Book Description

The Seven Years War (1756-1763) marked the first truly world-wide conflict following the expansion of European colonies, sparking engagements across India to Canada. As with so many of the European wars, the causes were a question of land and legitimacy. The ever-present simmering tensions between England and France, alongside the newly emergent Prussia and Austria, led to a conflict that dragged many other nations into the strife. An excellent account of the operations of Frederick the Great by an eminent military theorist and historian, Jomini aims to not only show the laws of strategy employed by Frederick to win his campaigns, but also to juxtapose this with methods employed by Napoleon in his campaigns against the coalition powers. This first volume covers the period from the opening of the war to the battle of Hohenkirch in 1758. Of the Author — General Jomini saw much service during the Napoleonic Wars, initially working in staff positions for Marshal Ney prior to being attached to the Emperor’s own headquarters during the 1806 and 1807 campaigns. He was pushed out of the Grande Armée into the arms of the Russian service in 1813, becoming aide-de-camp to the Tzar. He was famous for his copious output of works on the military theory and strategy employed during the French Revolution, the Napoleonic Wars, and even those of Frederick the Great. He is often remembered for his chef d’œuvre, the “Art of War”, and has been dubbed the “founder of modern strategy” by historian John Shy.