Jomini in the Trenches The Origin of Modern War in Confederate Doctrine

Eric Bolme

Date of Award

2011

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

De La Garza, Andrew

Keywords

American Civil War, Jomini, Military History

Area of Concentration

History

Abstract

This thesis analyzes the strategies and tactics of the armies involved in the American Civil War, with a particular focus on Confederate infantry tactics. The first two chapters focus on the first three years of the war, analyzing the goals of the Confederates, the origins of the offensive tactics they used on the battlefield to accomplish these goals and the results of those tactics. The second half of the thesis examines events in the last years of the war. It investigates the causes of the Confederate shift from the tactical offensive to the tactical defensive and the impact of that change on the conduct of the war. Using casualty figures and battle plans from significant battles to demonstrate my point, I argue that Confederate tactics came not from a myriad of sources and teachings but only from one, Antoine-Henri Baron de Jomini�s The Art of War. I then argue that the change in the later years came almost solely from a singular cause, namely a West Point curriculum introduced in 1832. Furthermore I argue that this shift in tactics marks the first emergence of a new, more modern style of warfare.

Rights

This bibliographic record is available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication. The New College of Florida, as creator of this bibliographic record, has waived all rights to it worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law.

This document is currently not available here.

Share

COinS