How Far Was Napoleon A Good Strategic Leader?
Napoleon won many of the battles that he fought because he disciplined his men with strict rules. He did not tolerate any misbehavior among his ranks. When he came upon the responsibility of promoting men to officers, he guaranteed his men were being led well by following a strict list of criteria. In studying both the warlords of history and his enemies, Napoleon was able to make strategies and decide which one would be best against his enemies. Napoleon was a great strategic leader in all of his conquests because he paid attention to every detail. Napoleon supplied men for his army by using the draft system. To be eligible for the draft, the person had to be eighteen. They were then trained in all the subjects Napoleon saw necessary
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to learn for combat. Napoleon stressed the importance of a good military education made up of mathematics, drill evolutions, map reading skills, field maneuvers, and study of history’s great warlords. Alexander (the Great), Hannibal, Caesar, Gustavas, and Frederick the Great were all people that he studied and learned from [SUMMARIZE ACCOMPLISHMENTS] (Luvaas 21).This was taught until they were twenty-two. Twenty-two is the age that Napoleon put men into the active army because they were still young enough to be fast witted and agile, but eighteen was too young to be in the army because people would get homesick and tired. According to Napoleon, the prime age for a fighting man was between the ages of 22 and 51 (Luvaas 2). He believed real soldiers could not be found, but must be made by constant drill and instruction, along with a certain amount of skill. A few examples of these drills would be maneuver performance and target practice. Men should also be kept in good health mentally and physically. Napoleon also knew that men should be armed with guns and other resources based on their skill. A trooper who is not as skilled should be armed with the recommended four guns per battle, while a more skilled soldier will not need so much. The men of Napoleons army also had a strict rule that no man was allowed to pillage any of the towns conquered. The reason behind this was that pillaging would give an unruly image to the army causing the townspeople to turn against the soldier if he was to be found alone. An unruly image may also result in the loss of allies and intelligence. Anyone who was found to be pillaging would have a disciplinary example made of them to show that it was not tolerated (Luvaas 10). In 1809 Napoleon found out about many disorders and crimes in the back of his army as they marched. He immediately ordered that his army be separated into as many columns of 150 men each as needed. Each column would hold at least one of the following ranks: adjutant commander or colonel, a cavalry major, an infantry captain, and an officer of the military police, and a local magistrate. Any man found to be wondering off would have been judged and executed within an hour of discovery (Luvaas 123) Besides being a strategic mastermind, Napoleon also knew how to lead his men and keep them safe when need be.
For instance, he always had camp made as far away from the enemy as possible. This kept him safe from the majority of enemy ambushes and allowed his men enough time to get prepared for battles. If the enemy did manage to somehow surprise him, he made sure he was prepared. Napoleon purposely placed the artillery in his camps as if he were on the battlefield. He would find and approve certain spots around the camp so that there was a clear shot of the enemy. When Napoleon was on the battlefield he had his artillery set up to protect and support the cavalry, not the infantry. The reason he used artillery to help cavalry was the fact that cavalry was only armed with a sabre, and not guns like the infantry. Even with the excellent training, both mounted and un-mounted, their sabre would not last them very long because all their fighting would be short-distance. For the times when Napoleon could not be around to command his men, he needed trustworthy officers. Being the meticulous man he was, Napoleon did not trust just anyone to help lead his men. To him, an officer had to reach a certain amount of requirements to deserve the rank. This list included: Knowing his country well, being able to conduct a reconnaissance with skill, being able to superintend the transmission of orders, and to lay down the most complicated movements intelligibly, simply, and in just a few
words. The cavalry was an important part to every battle once it was discovered, and Napoleon knew this. They could be the deciding factor at times. Napoleon made it a necessary part of his cavalry to know all of the orders and tactics and to be able to fight just as well un-mounted as they would be able to on their mount. A soldier was not allowed into the cavalry unless he went through both The School of the Company and The School of the Battalion. Even though the cavalry was only one-sixth the strength of the infantry, he thought it completely self sufficient and would not allow the infantry to help it under any circumstances. The cavalry squadrons were commanded by a field officer and a major; each squadron contained 410 men (Luvaas 47). Napoleon modified the infantry of his predecessors so that it could function more efficiently. Before Napoleon though, the Romans had two kinds of infantry. One part of the Roman infantry, the light infantry, carried a missile, while the heavy infantry carried a sword. Soon after the invention of gunpowder, the two infantries were improved upon. There were harquebusiers, armed very lightly and intended for the harassment of the enemy and scouting and pikemen would replace the old heavy infantry. Firearms once again changed things for the infantry. While some remained with pikes, their placement varied. Pikemen might have been in a central position, forming six ranks with the harquebusiers on the flanks, or with the back two-to-four ranks consisting of pikemen and the front two ranks made of harquebusiers. In the year of 1700, Louis XIV permanently rid his army of pikemen and supplied all of his men with a musket and bayonet. However, Louis XIV did not realize before he did this that the fourth rank would become useless because of the ability to use their muskets. When these problems did come to his attention he quickly removed the fourth row, and until Napoleon the infantry always consisted of three ranks. Napoleon did see the problem with the third row and firing their guns. With the third row, the first row was forced to get onto one knee, but since the only fire was at will, there was no time to complete this. Napoleon decided to fix this problem by disbanding the third row as well (Luvaas 43-44). Napoleon has a strong legacy that gives him a fearless mastermind image. His strategies were so advanced and smart they continued to be used worldwide until the American civil war occurred. In the painting by Jacques-Louis David titled “Napoleon Crossing the Alps”, Napoleon is depicted with a stern expression as his horse rears up. This gives the impression of a strong leader who would refuse to give up. Napoleon was a very talented speaker and could motivate his army even when they were “… ragged, mutinous, half starved…” – General sir Archibald P. Wavell. Many of his speaking techniques are used in the business world today. Because of his attention to detail napoleon led his men to great victories. Thanks to his many victorious conquests, Napoleon became one of the greatest strategists and warlords of history. He was so superior at what he did that many of his techniques are still used today.
to learn for combat. Napoleon stressed the importance of a good military education made up of mathematics, drill evolutions, map reading skills, field maneuvers, and study of history’s great warlords. Alexander (the Great), Hannibal, Caesar, Gustavas, and Frederick the Great were all people that he studied and learned from [SUMMARIZE ACCOMPLISHMENTS] (Luvaas 21).This was taught until they were twenty-two. Twenty-two is the age that Napoleon put men into the active army because they were still young enough to be fast witted and agile, but eighteen was too young to be in the army because people would get homesick and tired. According to Napoleon, the prime age for a fighting man was between the ages of 22 and 51 (Luvaas 2). He believed real soldiers could not be found, but must be made by constant drill and instruction, along with a certain amount of skill. A few examples of these drills would be maneuver performance and target practice. Men should also be kept in good health mentally and physically. Napoleon also knew that men should be armed with guns and other resources based on their skill. A trooper who is not as skilled should be armed with the recommended four guns per battle, while a more skilled soldier will not need so much. The men of Napoleons army also had a strict rule that no man was allowed to pillage any of the towns conquered. The reason behind this was that pillaging would give an unruly image to the army causing the townspeople to turn against the soldier if he was to be found alone. An unruly image may also result in the loss of allies and intelligence. Anyone who was found to be pillaging would have a disciplinary example made of them to show that it was not tolerated (Luvaas 10). In 1809 Napoleon found out about many disorders and crimes in the back of his army as they marched. He immediately ordered that his army be separated into as many columns of 150 men each as needed. Each column would hold at least one of the following ranks: adjutant commander or colonel, a cavalry major, an infantry captain, and an officer of the military police, and a local magistrate. Any man found to be wondering off would have been judged and executed within an hour of discovery (Luvaas 123) Besides being a strategic mastermind, Napoleon also knew how to lead his men and keep them safe when need be.
For instance, he always had camp made as far away from the enemy as possible. This kept him safe from the majority of enemy ambushes and allowed his men enough time to get prepared for battles. If the enemy did manage to somehow surprise him, he made sure he was prepared. Napoleon purposely placed the artillery in his camps as if he were on the battlefield. He would find and approve certain spots around the camp so that there was a clear shot of the enemy. When Napoleon was on the battlefield he had his artillery set up to protect and support the cavalry, not the infantry. The reason he used artillery to help cavalry was the fact that cavalry was only armed with a sabre, and not guns like the infantry. Even with the excellent training, both mounted and un-mounted, their sabre would not last them very long because all their fighting would be short-distance. For the times when Napoleon could not be around to command his men, he needed trustworthy officers. Being the meticulous man he was, Napoleon did not trust just anyone to help lead his men. To him, an officer had to reach a certain amount of requirements to deserve the rank. This list included: Knowing his country well, being able to conduct a reconnaissance with skill, being able to superintend the transmission of orders, and to lay down the most complicated movements intelligibly, simply, and in just a few
words. The cavalry was an important part to every battle once it was discovered, and Napoleon knew this. They could be the deciding factor at times. Napoleon made it a necessary part of his cavalry to know all of the orders and tactics and to be able to fight just as well un-mounted as they would be able to on their mount. A soldier was not allowed into the cavalry unless he went through both The School of the Company and The School of the Battalion. Even though the cavalry was only one-sixth the strength of the infantry, he thought it completely self sufficient and would not allow the infantry to help it under any circumstances. The cavalry squadrons were commanded by a field officer and a major; each squadron contained 410 men (Luvaas 47). Napoleon modified the infantry of his predecessors so that it could function more efficiently. Before Napoleon though, the Romans had two kinds of infantry. One part of the Roman infantry, the light infantry, carried a missile, while the heavy infantry carried a sword. Soon after the invention of gunpowder, the two infantries were improved upon. There were harquebusiers, armed very lightly and intended for the harassment of the enemy and scouting and pikemen would replace the old heavy infantry. Firearms once again changed things for the infantry. While some remained with pikes, their placement varied. Pikemen might have been in a central position, forming six ranks with the harquebusiers on the flanks, or with the back two-to-four ranks consisting of pikemen and the front two ranks made of harquebusiers. In the year of 1700, Louis XIV permanently rid his army of pikemen and supplied all of his men with a musket and bayonet. However, Louis XIV did not realize before he did this that the fourth rank would become useless because of the ability to use their muskets. When these problems did come to his attention he quickly removed the fourth row, and until Napoleon the infantry always consisted of three ranks. Napoleon did see the problem with the third row and firing their guns. With the third row, the first row was forced to get onto one knee, but since the only fire was at will, there was no time to complete this. Napoleon decided to fix this problem by disbanding the third row as well (Luvaas 43-44). Napoleon has a strong legacy that gives him a fearless mastermind image. His strategies were so advanced and smart they continued to be used worldwide until the American civil war occurred. In the painting by Jacques-Louis David titled “Napoleon Crossing the Alps”, Napoleon is depicted with a stern expression as his horse rears up. This gives the impression of a strong leader who would refuse to give up. Napoleon was a very talented speaker and could motivate his army even when they were “… ragged, mutinous, half starved…” – General sir Archibald P. Wavell. Many of his speaking techniques are used in the business world today. Because of his attention to detail napoleon led his men to great victories. Thanks to his many victorious conquests, Napoleon became one of the greatest strategists and warlords of history. He was so superior at what he did that many of his techniques are still used today.