Part 373

POINT of Appui, the point upon which a line of troops is formed. When the right stands in front, and the column is marching to form, the first halted company, division, &c. is the point of appui. Thus when the right is in front the distant point of formation is the left.

POINT of Intersection, the point where two lines intersect each other.

Intermediate POINT. In marching forward that is called an intermediate point which lies between the spot marched from, and the spot towards which you are advancing. In forming line, the centre point between the right and left is the intermediate point. It is of the utmost consequence to every body of troops, advancing or retreating, but especially in advancing towards the enemy, to find an intermediate point between two given, and, perhaps, inaccessible objects. The line of march is preserved by these means in its perpendicular direction, and every column may be enabled to ascertain its relative point of entry in the same line.

POINT of Alignment, (Point d’alignement, Fr.) The point which troops form upon and dress by.

POINT of Formation, a point taken, upon which troops are formed in military order.

Perpendicular POINT, the point upon which troops march in a straight forward direction.

Relative POINTS, the points by which the parallelism of a march is preserved.

POINT of passing, the ground on which one or more bodies of armed men march by a reviewing general.

POINT to salute at, the spot on which the reviewing general stands. This, however, is not to be understood literally, as every infantry officer when he arrives within six paces of the general, recovers his sword and drops it, keeping it in that situation until he shall have passed him a prescribed number of paces. The cavalry salute within the breadth of the horse’s neck, the instant the object is uncovered.

POINT of War, a loud and impressive beat of the drum, the perfect execution of which requires great skill and activity. The point of war is beat when a battalion charges.

POINT du jour, Fr. break of day; dawn.

POINT de vue, Fr. prospect, sight, aim.

De POINT en blanc, Fr. point blank.

A POINT, Fr. in time.

A POINT nommée, Fr. seasonably.

La POINTE, Fr. the point of the sword.

POINT is also a steel instrument of various use in several arts. Engravers, etchers, wood-cutters, stone-cutters, &c. use points to trace their designs on copper, wood, or stone.

POINT blank, (But en blanc, Fr.) in gunnery, denotes the shot of a piece levelled horizontally, without either mounting or sinking the muzzle. In shooting thus, the bullet is supposed to go in a direct line, and not to move in a curve, as bombs and highly elevated random shots do. We say supposed to go in a direct line, because it is certain, and easily proved, that a shot cannot fly any part of its range in a right line strictly taken; but the greater the velocity, the nearer it approaches to a right line; or the less crooked its range.

For the point blank ranges of different pieces of ordnance, see the different natures.

The French point blank or but en blanc, is what the English artillery call the line of metal elevation; in most guns between one and two degrees.

POINTER, Fr. to point; as, pointer un canon. To point a cannon.

POINTEURS, Fr. Levellers. Officers in the old French artillery, who were subordinate to the extraordinary commissaries; but who were never employed except upon field service.

POINTS d’appui, Fr. Basis, support. The general signification of this term expresses the different advantageous posts, such as castles, fortified villages, &c. which the general of an army takes possession of in order to secure his natural position. In a more limited sense, they mean those points which are taken up in movements and evolutions. See POINT D’APPUI. Am. Mil. Lib.

POINTING of a gun or mortar, is the placing either one or other, so as to hit the object, or to come as near it as possible.

To POISON a Piece, (Enclouer une piéce, Fr.) in gunnery, to clog or nail it up.

POISSON, Fr. literally means fish.

POITREL, armor for the breast of a horse.

POIX, Fr. pitch.