Picket

pale

1. A flat strip (slat) or round stake, usually of wood; set in series to form a fence.

2. An area enclosed by such stakes.

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Copyright © 2003 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.

Picket

 

(in Russian, avanpost), in some foreign armies and in 18th- and 19th-century Russia, a guard post, stationed in the enemy’s direction, in order to protect the troops, which were either at rest or in a defense position, from a surprise attack.

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Picket

 

the name of a small detachment, outpost, or outguard used for security at the halt. Pickets were used in the French and certain other armies, including the Russian Army from the 19th century. They could include up to a platoon of infantry or cavalry and were sent out 2-4 km away from the troops in bivouac in the direction of the enemy. The pickets had pairs of sentries or advance posts in front of them.

The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.