Jour (Fr.). The tour of duty which is done in the course of a day and night. Etre de jour, to be officer of the day, or to command a body of troops at a siege or otherwise in the capacity of a general officer, etc.
Journal (Fr.). A public record or general orderly book, kept in the French service, and in which every transaction that occurred during a siege is entered by the governor of the town, for the inspection of a superior authority. The general officer who carried on the siege of a place likewise kept a document of the same kind, and minuted down everything that happened under his command. So that the journal which was kept in this manner was a circumstantial detail of what occurred, day after day, during the attack and defense of a town.
Journals of Defense. In the American service during war, the commander of a place, and the chiefs of engineers and of artillery, shall keep journals of defense, in which shall be entered, in order of date, without blank or interlineation, the orders given or received, the manner in which they are executed, their results, and every event and circumstance of importance in the progress of the defense. These journals shall be sent after the siege to the Department of War.
Journals of March. Commanding officers of troops marching through a country little known will keep journals of their marches according to a form laid down in Army Regulations. At the end of the march a copy of the journal will be retained at the station where the troops arrive, and the original will be forwarded to the headquarters of the department or corps d’armée. Thence, after a copy has been taken, it will be transmitted, through the headquarters of the army, to the adjutant-general, for the information of the War Department. The object of the journal is to furnish data for maps, and information which may serve for future operations. Every point of practical importance should therefore be noted.
Journée (Fr.). A term used among the French to express any particular engagement or battle; as, la journée de Marengo, the battle of Marengo. We frequently adopt the word in the same sense; thus, a hard-fought day signifies a hard-fought battle.
Joust, or Just. An exercise of arms and horsemanship, performed in the Middle Ages by knights and nobles. In the joust, the combatants engaged one another singly, each against his antagonist. The weapon most in use in the joust was the lance, but sometimes the battle-axe and sword were employed. To direct the lance anywhere but at the body of the antagonist was reckoned foul play. In the joust of peace, or joute de plaisance, a foot encounter preceded the mounted combat.
Joute (Fr.). A close fight between two individuals. It likewise means an engagement at sea.
Joves (Fr.). The two sides in the epaulement of a battery which form the embrasure are so called.
Joyeuse (Fr.). A name given to the sword of Charlemagne.
Judge-Advocate. An individual appointed to officiate as public prosecutor upon every general court-martial for the trial of officers and soldiers accused of a breach of the Articles of War, general regulations, or any conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline. He is appointed by the officer authorized to assemble a general court-martial, and must be relieved by the same authority. His duties are various and important (see De Hart’s “Military Law,” Benét on “Courts-Martial,” and Scott’s “Analytical Digest of Military Law,” on duties, etc., of judge-advocate); he must be present at the court for which he is appointed, not only to record all its proceedings, but also in order to impart validity to its jurisdiction. He advises the court on points of law, of custom, and of form, and invites their attention to any deviation therefrom. If any question of law arises out of the proceedings, and he is called upon for his opinion, he is bound to give it. It is his duty to take care that the accused does not suffer from a want of knowledge of the law, or from a deficiency of experience or ability to solicit from witnesses, or develop by the testimony on the trial, a full statement of the facts of the case as hearing on the defense. If the court, or a member thereof, should deviate from the letter of the law, or assume a power at variance with it, the judge-advocate is bound to point out the error, which should become a part of the record. It is now admitted that the custom of appointing persons from civil life to officiate as judge-advocate is clearly objectionable. It creates a ministerial officer without legal responsibilities, and necessarily commits to his hands high interests of the government, and to some extent the rights and reputation of individuals, to be treated and observed without any stronger guaranty of fidelity than his own sense or impression of moral obligation. In the important duties of the judge-advocate as recorder, adviser, and prosecutor, the utmost deference to the dignity of the court should be apparent; a delicate courtesy and modest demeanor should be characteristic of his address, while his argument may be replete with all the vigor and energy which knowledge imparts and which truth demands.