Apicket (archaically,picquet [variant formpiquet]) is a soldier, or small unit of soldiers, placed on a defensive line forward of a friendly position to provide timely warning andscreening against an enemy advance. It can also refer to any unit (e.g. ascout vehicle,surveillance aircraft orpatrol ship) performing a similar function. A picket guarding a fixed position may be known as asentry orguard.
Picket (Fr.piquet, a pointed stake or peg, frompiquer, 'to point or pierce'), is thought to have originated in theFrench Army around 1690, from the circumstance that aninfantry company onoutpost duty dispersed itsmusketeers to watch, with a small group ofpikemen calledpiquet remaining in reserve.[2] It was in use in theBritish Army before 1735 and probably much earlier.[3]
Picket now refers to a unit (either naval or army) maintaining a watch. This may mean a watch for the enemy,[4] or other types of watch e.g. fire picket. This can be likened to the art of sentry keeping.[5]
Astaggered picket consists of, for example, two soldiers where one soldier is relieved at a time. This is so that on any given picket one soldier is fresh, having just started the picket, while the other is ready to be relieved. Although each soldier is required to maintain watch for the full duration of a shift, halfway through each shift a new soldier is put on watch.
Historically it was used extensively inZachary Taylor's army during theMexican-American War, as described bySamuel Chamberlain.
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain:Chisholm 1911, p. 584
