What does remote insult mean?

Remote insault (or more accurately remote insult) is an obsolete military engineering term for a surprise assault with a force that has been held at some distance from the main line of battle.

The term was first used in 1643 by the English military engineer Ralph Starkey, who defined it as "a sally made forth suddenly from a fort, or some such like place of advantage". Starkey distinguished remote insaults from sorties, which he defined as "a more general or common sally than a remote insault".

Remote insults were often used by defenders of a fortified position to harass the besiegers and disrupt their siege works. They could also be used to attack enemy supply lines or to capture enemy outposts.

The term remote insault fell out of use in the 18th century, but it was revived in the 19th century by the French military theorist Antoine-Henri Jomini. Jomini defined remote insault as "a sudden attack made by a detachment of troops from a distance upon an enemy's position". He distinguished remote insaults from sorties, which he defined as "a sudden attack made by troops which have been ordered to leave a place at a given moment and to return to the same place after having accomplished their object".

Jomini considered remote insaults to be a valuable tool for commanders who were able to surprise the enemy and exploit their weaknesses. He wrote that remote insults "may have the most decisive influence upon the issue of a campaign".

In modern military parlance, the term remote insault is no longer used. However, the concept of a surprise assault from a distance remains an important part of military planning.