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Giant of the Grand Siècle: The French Army, 1610-1715

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John A. Lynn, preeminent scholar of French military history, and logistics, prior to the nineteenth century, offers a follow-up to his classic: _Bayonets of the Republic:..._ (1984). Here he argues the French Army of the Grand Siecle (seventeenth century) was the catalyst for state formation. Reminiscent of the tail wagging the dog, Lynn argues, it was military expansion, and reforms that formed a model for the state. However, he emphasizes that this expansion was not revolutionary. Instead, development grew incrementally out of older practices. As a result, there remained a continuity of "absolutism" during this period, not a break from it, as is the common belief among some historians. Essentially, Lynn shows how the French monarchy raised regiments, without regard for how they would be fed or supplied. They were then turned loose on the rural French countryside with sometimes disastrous results.The author utilizes a thematic approach to take the reader on what he calls a "journey of understanding." The author devotes substantial coverage to economics and finance. In fact, the majority of the book focuses on economic and social history of the Army of the Grand Siecle with heavy emphasis on logistics and supply. These topics takes precedence over the standard fare of strategy, tactics, campaigns and battles. Even the section devoted to weapons tends to stress supply above technology. Throughout this intricate tapestry of subject matter, Lynn challenges arguments laid down by other military historians. For example, it is not surprising that Lynn, who has written widely on the topic of logistics, has harsh criticisms levelled at Martin Van Creveld, author of _Supplying War: Logistics from Wellington to Patton_ (Cambridge: 1977). Other themes covered include: "The Tax of Violence," and the raping of civilian women by French soldiers as a form of extortion from being under-paid and inadequately supplied; "The Culture of Command," recruitment, desertion, discipline, morale and motivation, round out the book nicely. Along the way, the author has consulted an impressive array of French archival resources gleaned from The Archives Nationales, Service Historique de l'Armee de Terre, Bibliotheque Nationale and the Archives de Guerre, which he then confusingly abbreviates in copious footnotes. He also culls various primary documents, letters and memoirs. For the most part, however, Lynn refers to secondary source material from a host of French scholars, arranged in an impressive bibliography. As professor of history at University of Illinois at Urbana-Campaign, Lynn even consults dissertation material from his own Ph.D students.Although the book is short on military campaigning, a major weakness is its lack of maps and illustrations. This is especially apparent when Lynn utilizes a visual illustration as source material. For instance, the author consults an engraving in the text (p. 321) yet, in an accompanying footnote, refers the reader to a plate in another historian's [Philippe Contamine, ed. Histoire militaire de la France vol.1 (Paris, 1992)] work. Geoffrey Parker's (_The Military Revolution: Military Innovation and the Rise of the West, 1500-1800_...see my Amazon review) strength in period illustrations is Lynn's weakness. For such an immense undertaking, Lynn's writing style is clear and concise. Every section has a clean introduction, and conclusion, with easy transitions from section to section, and topic-to-topic. This friendly writing style makes the development of the narrative flow easily. Overall, the book is a handsome package, though, perhaps a bit pricey. Lynn has made a significant contribution to the field by stressing the social aspect of the French army from king right on down to the common rank and file. This book is certainly a splendid example of the "new military history," and could serve as a model for similar studies of other armies from other time periods.