Jomini's Life of Napoleon: Volume 4 - The Final Campaigns
Baron Jomini's authoritative work stands as the definitive military analysis of Napoleon's concluding campaigns. This fourth volume covers the pivotal period from 1812 to 1815, documenting the dramatic collapse of the French Empire through detailed campaign analysis and strategic examination.
About Baron Jomini
The name of the author, Baron Jomini, is familiar to every military reader. As a writer on strategy and the tactics of battles, or the application of military science to the practical operations of the campaign and battlefield, he had few equals. His works have long been studied and read as textbooks by military students of every country. Prior to the American Civil War, the translated writings of Jomini were the only works on military strategy that were taught at the United States Military Academy at West Point. His ideas permeated the Academy and shaped the basic military thinking of its graduates. The regular army officers who became the general officers for both the Union and the Confederacy in the Civil War began by following Jominian principles. His 'Life of Napoleon', though less of a technical character than most of his other works, is regarded as his masterpiece.
Volume IV Contents
CAMPAIGN OF 1812 IN RUSSIA: From the Evacuation of Moscow to the End of the Campaign
SPRING CAMPAIGN OF 1813: From the Declaration of War by Prussia to the General Coalition
AUTUMN CAMPAIGN OF 1813: From the Renewal of Hostilities to the Retreat on the Rhine
CAMPAIGN OF 1814: From the Retreat on the Rhine to the Abdication of Fontainebleau
CAMPAIGN OF 1815: From Napoleon's Return from Elba to his Exile to St. Helena
Military Significance
This volume examines the catastrophic Russian campaign, the Coalition Wars that followed, and Napoleon's final defeat at Waterloo. Jomini's analysis provides tactical and strategic insights into these decisive military operations, making this text essential for understanding 19th-century warfare and military theory. The work continues to serve as a foundational text for military academies and historians studying Napoleonic warfare.
