How Napoleon marched towards his starIn 1805 Napoleon and his Grand Army gathered on the shores of the English Channel ready to launch themselves across it's short expanse to begin the invasion of Britain. But the Royal Navy would continue to 'rule the waves' to ensure that the essential 'twenty four hour dominance of the channel' that the Emperor prayed for would never occur. So it was that he would once again turn his attention for military conquest towards the East. The brilliant campaign that culminated in the victory of Austerlitz is told in this history making it vital reading for all students of the military history of the Napoleonic epoch.
#320002 in Books Osprey Publishing 2007-07-24 2007-07-24Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 .39 x .17 x 7.26l; .45 #File Name: 184603184264 pages
Review
21 of 23 people found the following review helpful. Interesting resource on Roman battle tacticsBy Steven PetersonThis is a fascinating little volume; slim but filled with interesting speculation and documentation on Roman battle tactics from 109 BC to 313 AD. By necessity; there is much inference about actual tactics; given the difficulty of ascertaining with certainty exactly how the legions fought.Nonetheless; the author; Ross Cowan; uses the historical record judiciously to reconstruct tactics. He notes his goal at the outset (Page 3): "This book will focus on the tactics of the legion; because that is the formation for which we possess the most evidence; especially the legions of the Late Republic."There are reconstructions of disasters; such as Crassus' disastrous defeat at Carrhae. There are discussions of Julius Caesar's great victories in Gaul and against Pompey's legions; including a nice description of the key battle at Pharsalus. Also interesting; the discussion of Antony's and Octavian's victory over the Republican army commanded by Brutus and Cassius at Philippi; after their murder of Caesar.There is detail on the evolution of legion tactics; on the components of legions (from archers to cavalry to infantry and so on).All in all; an interesting slim volume (only 63 pages of text). For those wishing to gain more knowledge of Roman battle tactics; this represents a nice entree to the literature.1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. This is a historical overview of the topic that doesn't ...By Michael NowellThis is a historical overview of the topic that doesn't bog you down with details; but still gives a reasonable understanding.2 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Great illustrations which truly convey useful information instead of just being appendages to the textBy James KenneyA nice little (64 pages!) account of an important but little discussed subject. I'm surprised the author didn't mention the legion's startling innovatory organization (compared to the unwieldy Greek phalanx; for example; or the hodge-podge the Parthians commanded); but in a book this short I suppose he couldn't. Great illustrations which truly convey useful information instead of just being appendages to the text.
