The Age of Battles: The Quest for Decisive Warfare from Breitenfeld to Waterloo [Hardcover]

Russell F. Weigley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1991

Narrative history in the grand manner, deeply and passionately informed by a wide understanding of every aspect of the topic Here is narrative history in the grand manner, deeply and passionately informed by a wide understanding of every aspect of the topic; the historical circumstances and political conditions of the contending adversaries, the strategic thinking and the personalities of the military commanders, the tactical manoeuvring on the field of battle, the role of armaments and technology, and the performance of the soldiers.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

From Gustavus Adolphus's 1631 victory at Breitenfeld in the Thirty Years War to Napoleon's 1815 defeat at Waterloo, the primary instrument of military strategy was the grand-scale battle waged with the goal of winning a political as well as military decision. In this first-class study of the battles of Gustavus, Charles II, Louis XIV, Marlborough, Nelson, Napoleon and Wellington, Weigley ( The American Way of War ) brings into sharp focus the irony that warfare throughout the period was most often a matter of prolonged, indecisive struggle that expressed a bankruptcy of national policy. The book traces the development of the professional officer class during the two-century era and the evolution of command and control techniques in the field. Weigley discusses the limitation of violence in battle through the restraints of international law and custom, and analyzes the surprising fact that military tactics, technology and organization remained essentially the same from Breitenfeld to Waterloo. History Book Club main selection.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Weigley, an authority on the U.S. military experience, has written a superb study of the age of "decisive battles"--that period between 1631 and 1815 when war's economic, social, and technological circum stances enabled concentrating large forces on a single field, and when political leaders and strategists hoped to secure quick decisions by means of battle. That hope was most often in vain. As Weigley demonstrates, the "age of battles" was also an age of increasingly indecisive wars. Even Napoleon's great victories resolved issues only in the short run. Exhaustion and attrition, not decision, were the norms of warfare in this period--a pattern sustained and enhanced by the military developments of the 19th and 20th centuries. Weigley's broad scholar ship and lively style make this book indispensable for any collection dealing with the subject or the period. History Book Club main selection.
- Dennis E. Showalter, Colorado Coll., Colorado Springs
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 579 pages
• Publisher: Indiana University Press (May 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0253363802
• ISBN-13: 978-0253363800
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.7 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,236,244 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The most important and unique work of its genre, October 18, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Age of Battles: The Quest for Decisive Warfare from Breitenfeld to Waterloo (Hardcover)

Russell Weigley, long established as the premier American military historian, has written a work that illustrates the necessity for the field commander to pursue complete victory over an adversary. This has long been a dream of military commanders, yet not until Gustavus Adolphus and his attempt to destroy his opponents at Breitenfeld, and his failure to move forward to Vienna, has the proverbial defeat been snatched from the jaws of victory. Weigley analyzes the failures, successes, and overall planning that became an essential part of post medieval warfare. His choice of particular battles and campaigns were carefully chosen to offer the greatest examples of military leaders opting for total, in lieu of negotiated partial victory. It is a necessary book for any student of military or political history, and it offers insights which may be compared to recent conflicts such as the Gulf War.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Recalcitrant Indecisiveness, October 13, 2005

By 

Terry Tucker (Richland, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Age of Battles: The Quest for Decisive Warfare from Breitenfeld to Waterloo (Paperback)

This book explores several themes. First, it speaks in generalities to the rise of the Profession of Arms and talks about the development of professional officers. The second major theme is that it dicusses command and control and the execution and management of violence. the thesis is that decision making, technology and professionalism are essential tools that now become part of the overall thought, deliberate strategy planning and development process of the military. Thirdly, it speaks to and explores tactical decisiveness and lastly, it speaks to international law and custom.

All in all this is a great book, but dont expect that the conclusions or answers to these themes will always jump out at you. You will need to read with intention to discern these 4 themes, and some others, and how they may or may not apply to your contemporary comparisons of Modern war, that is from roughly WW II to the Gulf War of 90-91 and Post-Modern War, that is, current warfare post 9-11.

This two hundred year work of analysis ends where it begins. With the analysis of a decisive battle. The last 8 pages sum up a few of the auhtors conclusions; one that comes to mind is the political-military-business training and role that officers must have in order to perform there military roles effectively.

The greatest benefit of this book will be derived when one compares post modern war with the tactical lessons of the battlefield.

The academic debate rages, and will continue to rage over whether or not there is such a thing as the decisive battle. You will need to discern for yourself if the principles of war have changed and if the tactical execution of the battle has a direct correlation to the operational, strategic and or political aspects of war.

ps. read this book slowly and with intention, there is much to absorb here.

Terry Tucker, Prof Military Studies/History

Senior Doctrine Developer SANGMP

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A well written, interesting book with a fresh viewpoint., February 1, 1999

By 

[e-mail] (Melbourne, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Age of Battles: The Quest for Decisive Warfare from Breitenfeld to Waterloo (Hardcover)

This is an excellent book providing an interesting alternative viewpoint of historical events that have been reviewed extensively. The author writes with an engaging style which maintains the readers interest throughout the text. The only fault in this excellent book is the number of typographical errors in the text in one case leading to a small factual error. The Dauphine Estates General met at the town of Vizille not Virille as shown in the text.

But still a very enjoyable book!