Army

(ar'me.) [Fr. armée.] (Mil.) In a general sense, the whole armed force raised for the defence of a country by land. In a limited sense, it denotes a large body of soldiers, consisting of horse and foot, completely armed and provided with artillery, ammunition, provisions, ., under a commander-in-chief, having lieutenant-generals, major-generals, brigadiers, and other officers under him. An army is generally divided into a certain number of corps, each consisting of brigades, regiments, battalions, and squadrons. When in the field, it is formed into lines; the first line is called the vanguard; the second, the main body the third, the rear-guard, or body of reserve. The middle of each line is occupied by the foot; the cavalry forms the right and left wing of each line, and sometimes squadrons of horse are placed in the intervals between the battalions. [s. 48]