Part 363

PIED de mur ou de muraille, Fr. that lower part of a wall which is otherwise called Escarpe, and is contained between its base and top.

PIED de rampart, Fr. that extent of ground which lies between the fosse and the houses in a fortified town or place.

A PIED, Fr. On foot.

PIED à pied, Fr. foot by foot, gradually. Faire un logement pied à pied; to establish a lodgement foot by foot. Forcer les ouvrages pied à pied; to make regular approaches, or to besiege a town by opening trenches, &c. instead of insulting it by a direct attack.

Troupes retenues sur PIED, Fr. troops kept upon full pay.

Etre en PIED, Fr. to be kept upon full pay, in contradistinction to reformé, or being reduced.

PIEDROIT, Fr. Pier.

PIEGE, Fr. Snare.

PIERRE, Fr. A stone.

PIERRE à feu, Fr. Flint.

PIERRE à fusil, Fr. A flint.

PIERREE, Fr. A drain, water-course.

PIERRIER, Fr. A swivel, a pederero.

PIERRIERE, Fr. A quarry.

PIERRIERES, Fr. Heaps of stones, which are designedly collected round fortified places to interrupt besiegers in their approaches. These heaps are covered over with earth to conceal the stratagem; and the spots on which they lie are frequently fortified with palisadoes, in the form of bonnets or saliant angles; so that when the besieger attempts to carry them, the artillery from the ramparts or neighboring places, may be fired amongst the heaps of stones, and considerable damage be done by the fragments that must necessarily fly about.

PIERS. The columns on which the arch of a bridge is raised.

PIES, Fr. Knights that were created by Pope Pius IV. in 1560, with the titles of counts Palatines. They took precedence, at Rome, of the knights of the Teutonic order, and of those of Malta.

PIETINER, Fr. to move the feet with great quickness. It likewise signifies to mark time, but not technically so.

PIETON, Fr. a foot soldier.

PIEU, Fr. a large beam, or stake.

PIEUX, Fr. This word is sometimes used in the plural number to signify palisades.

PIGNON, Fr. the gable end of a building.

PIKE, in war, an offensive weapon, consisting of a wooden shaft, from 6 to 20 feet long, with a flat steel head, pointed, called the spear. This instrument was long in use among the infantry; but now the bayonet, which is fixed on the muzzle of the firelock, is substituted in its stead. The Macedonian phalanx was a battalion of pikemen.

PIKEMEN, soldiers armed with pikes.

The utility of the Pike was pointed out by marshal Saxe, but until the French being destitute of firearms for their national guards, were forced to resort to it, the great value of the weapon was not well understood; although the bayonet, which is only a pike on the end of a firelock, was in general use. On an emergency, where arms are scarce, the pike may always be relied on against infantry or cavalry. See Am. Mil. Lib.

PIKESTAFF, the wooden pole or handle of a pike.

PILE, Fr. A species of javelin which was used by the Romans. They darted these weapons with so much force, that, according to tradition, two men have been pierced through, together with their shields or bucklers.

PILES, strong pieces of wood, driven into the ground to make a firm foundation for any kind of work.