Blundering to Glory: Napoleon's Military Campaigns [Paperback]

Owen Connelly (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1990 | ISBN-10: 0842023755 | ISBN-13: 978-0842023757

A complete account of the Napoleonic campaigns that explores the tactical methods Napoleon employed to achieve victory. He is characterised in this book as a "scrambler", who never had a plan that he did not change or compromise, but always emerged victorious, "blundering" to glory.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Owen Connelly has written a magnificent book….The text moves right along, does not bog down in favorite emperor stories, and offers the most plausible explanation of Napoleon’s many-sided military character that it has been my pleasure to read….Students at all levels…will sit entwined with the fast-moving text….This is a great book. All historians would do well to read it. (American Historical Review )

Students of all levels, as well as the public at large, will sit entwined within the fast moving texttttt (Modern Europe )

Blundering to Glory is an excellent primer or introduction to Napoleon and his military impact on the era, and it also offers ideas to challenge scholars and students of the perioddddd (Napoleon Journal )

A thoroughly stimulating and enjoyable volume. Connelly examines all the campaigns with exemplary conciseness, and the same is to be said of his treatment of the battles. . . . Whether this book entertains or (occasionally) infuriates, it makes a reader think. (Journal Of The Society For Army Historical Research )

Readers will find this book useful to have in their library. Connelly gently but surely draws the readers into questioning whether or not Napoleon ever had a strategic aim. (Journal Of The Royal Artillery )

This is a concise, clear, authoritative account presented in a felicitous literary style. Of the many works on Napoleon's thirty-year career, this is the best brief account. (Canadian Military History Book Review )

Students of all levels, as well as the public at large, will sit entwined within the fast moving text (Modern Europe )

Blundering to Glory is an excellent primer or introduction to Napoleon and his military impact on the era, and it also offers ideas to challenge scholars and students of the period (Napoleon Journal )

Connelly's summaries of the action are clear and concise; his description of the social and political context in which Napoleon fought is exquisite; his portrayal of the personalities of Napoleon's marshals is lively and insightful; and his portrait of Napoleon's ambition and drive to win is superb. (Military Review ) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Owen Connelly is McKissick Dial Professor of History at the University of South Carolina. A past president of the Society for French Historical Studies, he was a member of the Institute for Advanced Studies, Princeton University. He served as an infantry officer in the Korean War and as an instructor at the U.S. Army Florida Ranger Camp. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 250 pages
• Publisher: Scholarly Resources (June 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0842023755
• ISBN-13: 978-0842023757
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,362,104 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Deliberately Controversial but Informative, July 19, 2005

By 

Ralph Ashby (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Blundering to Glory: Napoleon's Military Campaigns (Paperback)

The extent and nature of Napoleon's genius will always be a matter of debate and controversy. Owen Connelly has added fuel to the fire in an interesting way. He is in fact trying to stir the pot, not least with the provocative title of this work. In the process, he has turned out his usual well-written, clear and concise work. This book is a great outline of Napoleon's campaigns, whether or not one agrees with his conclusions. I have put it to good use assigning it in my courses, and my students always enjoy it. They get a good, quick overview of Napoleonic warfare. Owen Connelly (an American) is one of the most knowledgable and objective living historians of the Napoleonic period.

16 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The Fran Tarkenton of the Battlefield, July 6, 2000

By 

George R Dekle "Bob Dekle" (Lake City, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Blundering to Glory: Napoleon's Military Campaigns (Paperback)

Connelly analyzes Napoleon as "strategically challenged," but a masterful improvisor. Thus, per Connelly's analysis, Napoleon blunders into one potential disaster after another and snatches victory from the jaws of defeat only by scrambling brilliantly. Probably a more accurate assessment would be that Napoleon's confidence in his abilities and his troops made him willing to take enormous risks. When things went awry, his mental acumen and military ability usually carried him through to victory in spite of his overweening audacity. The book is an interesting read.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A Little Disappointing, April 10, 2004

By 

Kostya_2000 - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Blundering to Glory: Napoleon's Military Campaigns (Paperback)

I started out very involved and interested in Connelly's premise, but as the book went on, he strained his credibility.

With such misleading statements as, "Massena scored a victory over [Wellington] at Bussaco in September 1810," Connelly made me wonder just how strenuously he had checked his facts and just what he may have twisted to suit his argument. Bussaco was a clear defeat for Massena, who had thrown five assaults at the British/Portuguese troops and been repulsed in every case. The allies were not only left in possession of the battlefield but had lost approximately 1,000 men to Massena's 4,000. How Connelly could count that as a victory for Massena is beyond me. Unless, of course the fact that, two days AFTER the battle, Massena's drive to outflank the allies caused Wellington to start his strategic withdrawal toward the Lines of Torres Vedras, is what Connelly calls a "victory."

And it made me wonder, what else did Connelly change or leave out...what may he have glossed over because it didn't suit his argument? One reviewer here complained that Connelly covered Napoleon's early battles extensively but barely covered what some consider to be Napoleon's most brilliant display of genius: the battles of 1814. Was 1814 glossed over, perhaps, because it was damaging to Connelly's argument? Who knows? It's too bad, really. This book had great promise, but it lost me through sheer sloppiness. My recommendation: Read it for its interesting approach, but don't expect to be convinced by the end of it.