Il avoit Pratique dans cette place des intelligences qui lui ont donné le moyen de la surprendre, Fr. He had gathered such information, by holding secret intelligence with the inhabitants, as to be able to surprise the place.
Pratiquer, Fr. In architecture, to contrive, to make, to render convenient.
Donner Pratique à un vaisseau, Fr. To allow a vessel to enter into port and unload. This expression is used in the Mediterranean under circumstances of quarantine, and comes from Pratica.
Pratiquer, Fr. To practice. Pratiquer une homme; to try a man; to put his abilities to the test. It likewise signifies to gain over, to suborn.
PRECEDENCE. Priority. Priority in rank or precedence in military life, arises from rank, or the date of an officer’s commission.
PRECEDENT. Any act which can be interpreted into an example for future times, is called a precedent. Persons in high official situations are extremely scrupulous with respect to precedence, especially in military matters.
PRECIPITER, Fr. To precipitate; to urge or hasten on; to do every thing prematurely. This word appears to be used by the French in almost all the senses to which we attach it, especially in military matters.
Precipiter sa retraite, Fr. Literally signifies, to precipitate one’s retreat. It may be taken in a good or bad sense, to signify the act of flying away blindly or rashly, without judgment or discretion; or of urging your retreat under circumstances of imperious necessity, yet with proper caution and foresight. So that to precipitate, both in French and English, signifies, Faire trés promptement ou trop promptement; to do any thing very promptly, or too promptly.
PRECISION, exact limitation, scrupulous observance of certain given rules.
Precision of march. On the leading platoon officer of the column, much of the precision of march depends; he must lead at an equal, steady pace; he must lead on two objects either given to him, or which he himself takes up on every alteration of position; this demands his utmost attention; nor must he allow it to be diverted by looking at his platoon, the care of whose regularity depends on the other officers and non-commissioned officers, belonging to it. The second platoon officer must also be shewn, and be made acquainted with the points on which the first leads; he is always to keep the first officer and those points in a line, and those two officers, together with the guide mounted officers, thus become a direction for the other pivot officers to cover. In marching in open column, the covering serjeants or guides are placed behind the second file from the pivot officers, that the officers may the more correctly see and cover each other in column.