With the exception of Napoleon Bonaparte, no man was more influential on the military tactics and strategy of 19th century warfare than Carl Philipp Gottfried von Clausewitz (June 1, 1780 – November 16, 1831). Clausewitz was a Prussian soldier and German military theorist who stressed the moral and political aspects of war, but he is remembered today for his military treatise On War, which remains one of the most important military treatises ever written. It was mandatory for all military students and officers to read during the 19th century, and it was common practice for generals during the Civil War to carry Clausewitz’s treatise and read it to assist them in strategy and tactics.
On War covered every conceivable facet of warfare, using historical battles as examples of what to do and what not to do. The treatise discusses how opposite forces interact, and how unexpected new developments unfolding under the "fog of war" called for rapid decisions by alert commanders. In opposition to Antoine-Henri Jomini he argued war could not be quantified or graphed or reduced to mapwork and graphs.
Perhaps most importantly, Clausewitz realized the correlation between politics and war. Clausewitz had many aphorisms, of which the most famous is, "War is not merely a political act, but also a political instrument, a continuation of political relations, a carrying out of the same by other means.” This view of warfare is still the standard viewpoint of war today..
This edition of On War is specially formatted with pictures of Clausewitz and famous generals, as well as a Table of Contents covering each volume and all chapters.
