Columbia Encyclopedia

Search results

120 results found

Thames, battle of the

(Encyclopedia)Thames, battle of the, engagement fought on the Thames River near Chatham, Ont. (Oct. 5, 1813), in the War of 1812. Gen. William H. Harrison led an American force of about 3,000 against a British army...

Black Kettle

(Encyclopedia)Black Kettle, d. 1868, chief of the southern Cheyenne in Colorado. His attempt to make peace (1864) with the white men ended in the massacre of about half his people at Sand Creek. Despite this treach...

infantry

(Encyclopedia)infantry, body of soldiers who fight in an army on foot and are equipped with hand-carried weapons, in contradistinction originally to cavalry and other branches of an army. Infantry has often been di...

Murat, Joachim

(Encyclopedia)Murat, Joachim zhōäshăNˈ müräˈ [key], 1767–1815, marshal of France, king of Naples (1808–15). He left his theological studies to enter the army and fought in Egypt under Napoleon, whom he h...

Nian Rebellion

(Encyclopedia)Nian Rebellion or Nien Rebellion both: nēˈĕn [key], uprising that occurred against the Ch'ing dynasty of China. Bands [Chinese,=nien] of antigovernment rebels in the south part of the North China P...

Tarleton, Sir Banastre

(Encyclopedia)Tarleton, Sir Banastre băˈnəstər tärlˈtən [key], 1754–1833, British army officer in the American Revolution. He arrived (1775) in America with General Cornwallis and was a member of the patro...

yeoman

(Encyclopedia)yeoman yōˈmən [key], class in English society. The term has always been ill-defined, but generally it means a freeholder of a lower status than gentleman who cultivates his own land. With the break...

Masinissa

(Encyclopedia)Masinissa or Massinissa both: măsĭnĭsˈə [key], c.238–148 b.c., king of Numidia. He succeeded (c.207 b.c.) his father as king of E Numidia. Brought up in Carthage, he fought in a Carthaginian ca...

Kearny, Philip

(Encyclopedia)Kearny, Philip kärˈnē [key], 1814–62, Union general in the American Civil War, b. New York City; nephew of Stephen Watts Kearny. After studying law he joined (1837) the army. One of three officer...

William, prince of Wales

(Encyclopedia)William, (William Arthur Philip Louis), 1982–, Prince of Wales of Great Britian, eldest son of King Charles III and Diana ...

Browse by Subject