Napoleon's Maxims of War

Stonewall Jackson was indisputably one of the greatest generals of the Civil War. Other than Robert E. Lee, there was no better Confederate tactician than Jackson. In 1862 and 1863, his command led to several victories against larger Union forces. It is often believed that if he had not died in May 1863, the course of the war would have been quite different and could have resulted in a Confederate victory. Jackson, a religious and principled man, carried two books with him throughout his campaigns. The first was the Holy Bible. The second was Napoleon’s Maxims of War. In the course of 78 maxims, Napoleon outlines his strategic, tactical, mental and moral guidelines to becoming a successful military commander. For Napoleon, the key to success was the constant study of the campaigns in history. Today, his work is considered to be one of the most useful texts on military strategy and command. This edition, published in the south in 1862, is likely very similar to the copy that General Jackson carried in his haversack during the war.



This book was created from a scan of the original artifact, and as such the text of the book is not selectable or searchable.