rearguard vs spearhead

rearguard

noun
  • The rearmost part of a force, especially a detachment of troops that protect the rear of a retreating force. 

  • The defence, collectively the defenders. 

spearhead

noun
  • The leading military unit in an attack. 

  • One who leads or initiates an activity (such as an attack or a campaign). 

  • The pointed head, or end, of a spear. 

  • A player who initiates attacking moves. 

verb
  • To drive or campaign ardently for, as an effort, project, etc. 

How often have the words rearguard and spearhead occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )