Others writing in English have pointed out the contributions made by the soldiers of the ancien regime to the development of Napoleonic tactics. We urge those who wish an in depth understanding of how these tactics came to be to read the works of these fine historians.

Among the first and best of these is Robert Quimby. In 1957 Quimby attempted to expand our perception in his thoughtful study, The Background of Napoleonic Warfare: The Theory of Military Tactics in Eighteenth-Century France (New York: Columbia University Press, 1957). Focusing on the French military tradition, Quimby argued that:

"The sharp break alleged to have existed between the Army of the Old Regime and that of the Revolution is greatly exaggerated. All the tactical innovations which have so impressed many writers, especially English, on the Revolutionary and Napolenic Wars, are to be found in the writings of the eighteenth century. They were familiar to the officers who led the armies of the early campaigns and to those who led the subordinate units."

Even earlier, Professor Spenser Wilkinson, in his The French Army Before Napoleon (Oxford at The Clarenden Press, 1915) explained that many officers in the pre-revolutionary French service, especially Folard, de Saxe, Mesnil-Durand and Bourcet, advocated, and were experimenting with, tactics that are generally considered "Napoleonic."

Recently, Brent Nosworthy in his Anatomy of Victory, 1689-1763 (New York: Hippocrene Books, 1990) did perhaps the best job ever of explaining in detail the tactical theories and systems of ancien regime armies. In With Musket, Cannon and Sword (New York: Sarpedon, 1996) Nosworthy continues his analysis of tactical evolution by focusing on how Napoleonic armies actually fought. This book is controversial, but it breaks new ground.

Christopher Duffy, the preeminent authority on 18th Century warfare, does the best job of explaining Frederick's fighting methods, and gives us a real appreciation of how the Prussian army changed the face of warfare forever. Professor Duffy's The Army of Frederick the Great, (Chicago: Emperor's Press, 1996) is just one of his works not to be missed by anyone interested in exploring the roots of Napoleonic combat.

Finally, in The Art of Warfare in the Age of Marlborough (New York: Sarpedon, 1994) Professor David Chandler brilliantly explains how wars were fought at the dawn of the flintlock musket era.

More From Breitenfeld to Waterloo The Origins of Napoleonic Infantry Tactics

Introduction
Infantry in the Early Musket Era
The Flintlock Musket Revolutionizes Warfare
The "Order of Battle" During the Classical Linear Period
Firepower vs. Shock
Further Reading