Napoleon's Great Adversaries: The Archduke Charles and Austrian Army, 1792-1814

Napoleon's Great Adversaries: The Archduke Charles and Austrian Army, 1792-1814 by Rothenberg, Gunther E.. Hardcover edition. ISBN: 9780253339690.

The largest force continually engaged against Napoleon and the forces of the French Revolution from 1792 to 1814 was the Austrian Army. It was this army which, throughout Europe, carried the burden of the war on land. Though repeatedly defeated it always rose again. In 1809 it inflicted the first setback on Napoleon himself and in 1813 contributed the largest contingent to the allied effort in Germany. Despite these efforts it is an army which has been near neglected by military historians, its campaigns, when recorded, being chronicled from the French viewpoint, and until now there has been no major study available. Here Gunther E. Rothenberg, working mainly from Austrian reference sources, provides us with a work which is both balanced and complete. As with all armies, the Habsburg reflected the society which it served and was subject to the constraints of the political, economic, and social systems of its day. These aspects are discussed as are the armys leadership, strategy, and tactics. The major campaigns and important battles are, not unnaturally, covered in considerable detail and the Archduke Charles, without doubt the Habsburgs best commander, is portrayed at length and his strategy and tactics are analyzed. 23 photographs and 16 maps/