Masters Of The Art Of Command

Only rarely does a work of military history appear that serves to illuminate the paradox of the infinitely rich diversity of the military art and the fundamental continuity of principle and character revealed by its practitioners across the centuries. Such a book is Masters of the Art of Command, a wide-ranging series of essays on military leaders, ancient and modern, whose actions and personalities provide insights into the interplay of time, circumstance, and individual character and ability that makes for success--or, equally instructive, for failure.

In a lively and perceptive introductory essay, Stokesbury sketches the ever-changing circumstances, tools, and social purposes of warfare to reveal its essential continuity of principle. In the series of essays that follow, Blumenson casts a wide net--over 'Some Masters of the Art' (Sulla, Saxe, Thomas, and Huebner, among others); over 'Masters of Mobile Warfare' (Iberville, Crook, Wolseley, Hart, Montgomery, and Patton); over 'Coalition Warfare' (Rochambeau, Eisenhower, and various command problems and situations); and over special problems such as military obedience, Hitler and his generals, and the 'maverick' military leader.

For the general reader, this book will provide a fascinating trip across historical fields of battle; for the military professional or student of military history, it should strike sparks of recognition and illumination, and even touch a few nerve endings in the process. One can hardly ask for more.