A Military Dictionary and Gazetteer / Comprising ancient and modern military technical terms, historical accounts of all North American Indians, as well as ancient warlike tribes; also notices of battles from the earliest period to the present time, with a concise explanation of terms used in heraldry and the offices thereof. The work also gives valuable geographical information. Compiled from the best authorities of all nations. With an appendix containing the Articles of war, etc.

by Thomas Wilhelm

Prize Agent. In the British service, a person appointed for the distribution of such shares of money as may become due to officers and soldiers after battle, siege, or capture.

Prize-bolt. A manœuvring-bolt of a mortar-bed.

Prize-money. The proportion which is paid to the troops who are present at the capture or surrender of a place, etc., which yields booty.

Prizing. The same as [prize], which see.

Proclamation. The act of publishing abroad; conspicuous announcements; official or general notice; publication; that which is put forth by way of public notice; an official public announcement or declaration; a published ordinance; as, the proclamation of a king. A proclamation may be issued to declare the intention of the head of a government to exercise some prerogative or enforce some law which has for a long time been dormant or suspended. In time of war, the head of the government by a proclamation may lay an embargo on shipping, and order the ports to be shut. But the most usual class of proclamations are admonitory notices for the prevention of offenses, consisting of formal declarations of existing laws and penalties, and of the intention to enforce them. Proclamations are only binding when they do not contradict existing laws, or tend to establish new ones, but only enforce the execution of those which are already in being, in such manner as the head of the government judges necessary.

Proconsul. In Roman antiquity, an officer who discharged the duties of a consul without being himself consul; a governor of a province, or a military commander under a governor. He was usually one who had previously been consul, and his power was nearly equal to that of a regular consul.

Prodd. A cross-bow, used for throwing bullets in ancient times.

Profile. A section of a parapet or other work in fortification.

Projectile. A body projected or impelled forward by force, especially through the air. In a limited military sense the term is applied to a body intended to be projected from a cannon by the force of gunpowder, or other explosive agent, to reach, strike, pass through, or destroy a distant object. The materials of which projectiles are usually composed are lead, wrought or cast iron, each possessing advantages according to the circumstances under which they are fired. But the material which combines in a greater degree than any other the essential qualities of hardness, strength, density, and cheapness, is cast iron, which is exclusively used in the U. S. service for large projectiles. Compound projectiles are sometimes made, so as to combine the good and correct the bad qualities of different metals. To obviate the serious results that may arise from the wedging of the flanges of a cast-iron projectile in the grooves of a rifle-cannon, it is frequently covered with a coating of lead or other soft metal. Cast and wrought iron have also been combined with success, and also cast iron and soft metal in such a manner as to attain the strength of one metal and the softness and expansibility of the other. Other metals, such as brass, are also used in projectiles of special construction. Projectiles are generally classified, according to their form, into spherical, or smooth-bore, and oblong, or rifle projectiles.

Spherical Projectiles are fired mainly from smooth-bore guns. They are solid shot, shells, spherical case or shrapnel, grape, canister, carcasses, grenades, light- and fire-balls. The advantages which they possess over the oblong are their uniformity of resistance to the air, presenting the least extent of surface for a given weight, the coincidence of their centres of form and inertia; they are less liable to wedge in the bore, as they touch the surface at only one point; and they are best adapted for rolling and ricochet fire on account of the regularity of their rebounds. Solid shot are usually made of cast iron, and are designated by the diameter of the bore of the piece in which they are to be used, or by their weight. Shells are cast with a core of sand (greater or less according to the thickness required), which is afterwards removed. The mortar-shell has the thinnest walls, and contains the greatest bursting charge for the same caliber; the gun-shell is thicker, and the battering-shell is nearly as strong as the solid shot. Shells are usually designated by the weight of the solid shot of the same diameter.