Old Duffer's Book Corner

Battle Tactics of
Napoleon and his Enemies

Brent Nosworthy
for Constable

From the Imbibing Bibliophile himself

I did not read Brent's Anatomy of Victory (which dealt with 18th century warfare) but as Oscar said I will, I will. Brent's background is in boardgaming and being Alice Cooper's bodyguard, clearly some North American twerp writing the sort of non-history that Greenhill publish? Wrong O Thin One. Brent may not be an academic historian in background but he has all the virtues of that breed and few of their vices. This is a well-written book, written in good measured English which advocates with reason and not with vituperation. This is a well-researched book, full of contemporary example and opinion skilfully juxtaposed.

This is an interesting book, it seeks real answers to the real results of battles. Here you will find answers on why cavalry sometimes won, and why they did not. The soldiers of this book are just as professional and thoughtful as their modern day counterparts. Their technical repertoire is the tactics which their units possess and it is these which Brent describes in such interesting detail (yes, interesting not just another reprint of some Manual of Arms).

To those of us playing brigade or divisional level games the French of 1805 are 4-4s and the Austrians 3-3s and this produces the right result. Brent is answering the question as to why this difference, and the answer is in technical and psychological superiority. But his answer goes beyond this because some of these differences are not measured in Combat Values but in the fact that some armies simply cannot do certain things - they have absolute limits which the perpendicular French could avoid. It is a long time since I have read so fine a work on this era (John Keegan and Christopher Duffy being the authors of such books). I can only heartily recommend this book to you. You may or may not agree, but you will still find it entertaining, informative and intriguing. It is to be regretted that the PA Marshalate is restricted to game designers or you would see before you the Duke of Tarentum! Brent Nosworthy, we are not worthy, we are not worthy.

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© Copyright 1996 by Charles and Teresa Vasey.
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