On the Napoleonic Wars: Collected Essays

280 Pages·1994·12.446 MB·English

by  David G. Chandler

D
Greenhill Books
r David G. Chandler is one of
the twentieth century's leading
military historians. This collec¬
tion of his work presents articles, essays
and lectures containing some of his
most significant ideas, which have
evolved throughout his career to the
present day, on aspects of the dynamic
and dramatic period of Napoleonic war¬
fare.
The range of subjects examined here
includes the origins of the Revolution¬
ary and Napoleonic Wars; the Egyptian
campaign; the battles of Marengo,
Austerlitz, Maida and Sahagun; the
Peninsular War; the Russian campaign;
the myths surrounding the Emperor
and his battles; the marshalate; and the
wars viewed in the light of classical mil¬
itary theory.
New papers appear together with
articles now made accessible following
their original publication in a wide vari¬
ety of journals and periodicals; and,
coincidentally, David Chandler's first
and most recently published articles,
both included in this collection, relate
to aspects of the same campaign: the
British in Egypt in 1801. To establish
the context, each chapter is preceded
by an introduction, detailing the cir¬
cumstances of the article or lecture
being prepared, and in some cases the
heated debates that have arisen as a
result.
In the overall Introduction, David
Chandler provides an entertaining
account of his life and career. As a dis¬
tinguished historian (only two others
have earned a military history D.Eitt
from Oxford since Sir Charles Oman in
the 1920s) he has travelled around the
world to lecture at universities and mil¬
itary colleges and speak at international
conferences. He has just retired from
the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst,
where he has been Head of the Depart¬
ment of War Studies for nearly fourteen
years.
On The Napoleonic Wars is a stimulat¬
ing, varied and valuable addition to the
literature of military history in general
and the Napoleonic Wars in particular.
ISBN 1-85367-158-4
♦
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On the Napoleonic Mrs
UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD
CT~*HIS is to certify that it appears by the Register of
the Ancient House of Congregation of Doctors and
Regent Masters of the University of Oxford that
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after having satisfied all the conditions prescribed in that
respect by the Statutes of the University, was on the
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admitted to the degree of
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Assistant Registrar
On the
Napoleonic Mrs
Collected Essays
Dr David G. Chandler,
D.Litt
Greenhill Books, London
Stackpole Books, Pennsylvania
Dedicated To
My Friends And Colleagues
In Military History And War Studies
At R.M.A. Sandhurst 1960-1994:
The ‘Old, Middle And Young Guards’.
On The Napoleonic Wars
first published 1994 by Greenhill Books,
Lionel Leventhal Limited, Park House, 1 Russell Gardens,
London NW11 9NN
and
Stackpole Books, 5067 Ritter Road, Mechanicsburg, PA 17055, USA.
© David G. Chandler, 1994
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced
stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electrical, mechanical or otherwise without first seeking the
written permission of the publisher.
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Chandler, David
On the Napoleonic Wars: Collected Essays
by David Chandler
I. Title
940.2
ISBN 1-85367-158-4
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
On the napoleonic wars : collected essays / by David G. Chandler.
p. cm
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 1-85367-158-4
1. Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, 1769—1821—Military
leadership. 2. France—History, Military—1789-1815. 3. Military
art and science—Europe—History. 4.Napoleonic Wars, 1800-1815—
Campaigns. 5. Wellington, Arthur Wellesley, Duke of, 1769—1852—
Military leadership. I. Title.
DC203.9.C454 1994
944.05— dc20 93-32339
CIP
Typeset by DP Photosetting, Aylesbury, Bucks
Printed in England by Clays Ltd, St Ives pic
Contents
A cknowledgements 7
General Introduction 11
Preface: What is Military History? 36
1 The Origins of the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars 39
2 The Reconquest of Egypt: the British View 56
3 The Egyptian Campaign of 1801 65
4 Adjusting the Record: Napoleon and Marengo 82
5 The Napoleonic Marshalate 99
6 Napoleon's Masterpiece: Austerlitz, 2 December 1805 115
7 Column versus Line: the Case of Maida, 1806 130
8 The Battle of Sahagun, 1808 145
9 Wellington in the Peninsula: a Reassessment 155
10 Wellington and the Guerrillas 166
11 The Russian Army at War, 1807 and 1812 181
12 Borodino: 1812 192
13 Retreat from Moscow 205
14 An Undergroom at War: Edward Healey, 1815 214
15 How Wars are Decided: Napoleon — the Fall of a Giant? 230
16 Napoleon: Classical Military Theory and the Jominian Legacy 241
Epilogue: Napoleon the Man 254
Bibliography 256
Dr David G. Chandler, D. Litt 265
List of Author’s Publications 267
5
List of Maps and Diagrams
1 Participation in the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, 1792— 43
1815
2 The Landing in Egypt 64
3 The Egyptian Campaign of 1801 67
4 Marengo, 1800: The Afternoon Battle 84
5 Marengo, 1800: Napoleon’s Subsequent Changes 85
6 Austerlitz, 1805: Allied Attack 117
7 Austerlitz, 1805: Napoleon’s Counterattack 117
8 Maida, 1806 133
9 Sahagun, 1808: Cavalry Action 147
10 Sahagun, 1808: Troop Movements 147
11 The Peninsular War, 1808-14 169
12 Borodino, 1812 194
13 Crossing the Beresina, 1812 207
14 Jomini’s Representation of the Prussian Campaign of 1806 243
6