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Alexander: A History of the Origin and Growth of the Art Of War from the Earliest Times to the Battle of Ipsus, B.C. 301, With a Detailed Account of the Campaigns of the Great Macedonian (1890)
Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.) was incontestably one of the greatest military generals of all time. From the time he sacked Thebes and crossed the Hellespont to his death eleven years later, he conquered the entire Persian empire, including Tyre, Egypt, and Babylon, and moved on to present-day northern India and Afghanistan. He influenced the spread of Hellenism throughout the Near East and Asia, establishing many cities such as Alexandria that flourished long after his death.Thisclassic study of Alexander, his predecessors, and his influence on the art of war remains fascinating and relevant over a hundred years after its initial publication. The classical works dealing with warfare in and before Alexander's time gave little more than bare facts of military matters; Dodge's contribution was to vividly reconstruct every major battle of Alexander's brilliant military career, to provide background material concerning the art of war before and during Alexander's reign, andto fully illustrate his narrative with invaluable maps and charts. The result is a masterpiece of military history-the book that inspired General J. F. C. Fuller to write his own classic study of Alexander, and one which will similarly inspire generations of future readers.… (meer)
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This book is out of date on two fronts. First, if you are interested in a history of the life of Alexander there are many works of modern scholarship from which to choose. If these do not suffice, you can cut out the middle man and read Arrian, Quintus Curtius or Plutarch in excellent modern translations (or the original if your Latin isn't too rusty). Second, as a work on military tactics, it is written from the perspective of the Civil war era. Thus we get discussions of cavalry techniques which apparently hadn't changed much from Alexander's day to Dodge's.
That said, this is still one of the best histories of the Alexandrine age I have read. It is written with clarity and force and doesn't skimp on details. It concentrates mostly on military matters although it gives enough political and social background to provide an understanding of the strategic significance of events. The book opens with a discussion of military force predating Alexander and tries to make the point that, prior to Greeks, there had been no real use of tactics on the battlefield - a questionable conclusion, I think. There follows a discussion of Persian and Greek arms and tactics and then, at about two hundred pages, it begins a discussion of Alexander proper. The battles of Granicus, Issus and Arbela are all discussed with considerable attention to tactical detail. Dodge then follows Alexander through Persia to Afghanistan and ultimately India. Small maps detail this journey and the myriad small, mopping up battles that ensued. The maps occasionally seem a little suspect given that the first-hand knowledge available to a Civil War veteran of that part of the world was probably small. It seems unlikely Dodge really knew much about the places he describes here. In his two works on ancient generals, Caesar and Hannibal, he visited most of the places he describes. This seems unlikely for the passes of the Hindu-Kush or the courses of the Oxus river. Its hard to get there these days, never mind in the 19th century.
For the most part, however, I really enjoyed Dodge's use of small and very clear diagrams throughout - both as maps and as drawings of equipment etc. These hand drawn items greatly improve the clarity of the book and help you to follow the tactical details of the actions described in the text.
The book closes with a discussion of the Indian campaign, Alexander's return to Persia and his eventual death and successors. Dodge clearly thought highly of Alexander - and perhaps rightly so. He does, however, excuse many of his errors, personal and tactical. Alexander's choice of route for returning to Persia is not seen as the tremendous strategic and tactical blunder that it was, for example. A final interesting question raised by Dodge is whether Rome would have stood against Alexander. His answer - no.
If you want great depth or modern scholarship this is not the place to find it but, while the book has its flaws, it is a great read for those unfamiliar with Alexander or those wanting a basic understanding of the tactics and strategy that made him so successful. ( )
Informatie afkomstig uit de Engelse Algemene Kennis.Bewerk om naar jouw taal over te brengen.
“Faites la guerre offensive comme Alexandre, Annibal, César, Gustave Adolphe, Turenne, le prince Eugène et Frédéric; lisez, reililisez l’histoire de leur quatre-vingt-huit campagnes; modélez-vous sur eux – c’est le seul moyen de devenir grand capitaine et de surprendre le sécret de l’art; votre génie, ainsi éclairé, vous fera rejeter des maximes opposées à celles de ces grands hommes.” – Napoleon.
“La tactique, les évolutions, la science de l’officier de génie, de l’officier d’artillerie peuvent s’apprendre dans les traités; – mais la connaissance de la grande tactique ne s’acquiert que par l’expérience et par l’étude de l’histoire des campagnes de tous les grands capitaines.” – Napoleon.
Opdracht
Informatie afkomstig uit de Engelse Algemene Kennis.Bewerk om naar jouw taal over te brengen.
To THE AMERICAN SOLDIER Who, not bred to arms, but nurtured by independence, has achieved the proudest rank among the veterans of history. THIS VOLUME IS DEDICATED
Eerste woorden
Informatie afkomstig uit de Engelse Algemene Kennis.Bewerk om naar jouw taal over te brengen.
THE earliest histories are but a record of wars. The seasons of peace were too uneventful to call for historians.
Citaten
Laatste woorden
Informatie afkomstig uit de Engelse Algemene Kennis.Bewerk om naar jouw taal over te brengen.
To this condition had the proud nation sunk, whose soldiers, trained by the greater Philip, and led by Alexander in campaigns such as the world has not since seen and never can see again, had increased the skirts of Macedon to cover a territory beyond what Greece had deemed the limits of the earth. A generation later Macedon was broken up.
Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.) was incontestably one of the greatest military generals of all time. From the time he sacked Thebes and crossed the Hellespont to his death eleven years later, he conquered the entire Persian empire, including Tyre, Egypt, and Babylon, and moved on to present-day northern India and Afghanistan. He influenced the spread of Hellenism throughout the Near East and Asia, establishing many cities such as Alexandria that flourished long after his death.Thisclassic study of Alexander, his predecessors, and his influence on the art of war remains fascinating and relevant over a hundred years after its initial publication. The classical works dealing with warfare in and before Alexander's time gave little more than bare facts of military matters; Dodge's contribution was to vividly reconstruct every major battle of Alexander's brilliant military career, to provide background material concerning the art of war before and during Alexander's reign, andto fully illustrate his narrative with invaluable maps and charts. The result is a masterpiece of military history-the book that inspired General J. F. C. Fuller to write his own classic study of Alexander, and one which will similarly inspire generations of future readers.
That said, this is still one of the best histories of the Alexandrine age I have read. It is written with clarity and force and doesn't skimp on details. It concentrates mostly on military matters although it gives enough political and social background to provide an understanding of the strategic significance of events. The book opens with a discussion of military force predating Alexander and tries to make the point that, prior to Greeks, there had been no real use of tactics on the battlefield - a questionable conclusion, I think. There follows a discussion of Persian and Greek arms and tactics and then, at about two hundred pages, it begins a discussion of Alexander proper. The battles of Granicus, Issus and Arbela are all discussed with considerable attention to tactical detail. Dodge then follows Alexander through Persia to Afghanistan and ultimately India. Small maps detail this journey and the myriad small, mopping up battles that ensued. The maps occasionally seem a little suspect given that the first-hand knowledge available to a Civil War veteran of that part of the world was probably small. It seems unlikely Dodge really knew much about the places he describes here. In his two works on ancient generals, Caesar and Hannibal, he visited most of the places he describes. This seems unlikely for the passes of the Hindu-Kush or the courses of the Oxus river. Its hard to get there these days, never mind in the 19th century.
For the most part, however, I really enjoyed Dodge's use of small and very clear diagrams throughout - both as maps and as drawings of equipment etc. These hand drawn items greatly improve the clarity of the book and help you to follow the tactical details of the actions described in the text.
The book closes with a discussion of the Indian campaign, Alexander's return to Persia and his eventual death and successors. Dodge clearly thought highly of Alexander - and perhaps rightly so. He does, however, excuse many of his errors, personal and tactical. Alexander's choice of route for returning to Persia is not seen as the tremendous strategic and tactical blunder that it was, for example. A final interesting question raised by Dodge is whether Rome would have stood against Alexander. His answer - no.
If you want great depth or modern scholarship this is not the place to find it but, while the book has its flaws, it is a great read for those unfamiliar with Alexander or those wanting a basic understanding of the tactics and strategy that made him so successful. ( )