Background
He was born on March 6, 1779 at Payerneinthe canton of Vaud, Switzerland, where his father served as mayor. The Jominis "were an old Swiss family" of distant Italian descent with a decidedly pro-French outlook.
(The life of Napoleon is etched still across the history o...)
The life of Napoleon is etched still across the history of Europe, in the wars he waged, the dynasties that he toppled, and the laws he enacted. Even in an epoch rich in social change, from the bottom up he remains a fascinating figure; biographers face the challenge of doing justice to such a multi-faceted character. Few can have been said to have access to the Emperor as much as the generals that served under him throughout his many campaigns; General Jomini spent many year serving the Emperor and many more in the company of some of his enemies putting him in an excellent position to write his biography. Written as if by Napoleon himself, Jomini traces Napoleons political and military successes and failures, weaving them into a seamless narrative that makes his work one of the few rounded biographies of Napoleon. This first volume covers Napoleons early years from birth in Ajaccio in Corsica to his ascent to the Consulship and the peace of Amiens in 1802. Of the Author General Jomini saw much service during the Napoleonic Wars, initially working in staff positions for Marshal Ney prior to being attached to the Emperors own headquarters during the 1806 and 1807 campaigns. He was pushed out of the Grande Armée into the arms of the Russian service in 1813, becoming aide-de-camp to the Tzar. He was famous for his copious output of works on the military theory and strategy employed during the French Revolution, the Napoleonic Wars, and even those of Frederick the Great. He is often remembered for his chef duvre, the Art of War, and has been dubbed the founder of modern strategy by historian John Shy. Author General Baron Antoine Henri de Jomini (1779-1869) Translator General H. W. Halleck (1815-1872
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BSJ74B0/?tag=2022091-20
(The life of Napoleon is etched still across the history o...)
The life of Napoleon is etched still across the history of Europe, in the wars he waged, the dynasties that he toppled, and the laws he enacted. Even in an epoch rich in social change, from the bottom up he remains a fascinating figure; biographers face the challenge of doing justice to such a multi-faceted character. Few can have been said to have access to the Emperor as much as the generals that served under him throughout his many campaigns; General Jomini spent many year serving the Emperor and many more in the company of some of his enemies putting him in an excellent position to write his biography. Written as if by Napoleon himself, Jomini traces Napoleons political and military successes and failures, weaving them into a seamless narrative that makes his work one of the few rounded biographies of Napoleon. This third volume covers the campaigns of Wagram, the continuing Spanish Ulcer and the beginnings of the Russian campaign in 1812. Of the Author General Jomini saw much service during the Napoleonic Wars, initially working in staff positions for Marshal Ney prior to being attached to the Emperors own headquarters during the 1806 and 1807 campaigns. He was pushed out of the Grande Armée into the arms of the Russian service in 1813, becoming aide-de-camp to the Tzar. He was famous for his copious output of works on the military theory and strategy employed during the French Revolution, the Napoleonic Wars, and even those of Frederick the Great. He is often remembered for his chef duvre, the Art of War, and has been dubbed the founder of modern strategy by historian John Shy. Author General Baron Antoine Henri de Jomini (1779-1869) Translator General H. W. Halleck (1815-1872)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BSJ74BA/?tag=2022091-20
(The life of Napoleon is etched still across the history o...)
The life of Napoleon is etched still across the history of Europe, in the wars he waged, the dynasties that he toppled, and the laws he enacted. Even in an epoch rich in social change, from the bottom up he remains a fascinating figure; biographers face the challenge of doing justice to such a multi-faceted character. Few can have been said to have access to the Emperor as much as the generals that served under him throughout his many campaigns; General Jomini spent many year serving the Emperor and many more in the company of some of his enemies putting him in an excellent position to write his biography. Written as if by Napoleon himself, Jomini traces Napoleons political and military successes and failures, weaving them into a seamless narrative that makes his work one of the few rounded biographies of Napoleon. This fourth volume covers the disastrous effects of the Russian campaign, the fight in Germany of 1813, his downfall in 1814 and his final defeat at Waterloo. Of the Author General Jomini saw much service during the Napoleonic Wars, initially working in staff positions for Marshal Ney prior to being attached to the Emperors own headquarters during the 1806 and 1807 campaigns. He was pushed out of the Grande Armée into the arms of the Russian service in 1813, becoming aide-de-camp to the Tzar. He was famous for his copious output of works on the military theory and strategy employed during the French Revolution, the Napoleonic Wars, and even those of Frederick the Great. He is often remembered for his chef duvre, the Art of War, and has been dubbed the founder of modern strategy by historian John Shy. Author General Baron Antoine Henri de Jomini (1779-1869) Translator General H. W. Halleck (1815-1872)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BSJ74JM/?tag=2022091-20
(The Seven Years War (1756-1763) marked the first truly wo...)
The Seven Years War (1756-1763) marked the first truly world-wide conflict following the expansion of European colonies, sparking engagements across India to Canada. As with so many of the European wars, the causes were a question of land and legitimacy. The ever-present simmering tensions between England and France, alongside the newly emergent Prussia and Austria, led to a conflict that dragged many other nations into the strife. An excellent account of the operations of Frederick the Great by an eminent military theorist and historian, Jomini aims to not only show the laws of strategy employed by Frederick to win his campaigns, but also to juxtapose this with methods employed by Napoleon in his campaigns against the coalition powers. This first volume covers the period from the opening of the war to the battle of Hohenkirch in 1758. Of the Author General Jomini saw much service during the Napoleonic Wars, initially working in staff positions for Marshal Ney prior to being attached to the Emperors own headquarters during the 1806 and 1807 campaigns. He was pushed out of the Grande Armée into the arms of the Russian service in 1813, becoming aide-de-camp to the Tzar. He was famous for his copious output of works on the military theory and strategy employed during the French Revolution, the Napoleonic Wars, and even those of Frederick the Great. He is often remembered for his chef duvre, the Art of War, and has been dubbed the founder of modern strategy by historian John Shy.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BWZYW3I/?tag=2022091-20
(The life of Napoleon is etched still across the history o...)
The life of Napoleon is etched still across the history of Europe, in the wars he waged, the dynasties that he toppled, and the laws he enacted. Even in an epoch rich in social change, from the bottom up he remains a fascinating figure; biographers face the challenge of doing justice to such a multi-faceted character. Few can have been said to have access to the Emperor as much as the generals that served under him throughout his many campaigns; General Jomini spent many year serving the Emperor and many more in the company of some of his enemies putting him in an excellent position to write his biography. Written as if by Napoleon himself, Jomini traces Napoleons political and military successes and failures, weaving them into a seamless narrative that makes his work one of the few rounded biographies of Napoleon. This second volume covers the campaigns of Austerlitz, Jena, Eylau and Friedland and the beginnings of the Peninsular War. Of the Author General Jomini saw much service during the Napoleonic Wars, initially working in staff positions for Marshal Ney prior to being attached to the Emperors own headquarters during the 1806 and 1807 campaigns. He was pushed out of the Grande Armée into the arms of the Russian service in 1813, becoming aide-de-camp to the Tzar. He was famous for his copious output of works on the military theory and strategy employed during the French Revolution, the Napoleonic Wars, and even those of Frederick the Great. He is often remembered for his chef duvre, the Art of War, and has been dubbed the founder of modern strategy by historian John Shy. Author General Baron Antoine Henri de Jomini (1779-1869) Translator General H. W. Halleck (1815-1872)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BSJ74A6/?tag=2022091-20
(Antoine-Henri Jomini was the most celebrated writer on th...)
Antoine-Henri Jomini was the most celebrated writer on the Napoleonic art of war. Jomini was present at most of the most important battles of the Napoleonic Wars. His writing, therefore, is the most authoritative on the subject. "The art of war, as generally considered, consists of five purely military branches,-viz.: Strategy, Grand Tactics, Logistics, Engineering, and Tactics. A sixth and essential branch, hitherto unrecognized, might be termed Diplomacy in its relation to War. Although this branch is more naturally and intimately connected with the profession of a statesman than with that of a soldier, it cannot be denied that, if it be useless to a subordinate general, it is indispensable to every general commanding an army." -Antoine-Henri Jomini
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/160459358X/?tag=2022091-20
He was born on March 6, 1779 at Payerneinthe canton of Vaud, Switzerland, where his father served as mayor. The Jominis "were an old Swiss family" of distant Italian descent with a decidedly pro-French outlook.
His parents, of Italian descent, were of modest means and gave their son a good education.
As a child he was fascinated by soldiers and the art of war and was eager to attend the Prince de Wurtemberg's military academy in Montbelliard, but his family's circumstances did not permit this. His parents pushed him towards a career in business. As a result, Jomini entered a business school in Aarau at the age of 14.
In April 1795, Jomini left school and went to work at the banking house of Monsieurs Preiswerk in Basel. In 1796, he moved to Paris, where he worked first at another banking house and then as a stockbroker. After a short time in banking, however, "Jomini convinced himself that the tedious life of a banker was not to be compared with the life afforded in French Army" and decided to become a military officer as soon as he found an opportunity.
At the age of nineteen he was appointed to a post on the Swiss headquarters staff, and when scarcely twenty-one to the command of a battalion. In 1806 Jomini published his views as to the conduct of the impending war with Prussia, and this, along with his knowledge of Frederick the Great's campaigns, which he had described in the Traite, led Napoleon to attach him to his own headquarters.
He was present with Napoleon at the battle of Jena, and at Eylau won the cross of the Legion of Honour.
Baron Antoine Henri Jomini rose in the ranks of the Swiss army, eventually serving under Marshall Michel Ney as chief of staff and becoming a baron in 1807.
His continued fame rests on his now-classic 1836 Précis de l'art de guerre, which advocates the use of large land forces, speed, maneuverability, and the capture of strategic points during battle.
Jomini's work remained influential with military leaders throughout the 1806, most notably during the U. S. Civil War.
The grossly inept early campaigns of the French Revolution had, in fact, inspired Jomini's search for scientific principles underlying successful warfare, but he waited to publish his Histoire critique until most of the generals he criticized were dead.
In each of his writings he described actual battles and theorized why the actions taken either were successful or failed.
Such laws would, Jomini believed, provide continuity among the diverse forces at work within an army and thus make war controlled and of minimal duration. Ironically, Jomini was at first unable to gain entrance into either the French or Russian military on the basis of his Traité des grandes opérations militaries, the implication being that one so young had little to teach older and far more experienced generals.
Jomini fought with the Sixth Corps against Austria at Ulm in 1805 and served as senior-aide-de-camp against the Prussian Army at Jena and Bautzen the following year.
During Napoleon's campaigns to take Spain in 1808, he fought bravely and was made brigade general in 1810.
When the French army retreated from Russia Jomini also handled his role commendably and was appointed brigadier general in 1813.
Throughout his career in the army of Napoleon, Jomini exhibited complete confidence in his ability to discern "correct" and "incorrect" strategies in line with his theories.
Such confidence was interpreted as arrogance by many officers, including Murat and Marshal Berthier, who likely also resented the preferential treatment given to the younger man by Napoleon.
Advancing to general-in-chief in the service of Russia in 1826, he became the military tutor of the Tzarevich Nicholas.
Under Bonaparte, the French had revolutionized warfare by decentralizing command, using a predominately conscripted force and vesting both political and military power in a single leader.
"Jomini's "Fundamental Principle of War" involved four maxims: 1) To maneuver the mass of the army, successively upon the decisive points of a theater of war, and attack the enemy's lines of communication as frequently as possible while still protecting ones own; 2) To quickly maneuver and engage fractions of the enemy's army with the majority of one's own;
3) To focus the attack on a "decisive point, " such as weak or undefended areas in the enemy lines;
4) To economize one's own force on supporting attacks so that the focus of effort could attack—preferably by surprise— the decisive point at the proper time with sufficient force.
He also advocated use of the turning movement, through which an adversary was overcome by moving beyond its position and attacking from the rear, and believed that adversaries in retreat should continue to be pursued as a means of beating them psychologically.
However, he also recognized that a commander who possessed great character but lacked intellectual training would never be a great general; the necessary characteristic of a winning general would be the combination of intellect and natural leadership.
Jomini strongly advocated simplicity and praised the Napoleonic strategy of a quick victory gained by quickly massing troops, as well as the French general's objective of capturing capital cities as a signal of defeat.
He also provided early definitions for modern concepts such as the "theater of operation. "
Jomini's writings, which constitute over 25 translated works, continued to influence military leaders in both Europe and North America for much of the nineteenth century.
His systematization of Napoleon's modus operandi became accepted military doctrine during the U. S. Civil War and was used by generals at Chancellorsville and Gettysburg.
As a military strategist, he was often compared with Prussian contemporary Karl Marie von Clausewitz (1780 - 1831), whose 1833 treatise Vom Kriege was considered by many scholars to be romanticized.
Unlike Clausewitz, Jomini was vague and contradicted himself on the importance of genius.
Like Clausewitz, however, his focus remained on the Napoleonic "great battle" rather than the more modern war composed of multiple armed encounters.
He moved to Brussels, but continued to be sought out for his expertise.
(The Seven Years War (1756-1763) marked the first truly wo...)
(The life of Napoleon is etched still across the history o...)
(The life of Napoleon is etched still across the history o...)
(The life of Napoleon is etched still across the history o...)
(The life of Napoleon is etched still across the history o...)
(Antoine-Henri Jomini was the most celebrated writer on th...)
A child of the Enlightenment, he sought to determine the laws of military strategy, inviolate scientific principlesthat could be followed to wage a successful war.