Part 380

“Recruiting serjeants, who may carry on a correspondence with their officers on the recruiting service, cannot send or receive their letters on that service under the exemptions granted by this act.

“The above exemptions granted by the legislature do not extend in the navy to any other than seaman, and not to officers of any description whatever; and in the army, only the privates, with serjeants and serjeant-majors are included. Many officers, both in the army and navy, having construed the act to extend to their own correspondence, it is hereby publicly stated that such a construction is altogether inapplicable.”

The act in its literal meaning includes in this indulgence all non-commissioned officers, although they are excluded by this official interpretation.

According to a letter issued from the post office, dated the 18th Sept, 1799, to all postmasters, in addition to the rates above-mentioned, these letters are chargeable with inland postage to and from London, excepting single letters to and from soldiers and sailors, and it is to be left to the opinion of the writers to pay the postage or not on putting them into any post office.

POSTE, Fr. a word generally used in the plural number to signify small shot, viz. Son fusil étoit chargé de douze ou quinze postes; his gun or musquet was loaded with twelve or fifteen shot.

POSTE, Fr. This word is always used in the masculine gender when it relates to war, or to any specific appointments; as, poste avancé, an advanced post. Poste avantageux, an advantageous post. Mauvais poste, an unfavorable post. The French say figuratively, un poste est jaloux; thereby meaning, that a post is extremely open to an attack, and that the troops in it may be easily surprised.

POSTES de campagne, Fr. Every construction or groupe of buildings that will admit of being defended, and is consequently tenable, is called a poste de campagne, or field work. Of this description are churches, houses, country houses, farm houses, villages, redoubts, &c. in which a sufficient number of men may be stationed for the purpose of holding out against an enemy, until succours can arrive. Chevalier Folard has written upon this subject; and since him, F. Gaudi, with comments and illustrations by A. P. J. Belair, chief of brigade in the French army. We recommend the latter production, which appeared in 1793, to the perusal of every officer. The work is intituled, Instruction addressée aux officiers d’Infanterie pour tracer et construire toutes sortes d’ouvrages de Campagne. See likewise, Aide Mémoire pour les officiers d’artillerie. A late work, intituled, Duties of an Officer in the Field, &c. by Baron Gross, of the Dutch brigade, is very useful; the whole of this tract is incorporated in the American Military Library.

POST avantageux, Fr. See ADVANTAGEOUS POST.

Petits POSTES separés, Fr. small detached posts.

POSTES intermédiaires, Fr. intermediate posts, or men so stationed between different corps, that, in case of urgency, they may with ease advance to the support of that which is more immediately threatened by the enemy.

POSTERN, more frequent a sally-port, is a small door in the flank of a bastion, or other part of a garrison, to march in and out unperceived by an enemy, either to relieve the works, or make sallies.

POSTICHE, Fr. any thing fictitious put in room of something that has been real and natural. In military matters, among the French, it serves to distinguish supernumerary or auxiliary soldiers that are taken from one, or more companies; to strengthen any particular body of men.

POSTILION, Fr. an express boat which is kept in French seaports for the purpose of carrying and bringing intelligence.

POT, Fr. a vessel used in the making of artificial fireworks, &c.

Stink POT, a vessel filled with combustible matter, which is thrown on various occasions, when men come into close action. The consequences of its explosion are sometimes fatal, and always dangerous.

POT à brai, Fr. an iron pot in which pitch or tar is melted.

POT d’une fusée volante, Fr. the carcase of a fusee.

POT à feu, Fr. a fire pot; a hand grenado.

POT à aigrette, Fr. an artificial firework, the centre of which contains a certain quantity of powder, which upon being inflamed, communicates itself to several other branches, and exhibits the appearance of an aigrette, or cluster of rays, such as issue from diamonds arranged in a particular manner. The aigrette takes its name from a bird so called, whose feathers serve to make up an ornament for the head.

POT en téte, Fr. a headpiece made of iron, which is proof against musquet shot. This headpiece is sometimes placed in the crown of the hat, and is otherwise used by sappers.

POTEAU, Fr. a stake, post.

POTEE, Fr. Putty.

POTENCE, Fr. Troops are ranged en potence by breaking a straight line, and throwing a certain proportion of it, either forward or backward, from the right or left, according to circumstances, for the purpose of securing that line. An army may be posted en potence by means of a village, a river, or a wood. The derivation of the word may be variously explained, viz. From Potence, a gibbet. Potences, crutches or supports. Potence likewise means a piece of wood which is thrown across two uprights; also a cross table, as table en potence; and a measure to ascertain the height of a horse or man.

POTENTAT, Fr. See POTENTATE.

POTENTATE, a sovereign prince, whose power is rendered formidable by the various means of authority which are vested in him.

POTERNE, Fr. a postern gate, a sally port.

POTERNE, Fr. Likewise signifies a secret gate. Gates of this description are made behind the orillons at the extremities of the curtain, in the angle of the flank, and in the middle of those curtains where there are no gates. The sewers generally run under the poternes. Belidor, in his Art of Engineering, recommends small arched magazines to be constructed on the right and left of the paths that lead to these gates.

POUCH, a case of black stout leather with a flap over it, worn by the infantry for the purpose of carrying their ammunition. The pouches in use among the cavalry are smaller.