In the 18th century, the leader of a small-scale body of troops, a “party” (French parti), was called a partisan. The term referred to military leaders of both regular troops and irregulars. The appearance of partisans was associated primarily with petty warfare. This covered a broad spectrum of activities apart from the closed formations of the standing army, including the employment of troops apart from the bulk of the army for surprise attacks, ambushes, an…