Captain en second, or second captain, is one whose company has been broke, and who is joined to another, to serve under the captain of it.
In some armies the captain en seconde, is also a second captain to the same company, whose rank is above all the lieutenants, and below all the captains of the same corps.
CAPTURE de deserteurs, Fr. Under the old government of France, a particular order existed, by which every intendant de province or commissaire de guerre was authorised to pay one hundred livres, or twenty dollars, to any person or persons who should apprehend and secure a deserter; and three hundred livres, or seventy dollars for every man that could be proved to have enticed a soldier from the regular army or militia.
CAQUE de poudre, Fr. a term synonymous to a tun or barrel of powder.
CAR, in military antiquity, a kind of small carriage; figuratively, used by the poets for a chariot: it is mounted on wheels, representing a stately throne, used in triumphs and on other solemn occasions.
CARABINIERS, Fr. One complete regiment of carabineers was formed, during the monarchy of France, out of the different corps of cavalry. They were usually distributed among other bodies of troops, and it was their duty to charge the advanced posts of the enemy.
CARABINS, Fr. These were light-armed horsemen, who sometimes acted on foot. They were generally stationed in the out-posts, for the purpose of harrassing the enemy, defending narrow passes, &c. In action, they usually fought in front of the dragoons, or upon the wings of the first line. Their name is derived from the Arabian word Karab, which signifies, generally, any warlike instrument.
CARAVAN; Caravanne, Fr. from a Turkish word, which signifies, a troop of travellers, who go armed by sea or land.
CARBINE, in military affairs, is a fire-arm somewhat smaller than the firelock of the infantry, and used by the cavalry. It carries a ball of 24 in the pound: its barrel is three feet long, and the whole length, including the stock, 4 feet.
Rifled-Carbines, are generally of the same dimensions with the above, and have their barrels rifled spirally from the breech to the mouth; so that when the ball, which is forced into it, is driven out again by the strength of the powder, it is lengthened about the breadth of a finger, and marked with the rifle of the bore. Fire-arms of this kind have a much greater range than any other, because the rifle of the barrel gives a spiral direction, instead of a rotatory direction to the ball, which by that means makes the greater resistance at the first inflammation of the powder, giving time for the whole charge to take fire, before the ball is out of the bore. These arms are used by horse-riflemen, the chasseurs, or light infantry.