In the capstone work of his career, distinguished military historian Jay Luvaas brings together in one volume the military genius of Napoleon.
Unlike Sun Tzu or Carl von Clausewitz, Napoleon never wrote a unified essay on his military philosophy. Yet, as one of the world's great strategists and tacticians, he sprinkled wisdom throughout his many and varied writings. Jay Luvaas spent over three decades poring through the thirty-two volumes of Napoleon's correspondence, carefully translating and editing all of his writings on the art of war, and arranging them into seamless essays. The resulting book captures the brilliant commander's thoughts on everything from the preparation of his forces to the organization, planning, and execution of his battles -- all buttressing Napoleon's view that "in war there is but one favorable moment; the great art is to seize it." Napoleon on the Art of War will be essential reading for military buffs, students of history, and any business leader looking for timeless insights on strategy.
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Almost every great captain (Sun Tzu, de Saxe, de Villars, Frederick II, Clausewitz, Jomini, among others) have written one of three things: 1) A memoir, recounting their perceptions of battles and campaigns, 2) Guides, or textbooks concerning their beliefs on the principles of tactic, logistic, and strategy, or 3) A history, a detailed analysis of specific battles, campaigns, and marches, with descriptions of the different officers and generals they had to work with
Napoleon, despite being (in my opinion) the greatest military and civil ruler of all time, never wrote any of these things (unless you refer to excerpts from his diaries, which was posthumously printed and never intended to be read, or his proclamations, which were mostly inflated propaganda).
However, in many of his diary entries, travel journals, and personal letters to his brothers that he placed on the throne of European countries, or his trusted 26 Marechals de France, he left gold jackpots of wisdom which are of use today. Thus the excellent historian Jay Luvaas (who also wrote "Frederick the Great on the Art of War") spent over 30 years poring through Napoleon's correspondances, and cut and pasted them together to form what would seem like a continuous and fluent book, 100% written in Napoleon's own words.
Genius! A must have, and a must read for all Napoleonic, or just military fans everywhere.
