COUNTERVALLATION, or line of countervallation, a trench with a parapet, made by the besiegers, betwixt them and the place besieged, to secure them from the sallies of the garrison; so that the troops which form the siege, are encamped between the lines of circumvallation and countervallation. When the enemy has no army in the field, these lines are useless.
COUP-DE-MAIN, in military affairs, implies a desperate resolution in all small expeditions, of surprise, &c. The favorable side of the proposed action must ever be viewed; for if what may happen, arrive, or fall out, is chiefly thought upon, it will, at the very best, not only greatly discourage, but, in general, it will produce a total failure. The very name of an expedition implies risk, hazard, precarious warfare, and a critical but desperate operation, or Coup-de-main.
COUP-d’œil, Fr. in a military sense, signifies that fortunate aptitude of eye in a general, or other officer, by which he is enabled at one glance on the ground or on a map to see the weak parts of an enemy’s country, or to discern the strong ones of his own. By possessing a ready coup d’œil, a general may surmount the greatest difficulties, particularly in offensive operations. On a small scale this faculty is of the greatest utility. Actions have been recovered by a sudden conception of different openings upon the enemy, which could only be ascertained by a quick and ready eye, during the rapid movements of opposing armies. See Am. Mil. Lib. articles Reconnoitring, and Coup d’oeil.
COUPURE, in fortification, are passages, sometimes cut through the glacis, of about 12 or 15 feet broad, in the reentering angle of the covert way, to facilitate the sallies of the besieged. They are sometimes made through the lower curtain, to let boats into a little haven built on the rentrant angle of the counterscarp of the out works.
COURANTIN, Fr. a squib; a term used among French artificers.
COURCON, Fr. a long piece of iron which is used in the artillery, and serves to constrain, or tighten cannon.
COURIER, in a military sense, means a messenger sent post, or express, to carry dispatches of battles gained, lost, &c. or any other occurrences that happen in war.
COURIERS des vivres, Fr. were two active and expert messengers attached to the French army, whose duty consisted wholly in conveying packets of importance to and fro, and in taking charge of pecuniary remittances.
COURONEMENT, or Couronnement, in fortification, implies the most exterior part of a work when besieged.
COURSER. See [Charger].