowth of field-pines, cedars, and scrub-oaks, and therefore utterly unfit for the use of cavalry or artillery. The 6th Corps (Sedgwick’s) was to follow, and the 2d Corps (Hancock’s) was to stretch southwesterly from Chancellorsville toward Shady Grove Church. Sheridan covered the extreme left, with the object of finding the enemy’s cavalry under Stuart. This line extended nearly 5 miles, with the centre thrown forward, when the action commenced. The 5th Corps and the advance of the enemy under Ewell met, when a fierce encounter ensued, the Federals losing about 1000 men. At different periods during the afternoon other portions of the opposing armies came in contact, and the contest became exceedingly bloody. Such was the nature of the undergrowth that there was little opportunity to use artillery. The fire of the enemy’s musketry was furious, and continued until late in the night, but the Federal line was substantially as it had been when the battle commenced; both armies were still face to face, ready to attack at dawn on the morrow.