The Arte Militaire

Author : Bar Antoine Henri De Jomini
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781946411150
Total Pages : 414 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (111 download)

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Download or read book The Art of War written by Bar Antoine Henri De Jomini and published by . This book was released on 2017-01-17 with total page 414 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From Baron de Jomini DEFINITION OF THE ART OF WAR 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 natu-rally 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 indispen-sable to every general commanding an army: it enters into all the combinations which may lead to a war, and has a connection with the various operations to be undertaken in this war; and, in this view, it should have a place in a work like this. To recapitulate, the art of war consists of six distinct parts: 1.Statesmanship in its relation to war. 2.Strategy, or tho art of properly directing masses upon the theater of war, either for defense or for invasion. 3.Grand Tactics. 4.Logistics, or tho art of moving armies. 5.Engineering, -the attack and defense of fortifications. 6. Minor Tactics . . . From The U.S. Military Academy's (West Point's) Preface to Jomini's work: IN the execution of any undertaking there are ex-tremes on either hand which are alike to be avoided. The rule holds in a special manner in making a transla-tion. There is, on the one side, the extreme of too rigid adherence, word for word and line for line, to the ori-ginal, and on the other is the danger of using too free a pen. In either case the sense of the author may not be truly given. It is not always easy to preserve a proper mean between these extremes. The translators of Jo-mini's Summary of the Principles of the Art of War have endeavored to render their author into plain Eng-lish, without mutilating or adding to his ideas, attempt-ing no display and making no criticisms. To persons accustomed to read for instruction in mili-tary matters, it is not necessary to say a word with refer-ence to the merits of Jomini. To those not thus accus-tomed heretofore, but who are becoming more interested in such subjects, (and this class must include the great mass of the American public, ) it is sufficient to say, and it may be said with entire truth, that General Jomini is admitted by all competent judges to be one of the ablest military critics and -historians of this or any other day. The translation now presented to the people has been made with the earnest hope and the sincere expectation of its proving useful. As the existence of a large, well-instructed standing army is deemed incompatible with our institutions, it becomes the more important that military information be as extensively diffused as possi-ble among the people. If by the present work the trans-lators shall find they have contributed, even in an incon-siderable degree, to this important object, they will be amply repaid for the care and labor expended upon it. To those persons to whom the study of the art of' war is a new one, it is recommended to begin at the article "Stra-tegy," Chapter III., from that point to read to the end of the Second Appendix, and then to return to Chapters I. and II. It should be borne in mind that this subject, to be appreciated, must be studied, map in hand: this re-mark is especially true of strategy. Au acquaintance with the campaigns of Napoleon I. is quite important, as they are constantly referred to by Jomini and by all other recent writers on the military art. U. 8. MILITARY ACADEMY WEST POINT, N. Y. January, 1862.