The Art of War

An eyewitness to most of the important battles of the Napoleonic Wars, Baron Antoine Henri de Jomini served with both the French and the Anglo-Allied armies. His firsthand accounts of the conflicts are the most authoritative ever written, hailed by experts as both accurate and insightful. It endures as the definitive work on strategy and tactics and as a fundamental source of modern military thought. In fact, generals on both sides of the American Civil War were well schooled in The Art of War. Jomini approaches warfare from several directions, including strategy, tactics, logistics, engineering, and diplomacy. He examines each in turn, and he offers an analysis of strategic problems posed by a variety of theaters and terrains, the tactics of attack and defense, surprise maneuvers, special operations, the importance of reconnaissance, and the deployment of forces. Few can match the breadth of advice offered by the man who was critical to the success of both Napoleon and Czar Alexander I. Unsurpassed in its influence on military thinking, doctrine, and vocabulary, Jomini's classic remains both a historic and practical guide to students of warfare.