- Hardcover: 320 pages
- Publisher: Greenhill Books; illustrated edition edition (31 Aug 1998)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1853673358
- ISBN-13: 978-1853673351
- Product Dimensions: 24.2 x 16.4 x 3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 873,366 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Synopsis
This text reveals how the French revolutiona ry armies were able to achieve ultimate success over the arm ies of Austria, Prussia, Britain and Spain. Griffith catches the verve and excitement of these campaigns crucial to the history of Europe. '
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Novel insights into the pre-Napoleonic French war machine,
By
This review is from: The Art of War of Revolutionary France, 1789-1802 (Hardcover)
The author, Griffith, has been long overdue in writing about this particularly neglected area; being an expert in the period from his PhD onwards. He has given a succinct overview of the developments in the French war machine of the period, and has probed into a much greater depth than anyone else I know of.
While broad in scope, it is Chapters 6 (Army and Staff Organisation), 7 (Operations) and 8 (Battles) that interested me the most. Chapter 6's discussion of army organisation is unique, showing just how close to pre-Frederickian concepts Napoleon's 'Battalion Carre' was, and the strange (to the modern reader) ideas of army organisation that were in play, culminating in the formalisation of the modern Brigade-Division-Corps-Army hierarchy we know today. Chapter 7 shows just how 'modern' the operational art of the day was. Meanwhile chapter 8 gives an excellent overview of how the French actually conducted their battles. With additional chapters on the Generals, Specialist Army, the Navy, Irregular Warfare and several on the relationship of the French government to war and the army, this book is not to be missed by anyone wishing to understand the period.
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3.6 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews) 3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Prelude to Empire,
By Jeffrey Hayes - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Art of War of Revolutionary France, 1789-1802 (Hardcover)
Readers electing NOT to slog through Ramsay Phipp's five volume "ARMIES," might as well read this thought-provoking, well-researched volume filled with keen insight, wry humor, and sensible observations on a confusing subject which has been much overshadowed by the later campaigns of the Emperor Napoleon. In my opinion, Paddy Griffith's books are almost without exception works worth reading due to his ability to analyze a subject and present his theories in a highly entertaining fashion. In "Art of War" the author explains how these wars were fought and reveals the organizational and doctrinal underpinning for the follow-on Napoleonic war machine. I also admire military historians possessing the perception to state "there could never be any meaningful divorce of logistics from operations. "Griffith's grasp of logistical demands commands respect as well as his description of army organization and staff work. He plainly sees the staff as a force- multiplier and gives a very nice nod to Berthier and Thiébault in this vein. I was taken by his description of the republic's Representatives on Mission (forerunner of the Stalinist commissar) as well as a nice section on the role of the French march battalions (socialization of the conscript). He also has a good section on the internal Armées Révolutionnaires. His text is supported by useful explanatory diagrams, maps and tables. I also find his word choice enviable, as when referring to Buonaparte's Armée d'Italie as "meridonal hooligans." His whimsical humor makes for a few chuckles by the fire. I particularly recommend his bibliographic essay and notes which provide the reader good advice for further study. I suggest T.C.W. Blanning's highly readable THE FRENCH REVOLUTIONARY WARS and, later on, John Lynn's opus to the Armée du Nord, THE BAYONETS of the REPUBLIC. All in all an enjoyable nuts and bolts guide to this period.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A good academic study of the armies of revolutionary France,
By Paras Sanghri - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Art of War of Revolutionary France, 1789-1802 (Hardcover)
First let me start off by saying that I had the honour though brief of corresponding with the late Dr. Griffith through email. I needed hep on Bonapartes invasion of Italy and like a true gentlemen he gave me lot of information. He will be missed. Even though are views on Napoleon are polar opposites, This book is must read for students of the French Revolutionary army. It tells about the orginzation, politics, and money matters of the revolutionary armies. the personalities of the generals, I was pleased by his admiration for General Moreau, who was a very talented commander during the revolution who's contribution to republican France is all too forgoten. Many former Marshals learned their trade under him (ney, Davout, Grouchy). This is not a book for wargamers their are no army lists, or battle reports. the economics of the war and how the army fought, supplied and fed are greatly described in this volume. The author does not hide his anti-bias for Napoleon(but then we all have biases I am a commited Bonapartist.)
there is truth in his claim that the army of italy were big looters. Napoleon's war in Italy was totaly self financed even I have to admit by massive looting, which had just gone out style 100 years back, before the age of reason most militaries did lot of looting during the campaign. All in all this book is a must read. 3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Good Synthesis of Other People's Research,
By R. A Forczyk - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Art of War of Revolutionary France, 1789-1802 (Hardcover)
Griffith, a former lecturer at Sandhurst, culls together a lot of the material from other sources - such as Lynn - and tries to paint a portrait of the French war machine during the period 1792-1802. It is a decent overview but not very original. The author is also possessed of a fierce anti-Bonapartist bias and he not only ignores the 1796-7 Campaign in Italy and the 1798 Campaign in Egypt, but he takes frequent gratuitous swipes at Napoleon (comments like "unfortunately Bonaparte escaped being lynched by his troops" or "unfortunately Bonaparte was able to return from Egypt"). There is much good information on other theaters, such as the Spanish frontier and Rhine. However, there is very little on the War of the Second Coalition and the narrative essentially runs only to about 1798. The chapter on the French Navy is a skimpy overview. Griffith's conclusion is that French armies of 1792-5 were not very good, but they had decent commanders who knew how to get the best out of their fragile infantry units. French relied heavily on artillery, fortifications and rough terrain initially. Their main advantages were that they had a simple strategy (survival) which they didn't have to coordinate with any allies and they had plenty of troops who kept launching "impulse" attacks. The Allies were hampered by poor coalition diplomacy/strategy and limited numbers of troops. Excellent bibliography (the book's strongest point). Maps are plentiful but crude. Many tables, but few are very enlightening.
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