The sun., 1907-12-22


AUTHORS snal ooncNaaous. which may bs
cOndensDd in the assertion that as C@aar
was the greatest man Of ancient Hmss 70
Napoleon was probably tho most useful
man OF modern times IN his capacity OF
ruler. and ON the whole the greatest soldier
despite his early decline. OF special
interest arc the chapters on Napoleon
co 'Sidered AZ a man and a soldier, and on
military CRITICS, including conspiCuously
B0low and Jomini We shall glance at the
latter subject first because 1t 10 relatively
unfamiliar to civilian readers
4.
Col. Dodge points out that the earliest
writer on what may be called military
science was Lloyd. who was qualified Tor
exposition from having served against
Frederick the Great in the Seven Years War.
He clearly recognized the factors Of num-
bers, speed and mobility, and tho import
ance OF concentration against one only OF
two armies marching upon your territory.
His rules OH war were applicable princi-
pally to the system evolved by French COM
manders in the latter part Of the seven
teenth century, and that organized by
Frederick. After LIoyd's Memoirs" the
most ilMminative comments on the art OF
war are TO be found in Frederiok's instruc-
tiOns for his Generals and his other critical
and historical papers
Toward the close Of the eighteenth con-
tury Heinrich Won Bulow wrote about
military affairs. and especially the Austrian
Gordon system, which compared unfsvOr-
ably with that created by the French COM
manders in the wars OF the French Revolu-
ton. Bulow wss the first diagrammatist.
although Frederick in his works had made
frequent sketches. Billow was alive TO tho
value OF ths base and line OF operations.
but he had a curious incapacity for inter-
proting manoeuvres and did not understand
strategy In its large aspect In his Spirit
Of the Newer System Of War" he laid stress
on the fact that the much greater supplies
needed by modern armies are called for
by the use OF animals for hauling munitions
Of war and OF unessential luxuries. He
proposed feeding troops on biscuits in
stead Of baking bread on the march. as a
means Of cutting down one-half the bulk
Of victuals. He admits, however. that
TO revert to the small supply trains OF an
cient days one would have to give up fire.
arms and go back to swords and pixies.
To a certain extent Bdlow seems TO have
anticipated Napoleon's dictum that the art
OF war resides in assailing the communica-
tons OF the enemy while maintaining your
own. He failed. however, to see the inn
portance Of battle He rather urged the
avoidance OF battle and n substitution for
IL OF man1uvres against the enemy's maya
zines. That is TO say. he was in favor Of
going back to the days Of the learned but
indecisive operations of the seventeenth
century. In our authors opinion Bulow
read history to poor effect. for he asserts
that GustavJls Adolphus knew nothing OF a
base. He found in the wars Of the Russians
against the Turks proof that a base is essen
tial and pronounced it impossible for the
Russians 10 cross the Balkans and march
on Constantinople. As a matter Of fact.
they were to do II twice in the nineteenth
century. In fine. Bnlow's theory OF the
art Of war is built solely on one element.
communication. He neglects all the others.
such az topography. moral force. the rela-
tive ability OF the opposed commanders.
numbers and efficiency. His system is
available only when the two opponents are
equally ANXIOUS to avoid battle.
The fact is recalled in the book before us
that Henri Jomini was a Swiss who first
served in one Of the mercenary regiments
Of that nation in French pay. In 1902 he
was LieuCenant-Co in the militia Of the
Canton Of Vaud. and here he met Ney. who
two years later. after reading his -COurs
Theorique ct PratiQue de Ia Grande Tao
tiQue." appointed him on his staf as Major,
in which capacity he served during the
1905 campaign and attracted NapOleon's
notice. In 1905 and the following year he
was Ney's chief Of stan, and was made
General Of Brigade and Baron. In 1900
he was with Ney in Spain. after which he
joined the General Staff Of the Grand Army.
but Berthier and he did not agree. for
Jomini could see further into NapOleon's
operations than the Maj General. In 1913.
angered by Napoleon's failure TO confirm
his nomination to he General Of
Division. he went over to the Allies. and
served through the latter half Of that year
and the whole Of the 1914 campaign as a
member of the Czar Alexanders staif.