Part 379

Intersecting POSITIONS by themselves, or their prolongation, some part of the old line or its prolongation.

New parallel POSITIONS being necessarily to the front, or rear of the old one, the regiment will, according to circumstances, take them up by the diagonal march; the flank match of divisions after wheeling into column; or the movement in open column to the new line, and its subsequent formation in it.

New intersecting POSITIONS, which themselves cut the regiment, will, in cavalry movements, be taken up by the diagonal march; or the flank march ranks by three’s of divisions. All other new positions, which themselves, or their prolongation, intersect the old line, or its prolongation, will in general be taken up by the march in open column, and its subsequent formations, when it arrives at the line; some such positions will, however, allow of, and require being made by the echellon march, or by the flank march of divisions. In general the regiment will break to the hand which is nearest to the new position, be conducted to its nearest point in the new line, and form on it as directed.

POSITION of the officer. See SWORD.

POSITION du soldat sans armes, Fr. position of the soldier without arms.

POSITION du soldat avec les armes, Fr. position of the soldier with arms.

POSITION de l’extension, Fr. in fencing, position of extension.

POSSEDER, Fr. to possess, to be in possession of.

POSSE, an armed power, called out on any particular emergency; as the posse comitatus; who may be called out by the sheriff, or marshal, to suppress outrages of the peace.

POSSESSION, to take possession, is the act of occupying any post, camp, fortress, &c. which might facilitate the operations of any army, or which previously belonged to the enemy.

POST, in war, a military station; any sort of ground fortified or not, where a body of men can be in a condition of resisting the enemy.

Advanced POST, a spot of ground, seized by a party to secure their front, and the post behind them.

POST of honor. The advanced guard is a post of honor: the right of the two lines is the post of honor, and is generally given to the eldest corps: the left is the next post, and is given to the next eldest, and so on. But the laws of military discipline forbid an inconvenient accordance with this practice, as the circumstances of the case may require a very different arrangement, which it would be wanton to oppose. The station of a centinel before the colors, and the door of a commanding officer, is a post of honor.

Advantageous POST. Every situation is so called which an enemy occupies in such a manner, that not only mere force of arms, but great military skill, and many stratagems, are required to dislodge him. We have various instances in history of how much may be done on both sides, when one army has taken up an advantageous post, and another finds it necessary to drive him from it. This subject has been amply discussed in a French work intituled, Stratagéms de Guerre, page 71, &c.

POSTS of exercise in the rear, the relative situations which officers take in the rear; when the ranks of a battalion are opened for the purpose of going through the manual and platoon exercises. It is likewise a cautionary word of command, viz. The officers will take post in the rear.

To POST. In the disposition of troops, to place the officers, music, drummers, fifers, and pioneers, according to their several ranks and appointments, either for inspection, or exercise in the field.

To POST, to station, as, a sentry, &c.

To be POSTED, in military tactics, to be formed ready for action. Thus when troops are brought up in column, and ordered to deploy, it frequently happens, that some part of the line is refused, in order to flank an enemy, or to cover a weak position, the part that is aligned is said to be posted.

To POST up, (afficher, Fr.) To hold up to public censure or ridicule.

To be POSTED, in a familiar sense, signifies to be publicly announced as an infamous or degraded character. Hence to post a man as a coward is to stick his name up in a coffee-house or elsewhere, and to accuse him of want of spirit, &c. The French use the phrase afficher in the same sense. They likewise say figuratively afficher sa bonte; to publish or post up one’s own disgrace; meaning thereby, that some persons are so totally regardless of decency and decorum, as to express sentiments which are unbecoming the character of an officer, or a gentleman.

POSTAGE of Letters. In the British service, non-commissioned officers and private soldiers are privileged to send or receive letters, from any part of that country on payment of one penny only for the postage.

In the instructions to postmasters, (Feb. 4th, 1799,) concerning the exemptions granted to seamen in the navy, and privates in the army, in respect to the postage of their letters, it is specified, that

“No single letter, sent by the post from any seaman or private employed in his majesty’s navy, army, militia, fencible regiments, artillery, or marines, shall, whilst such seamen or private shall be employed on his majesty’s service, and not otherwise, be charged with an higher rate of postage than the sum of one penny for the conveyance of each such letter; such postage to be paid at the time of putting the same into the post office of the town, or place from whence such letter is intended to be sent by the post.

“Provided, that no such letter shall be exempted from postage, unless there shall be written thereon, in the hand-writing of, and signed by the commanding officer, for the time being, of the ship or vessel, or of the corps, regiment, or detachment to which such seamen or private shall belong, the name of such commanding officer, and of the ship, vessel, corps, regiment, or detachment commanded by him.

“No single letter, directed to any such seamen, or private, upon his own private concerns, only whilst such seaman, or private, shall be employed on his majesty’s service, and not otherwise, shall be charged with a higher rate of postage than one penny for each such letter, which penny shall be paid at the time of the delivery thereof.

“Provided, that no such letter shall be exempted from the rates of postage chargeable upon letters, unless any such letter shall be directed to such seaman, or private, specifying the ship, vessel, regiment, troop, corps, company, or detachment to which he may belong: and provided also, that it shall not be lawful for the deputy postmaster of the town or place to which such letter shall be sent to be delivered, to deliver such letter to any person except to the seamen or private to whom such letter shall be directed, or to any person appointed to receive the same by the commanding officer of the ship, &c. to which the seaman, or private to whom such letter shall be directed, shall belong.

“The exemptions do not extend to letters sent to or received from countries independent of England: they do extend to the West India Islands and British America.

“All postmasters are desired to take particular notice that double letters to and from soldiers and sailors and their families, are liable to the full double rates, the same as letters in general; and some postmasters having conceived that letters containing money orders might pass under the exemptions of the act, they are desired to understand, that such letters are chargeable with full double rates also.