30 review for Napoleon on the Art of War

1. 

   4 out of 5

   Antigone – Nov 01, 2018

   Jay Luvaas is a historian who served as a visiting professor at the U.S. Military Institute and, shortly thereafter, was named the first Professor of Military History at the U.S. Army War College. This slim volume is the product of several decades spent pouring over Bonaparte's writings on war; material he has streamlined into ten concise essays that cover such matters as the creation of a fighting force, training, combat arms, command, organization, field tactics and the operational art. Napole Jay Luvaas is a historian who served as a visiting professor at the U.S. Military Institute and, shortly thereafter, was named the first Professor of Military History at the U.S. Army War College. This slim volume is the product of several decades spent pouring over Bonaparte's writings on war; material he has streamlined into ten concise essays that cover such matters as the creation of a fighting force, training, combat arms, command, organization, field tactics and the operational art. Napoleon speaks to these topics and more through letters sent pre-battle to his marshals and dictations offered at the close of his life from exile on St. Helena. This collection gives insight into the military aspect of Bonaparte's mind - which appears to have been a very well-ordered and sharply-functional bit of headspace. He is remarkably engaging on the subject of war; his prodigious grasp of battle and the battlelords of ages past is refined and applied with startling efficiency to the fields he faced in his own day and the men he was provided to face them with. I found his discussions on troop discipline, the unity of command, and the use/misuse of fortifications to be of particular interest - although it must be said that the final chapters (and the appendix providing Bonaparte's critical analysis of the wars of Frederick the Great) were strictly tailored for the tactical buff. Keep that in mind as you read the following quote, which is not representative of the book as a whole and yet so terribly fun and funny and terrifically...well...French. Napoleon on his commanders: I loved Murat because of his brilliant bravery, which is why I put up with so much of his foolishness. Like Ney, Murat was incomparable on the field of battle, but he always committed stupid mistakes. He understood how to conduct a campaign better than Ney and still he was a poor general. He always waged war without maps, and how many mistakes did he not commit to be able to establish his headquarters in a chateau where there could be women! As for bedding down with a woman...my woman could have died in Munich or Strasbourg and it would not have upset my projects or views by a quarter of an hour. Two hundred years later, and this still has the power to garner an eye roll from me.

2. 

   4 out of 5

   F. – Aug 02, 2011

   This was really a 3.5/5 but that's not an option so I like to give people the benefit of the doubt and move them up instead of down. Good book and a very easy read compared to a lot of other teastises on tactics and military operations. That said, it wasn't really written by Napoleon in order to become a comprehensive manual on conducting war. It was written piecemeal and the things in here were drawn from letters to his Corps Commanders and other places like that. We really don't know what Napo This was really a 3.5/5 but that's not an option so I like to give people the benefit of the doubt and move them up instead of down. Good book and a very easy read compared to a lot of other teastises on tactics and military operations. That said, it wasn't really written by Napoleon in order to become a comprehensive manual on conducting war. It was written piecemeal and the things in here were drawn from letters to his Corps Commanders and other places like that. We really don't know what Napoleon would have had to say in his own version of the Clausewitzean classic. This is something worth reading for entertainment value to the military historian or philosopher, it is not something that I would read in order to gather a better understanding of Napoleon or Napoleonic Warfare.

3. 

   4 out of 5

   Roberto Rigolin F Lopes – Jul 31, 2015

   Napoleon was such a clever guy pushing people to study history of war and had all the soldiers proportions figured out to win battles; even using fortified cities, the man knew it in advance. He used letters to sync up with his distributed troops. He almost conquered the whole civilized world with that. What he would be able to do with high-speed internet? Just kidding…

4. 

   4 out of 5

   Tin Wee – May 24, 2020

   This is a collection of letters, directions and observations by Napoloeans to his various generals, which reveal his thoughts on strategy, organisation, and conduct of war during his time. Napolean shows his clear attention to detail, citing arms and ammunition carried by different troops, days required between different destinations, number of troops in each formation. He exhorts a keen understanding of his own commanders and soldiers, those he is fighting, the terrain on which they fight. Howe This is a collection of letters, directions and observations by Napoloeans to his various generals, which reveal his thoughts on strategy, organisation, and conduct of war during his time. Napolean shows his clear attention to detail, citing arms and ammunition carried by different troops, days required between different destinations, number of troops in each formation. He exhorts a keen understanding of his own commanders and soldiers, those he is fighting, the terrain on which they fight. However, the European style of battle seem to be characterized by maneuvers into favourable positions for set piece battles in which to destroy the enemy. In this sense, the strategies and tactics seem more brutal and less sophisticated than the methods in Sun Tzu's Art of War. Nonetheless, a good insight into the types of battles fought in Europe in that era.

5. 

   5 out of 5

   Steve – May 12, 2019

   This isn't about Napoleon -- it's all by Napoleon: directives, letters, communications. And it gives us a fascinating window into how he conducted war and waged politics. I found some pieces more interesting than others, but military history buffs will want to read it. This isn't about Napoleon -- it's all by Napoleon: directives, letters, communications. And it gives us a fascinating window into how he conducted war and waged politics. I found some pieces more interesting than others, but military history buffs will want to read it.

6. 

   4 out of 5

   Ron Nurmi – Dec 27, 2019

   A look at the Art of War as practiced by Napoleon one of the masters often in his own words.

7. 

   4 out of 5

   Anthony –

8. 

   5 out of 5

   Viggo Knudsen –

9. 

   5 out of 5

   Evan –

10. 

    4 out of 5

    Will Plunkett –

11. 

    5 out of 5

    Ken –

12. 

    5 out of 5

    Angelo Stagnaro –

13. 

    4 out of 5

    Jeffrey Van Hooren –

14. 

    5 out of 5

    William Anderson –

15. 

    4 out of 5

    Ryan –

16. 

    4 out of 5

    Arnie –

17. 

    4 out of 5

    Michael Parent –

18. 

    5 out of 5

    W.A. Fulkerson –

19. 

    5 out of 5

    Yusuf Maung –

20. 

    4 out of 5

    Oren –

21. 

    5 out of 5

    Jeff Dermer –

22. 

    5 out of 5

    Joe Maderich –

23. 

    5 out of 5

    John Tarttelin –

24. 

    4 out of 5

    James Richardson –

25. 

    4 out of 5

    Bradley –

26. 

    5 out of 5

    Mike –

27. 

    5 out of 5

    Cristobal –

28. 

    4 out of 5

    Edward Richmond –

29. 

    5 out of 5

    Tim Flemming –

30. 

    4 out of 5

    Caleb Stokes –