Books on Napoleonic Divisional Tactics

[General von Schnepf]

Hi there!

Does anyone know of a good book for Napoleonic tactics at the divisional/brigade level? I am only really finding books on battalion tactics, which seem infinitely numerous!

Thanks,
Owen

[John Cook]

Hi there!

Does anyone know of a good book for Napoleonic tactics at the divisional/brigade level? I am only really finding books on battalion tactics, which seem infinitely numerous!

Thanks,
Owen

Hi Owen,

Divisional level warfare takes us beyond unit tactics.  Baron Antoine Jomini, The Art of War, first published in French in 1838 is perhaps the definitive theoretical study of Napoleonic warfare.  It still influenced the conduct of war in the 1860s/1870s, and arguably in 1914.  Chapter IV. Grand Tactics and Battles is the part that will probably interest you most.  You can buy copies easily enough but it is free here in English translation.   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/13549/13549-h/13549-h.htm

[Glorfindel]

I also found "Napoleon's Army" by H. C. B. Rogers very readable.   This includes an excellent section which focuses on Davout's III Corps, including details of actions in Prussia and Poland.

[John Cook]

I also found "Napoleon's Army" by H. C. B. Rogers very readable.   This includes an excellent section which focuses on Davout's III Corps, including details of actions in Prussia and Poland.

I forgot about that one.  I must have bought my copy of Rogers 50 years ago I think.  The part on III Corps is based, as I remember, on Operations du 3e Corps 1806-1807 - Rapport du Marechal Davout published in 1896 from Davout's papers, deposited in the Ministry of War by his family in 1874.  It is still in print today in the original French but, as far as I know, has never been translated.  It is available on line here. https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k9307963.texteImage

[kipt]

Scott Bowden translated Davout's journal of 1805 -1807.  It was published as "Napoleon's Finest: Marshal Louis Davout And His 3rd Corps Combat Journal of Operations, 1805-1807" and published by Military History Press, 2006.

Great book with many maps and diagrams and installations by Keith Rocco and Steven Palatka.

[John Cook]

Yes, so he did.  I forgot about that.  It was, like his translation of Bressonet's Etudes Tactique, hideously expensive and as I already had it in the original French and can read French there wasn't much point.  In more constructive vein Vachee's Napoleon at Work, translated from the French by Frederic Lees is a fascinating insight into how Napoleon handled the Grande Armee.

[kipt]

Agree.  Have that also.

[General von Schnepf]

Hi Owen,

Divisional level warfare takes us beyond unit tactics.  Baron Antoine Jomini, The Art of War, first published in French in 1838 is perhaps the definitive theoretical study of Napoleonic warfare.  It still influenced the conduct of war in the 1860s/1870s, and arguably in 1914.  Chapter IV. Grand Tactics and Battles is the part that will probably interest you most.  You can buy copies easily enough but it is free here in English translation.   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/13549/13549-h/13549-h.htm

Thank you very much, John Cook. Very comprehensive piece of material. I will look into this one.

[General von Schnepf]

I also found "Napoleon's Army" by H. C. B. Rogers very readable.   This includes an excellent section which focuses on Davout's III Corps, including details of actions in Prussia and Poland.

Oh, yes. My favorite Davout. I will definitely take a look at that book. Thanks.

[NTM]

A bit on Prussian brigades here

https://www.napoleon-series.org/military-info/organization/Prussia/prussianregs1812/c_prussianregs1812.html

[General von Schnepf]

A bit on Prussian brigades here

https://www.napoleon-series.org/military-info/organization/Prussia/prussianregs1812/c_prussianregs1812.html

Thank you very much.

[sultanbev]

Talking of using third ranks as skirmishers, how prevalent was it with the 1812 Austrian army?
I know in theory the Austrian line battalions can use the third rank as skirmishers, but I also gather that training was down to the individual regimental commander, so it may have been neglected or not?

Currently we are using a generic game rule of requiring a 6 on a D6 for each battalion to be able to deploy the 3rd rank as skirmishers, so an average of 16%. Is this too low? Too high?

[John Cook]

I'd say you are making it far too difficult for the Austrians to deploy skirmishers.  The use of the third rank for skirmishing was certainly doctrine by 1807.  The Exercier-Reglement 1807 has 19 pages devoted to the detached use of the third rank, including for skirmishing.  In Krieg 1809, the Austrian General Staff history published in 1905, there are numerous examples of infantry regiments deploying skirmishers.  I don't think, from memory, that any actually say where the skirmishers came from but, if doctrine is that it was the third rank then, I think, in the absence of anything the contrary, it has to be assumed that it was the third rank. In 1812, FM Schwarzenberg ordered that "In open ground, 20-30 skirmishers will be enough to hold enemy skirmishers from the front of the battalion or mass.  In restricted ground they can be increased to one third of the battalion, but the remaining two thirds must remain closed up in one or more reserves depending on terrain."  This sounds like the third rank and it seems clear enough that the Austrians routinely deployed skirmishers from infantry regiments when necessary.

[sultanbev]

thanks John, that's great. Interesting that they thought to deploy only 20-30 skirmishers when in the open against enemy skirmishers.

With this and other info I found I can make the following rule:
Austrian line battalions can now automatically field one base as skirmishers when in the open, up to 150 yards in front of the line/column. When in rough terrain they can deploy up to 1/3rd of bases as skirmishers. However they cannot attack with deployed skirmishers, they were defensive only. {One base in my rules is 80 men, which is kind of the minimum, so will suffice}.

Mark