The Age of Battles: The Quest for Decisive Warfare from Breitenfeld to Waterloo

by Russell F. Weigley

"One of the most interesting, important, and ambitious books about the conduct, and perhaps the ultimate futility, of war." --Gunther E. Rothenberg

"[A] highly scholarly and wonderfully absorbing study." --John Bayley, The London Review of Books

"What Russell F. Weigley writes, the rest of us read. The Age of Battles is a persuasive reminder that even in the age of 'rational' warfare, one can honestly wonder why war seemed an unavoidable policy choice." --Allan R. Millett, The Journal of American History

Genres: History, Military History, Military Fiction, Nonfiction, European History, War, 19th Century

579 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Russell Frank Weigley, PhD, was the Distinguished University Professor of History at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and a noted military historian. His research and teaching interests centered on American and world military history, World War II, and the American Civil War. One of Weigley's most widely received contributions to research is his hypothesis of a specifically American Way of War, i.e. an approach to strategy and military operations, that, while not predetermined, is distinct to the United States because of cultural and historical constraints.

Weigley was born in Reading, Pennsylvania on July 2, 1930. He graduated from Albright College in 1952, attended the University of Pennsylvania for his masters degree and doctorate, and wrote his dissertation under Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, Roy F. Nichols. It was published as Quartermaster General of the Union Army: A Biography of M.C. Meigs (Columbia University Press, 1959). After receiving his degree, Weigley taught at Penn from 1956 to 1958, and from 1958 to 1962 at Drexel University. Then he joined the faculty at Temple as an associate professor and remained until his retirement in 1998 as Distinguished University Professor. The school considered him the heart and soul of the History department, and at one point he had over 30 PhD candidates working under him concurrently. He also was a visiting professor at Dartmouth College and the U.S. Army War College at Carlisle, Pennsylvania.

Weigley's graduate teaching emphasized military history defined in a broadly comprehensive way, including operational, combat history but also extending to the larger issues of war and its significance; to the history of ideas about war, peace, and the armed forces; and to the place of the soldier in the state and in society.

Weigley was awarded a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship, 1969-70. He received the Athenaeum of Philadelphia Award for Non-Fiction in 1983 and the Samuel Eliot Morison Prize of the American Military Institute in 1989. His Age of Battles received the Distinguished Book Award of the Society for Military History for 1992 for a work in non-American military history. He has served as President of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania and the American Military Institute. In recognition of his scholarly achievements, Weigley was named Distinguished University Professor at Temple in 1985.

- from Wikipedia

Reviews

[Elliot · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is both a survey of military history in Europe from the Thirty Years War to the Napoleonic Wars and an analysis on the futility of war. I think it excels in both aspects. Weigley goes to great detail in discussing the numerous wars and campaigns that occur over this stretch of nearly two centuries. I really enjoyed reading this book because I learned so much.

Throughout the text the author follows the development of military professionalism and, as the subtitle suggests, the decisiveness, or lack thereof, of war. There were times I disagreed with the authors’ assertions, but at the very least he always had me thinking critically about the text, despite its length and detail. However, most of the time I found his insights were fascinating and accurate.

This book is well-supplied with maps, there being 34 (by my count), and for the most part each being easy to read and comprehend. I am especially grateful for the larger maps that show the entire theaters of war because they really helped understand the bigger picture.

Overall, this was a great read; I truly enjoyed it. I think those, like me, who wish to learn more about European military history will enjoy it as well.

[Martin Koenigsberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book but then it's right in my wheelhouse- a Military history of the European Black Powder Era- with ALL the Military bits- literally every battle with over 10,000 troops engaged- without too much attention paid to those pesky Political Issues that take up so much blah blah blah in those other histories that give you the Reasons but not enough pew pew pew. Weapon wise this era starts with Museketeers (Arqebusiers, some of them) and pike formations mixed- with "galloper" light artillery- moves into the era of the linear battles with the early Brown Bess and ends with light infantry, massed Artillery and Light Cavalry on the battlefield and the mixture of fire and shock that was the Napoleonic era. For leaders, we start with Gustavus II Adolphus of Sweden and his personal generalship then get Marlborough with his precise logistics and maneuver, Frederick the Great with his discipline and artillery- and then Napoleon and Nelson whose leadership begins Modern Corps and Staff warfare concepts. For the armies themselves there is the rise of the Regiment/Battalion, the development of logistics over plunder/rapine, the rise of professional officership, especially artillerists and engineers, and then the Division and Corps systems and the evolution of staffwork. Weigley, a leading American Academic Military Historian moves fast and with a spare eye making for a very compelling read.

If I have one complaint it is that the maps are totally insufficient for the layman- and I'd hope that future editions will rectify that. Starting points and meandering weak arrows are not enough most of these battles can fill whole books themselves so multistage maps are really needed. But aside from that this book is a great one for any reader who likes any part of this era- or all of them like me. This is the era that most Wargamers play or have played (Napoleonics are the most played era still)- and this book covers it all. Learning how the structure of armies and fleets were developed in the era- between and during the constant European wars. There is also some Colonial War content- in North America (F&IW AWI) but NOT any Latin American or Asian content (No Plassey/Assaye). So very good but not totally complete.

With few adult themes and little graphic injury narrative, this is a fine book for the motivated Junior reader over about 9. For the Gamer/Modeller/Military Enthusiast this is a great read. Every few pages in a war bring a new battle or skirmish to play/model, every few pages of peace brings new organisations and new innovations that the Military enthusiast will appreciate. For the player who just joined a club that plays a lot of historical games -but whose experience is all D&D/Warhammer- this just might be the perfect book to grok the whole era at once. Really can't recommend this book highly enough- from newb to older Military History buff- readers will find good stuff in this book.

[Derek Weese · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since there are already several great reviews, I won't say much.
An excellent overview of European warfare, both on land and on the high seas, from the mid 1600's to the end of the Napoleonic Wars. It focuses upon the different 'revolutions' in military thought and practices starting first with the reforms of Maurice of Nassua to create a form of professionalization of the Dutch Army in order to counter the Spanish in their war of independence.
I admit I do differ with the author, respectfully, with his overlying view that war itself, as a form of state policy, is a flawed premise and that battles are, almost never decisive. He takes the pacifist view to the near extreme in that battles are meant to end a war. No, not really. They are meant to achieve a particular strategic aim, usually limited to the current operation the particular forces are then engaged in. A great example would be the Duke of Marlbrough's stunning victory over the French at the Battle of Blenheim which, for all intents and purposes, shattered French quest for central European hegemony until Napoleon, a full century later. Granted the War of Spanish Succession would continue for many more years, but if Blenheim is not an example of a decisive clash of arms, then I am not sure what could be.
Other than that it is an excellent book with a full 40% of the text being devoted to the French Revolution and the epoch of Napoleon, easily the most readable parts of the entire text. If you enjoy larger than life figures, they abound here. Gustavus Adolphus, Charles XII (both of Sweden), the already mentioned Dutch prodigy Maurice of Nassau, John Churchill, Vauban, Frederick the Great, Napoleon, Wellington, Blucher and many others.
For a good overview of the late Renaissance and early modern way of war, this is an excellent book.

[Sean Chick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great thesis (limits of decisive battles in deciding war), but considering the length I am surprised by what Weigley leaves out (this is mostly France vs. Britain). That and where are the footnotes?

[Rob Markley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A somewhat debatable set of theses on the nature of warfare in the early modern era. Notwithstanding whether Weighley is right or not in his ideas this is a truly excellent survey - the best I've found of the entire era. There are many ideas in this book but the essential core is the suggestion that there was sought in vain a method to exterminate rather than merely repel an opposing army. Perhaps it's too extreme to suggest anyone actually formulated such a desire, when it would seem that winning "by points" was the more usual ambition.

[Eoghan Fallon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best bits are in the second ha;f and the careful following of Napoleon's various campaigns though the campaigns of the Swedes/Dutch/Louis XIV and Frederick II and his enemies are well documented. Hits a great stride with the revolutionary wars onward though.

[AskHistorians]

A suitable counterpoint to Koch's Rise of Modern Warfare, it argues the tactical freeze that occurred after the Thirty Years War and how it would play a part in the political and military history of Europe ending with an analysis of Napoleon's way of War and why he returned to Decisive Warfare compared to the limited and scientific warfare of the previous era.