![[IMAGE]](http://www.holf.org/graphics/jom-clau.gif)
Summary. The
primary influence on the military art in the 19th century was
the accomplishment of Napolean Bonaparte. At the conclusion of
the Napoleanic wars, there began a debate of what had occurred
which is still not concluded to the modern day. This debate spawned
a number of treatises and individuals who devoted their professional
careers to analyzing what had occurred. The two most famous theorists
of the era, Baron Antoine Henri Jomini and Karl von Clausewitz,
had opposing views in this debate. The American military community
subscribed to the teachings of Jomini and used his last work,
The Art of War, as the basis for the coursework at the
U.S. Military Academy.
In the spirit of better role-play in our email traffic in CWOL, the following summary of the theory and terms of Baron Henri Jomini is offered. It is intended that this listing serve as a "time capsule" in giving the players of CWOL a creditable reference to use as the basis for terms and concepts of the ACW era.
Background. The prominent influence on American military thought in the decade leading to the American Civil War was Baron Antoine Henri Jomini. While his rival, Karl von Clausewitz, has risen to prominence in the years since World War II, it is the writings of Napolean's Swiss general that dominated American military thought in the years of the Civil War era. His most famous work, The Art of War, was used as the text for classes in "Military Art & Thought" at West Point in the 1850s and afterward. Listed below are the most common terms and concepts that are contained in the works of Jomini.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Strategy | art of directing masses (of troops) in the theater of war |
|
Jomini's fundamental maxims of war: 1- by strategic movement throw the mass of the army on the decisive points of a theater of war; 2- engage fractions of the enemy with the bulk of one's army; 3- in battle, throw the mass of forces on the decisive point that is first importance; 4- in battle, arrange forces so they shall engage the decisive point at the proper time & with energy |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Grand Tactics | Maneuver of an army on the battlefield | Grand Tactics - "bring the mass of force in hand against part of the opposing army to gain ... most important results" | ||
| formulation of a plan prior to battle |
|
|||
|
"an arrangement of troops indicating an intention to execution a certain maneuver ..." | |||
|
"a general may employ in his battles ... either the offensive or defensive system ... (not) limit himself to passive defense, he should know how to take the offensive at favorable moments ... that he strike his blows upon decisive points" | |||
| making good combinations (of decisions) during battle |
|
"two armies approach each other ... A collusion ensues unexpected by both armies, since each finds the other where it does not anticipate a meeting" "bold enterprises undertaken by a detachment ... for the capture of posts of different strength or importance" |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Logistics | the art of moving armies ..." comprises order and details of marches and camps; of quartering and supplying troops " |
"to be a good chief of staff, it became necessary that a man be acquainted with all the various branches of the art of war ... the term logistics includes all this ..." "ordering and directing reconnaissance of every kind ... procuring ... exact information as possible of the positions and movements of the army" |
||
| the march | "Napolean's system ... to march 25 miles a day, to fight, and then to camp in quiet" | |||
| encampment | "directing the establishment of camps, and adopting regulations for their safety, good order, and police" | |||
| lines of communication | "establishing and organizing ... lines of communications ... looking out for the safety of detachments and convoys, furnishing them good instructions, ... preserving suitable means of communication of the army with its base ..." |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Tactics | "art of posting troops upon the battlefield according to the accidents of the ground, of bringing them into action, and the art of fighting on the ground ..." |
|
Tactical positions have:
|
|
|
Decisive point on the battlefield is determined by features on the ground, relation to ultimate strategic aim, positions of forces of both sides | |||
| Infantry |
offensive characteristics:
defensive characteristics:
|
"infantry is undoubtedly the most important arm of the service" "shall the line of battle consist of deployed battalions depending chiefly upon their fire, or columns of attack ... depending on its force and impetuosity ?" |
||
| Artillery |
|
Rules for employment:
|
||
| Cavalry |
|
"principal value of cavalry is derived from its rapidity and ease of motion" "cavalry can never defend a position without infantry" "in open country ... an army should contain one sixth of its whole strength in cavalry ..." |
||
|
"to make cavalry (dragoons) out of foot soldiers is very difficult ..." |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Engineer | "the Art of the Engineer ... is a special branch of military science ..." | "The art of building military bridges ... is committed to pontoniers or sappers ... I consider the passage of a stream ... as a maneuver" | ||
| Fortresses |
|
Forts - "cover the frontier; ... aid the operations of the campaign" "fortified places should be in echelon, on 3 lines, and should extend from the frontiers toward the capitol" "fortresses should always occupy decisive points in a theater of war" |
||
| Intrenchments | "a system of intrenched lines (is) absurd ... to bury an army in intrenchments, where it may be outflanked and surrounded ... is manifest folly" | |||
| Passage of Rivers |
|
"general rules to be observed ..." "1. It is essential to deceive the enemy as to the point of passage ..." "2. Construction of a bridge should be covered by troops (on the opposite bank)..." "3. ... silence any artillery the enemy might bring up" |
Note. The following diagrams are reproductions of the sketches in Jomini's "Art of War." These maneuver concepts are generic in nature in that they can be applied as the overall maneuver of a force in a single battle (grand tactics) or be used by subordinate elements of a force during the battle. These drawings are provided as listings of the titles of the maneuver concepts employed in the ACW (the "oblique order" below was used by Longstreet on the 2d day at Gettysburg) as well as a means to convey the maneuver concepts for possible use in CWOL.
![[IMAGE]](http://www.holf.org/graphics/flagsinrow.gif)
Any comments, questions or suggestions about the War College can be sent to Curator, HOLF War College
