principles of war - napoleonic warfare

First – a note about military symbology

Infantry (foot soldiers with muskets)

Cavalry (horsemen with swords)

Artillery (cannons)

or

US Army’s Principles of War“MUSS-MOOSE”

Mass Unity of Command Security Surprise Maneuver Objective Offensive Simplicity Economy of Force

Objective

Identify the one thing that will enable you to win the battle– May be terrain feature, enemy unit, time,

psychological aspect, etc.– Without an identifiable objective you WILL

lose.

West Woods

East Woods

Artillery Range

Musket Range

Walled Farm

Donovan’s Ridge

Ford

Ford

Mass

Mass – concentrate power at the decisive place and time (maximize your firepower)

This is going to

hurt

Artillery Range

Musket Range

Economy of Force

Use minimum energy/ forces in non-critical areas.

Main effortSecondary effort

Artillery Range

Musket Range

Maneuver

Moving to put your enemy

at a disadvantage

Artillery Range

Musket Range

Security

Keep the enemy from gaining information about you

Your Army

Keep enemy cavalry away

Artillery Range

Musket Range

Security (Intelligence) I wonder who isBehind those Trees…

Locates a

hole and

reports back

Finds enemy and reports back

Finds enemy

Artillery Range

Musket Range

Hiring boats $100

Winter Clothing $100

Ammunition $1000

Catching the British off guard on Christmas during a blizzard

PRICELESS

Surprise

Unity of Command

One person in charge. Not “rule by committee”

Not democratic

Now, Plan Your Own Battle- when units fight – who wins?

Cavalry Infantry Infantry Square

Artillery

Cavalry Even Cavalry wins

Cavalry retreats

Cavalry wins

Infantry Cavalry wins

Even Square loses

Infantry wins

Artillery Artillery wins

Artillery wins

Artillery wins

even

Att

acke

rs

How they fightUsually in lines - MASS men together for better firepower

In squares – to protect against cavalry charges

The Battle of WaterlooThe Battle of Waterloo

You Decide!