Morning Gun. The gun fired at the first note of reveille in military barracks, forts, etc.
Morning Star. A weapon consisting of a ball with projecting spikes attached by a chain to a short staff. Used as late as the time of Henry VIII. by the train-bands of London.
Morocco. An empire in Northern Africa, formerly Mauritania. In 1051 it was subdued for the Fatimite caliphs, by the Almaravides, who eventually extended their dominion into Spain. They were succeeded by the Almohades (1121), the Merinites (1270), and in 1516 by the Scherifs, pretended descendants of Mohammed, the now reigning dynasty. The Moors have had frequent wars with the French, Spaniards, and Portuguese, due to piracy.
Moron, or Moron-de-la-Frontera. A town of Andalusia, Spain, about 32 miles northeast of Seville. On a hill east of the town are the ruins of an ancient castle erected by the Moors, which was one of the most important strongholds in Spain for several centuries. It was blown up by the French in 1812.
Morris Island. A low sand island, about 5 miles long, on the south side of Charleston harbor, S. C. A Confederate battery erected on its northern extremity aided in the capture of Fort Sumter, April 12-13, 1861, after which Fort Wagner and other batteries were erected for the defense of Charleston. An expedition against the city having been contemplated, the military occupation of the island by the Federals, and the erection of land-batteries for the reduction of Fort Sumter were deemed necessary. As the latter was a task requiring engineering skill, the duty was assigned to Gen. Q. A. Gillmore, who took command of the department. He took possession of the south end of the island on July 10, 1863, and on the 11th and 18th made two attempts to capture Fort Wagner near the north end by assault, his object being to get within more effective breaching distance of Fort Sumter. His efforts, however, were unsuccessful, and it was accordingly determined to reduce Fort Wagner by a regular siege. Gen. Gillmore commenced by the erection of parallels, which he pushed forward with such diligence in spite of all difficulties, that by August 13 his works were within about 400 yards of Wagner. On the morning of the 17th, having completed his batteries, which numbered about 60 pieces, and obtained the range, his guns opened fire on Sumter. The fleet, consisting of the frigate “Ironsides” and the monitors, aided by some wooden gunboats, made an attack at the same time upon Fort Wagner and Fort Gregg, another Confederate work, both of which were nearly silenced. On August 26, having completed a parallel and sap which extended very close to Fort Wagner, Gen. Gillmore determined to possess a ridge of sand which interposed, and was necessary to the success of his operations. It was constantly occupied by a strong body of the enemy’s pickets and at night by a force protected by rifle-pits. A bombardment of the position was made just before dark, after which it was carried by the 24th Massachusetts, and one company of North Carolina troops captured. After a terrific bombardment of forty-two hours, September 5-6, it was determined to carry the place by storm on the next day, but during the night the enemy evacuated the fort, and Gen. Gillmore became master of the whole island.
Morris-pike. An ancient Moorish pike.
Mortar. Short cannon for throwing shells, usually fired at angles from 45° to 60° elevation, called “vertical fire,” in contradistinction to the fire of long cannon, usually made at low angles. Mortars—so called from their similarity of form to the mortar for pulverizing, which has retained its familiar shape from the earliest ages—are believed to have been the first guns used, and, though changed from age to age frequently in form of chamber, size, and projectile, all ages have found them too useful in their special way to suppress or essentially alter them. The “Coehorn” mortar—so called from the famous Dutch engineer, Gen. Coehorn, who first proposed them in 1674—is to-day in use, of the same pattern and for the like service then suggested. Monster mortars have been constructed from time to time, in the hope of producing immense destruction in bombardments with single shells containing a large quantity of powder. The most recent of these, the monster mortar made by Mallet for the British government, weighing 114,000 pounds, with a bore of 36 inches and a shell of 2912 pounds, failed to be of any service. Perhaps the most unique mortars ever made were to be found in the island of Malta in the last century. The solid rock had been hollowed out into immense mortars, some of them 6 feet wide at the mouth. These tremendous [fougasses] (the proper term for them) were to be filled with stones, shells, and missiles of various kinds, to descend in a crushing shower upon an enemy attempting a landing. For different kinds of mortars now in use, see [Ordnance].
Mortara. A walled town of Italy, situated on the right bank of the Arbogna, 14 miles south-southeast of Novara. In 774, the Lombards were here defeated by Charlemagne with great slaughter.
Mortar-bed. See [Beds], and [Ordnance, Carriages for].
Mortar-fuze. See [Laboratory Stores].