Invincible Generals

The five invincible generals discussed in this book were masters of strategy and tactics who were influential far beyond their own campaigns. To chart their achievements is to relate the development of warfare from the 1600s to beyond the end of the Napoleonic Wars.

Haythornthwaite, an authority on early modern warfare, offers solid case studies of five great commanders from the "sword and musket" era, the period from the 17th to the early 19th centuries. They were not "invincible" in the strict sense of the word, and Washington's inclusion seems in particular a sop to American readers, as even Haythornthwaite accepts the Virginian's limitations as a battle captain. These men nevertheless stood above their contemporaries as masters of war. Each understood specific military realities of his time; each was consistently able to turn them to advantage. Invincible Generals lacks the comparative dimension of John Keegan's Masks of Com mand ( LJ 11/1/87). Nevertheless, its biographic focus makes this well-written work a useful counterpart to Russell Weigley's The Age of Battles: The Quest for Decisive Warfare from Breitenfield to Waterloo ( LJ 3/15/91). Recommended for collections in military history.
- D.E. Showalter, U.S. Air Force Acad., Colorado Springs
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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