A last stand is a military situation on which a normally-small defensive force holds a position against a far more powerful attacking force and is often its final act before it is defeated. The defending force usually takes heavy casualties. That can take the form of a rearguard action, holding a defensible location, or simply refusing to give up a position. A last stand is a last-resort tactic that is used if retreat or surrender is impossible or fighting is essential to the success of the cause. The defending force is most likely defeated, but it sometimes survives long enough for reinforcements to arrive that force the retreat of the attackers; occasionally, it can even force the enemy away by itself.