Tactics and the Experience of Battle in the Age of Napoleon

by Rory Muir

This historical study of Napoleonic battles and tactics examines firsthand accounts from soldiers’ memoirs, diaries, and “A major work” (David Seymour, Military Illustrated).   In this illuminating volume, historian Rory Muir explores what actually happened in battle during the Napoleonic Wars, putting special focus on how the participants’ feelings and reactions influenced the outcome. Looking at the immediate dynamics of combat, Muir sheds new light on how Napoleon’s tactics worked. This analysis is enhanced with vivid accounts of those who were there—the frightened foot soldier, the general in command, the young cavalry officer whose boils made it impossible to ride, and the smartly dressed aide-de-camp, tripped up by his voluminous pantaloons. Muir considers the interaction of artillery, infantry, and cavalry; the role of the general, subordinate commanders, staff officers, and aides; morale, esprit de corps, soldiers’ attitudes toward death and feelings about the enemy; the plight of the wounded; the difficulty of surrendering; and the way victories were finally decided. He discusses the mechanics of musketry, artillery, and cavalry charges and shows how they influenced the morale, discipline, and resolution of the opposing armies.  "Muir has filled an important gap in the study of the Napoleonic era."—Library Journal

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Military History, Research, War

551 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 20, 1998

About the author

Rory Muir is a visiting research fellow at the University of Adelaide and a renowned expert on British history. His books include Britain and the Defeat of Napoleon and his two-part biography of Wellington, which won the SAHR Templer Medal.

Reviews

[Erik · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has really grown on me over time. I read this sometime ago, and have re-read this several times since gleaning more details from the text each and every time. It is concise, but not lacking in essential details. I find this book extremely useful in the process of developing wargames and rules, as some of the mechanics require some extensive research to fully comprehend the decision making and tactics of the time. This is an excellent source for folks looking to get a basic understanding of warfare of the Napoleonic period, and I highly recommend it.

Comments on the Anglo/English-centric nature of the book are perhaps overly stating the tone of the book. I focus heavily on Austrians during this period, and the book was quite useful. The French are well covered, and Muir gives Napoleon a great deal more credit than many other authors from the English speaking world. I think Rory Muir does a fine job of balanced writing.

I think this book is a must read, along with David Chandler's Campaigns of Napoleon, for anyone interested in this period of warfare.

[Tomasz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is four and a bit stars, not "not quite four", because Muir provides an informative look at the tactics and experiences of (mostly British) soldiers and officers in the Napoleon era, focusing mainly on the campaigns on the Iberian Peninsula and mainland Europe, because, well, sources. And this is why no five stars from me - with a single exception, he sticks only to what has been published in English. Which, for a scholar of the Napoleonic warfare, is frankly insufficient. So, a good, illustrative and worthwhile read regarding the British troops, yes, with plenty of additional avenues for further research, if one's so inclined, but definitely no end-all on the titular subject.

[Robert Hausladen · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent view of the battle experience of the Napoleonic Wars, marred only by the fact that almost everything is based on the Peninsula. hence the experience is primarily British and French. While Portugese and Spanish both fought in the same campaigns, there is little from them.

If you have not a particular interest in the period, the later chapters dealing with medical services and the aftermath of battle will be long and wearisome.

Still, for those, such as myself, who desire to know the period in every way possible, it is a good addition.

[Rob Markley · Rating 4 out of 5]

By no means is this Rory Muir's best book. I really got the feeling that to help himself as a serious historian Muir simply did some wide reading of memoirs to try and get a feel for how contemporaries experienced Napoleonic wars and then put his thoughts together into a book. Of course nothing wrong with this but he doesn't really have much to add to those who have read many of the same memoirs. It is a similar exercise to what Paddy Griffith did with 'Forward into Battle' but Griffith is more profound in drawing conclusions

[Deiure · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pesar de ser un libro para personas con un interés muy profundo en estas cuestiones, lo trata a través de anécdotas contadas por los propios militares, lo cual lo hace bastante ameno.
Sirve para entender el sentido de las tácticas, pero también como pensaban los militares y cuál era la experiencia real tanto de los oficiales como del soldado raso.
La mayor parte de testimonios son del bando inglés porque, tal y como explica el autor, son los más abundantes y descriptivos.
Se habla solamente de la guerra terrestre, sin ninguna mención a lo naval.
Está muy documentado y cuenta con una extensa bibliografía.
Me ha gustado la estructura del libro, dedicando un capítulo por rama del ejército y luego centrándose en los aspectos más humanos.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Insightful and detailed, a welcome read that deepened my understanding of the period.

[Paul A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Broadly speaking, military historiography tends to focus on broad sweeps, with formations maneuvering across a battlefield and little detail provided regarding an individual's experience on the front lines. Muir, along with historians such as John Keegan or Adrian Goldsworthy, are attempting to reconstruct what it would have been like to participate in these battles, focusing on the "face of battle," so to speak.

Here, Muir does an excellent job of drawing from first-hand sources to provide valuable insight into the experience of a Napoleonic-era soldier, whether in the infantry, cavalry, or artillery, and before, during, and after a battle. Throughout the book, we see the whole range of human experience during such a psychologically and physically intense event as a battle or an entire campaign. This is a great resource for those who are more interested in the actual experience of a Napoleonic-era battle, steeped in the mud and blood of the firing line, than those who prefer a bird's eye view of a Napoleonic battlefield.

[P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite his statement in the introduction suggesting that Nosworthy focused on the manual and didn't discuss the actual battlefield, I didn't find this book presenting a whole lot of information that wasn't in Nosworthy. Still interesting work, but (perhaps inevitably for English-language authors) mostly focused on the Peninsula. It would be nice to find a work that actually reveals evidence regarding what if any differences there were between the Peninsula and the more massive battles in central Europe at the tactical level.

[Sean Chick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muir is a solid writer. I mostly like his practical take on things, siding with the obvious and being unwilling to go in for the jingoistic dreck of many other British military historians. Yet, the book has two grave weaknesses. First, the block quotes are too many in number. i am not a fan of them, but when well placed they are effective. Here they break up the flow. Mostly, 90% of this book is about the French and British experience, and mostly Britain is represented. British historians are known for lax research, and this much is sorely evident in this work.

[Singleton Mosby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite a nice and clearly written book on the subject. There are two things which 'bothered' me however. First the omnipresence of the Peninsular war and the British POV of the conflict. This focus is understandable, but there were just too few French, Russian, Austrian etc accounts to give the reader the full picture.
Second I had expected more of a focus on tactics. How does the column march, a line is formed, a wheel is made. Formations used, some more information on non-combetants etc.

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very thorough coverage.

[Thehuskarl · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well written book on this subject, very clear.