The Thinker Behind the Armies of the French Revolution and Empire

The eighteenth century was a rough patch for the French military. On August 13, 1704 at Blenheim the combined armies of France and Bavaria were defeated by a multi-national force led by the English general Marlborough. On May 23, 1706, at Ramillies in Belgium, Marlborough did it again, and yet again on July 11, 1708 at Oudenarde. On November 5, 1757 at Rossbach in Saxony the combined armies of France and the Holy Roman Empire were crushed by Frederick the Great’s Prussians. After a seemingly endless series of humiliating defeats, thoughtful French soldiers began to wonder what was wrong with their system, and to explore how it might be fixed.

Prominent among these thinkers was Jacques-Antoine-Hippolyte, Comte de Guibert. Born in 1743 into an aristocratic military family, as a boy he accompanied his father on campaign in the Seven Years’ War (1756 - 1763) winning France’s highest decoration for valor in combat, and rising to the rank of colonel in 1767. At the age of 29 he published his Essai général de tactique; a book that profoundly influenced the doctrine of the French Army during the years leading up to the Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. He died in 1790 before he could see the realization of his ideas in Bonaparte’s Grande Armée.

A major operational problem of 18th century armies was that they marched as a single mass in long columns, but fought in parallel lines. Deployment from column into line relied on complex “processional” evolutions that looked good on a perfectly flat parade ground, but were painfully slow over real-world terrain. Traditionally, the senior regiment present had to occupy the position of honor on the right, adding further complication. Guibert argued for deploying in small (400 - 600 man) battalion columns moving on multiple axes, rather than the unwieldy regiments. He advocated “cadenced” marching, at 70, 80, or up to 120 steps per minute. While many of his contemporaries wanted to adopt the ferociously rigid discipline of the successful Prussian army, Guibert felt this was contrary to the national character of the French.

The British military historian B. H. Liddell Hart called Guibert “The Prophet of Mobility” [The Ghost of Napoleon (1933) p. 69.]

In keeping with the norms of his class and his era, Guibert had love affairs with numerous women, including influential “salonnières” who helped to advance his literary career. Although he was not particularly good-looking, his charm and eloquence made him a popular figure in Parisian salon culture, the so-called “Republic of Letters.”

This is the first book-length biography of Guibert in English, and consists of an Introduction and ten chapters:

1. The Evolving French Army
2. Guibert’s Early Life in the Twilight of the Old Regime
3. The Essai général de tactique
4. La Gloire par tous les chemins (“Glory by all paths”)
5. The Council of War under Saint-Germain
6. War Home and Abroad
7. Commencement d’une vie nouvelle (“Beginning of a new life”)
8. Guibert’s Revolution
9. The Father of the Grande Armée
10. Legacy

In a fascinating counter-factual, the author considers how Guibert might have fared in the Revolution had he lived a few years longer. Like many aristocrats he might have emigrated, but:
“…Guibert’s status as the architect of the French military would have preserved him from the guillotine and perhaps elevated him to a position of honor…it is not inconceivable that he would have been named an honorary marshal by Napoleon” (p. 202)

Readers with an interest in the background of the Napoleonic wars will enjoy this solidly researched book; a valuable contribution to French military history in English.

Jonathan Abel is Associate Professor of History at Tarrant County College, in Fort Worth, Texas.

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Our Reviewer: Mike Markowitz is an historian and wargame designer. He writes a monthly column for CoinWeek.Com and is a member of the ADBC (Association of Dedicated Byzantine Collectors). His previous reviews in modern history include To Train the Fleet for War: The U.S. Navy Fleet Problems, 1923-1940, From Ironclads to Dreadnoughts: The Development of the German Battleship, 1864-1918, Venice: The Remarkable History of the Lagoon City, The Demon of Unrest, Next War: Reimagining How We Fight, Habsburg Sons: Jews in the Austro-Hungarian Army, Hitler's Atomic Bomb, The Dark Path: The Structure of War and the Rise of the West, The Last Hot Battle of the Cold War, Operation Title: Sink the Tirpitz, A Light in the Northern Sea, A Street in Arnhem, British Naval Gun Mountings, The Indian Rebellion, 1857-1859, Dread Danger: Cowardice and Combat in the American Civil War, From Ironclads to Admiral, and The Battleship New Jersey.

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Note: Guibert is also available in e-editions.

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