A military dictionary

by William Duane

To Line, from the French aligner, is to dress any given body of men, so that every individual part shall be so disposed as to form collectively a straight continuity of points from centre to flanks.

To Line men. Officers, and non-commissioned officers, are said to line the men belonging to their several battalions, divisions, or companies, when they arrive at their dressing points, and receive the word dress from the commander of the whole.

When a single battalion halts, it is dressed or lined on its right centre company, and must of course be in a straight line. When several battalions dress from the centre of each on its next colors, the general line will be straight, provided all the colors have halted regularly in a line. On these occasions every thing will depend upon the two centre guides of each battalion.

To Line a Coast. To line a coast well under the immediate pressure of invasion, requires not only great ability and exertion in the commanding officer of the particular district against which an insult may be offered, but it is moreover necessary, that every individual officer in the different corps should minutely attend to the particular spot on which he may be stationed. The English coast, especially where there are bays, is almost always intersected by narrow passes through the rocks or sandhills. On this account, when any body of men receives orders to line a specified extent of ground, the officers who are entrusted with the several parts of a battalion or brigade, should take care to make the most of their men, and to extend their files in such a manner, as not only to present an imposing front from the crown of the hill, but to be able, at a moment’s warning, to carry their whole strength to prevent the enemy from getting upon the flanks by suddenly rushing up the gap. Much coolness is required on these occasions.

To Line hedges, &c. to plant troops, artillery, or small arms, along them under their cover, to fire upon an enemy that advances openly, or to defend them from the horse, &c.

To Line a street or road, is to draw up any number of men on each side of the street or road, and to face them inwards. This is frequently practised on days of ceremony, when some distinguished person is received with military honors on his way through places where troops are stationed.

This is the usage also in funerals, when the corps under arms form a lane, by the ranks being faced to the right and left inward; and the party rests on arms reversed.

To Line, in a fortification, is nothing more than to environ a rampart, parapet, or ditch, &c. with a wall of masonry or earth.

LINCE, et chaussure du soldat, Fr. necessaries belonging to a soldier. During the monarchy of France, a sol or one English half-penny per day, was added to the pay of each serjeant, and about six deniers or three English farthings to that of each corporal, anspessade or lance-corporal, grenadier, private soldier, and drummer, to enable them to keep up a certain list of necessaries. On any deficiency being discovered it was in the power of the commanding officer of the regiment to reduce the soldier’s subsistence to four sols or two-pence English per day, until the full complement was made up.

LINGERER, one who pretends to be indisposed, in order to avoid his tour of duty—a skulker. Hence the term malingerer, or a soldier who avoids duty in a disreputable manner.