Madrid. The capital of Spain, in New Castile, on the left bank of the river Manzanares. It is mentioned in history as Majerit, a Moorish castle. Madrid was sacked by the Moors in 1109; retaken and fortified by Henry III. about 1400; taken by Lord Galway in 1706; and by the French in March, 1808. The citizens of Madrid attempted to expel the French, and were defeated with much slaughter, May 2, 1808; the French were compelled to retire, but the place was retaken by them December 2, 1808, and retained until Wellington and his army entered it, August 12, 1812.
Madriers. Are long planks of broad wood, used for supporting the earth in mining, carrying on a sap, making coffers, caponiers, galleries, and for various other purposes at a siege; also to cover the mouth of petards after they are loaded, and are fixed with the petards to the gates or other places designed to be forced open. When the planks are not strong enough they are doubled with plates of iron.
Madura. An island of the Malay Archipelago, situated off the northeast coast of the island of Java, from which it is separated by a narrow channel. The Dutch invaded this island about the year 1747, and made slaves of a great number of the inhabitants.
Maestricht. A town of Holland, and capital of the province of Limburg, on the Maas, 110 miles southeast from Amsterdam. This town was taken by the French in 1794; and from 1795 till 1814 it was the capital of the French department of the Lower Meuse.
Magazine. A word derived from the Arabic, makhzan, “store-house,” means any place where stores are kept; but as a military expression, it always means a store-house for powder, although arms may at times be kept in it. In military structures the magazines must be bomb-proof, and therefore necessitate very thick walls; they must be quite free from damp, and should admit sufficient daylight to render the use of lanterns within generally unnecessary. The entrance is protected by shot-proof traverses, lest an opening should be forced by ricochet shots.
Magazine Guns. Are breech-loading small-arms having a magazine capable of holding several cartridges which may be fired in quick succession,—the empty shell being ejected and another cartridge conveyed into the breech from the magazine by working the mechanism of the piece. Among American magazine guns, the [Spencer] was one of the first that proved successful, and was extensively used during the war of the Rebellion, 1861-65. The magazine was a tube in the stock. The [Spencer] is no longer made. The [Henry] was a contemporary, and used a tube under the barrel,—this gun as now improved is known as the [Winchester], and is sold in every part of the globe. The Ward-Burton and Hotchkiss have tubes, the first under the barrel, the second in the stock like the [Spencer]; they are both bolt guns as to breech mechanism. The Lee uses as a magazine a kind of pocket between the stock and barrel. This is readily detached. A gun carrying a great number of cartridges is the Evans, which has a spiral cartridge-carrier in the stock. Other guns, the Meigs and Cullen, have been made carrying a still greater number, as many as forty or fifty, but these systems have not met with any considerable success. See [Small-arms].
Magdala. A strong mountain fortress in Abyssinia, which King Theodore held against the expedition sent out in 1867 by the British government for the rescue of their subjects. In April, 1867, this stronghold was taken by Gen. Napier, for which he was created Baron of Magdala. See [Abyssinia].
Magdeburg. A fortified city of Prussia, in the province of Saxony, on the Elbe. It was founded by Otto the Great in the 10th century, and is considered one of the strongest fortresses in Germany. It suffered greatly during the Thirty Years’ War, when it was sacked, and its inhabitants massacred, under the direction of Tilly. In 1806 it was taken by the French, and annexed by them to the kingdom of Westphalia; but finally restored to Prussia in consequence of the downfall of Napoleon in 1814.
Magdolum (in the Old Testament Migdol). A city of Lower Egypt, near the northeastern frontier, about 12 miles southwest of Pelusium, where Pharaoh Necho defeated the Syrians, according to Herodotus.
Magenta. A town of Italy, in Lombardy, 15 miles west from Milan. A great battle was fought here in June, 1859, between the French and Austrians, in which the latter were defeated. The French were commanded by Gen. MacMahon, who received the title of Duke of Magenta.