In those barbarous ages, therefore, men sought security by Intrenching themselves from a world they could not trust.
"An History of Birmingham (1783)"
William Hutton
Now the roads became crowded, but never blocked, with troops on the march: infantry of the line, short, sturdily built fellows wearing short capes of greenish gray and trench-helmets of painted steel; Alpini, hardy and active as the goats of their own mountains, their tight-fitting breeches and their green felt hats with the slanting eagle's feather making them look like the chorus of Robin Hood; Bersaglieri, the flower of the Italian army, who have preserved the traditions of their famous corps by still clinging to the flat-brimmed, rakish hat with its huge bunch of drooping feathers; engineers, laden like donkeys with Intrenching, bridging, and mining tools; motor-cycle despatch riders, leather-jacketed and mud-bespattered, the light-horsemen of modern war; and, very occasionally, for their hour for action has not yet come, detachments of cavalry, usually armed with lances, their helmets and busbies linen-covered to match the businesslike simplicity of their uniform.
"Italy at War and the Allies in the West"
E. Alexander Powell
At the close of 1810 he writes that the Russians are Intrenching themselves on the Dwina and Dniester, which "shows a bad spirit."
"The Life of Napoleon I (Volumes, 1 and 2)"
John Holland Rose
