Part 349

PARC, Fr. See PARK.

Le Commissaire du PARC, Fr. The commissary belonging to the park.

Le PARC des munitions et des vivres, Fr. The park of stores and provisions.

PARC d’Hôpital. See HOSPITAL.

PARC des vivres ou quartier des vivres, Fr. Park of provisions, which see.

PARCOURIR, Fr. in a military sense, to run over the ground during an action. This word is particularly applicable to those movements which are made by general officers, officers commanding brigades, &c. for the purpose of encouraging their soldiers in the heat of an engagement.

PARCOURIR de rang en rang, Fr. to run up and down the ranks, or from rank to rank.

PARDON, forgiveness, remission. In military matters this word must be understood in two senses, viz. in a limited one, when it affects a culprit who has been sentenced by a general court-martial, to receive punishment; and in a more extensive one, when the punishment is the consequence of a regimental decision. In the former case, the president only, through the war department, can pardon or remit the punishment; in the latter, the colonel, or commanding officer, has a discretionary power.

PARER, Fr. to parry,

PARER à toutes feintes, Fr. To parry to all feints.

PARK of artillery, should always be placed if possible within a short distance of water carriage; and have the most ready communication with every part of the line of the army. Its form must depend on its situation. Ten feet are usually allowed in front for one carriage and its interval, and near 50 feet from the hind wheels of the front row to the fore wheels of the second; this interval should allow sufficient room for putting the horses to the carriages, and for a free passage along the line. In parks not on immediate service, it is customary to arrange the guns with their muzzles to the front; but where the guns are likely to be wanted at a short notice, appearances must not be studied, and the gun carriages must be parked with their shafts to the front, ready to receive horses to them. A quarter guard is placed in front of the park, and the non-commissioned officers and gunners’ tents on the flanks, at about 20 paces distance; and 40 paces to the rear of the subaltern officers; at 10 more to the rear the captains, and 10 more the commanding officer. The mess tent is 15 in the rear of the officers. At a convenient distance, in the rear of the whole, are the horses, picketed in one or more lines, with the drivers on their flanks. The horses are sometimes picketed in lines perpendicular to the front, and on the flanks of the carriages, between the men and the carriages. See CAMP and ARTILLERY IN THE FIELD. Am. Mil. Lib.

PARK of provisions, a place in a camp, on the rear of every regiment, which is taken up by the sutlers who follow the army with all sorts of provisions, and sell them to the soldiers.

PARLEMENTER, Fr. to parley. The French familiarly say, Ville qui parlemente est à demi rendue; a town whose governor parlies may be said to be half given up.

PARLEY, oral treaty, talk, conference, discussion by word of mouth.

To PARLEY, in military matters, to enter into conference with your enemy. This is done by means of a flag of truce. See TRUCE.

To beat a PARLEY, is to give a signal for holding such a conference, by beat of drum, or sound of trumpet. See CHAMADE.

PAROLE, in a military sense, the promise made by a prisoner of war, when he has leave to go any where, of returning at a time appointed, or not to take up arms, if not exchanged.

PAROLE, means also a word given out every day in orders by the commanding officer, both in camp and garrison, in order to know friends from enemies.

PARQUER, Fr. This word, which signifies to lodge and place any thing in a convenient and safe manner, is used by the French both in an active and passive sense.

On PARQUERA l’artillerie, ou l’artillerie fut parquée en tel endroit, Fr. you will park the artillery in such a quarter, or the artillery will be parked in such a quarter.

Les gens de l’artillerie se parquérent, ou furent parqués, du côté de la rivière, Fr. The train of artillery parked itself on the banks of the river, or was parked upon the banks of the river.

L’artillerie parquoit en tel lieu, Fr. The artillery parked on such ground.

PARRAIN, Fr. means, literally, a godfather. In a military sense, it formerly signified a second or witness who attended at single combats to see fair play. Les combattants se trouvérent dans le lieu du combat, chacun avec son parrain. The combattants met upon the ground, each attended by his second or witness.

PARRAIN, Fr. in military orders, the person who introduces, or presents a newly elected knight. The term is also used to signify the comrade who is selected by a soldier that has been condemned to be shot, to bind the handkerchief over his eyes.

PARRYING, the action of warding off the push or blow aimed at one by another.

Etre à la Part, Fr. a marine term among the French, signifying, to share in the prizes which are made against an enemy.

PARTHENIÆ,a word derived from the Greek, signifying virginity. In military history it refers to a particular circumstance which occurred among the ancients. The Spartans having been at war with the Messenians for 20 years, and having by that means very much depopulated their country, and apprehending that if this war continued, it might eventually strip Sparta of all its male inhabitants, they sent some of their young men from the army into the city, with licence to be familiar with as many unmarried women as they would; and the children begotten by them in this manner were called Partheniæ, on account of the uncertainty who were their fathers. At the end of the war this brood were deemed bastards, and were denied the bearing of any office in the government, &c. This unjust exclusion enraged them so much, that they conspired with the slaves to destroy all the nobility; but on the discovery of their plot, they were driven out of the city. After which, being headed by Phalantus, a bold and enterprising son of chance, they travelled into Magna Grecia in Italy, and built Tarentum.--Bailey’s Dict.

PARTI, Fr. See PARTY.