There was likewise a colonel-general of the cavalry; which appointment was entrusted to two officers under the reign of Louis XIII. One commanded the French and the other the German cavalry. The appointment of colonel-general of dragoons was created by Louis XIV. in 1688. COLONELLE, _Fr._ was formerly the first company in a French regiment. _Madame la Colonelle_ is still the colonel’s wife. COLORS in the military art, are large silk flags fixed on half pikes, and carried by the ensigns; when a battalion is encamped, they are placed in its front; but in garrison they are lodged with the commanding officer. The size of the colors to be 6 feet 6 inches flying, and 6 feet deep on the pike. The length of the pike (spear and ferril included) to be 9 feet 10 inches. The cords and tassels of the whole to be of the standard color, mixed with gold or silver; silver for the infantry and cavalry; gold for the artillery, rifle corps, and engineers. _Camp_-COLORS, are a small sort of colors placed on the right and left of the parade of a regiment when in the field; one or two to each company; they are 18 inches square, and of the color of the facing of the regiment, with the number of the regiment upon them. The poles to be 7 feet 6 inches long, except those of the quarter and rear-guards, which are to be 9 feet. See BANNEROLLS. COLOR-_guard_. See GUARD. COLORS, _used in the drawings of fortification_. It is necessary to use _colors_ in the drawings of plans and profiles of a fortification, in order to distinguish every particular part, and separate, as it were, the one from the other, so as to make their difference more sensible. The different sorts of _colors_, generally used in these kinds of drawings, are, _Indian-ink_, _carmine_, _verdigrease_, _sap-green_, _gum-bouge_, _Prussian blue_, _indigo_, and _umber_. _Indian-ink_ is the first and most necessary thing required in drawing; for it serves, in drawing the lines, to express hills or rising grounds, and, in short, for all what is called shading in drawings. The best sort of _Indian ink_ is of a bluish black, soft and easily reduced into a liquid, free from sand or gravel. It is made in oblong squares. The manner of liquefying it, is by putting a little clear water into a shell or tea-cup, and rubbing it gently ’till the water is black, and of a consistence much like common ink: when it is used for drawing lines, it must be made very black, though not too thick, otherwise it will not easily flow out of the camel hair pencil; but when it is for shading, it must be pale, so as to go over the same shade several times, which adds a beauty to the shading.