Napoleonic Tactics

[Pirimeister]

Howdy!

I'll ask this one here before going over to the book club section:

Are there any good books on Napoleonic tactics that you guys can recomend? I was looking preferably for something from the Osprey line of books, because they are usualy nicelly illustrated, but anything -with quality - interests me.

I wanted to increase my knowledge of the interaction between the 3 main components of the Napoleonic armies, specialy the use of artillery - something I really stink at when playing wargames of that period.

Merci!

Paulo

 

[XRAY]

Paulo

Difficult question, there are so many books (literally thousands) that cover the Napoleonic Wars and most students of the period have their particular favourites.

The Osprey books, although excellent concentrate mainly on uniforms with some organisation thrown in for good measure.

If I were to pick one that comprehensively covers the combined arms tactics of the period, is reasonably priced and a good introduction to Napoleonic warfare it would be:

The Art Of Warfare In The Age Of Napoleon by Gunther. E. Rothenberg (B.T. Batsford Ltd, London)

I’m sure that fellow forum members could come up with many more.

 

[KG_RangerBooBoo]

Some of you scholarly types might laugh but the books that finally brought home how the arms interacted were the Richard Sharpe books by Bernard Cromwell. I know they are fiction but they did an really good job in the storytelling in describing how the 3 branches of arms worked. I'd read some of the regular books but these were able to drive it home like no others that I had read.

 

[XRAY]

No laughing Mark, Bernard Cornwell’s books give an excellent feel of what it must have been like to fight in the Napoleonic Wars. I believe he has also written a factual book called ‘Sharpe’s Companion’ although I’ve not read it myself.

Peter

 

[Pirimeister]

Thanks for the tips, guys. I'm looking into buying the book you recomended, xray. It seems to be be what I'm looking for.

What is your take on this one:Tactics and the Experience of Battle in the Age of Napoleon, by Rory Muir?

At Amazon you can buy both books ata cheaper price, so I was wondering if I should go for it...

 

[XRAY]

Both books are good buys, Muir’s concentrating more on the experiences of the soldiers at the sharp end of the conflict.

Gunther. E. Rothenberg book also looks at Revolutionary tactics and discusses how they evolved and were ultimately honed by the master himself.

As I mentioned earlier there are numerous publications to choose from, also the Internet is a veritable gold mine for information on Napoleonic warfare.

I’ve been collecting books, prints and other paraphernalia for over forty years now and still learn new things every week about the age of Napoleon.

 

[dannybou]

Here is a link on the use of cavalry:

http://www.wargamesjournal.com/napoleonic/cavalry.asp

 

[Jim Cobb]

Chandler goes into tactics; I can also recommend Swords around the Throne.

 

[XRAY]

Wholeheartedly agree Jim,

I had the pleasure of meeting Chandler many years ago, what he didn’t know about Napoleonic Warfare was not worth knowing. I even got him to sign one of his books!