# Matross

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{{Short description|Army rank}}
A '''matross''' was a soldier of artillery, who ranked next below a [gunner](/source/Gunner_(rank)).

The duty of a matross was to assist the gunners in loading, firing and sponging the guns. They were provided with [firelock](/source/firelock)s, and marched with the store-wagons, acting as guards. In the [United States Army](/source/United_States_Army), a matross ranked as a [private](/source/private_(rank)) of [artillery](/source/artillery).

The word is probably derived from [French](/source/French_language) ''matelot'', a [sailor](/source/sailor).<ref>''Britannica'' 1911</ref> The OED states that the word is borrowed from the [Dutch](/source/Dutch_language) ''matroos'' ('a sailor of the lowest rank'), and is cognate with similar terms in German, Danish and Swedish.<ref>[https://www.oed.com/view/Entry/115072?redirectedFrom=matross#eid  Matross] at [Oxford English Dictionary](/source/Oxford_English_Dictionary)</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{EB1911|wstitle=Matross|volume=17|page=890}}

Category:Military ranks
Category:Artillery speciality

{{mil-rank-stub}}

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Matross](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matross) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matross?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.