A picket (archaically, picquet [variant form piquet]) is a soldier, or small unit of soldiers, placed on a defensive line forward of a friendly position to provide timely warning and screening against an enemy advance. It can also refer to any unit (e.g. a scout vehicle, surveillance aircraft or patrol ship) performing a similar function. A picket guarding a fixed position may be known as a sentry or guard.
Picket (Fr. piquet, a pointed stake or peg, from piquer, 'to point or pierce'), is thought to have originated in the French Army around 1690, from the circumstance that an infantry company on outpost duty dispersed its musketeers to watch, with a small group of pikemen called piquet remaining in reserve.[2] It was in use in the British Army before 1735 and probably much earlier.[3]
Usage
Picket now refers to a soldier or small unit of soldiers maintaining a watch. This may mean a watch for the enemy,[4] or other types of watch e.g. fire picket. This can be likened to the art of sentry keeping.[5]
A staggered picket consists of, for example, two soldiers where one soldier is relieved at a time. This is so that on any given picket one soldier is fresh, having just started the picket, while the other is ready to be relieved. Although each soldier is required to maintain watch for the full duration of a shift, halfway through each shift a new soldier is put on watch.
^ One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain:Chisholm 1911, p. 584
^"The Picket Guard is a Body of Men always to be ready, lying with their Arms in their Hands, to turn out in case of an Alarm; but are not commanded by the next Officer on Detail, but such as are appointed by the Picket; but must march either faster or slower, to sustain Out-posts, Foraging, Escourts, or any other Service; and it shall be allowed them in their Tour of Duty" (Gittins 1735, p. 165).
^, Compact Oxford English Dictionary, archived from the original on 2008-05-26, retrieved 2008-05-07
picket, military, obsolete, military, punishment, picket, punishment, picket, archaically, picquet, variant, form, piquet, soldier, small, unit, soldiers, placed, defensive, line, forward, friendly, position, provide, timely, warning, screening, against, enemy. For the obsolete military punishment see Picket punishment A picket archaically picquet variant form piquet is a soldier or small unit of soldiers placed on a defensive line forward of a friendly position to provide timely warning and screening against an enemy advance It can also refer to any unit e g a scout vehicle surveillance aircraft or patrol ship performing a similar function A picket guarding a fixed position may be known as a sentry or guard The Picket Guard N C Wyeth illustration for poem of the same name 1 Contents 1 Origins 2 Usage 3 See also 4 Notes 5 ReferencesOrigins EditPicket Fr piquet a pointed stake or peg from piquer to point or pierce is thought to have originated in the French Army around 1690 from the circumstance that an infantry company on outpost duty dispersed its musketeers to watch with a small group of pikemen called piquet remaining in reserve 2 It was in use in the British Army before 1735 and probably much earlier 3 Usage EditPicket now refers to a soldier or small unit of soldiers maintaining a watch This may mean a watch for the enemy 4 or other types of watch e g fire picket This can be likened to the art of sentry keeping 5 A staggered picket consists of for example two soldiers where one soldier is relieved at a time This is so that on any given picket one soldier is fresh having just started the picket while the other is ready to be relieved Although each soldier is required to maintain watch for the full duration of a shift halfway through each shift a new soldier is put on watch See also Edit The Army of the Potomac A Sharpshooter on Picket Duty by Winslow Homer 1862 Radar picket Screening tactic Screw picket Skirmisher Point man Vedette sentry a mounted sentry or outpostNotes Edit Matthews 1922 p 90 One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from this source which is in the public domain Chisholm 1911 p 584 The Picket Guard is a Body of Men always to be ready lying with their Arms in their Hands to turn out in case of an Alarm but are not commanded by the next Officer on Detail but such as are appointed by the Picket but must march either faster or slower to sustain Out posts Foraging Escourts or any other Service and it shall be allowed them in their Tour of Duty Gittins 1735 p 165 Picket noun Compact Oxford English Dictionary archived from the original on 2008 05 26 retrieved 2008 05 07 Sentry References Edit Look up picket in Wiktionary the free dictionary Chisholm Hugh ed 1911 Picket Encyclopaedia Britannica vol 21 11th ed Cambridge University Press p 584 Gittins John 1735 A Compleat System of Military Discipline As it is now Used in the British Foot London J Humfreys Matthews Bander ed 1922 Poems of American Patriotism New York Charles Scribner s Sons This military related article is a stub You can help Wikipedia by expanding it vte Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Picket military amp oldid 1125126504, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
