Union General Henry Wager Halleck served during the US Civil War as General in Chief for a time. When he was an instructor he taught Jomini war tactics. He was able to do this as he had translated much of Jomini's war tactics from French to English. As an instructor, his version of Jomini consisted of the following basics:1. Provide troop concentrations on the enemy's weakest point of defense;
2. Attempt to intercept and act on the enemy's communications and be sure not to endanger one's own system; and
3. Always attempt to use the tactic of interior lines to take care of the first tactic mention, regarding concentration.
Antoine-Henri Jomini was born on March 6, 1779.
Antoine-Henri Jomini was born on March 6, 1779.
When discussing the military ideas of Antoine Henri Jomini, it's better to take a broader view in order to fully understand his beliefs. He emphasized the idea of seeing a wide view of war by focusing on theaters of operations. meaning the widest view possible. He also spoke about the value of territorial objectives. With these points said, Jomini also focused on battle tactics. And, he gave advice on the advantages of a strong defense.
Military theorist Henri Jomini was a strong advocate of the power of the offense. As he served in Napoleon's army in the early 1800's, Jomini saw the positive effects of Napoleon's offensive operations. During the 1864 Atlanta campaign, Union Major General Sherman followed the Jomini offensive tactic of using artillery against the Confederate fortifications.
Antoine-Henri Jomini died on March 24, 1869 at the age of 90.
Antoine-Henri Jomini died on March 24, 1869 at the age of 90.
Henri Jomini has written: 'Atlas pour le traite des grandes operations militaires'
The answer to this question requires that strategy be separated from battle tactics. Strategy involves a larger military outlook on how a war is to be conducted. A quick example is a strategy of using a navy to blockade ports. When speaking about battle tactics, we are in the area of planning the way a commander will plan on how to win an upcoming battle. Here we see that the Napoleon era H. Jomini's influence was greater in the field of battle tactics. Here are the use of concentration of forces on interior lines was practiced whenever feasible. Jomini's emphasis on defense as the strongest tactical position was the frequent tactic within a battle. From this point, it became then feasible to form a counter attack upon the enemy.
Antoine-Henri Jomini was born on March 6, 1779 and died on March 24, 1869. Antoine-Henri Jomini would have been 90 years old at the time of death or 236 years old today.
Military theorist Emil Schalk was a first hand observer of the US Civil War. In his publication called the Summary of the Art of War, he stated that offensive tactics and bayonet charges were effective in winning battles. As far as favoring offensive operations, Schalk was in agreement with Henri Jomini.
Military theorist Henri Jomini's works on Napoleonic Era warfare was written in French, however, many Union generals had read translations of Jomini's ideas on warfare. One of Johmini's ideas about battles found a home in the thinking of many Union generals. One such idea was that Johmini advised one great offensive action centered on one theater of war. Theaters during the US Civil War were huge. Also, due to the tactical defensive nature of Confederate General Robert E. Lee and other Southern generals, the "one great effort" to destroy an enemy army within a single theater of war proved virtually impossible for Union generals.
Henri Jomini's writings were written in French and he created a wealth of military knowledge based on the time he spent serving Napoleon. Many world military leaders were not knowledgeable about Jomini because his works were not translated into English until 1854.