Napoleon as a General: Command from the Battlefield to Grand Strategy

by Jonathon Riley

'In war, let your great object be victory, not lengthy campaigns. Thus it may be known that the leader of armies is the arbiter of the people's fate, the man on whom it depends whether the nation shall be in peace or peril...' (Sun Tzu The Art of War). We speak of Caesar who conquered Gaul, not the legions; MacArthur who landed at Inchon, not the Marines - and we speak of Napoleon, one of history's most successful generals. Major General Jonathon Riley is supremely well qualified to write on Napoleon's generalship and has written an informed and insightful account. He opens with a short treatise on generalship in order to define Napoleon's achievement before moving on to the man himself. He examines Napoleon as a strategist; as a coalition commander; Napoleon's campaigns and Napoleon on the battlefield. Areas often ignored in the context of pre-industrial warfare - logistics and counter-insurgency - are also examined. Riley proceeds to three specific case studies beginning with Napoleon's first essay in generalship and the conquest of Piedmont; Napoleon at the height of his powers at the conquest of Prussia, to Napoleon's final defeats and the Battle of the Nations in 1813.

240 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2007

Reviews

[Jim Greene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have a degree in history & especially enjoy & understand military history. Therefore, for me, this book was very enjoyable. However, if your tastes are not similar to mine, you may find it hard to follow.

[Mary · Rating 1 out of 5]

This Brit can't wrap his head around the fact that Napoleon's campaigns are still held up as worthy of study even 200 years later.
"This elusive ideal has persisted right down to the present. What does not seem to have dawned on those responsible for teaching the military class of the future is the simple fact that, in the end, Napoleon lost."

That sums up this book. When Napoleon did win a victory it's dismissed as only because his foe had inferior army or men, or this or that. Not much credit given to Napoleon altho for some strange reason that this author refuses to accept, Napoleon is considered the finest General of modern times.
Sorry Mr. Riley if that offends you.