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.