Napoleon and the World War of 1813
Lessons in Coalition Warfighting
Book Review
by Jeremy Drage
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J P Riley
Here we have a rare piece of Napoleonic writing that ignores the magnetism of 1815 and gives us analysis rather than description. This offering is further enhanced by the fact that it comes from the perspective of a serving and distinguished military officer. This book brings freshness in 3 areas: coalition warfare, the operational art from a modern perspective, and the war of 1813 as a ‘World War’. The emphasis of the book is on the lessons from coalition operations in 1813, which abound in the Sixth Coalition in Germany and Spain and to a degree in the American theatre. Having experienced coalition operations at first hand, Brigadier Riley successfully links 1813 to the modern day. He is particularly successful in this in the Introduction and Conclusion, each of which you will want to read in one go, and in Part Two (Central Europe). Here he does not let the reader lapse into a gentle browse through the main events (which are well documented elsewhere, not least by the writer of the Foreward, David Chandler), but is remorseless in his analytical style. In Part Three on Spain, he makes some excellently perceptive deductions, but could be accused of being (parochially) descriptive over the detail of the Pyrenees Campaign and the success of the British infantry! Riley’s examination of the operational art using the modern terminology of ‘Manoeuvre Warfare’, such as ‘Centres of Gravity’ and ‘Main Effort’, is revealing. His extensive set of maps and schematics is particularly beneficial in encouraging understanding of the military thinking behind the manoeuvre; it is all the more a pity, therefore, that the presentation of many of the maps is so second rate. The explanation of the campaigns in eastern Spain and Canada demonstrates well that the operational art is not confined to theatres with hundreds of thousands of troops deployed. It is with the third area (World War) that I have some uncertainty over the merit of the approach of the book. It may be that the dual title of the book stems from a double aim: the coverage of the wars of 1813 and lessons in coalition operations. The latter is provided for excellently in Germany and Spain, but the American angle adds little to this discussion, partly because there were few allies and partly because the complex relationships with the Indian tribes are not developed. That said, the war in Canada is not well known, and by packaging it with a sure-fire subject, Riley does succeed in bringing it to the attention of a wider readership, and it is to his credit that he makes what connections do exist across the Atlantic. In summary, this is a stimulating book for the hardened Napoleonic reader rather than the novice. It gives a clear expose of the events in Germany, Spain and Canada in 1813, without losing sight of the operational wood for the tactical trees. You will be enlightened by the thought processes and assisted by the maps, diagrams and extensive bibliography. I won’t say that I couldn’t put it down, but you will want to keep at it and will find the end product rewarding. I would like to read more in this style. Under Review Book Reviews
The Waterloo Companion Memoirs of Napoleon's Egyptian Expedition, 1798-1801 A Desperate Business - Wellington, the British Army and the Waterloo Campaign Wellington's Belgian Allies 1815 Back to Table of Contents -- First Empire #65 Back to First Empire List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2002 by First Empire. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com |