The party tried by any general court martial, shall, upon demand thereof made by himself, or by any person, or persons in his behalf, be entitled to a copy of the sentence and proceedings of such court martial. The following section is extracted from the laws of Congress of 1808. Sec. 10. _And be it further enacted_, That the officers, non-commissioned officers, musicians, and privates of the said corps, shall be governed by the rules and articles of war, which have been established by the United States in Congress assembled, or by such rules and articles as may be hereafter, by law established; _Provided nevertheless_, That the sentence of general courts martial, extending to the loss of life, the dismission of a commissioned officer, or which shall respect the general officer, shall, with the whole of the proceedings of such cases, respectively, be laid before the President of the United States, who is hereby authorised to direct the same to be carried into execution, or otherwise, as he shall judge proper. COURT _of inquiry_, an assemblage of officers who are empowered to inquire into the conduct of an officer, or to see whether there is ground for a court-martial, &c. Courts of inquiry cannot award punishment, but must report to the officer by whose order they were assembled. Courts of inquiry are also appointed to examine into the quality and distribution of military stores. See ARTICLES OF WAR, §. 91, and 92. _A regimental_ COURT-MARTIAL cannot sentence to the loss of life or limb. The colonel or commanding officer approves the sentence of a regimental court-martial. _A garrison_ COURT-MARTIAL resembles a regimental one in as much as the members are not sworn, and only differs by its being composed of officers of different regiments. The governor, or other commanding officer of the garrison, approves the sentence. COURTINE, _Fr._ See CURTAIN. COUSSINET _à mousquetaire_, _Fr._ a bag formerly worn by a French soldier on his left side beneath the cross belt. It hung upon hooks near the but of his musquet. It likewise signifies a wedge used to support the mortar in its frame. COUTELAS, _Fr._ See CUTLASS. COUVERT, _Fr._ See COVER. COUVRE-FACE, _Fr._ a term used by some engineers, and among others by Cohorn, to express the counter-guard: others, particularly Montalembert, convey by _couvre face géneral_ a second line of complete investment. _To_ COVER, in the mechanical disposition of a battallion, company or squad, only means that a man is to stand in such a position in files, as that when he looks exactly forward to the neck of the man who leads him, he cannot see the second man from him. Nothing but great attention at the drill can bring men to cover so truly as never to destroy the perpendicular direction of any leading body. The least deviation in the men who cover upon either flank of a leading column or division, will throw all that follow out of the true line.