Product Description

The Art of War by Baron De Jomini was considered by most military experts of the day, at the time of the American Civil War, to be the definitive work on strategy and warfare. Even today, it is highly regarded as a seminal work in the development of strategy.

Antoine Henri de Jomini was one of Napoleon’s most capable generals. He contributed to almost all of Napoleon’s major battles. Napoleon regarded him so highly he made him Baron De Jomini. At the close of the Napoleonic wars De Jomini became General and Aide de camp for the Tsar of Russia. His first-hand accounts and rigorous analysis of important battles is still a major resource on tactics, strategy and warfare.

Other Special Editions in this series that deal with the subject of warfare and strategy include:
The Art of War by Sun Tzu - Special Edition
The Art of War By Mao Tse-tung - Special Edition
The Art of War & The Prince By Machiavelli - Special Edition

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #437447 in Books
• Published on: 2005-06-26
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 320 pages

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
From the SUMMARY OF THE ART OF WAR.

DEFINITION OF THE ART OF WAR.

The art of war, as generally considered, consists of five purely military branches,-viz.: Strategy, Grand Tactics, Logistics, Engineering, and Tactics. A sixth and essential branch, hitherto unrecognized, might be termed Diplomacy in its relation to War. Although this branch is more naturally and intimately connected with the profession of a statesman than with that of a soldier, it cannot be denied that, if it be useless to a subordinate general, it is indispensable to every general commanding an army: it enters into all the combinations which may lead to a war, and has a connection with the various operations to be undertaken in this war; and, in this view, it should have a place in a work like this.

To recapitulate, the art of war consists of six distinct parts:-
1. Statesmanship in its relation to war.
2. Strategy, or the art of properly directing masses upon the theater of war, either for defense or for invasion.
3. Grand Tactics.
4. Logistics, or the art of moving armies.
5. Engineering,-the attack and defense of fortifications.
6. Minor Tactics.

It is proposed to analyze the principal combinations of the first four branches, omitting the consideration of tactics and of the art of engineering.

Familiarity with all these parts is not essential in order to be a good infantry, cavalry, or artillery officer; but for a general, or for a staff officer, this knowledge is indispensable.

Customer Reviews

Napoleon's Battles - A Study of Genius

Contained in the pages of this book are the most authoritative descriptions of Napoleon's battles ever put on paper. De Jomini was an eyewitness to most of Napoleon's important battles, and privy to the machinations of the Great Man himself. As a member of Napoleon's staff and a keen observer, de Jomini's descriptions of the battles are widely recognized by military experts to be both accurate and insightful.

For an in-depth examination of the tactics and strategy of one of the greatest generals of all time, de Jomini's "Art of War" is unsurpassed. It demonstrates the state of the military art that preceded the American Civil War. Doubtless, the Civil War generals on both sides of the conflict were familiar with this book.

As one of the landmark volumes of military science, this book is still essential to every student of tactics and strategy. The lessons it presents, in its descriptions of Napoleon's battles, are as timeless as the reputation of the genius who crafted them.

A Great "How-To" Book for Operational Commanders
Jomini's "The Art of War" is a great contrast to Clauswitz's "On War." Clauswitz rambles on and on to get to a philosophical point of various military topics. Now this is important of course, and Clauswitz is good for military thinkers. But I like Jomini because he writes for military "doers." This book is a great instruction manuel for operational commanders, as an instruction manuel is to a model kit builder.

"The Art of War" covers and defines in Chapter 1 the different types of wars: offensive, defensive, etc. In Chapter 2 Jomini discusses Military Policy, Chapter 3 is on Strategy and Tactics, Chapter 4 Grand Tactics and Battles, Chapters 5 and 6 Geographic and Logistical challenges, and Chapter 7 Troop Battle Dispositions.

Unlike other prominent books on war (by Clauswitz and Sun Tzu) the best part of Jomini's "The Art of War" is that it includes sketches of different orders of battle (Chapter 4). For the brand-new reader of military science this is INVALUABLE because it shows what a flank attack is, an oblique order, a concave order a.k.a double envelopement, and echelon order, to name just a few. Why are these important? Because every Great Captain--Alexander the Great, Hannibal, Caesar, Frederick the Great, and Napoleon--have used at least one of these "universal" strategies to beat a larger enemy. I say "universal" because no matter what time period war is fought, from ancient times to the Persian Gulf War, these strategies can be used over and over again. Technology and tactics are always changing; strategies are the constant. Jomini brilliantly found these universal battle strategies, and wrote them for us! Although he focuses mostly on Frederick's and Napoleon's wars (Jomini fought with Napoleon, the big--er...little man himself!)the author's strategies that he laid out were also used by Alexander the Great (the Greek conqueror used the echelon order to defeat the Persians at Issus) and Hannibal of Carthage (the Romans were annihilated at Cannae by Hannibal's double envelopement).

For me this book is the best scrutiny of operational strategy and military doctrine. It gets to the point. Much of it is written for the 19th century reader but the strategies and principles are very important today. American soldiers sweeped away Saddam's army in 2003 by using enveloping maneuvers and fantastic logistical organization (see Chapter 4 and 6 for info on these topics!). Jomini's book is as pertinent today as it was back during the American Civil War.