The Campaigns of Napoleon by David G. Chandler (PDF)

Description

In this “engrossing,” (The New Yorker) vivid, and intensively researched volume, esteemed Napoleon scholar David Chandler outlines the military strategy that led the famous French emperor to his greatest victories—and to his ultimate downfall.Napoleonic war was nothing if not complex—an ever-shifting kaleidoscope of moves and intentions, which by themselves went a long way towards baffling and dazing his conventionally minded opponents into that state of disconcerting moral disequilibrium which so often resulted in their catastrophic defeat. The Campaigns of Napoleon is a masterful analysis and insightful critique of Napoleon’s art of war as he himself developed and perfected it in the major military campaigns of his career. Napoleon disavowed any suggestion that he worked from formula (“Je n’ai jamais eu un plan d’opérations”), but military historian David Chandler demonstrates this was at best only a half-truth. To be sure, every operation Napoleon conducted contained unique improvisatory features. But there were from the first to the last certain basic principles of strategic maneuver and battlefield planning that he almost invariably put into practice. To clarify these underlying methods, as well as the style of Napoleon’s fabulous intellect, Chandler examines in detail each campaign mounted and personally conducted by Napoleon, analyzing the strategies employed, revealing wherever possible the probable sources of his subject’s military ideas. “Writing clearly and vividly, [Chandler] turns dozens of persons besides Napoleon from mere wooden soldiers into three- dimensional characters” (The Boston Globe) and this definitive work is “a fine book for the historian, the student, and the intelligent reader” (The New York Review of Books).

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐Excellent reproduction of a classic. Scribner publishing. Manufactured in China. 28th edition. Foldout map is included along with a combo of black & white prints and maps with black, red, blue as presented in the original 1966 version. Good quality paper. Can see the red map symbols come through on the opposite page but otherwise no shadows of opposite pages bleed through. Well worth it!!

⭐I bought this book after finishing a biography of George Washington, who is often compared to his contemporary, Napoleon, vis-à-vis their respective quality as military strategists, generals, & national leaders. Why did Napoleon fall into the trap that Washington avoided – clinging to an archaic model of political leadership? I don’t know if the book answered that question or not (probably not).Getting through all the campaigns took time, & as others have stated some of the maps were not user friendly. Nevertheless, deciphering them was well worth the effort. Never before have I understood – or cared to understand – the importance of coordination between cavalry, infantry, and artillery.The drama of the gradual buildup to Imperial ascension (including the instructive blunder in Spain) followed by the disastrous Russian campaign with its formidable geographic distances and obstacles, disintegration of overextended supply lines, failure to disregard sunk costs, dogged belief in an unsupported interpretation of the motives and intentions of Tsar Alexander, and finally, the refutation of the myth of defeat by “general winter” more than repaid the price of the book and the weeks spent reading it.One thing is certain – Napoleon’s success was a joint venture. He was a genius and a charismatic leader, but he could not have accomplished what he did alone. Usually, his generals are given some of the credit, which is fair enough; but their post-exile performance deficit raises questions about exactly how much of Napoleon’s rising fortune was attributable to their abilities.Toward the end of the book the answer becomes clear. Napoleon was supported not just by exceptional generals but by a Project Manager of unparalleled ability who kept all the levels of planning, implementation, and communication under tight control at all times.The breadth of Berthier’s accomplishment is mind-boggling – Napoleon did the high-level specification with his maps & so forth; Bertier coordinated and implemented all the details to make the vision manifest. Anyone who has managed a large scale project under resource-poor, stressful conditions can appreciate the monumental organizational and administrative ability that made Napoleon’s success possible: Bertier handled risk assessment, mitigation planning, budgeting, logistics, scheduling, and not the least – ensuring EFFECTIVE communication of directives and changes, which often required skillful interpretation / restructuring / redirection of muddled idiosyncratic orders from Napoleon. All under battle conditions.To do what he did, Bertier had to quickly master Napoleon’s strategic designand quickly determine what was needed to make it happen, AND what alterations to make when conditions changed, AND exactly how to communicate the changes so that the correct action would be taken by the generals at the appropriate time.It’s not surprising that Berthier wasn’t successful managing campaigns on his own; he didn’t have a person of equivalent ability to support him. Notice that Napoleon was also unsuccessful without Bertier’s support.After his final defeat, Napoleon stated that if Berthier had been with him the outcome of his post-exile battles would have been different. I do not think he was exaggerating. It was simply the truth, although it might have been Napoleon’s first full realization of it.

⭐The Napoleonic Wars are one of the greatest conflicts in history. For over two decades, the great powers of Europe were locked in conflict – and at the heart of most of it was Napoleon Bonaparte. One of the greatest battle commanders of all time, a man who started as a second son of a minor provincial noble family…and made himself Emperor of the French.Dr. Chandler explores how Napoleon was trained, how he came to power, and how he made himself master of Europe. For a time. This book is one-stop shopping for the Napoleonic Wars. Yes, there are other books that cover individual battles better, but Chandler gives insight into Napoleonic strategy and his principles of war.The hardcover version has some beautiful maps – I wish I could get a larger set for my wall – which the Kindle version doesn’t capture as well. Which is why I own both. Hardcover for my library, Kindle for travel…because the hardcover is a monster. I’ve taken my hardcover on trips to Europe. Worthwhile, but heavy.Highly recommended.

⭐I purchased this book as a gift for my grandson. It was on his wish list, so he will probably enjoy reading it.It was a delayed delivery as was indicated, but I received it earlier than the given date. A very thick, heavy and, great-looking book in great condition.

⭐This is quite simply the best single-volume history of Napoleon’s military campaigns in print today.

⭐I thoroughly enjoyed this book. That said, this book suffered from the usual trouble of military history books: maps. The problem in most such books is a simple lack of maps, but in this regard, Campaigns of Napoleon ranks pretty well. The troubles here are more subtle:* Many maps cover two facing pages and quite often important elements are in the gutter where they cannot be read. Obviously, important things are often near the middles of maps, so why not split the map to allow for the gutter?* Many names of both places and minor generals are spelled differently in the text and on the maps. I assume the text is accurate, but the variations in spelling caused confusion more than once.* Oftentimes a town would be named as a destination in the early stages of a campaign, that is, when the relevant maps are still at a large scale. The named, presumably small, town will not be found anywhere on the map. It seems to me that any town important enough to be named in the text should show up on a map that supports the text.I know full well that this book was published long ago, and I will restate how much this book was a pleasure and contributed greatly to my knowledge of the man and his era. The obvious care in the text and scholarship was lost in this book when it was time to create the maps.

⭐I intend to take this book slow. I read Simon Scarrow and his books and thats what got me interested in buying this. I wanted something solid on Napoleon. I love the battle maps and all the details. Can not rush this book like a nice wine

⭐I had waited for quite some time to buy this wonderful book. It first caught my eye while I was studying in York 2011 – 2014 but it was very expensive in the book shop in York where I first saw it. I finally bought it this last week and have just recieved it and it is in fantastic condition and the price was much lower than it has been these previous few years. I am very very happy with the purchase and can’t thank the seller enough. I look forward to spending much time reading it and being able to refer to it hopefully for many years to come.As far as the late Mr Chandlers work goes on this subject there is none better or as great in its scope, a true masterpiece of historical significance.Thank you kindly “.

⭐Quite simply, the best book in the English language (and possibly all languages) on the subject of Napoleon. There is no better work I know of in any medium. Chandler’s brilliance lies in the always accessible minutiae, laid out in battle after battle after battle, which allows you to get a true insight into what made Napoleon such a military genius. Rather than someone telling you he was great, this work takes you through the detail so that you come to grasp and really understand Napoleon’s amazing talents for yourself. It can’t be recommended too highly and is certainly compulsory reading for anyone seriously interested in the subject.Incidentally, it makes other biographies (eg. Andrew Roberts’s much-vaunted recent one) look amateur.

⭐Very detailed analysis of Napoleans campaigns and battles Great for history buffs and includes underlined passages for learners.

⭐Ok

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