13.2: Military Strategy

Napoleon was a genius in his powers of memory, his tireless focus, and his mastery of military logistics. He memorized things such as the movement speed of his armies, the amount of and type of supplies needed by his forces, the rate at which they would lose men to injury, desertion, and disease, and how much ammunition they needed to have on hand. He was so skilled at map-reading that he could coordinate multiple army corps to march separately, miles apart, and then converge at a key moment to catch his enemies by surprise. He was indifferent to luxury and worked relentlessly, often sleeping only four or five hours a night. Further, his intellectual gifts made him capable of effectively micro-managing his entire empire through written directives to underlings.

Unlike past revolutionary leaders, Napoleon faced no dissent from within his government or his forces, especially the army. Simply put, Napoleon was always able to rely on the loyalty of his troops. In a step towards independent authority, in the spring of 1796, he announced that his army would be paid in silver rather than the paper money issued by the French Republic that had lost almost all of its value. Napoleon led his men in most of the important battles and lived like a soldier. These actions caused his men to adore him. His victories kept morale high both among his troops and among the French populace, as did the constant stream of pro-Napoleonic propaganda that he promoted through imperial censorship.

Napoleon’s military record matched his ambition. In his two decades of power, he fought sixty battles, winning all but eight. Most of these were towards the end of the reign. His victories were a combination of his own command of battlefield tactics, as well as changes introduced by the French Revolution. The elimination of noble privilege enabled the French government to impose conscription and increase the size and flexibility of its armies. It also turned the officer corps into a true meritocracy. Now, a capable soldier could rise to command regardless of his social background. Mass conscription allowed the French to develop permanent divisions and corps, each combining infantry, cavalry, artillery, and support services. On campaign, these large units of 10,000 to 20,000 men usually moved on separate roads, each responsible for extracting supplies from its own area, but capable of mutual support. This kind of organization multiplied Napoleon's operational choices, facilitating the strategies of dispersal and concentration that bewildered his opponents.

In some ways, his strengths came with related weaknesses. In hindsight, his greatest problem was that he could never stop. He always seemed to need one more victory. While supremely arrogant, he was also self-aware and savvy enough to recognize that his rule depended on continued conquests. For the first several years of his rule, Napoleon appeared to his subjects as a reformer and a leader who had ended the war with the other European powers and imposed peace settlements with the Austrians and the British which were favorable to France. However, by 1805, it was clear that he intended to create a huge empire far beyond the original borders of France.

Napoleon's Empire, 1810

For a full-screen version, click here.

Source: Mr. Green's Weebly