Military theorist Carl von Clausewitz believed that tactical defensive measures were a powerful force in any war. In spite of General Lee's blunder in attacking the Union center on the third day of the Battle of Gettysburg, and General Grant's mistaken assault at the Battle of Cold Harbor, the majority of generals on both sides saw the power of tactical defenses and entrenchments.
On War by Carl Von Clausewitz was available in Europe in 1832, its publication date.
Carl Von Clausewitz (1780 - 1831) was a Prussian soldier best known for his military treatise, 'Von Kriege' (On War) and the famous quote, "war is the continuation of politics by other means". Clausewitz learned allot about warfare by participating in Prussian wars under Frederick the Great. His excellent publication called "On War" is still a widely read book on warfare. In fact his ideas concerning culmination points appeared in a US Army Field manual as late as 1982. Clausewitz and Henri Jomini had a degree of influence on the commanding officers on both sides of the US Civil War.
Carl Von Clausewitz
The relevance of Carl Von Clausewitz's "Principles of War" for contemporary military professionals is that it deals with the mind of man at war and not the weapons of war.
Military theorist Carl Von Clausewitz believed that the driving elements in any war were chance, passion and rationality. These were respectively governed by the military, the people and the government.
Carl von Clausewitz
"The fog of war" is a term that summarizes the concept presented in Carl von Clausewitz's book "On War." In this book, Clausewitz discusses the uncertainty, ambiguity, and complexity that military leaders face during conflict, emphasizing the difficulties in understanding the full scope of a situation in the midst of battle.
Vladimir Lenin decided to read the works of Carl Von Clausewitz in 1915. Lenin was in exile at the time and World War One was raging. Lenin believed he needed a better education on wars and the publication called "On War" by Clausewitz was an excellent source on such matters.
"The moral elements are among the most important in war." - Carl von Clausewitz The Most important element is what are the political objective to the war? When that is determined, all that follows can fall into place.
Many readers of the works of military theorist Carl von Clausewitz are often surprised at his use of metaphysics and actual religious concepts. As just one example of this, Clausewitz refers to the Trinity, the Christian trinity, when speaking about war and the people of a nation involved in one.
In his book called On War, Carl von Clausewitz presents his theory that there are three forces that drive a war. The form a trinity he calls chance, passion, and rationality. This should not be confused with his ideas on war itself. Here in his trinity he speaks in very broad terms.
One of the most famous quotations from the military theorist Carl Von Clausewitz involved a general's job with regards to strategy. In On War, Clausewitz states that "The strategist ( meaning chief commanding officer ) must define an aim for the entire operational side of the war that will be in accordance with its purpose. In other words, he will draft the plan of the war and the aim will determine the series of actions intended to achieve it".