Blundering to Glory: Napoleon's Military Campaigns

"The literature on Napoleonic war is vast, and, as might be expected with a subject of such colourful drama, of very mixed quality. Together with invaluable documentary publications, particularly by the military historians of the French, Prussian, and Austrian ministries of war or general staffs before the First World War, and path-breaking studies since, the subject has attracted masses of shoddy if often opulently illustrated works. That after two centuries even such basic information as the strengths of the contending forces continues to be treated unreliably indicates not only the difficulty of the subject, but also the lack of serious scholarship that is evidently more acceptable here than in many other areas in history and the history of war. Owen Connelly, in contrast, has written an unpretentious but comprehensive study of Napoleon’s generalship that combines an original thesis with broad, critical knowledge of the sources. He, too, is not always on firm ground and at times must speculate, but his are informed guesses. He concentrates on strategy and operations; and his book might be categorised as pure military history. But it gains greatly from his earlier publications on Napoleonic politics, administration, and ways of governing: he understands how French methods of financing, raising troops, or selecting officers affected strategic policy and operational performance. Connelly’s central argument that Napoleon’s long succession of victories came from his initial advantage of superior human and economic resources, which made possible large and efficient military forces, the effectiveness of which he raised by refusing to allow his opponents to impress him and by his ability to improvise – reflecting a potent self-image – has much to be said for it. It is the kind of interpretation that, even if it needs to be tweaked in particular instances, offers opportunities for further development and brings us closer to the historical truth than do the commonplace legends of superman among the pygmies. It is only one approach to history, and what matters is not what kind of history one writes but how well one writes it. Specialisation is necessary, but it can also be limiting, and some of us are particularly impressed by the interconnectedness and interaction of seemingly remote phenomena."