OSIER, a young willow twig, with which hurdles are made.
OSTAGE, Fr. See [Hostage].
OTTOMAN. A name generally given to the Turks, and to the Turkish empire, from Ottoman, who was one of their most celebrated emperors.
OVATION, (so called of a sheep, because the general who so triumphed, offered only a sheep; whereas in the great triumph he offered a bull) an inferior sort of triumph allowed by the Romans to the generals of their armies for lesser victories, as over slaves, &c. or when the war had not been declared pursuant to military usage. According to Kennett, in his Roman Antiquities, page 224, the word ovation is said to have derived its name from shouting evion! to Bacchus; but the true original is ovis. The shew generally began at the Albanian mountain, whence the general, with his retinue, made his entry into the city: he went on foot with many flutes or pipes, sounding in concert as he passed along, wearing a garment of myrtle as a token of peace, with an aspect rather raising love and respect than fear.
We have already observed, with Gellius, that this honor was then conferred on the victor, when either the war had not been proclaimed in due method, or not undertaken against a lawful enemy, and on a just account; or when the enemy was but mean and inconsiderable. But Plutarch has delivered his judgment in a different manner; he believes that heretofore the difference betwixt the ovation and the triumph was not taken from the greatness of the achievements, but from the manner of performing them: for they who, having fought a set battle, and slain a great number of the enemy, returned victors, led that martial, and, as it were, cruel procession of the triumph. But those who without force by benevolence and civil behaviour, had done the business, and prevented the shedding of human blood; to these commanders custom gave the honor of this peaceable ovation. For a pipe is the ensign or badge of peace; and myrtle the tree of Venus, who, beyond any other deities, has an extreme aversion to violence and war. Vide Plut. in Marcell. For a full account of this ceremony, as well as of the Roman triumph, see Kennett, page 224.
OVENS. The modern improvements in the art of war, has beside making biscuit, the common food of man and horse, also introduced in the equipage of armies, ovens of cast iron, which travel with the waggon train, and the bakers are classed and under military discipline, in the performance of their important functions. The operations of dressing food in military camps, have been also improved by the introduction of count Rumford’s process of boiling, roasting, and baking by steam; all performed by the single fire which heats the oven.
OVERFLOW. See [Inundation].
To OVERLAP, to overspread any preceding object. In marching by echellon, for the purpose of forming upon any given point, but particularly in wheeling from column into line, troops may loose their relative distances by not taking ground enough; when this occurs, the rear division, company, or section, unavoidably crouds upon its preceding one, and it is then said to overlap. When this happens on service, the troops, so shut out, must remain as serre-files, or reserve, to fill up the intervals that will necessarily present themselves in action. But whether so or not, the line must, on no account, be deranged by moving it to right or left.
OVERLANDRES, Fr. Small barges that ply upon the Rhine and the Meuse.
To OVER-RUN. In a military sense, to ravage, to lay waste. A country which is harassed by incursions, is said to be over-run.