A rear guard or rearguard is that part of a military force that protects it from attack from the rear, either during an advance or withdrawal. The term can also be used to describe forces protecting lines of communication behind an army.
Read more about Rear Guard: Origins, Contemporary Usage, See Also
Famous quotes containing the words rear and/or guard:
“It is not those who till the fields who eat fine rice, nor those who rear the silkworms who wear fine silks.”
—Chinese proverb.
“I guard this box, as I would the instrumental parts of my religion, to help my mind on to something better.”
—Laurence Sterne (1713–1768)