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LEFT HAND 463 HANDICAP and Williamsburg; at the battle of Fred- ericksburg, in December, 1862, command- ed a division of the 2d Corps, which suffered most severely, and for his serv- ices on this occasion received his com- mission as Major-General; took part in the battles of Chancellorsville and Get- tysburg in 1863, and in one of the many struggles of that campaign was severely wounded; in 1868 was appointed by President Johnson to the command of the S. W. military district, but his ap- pointment was not indorsed by the Senate. In June, 1880, he became the unsuccessful Democratic nominee for President. He died in New York City, Feb. 9, 1886. HAND, the part of the body which terminates the arm, consisting of the palm and fingers, connected with the arm at the wrist; the principal organ of touch and prehension. The human hand is composed of 27 bones, namely eight bones of the carpus or wrist arranged in two rows of four each, the row next the fore-arm containing the scaphoid, the semilunar, the cuneiform, and the pisi- form, and that next the metacarpus, the trapezium, the trapezoid, the os mag- num, and the unciform. The metacar- pus consists of the five bones which form the palm, the first being that of the thumb, the others that of the fingers in succession. Lastly, the fingers proper contain 14 bones called phalanges, of which the thumb has but two, all the other digits having three each. HANDBALL, a game of ball, played without any instrument for striking, the bare hand only being used. The game is indigenous to Ireland, but has been transplanted to America, where are the most expert players. Two or four men can play, one or two on a side. As far as is known the game of handball came to the United States about 1840. HANDEL (han'del), properly HAEN- DEL (hen'del), GEORGE FREDERICK, a great German composer; born in Halle, Prussia, Feb. 23, 1685. The passion which he early showed for music over- came his father's opposition to training him as a musician, and at the age of 7 he was placed under the tuition of Zachau, organist of Halle Cathedral. In 1696 he was sent to Berlin, where he heard the music of Bononcini and Ari- osti. He returned to Halle, was ap- pointed organist of the cathedral in 1702, but soon left to visit Hanover and Hamburg. At Hamburg he played second violin in the orchestra, and brought out in 1704 his first work, an oratorio on the Passion, and his first opera, "Almira," followed in February by his "Nero," and subsequently by his "Florinda and Daphne." In 1706 he went to Italy, visiting Florence, Venice, Naples, and Rome. On his return to Germany he entered the service of the Elector of Hanover, afterward George I. of England, as musical director. He visited England twice, and ultimately having received a pension from Queen Anne, settled down there. He was placed at the head of the newly founded Royal Academy of Music, and accumulated a large fortune. Among the operas which he had composed up to this date (1735) are "Rhadamistus," "Ju- lius Caesar," "Flavius," "Tamerlane," "Richard I.," "Orlando," "Ariadne," etc. His last opera was performed in 1740. By this time he had begun to de- vote himself chiefly to music of a serious nature and he produced successfully "Esther" (1731), "Deborah" (1732), "Athalia" (1733), "Israel in Egypt," "L'Allegro and II Penseroso," "Saul," and "The Messiah," his chief work (1741). In 1742 the "Samson" ap- peared, in 1746 the "Judas Maccabaeus," in 1748 the "Solomon." and in 1752 the "Jephthah." In 1752 he became blind, continuing to perform in public and even to compose. He died in London, April 13, 1759, and was buried in Westminster Abbey. HAND GRENADES. Offensive and defensive implements of warfare, widely used in the World War. The first de- vices were extremely crude and consisted of tin cans filled with stones which, on exploding, would cause death or damage. The grenade, however, was quickly de- veloped into a weapon of great destruc- — SAFETY PIM CIiTIRON BODY -STRIKER Ir Pin -EXPLOilVE OETVNt^TOR rose fEKCUSilONCAP GRENADES — MILLS HAND GRENADE tive power by all belligerents. Although differing somewhat in details, the prin- ciples of the gi-enade were practically the same. The one chiefly used by the American force was the so-called Mills grenade, which was thrown by hand. Hand grenades were widely used by raid- ing parties in quick and sharp attacks. HANDICAP (for hand i(n) cap, for the drawing of lots out of a hat or cap), an old game at cards, not unlike loo, but