1.

Record Nr.

UNINA9910451132303321

Autore

Ostwald Jamel

Titolo

Vauban under siege [[electronic resource] ] : engineering efficiency and martial vigor in the War of the Spanish Succession / / by Jamel Ostwald

Pubbl/distr/stampa

Leiden ; ; Boston, : Brill, 2007

ISBN

1-281-45789-2

9786611457891

90-474-1150-1

Descrizione fisica

1 online resource (407 p.)

Collana

History of warfare ; ; v. 41

Disciplina

940.2/526

Soggetti

Siege warfare - Europe - History - 18th century

Manpower - Europe - History - 18th century

Spanish Succession, War of, 1701-1714

Electronic books.

Lingua di pubblicazione

Inglese

Formato

Materiale a stampa

Livello bibliografico

Monografia

Note generali

Description based upon print version of record.

Nota di bibliografia

Includes bibliographical references (p. [371]-381) and index.

Nota di contenuto

Preliminary Materials / J. Ostwald -- Chapter One. Introduction / J. Ostwald -- Chapter Two. The Perfect Siege Of Ath 1697 / J. Ostwald -- Chapter Three. Efficiency And The Perfect Siege / J. Ostwald -- Chapter Four. The Transitional War Of The Spanish Succession / J. Ostwald -- Chapter Five. Implementing The Paradigm Siege / J. Ostwald -- Chapter Six. Contesting The Paradigm Siege / J. Ostwald -- Chapter Seven. Vigor: An Alternative Paradigm / J. Ostwald -- Chapter Eight. Succeeding With Vigor / J. Ostwald -- Chapter Nine. The Vigorous Future / J. Ostwald -- Appendices / J. Ostwald -- Bibliography / J. Ostwald -- Index / J. Ostwald.

Sommario/riassunto

Vauban under Siege is the first systematic comparison of the theory of Vaubanian siegecraft with its reality. It places Vauban’s siege accomplishments back into their broader context, highlighting his continuation of the quest for ever-greater efficiency pursued by a century of military engineers. Based on a comprehensive inventory of sieges in the War of the Spanish Succession, it describes how both French and Allied military officers rejected this efficiency paradigm and embraced instead vigorous brute force tactics. Ignoring their over-



worked and under-compensated engineers at key points, generals chose to save precious campaign time by sacrificing their soldiers’ lives in siege after siege. This early modern cult of the offensive has influenced the Western way of war ever since. Winner of the 2009 Distinguished Book Award of the Society for Military History.