in war, a round or march made by the guards or watch in the night time, to observe what passes in the streets, and to secure the peace and tranquillity of a city or camp. The patrol generally consists of a body of five or six men, detached from a body on guard, and commanded by a sergeant.

They go every hour of the night, from the beating of the tattoo until the reveille: they are to walk in the streets in garrisons, and all over the camp in the field, to prevent disorders, or any number of people from assembling together: they are to see the lights in the soldiers' barracks put out, and to take up all the soldiers they find out of their quarters. Sometimes patrols consist of an officer and 30 or 40 men, as well infantry as cavalry; but then the enemy is generally near at hand, and consequently the danger the greater.