Theme
Plan with
several branches
Mobility/fluidity
of force
Cohesion
Dispersion
and concentration
Operate on a line to threaten alternative
objectives
Concentrate
direct artillery fire on key points to
be forced
Action
Napoleon was deeply influenced by the ideas of the above men.
In early campaigns (as a general) he applied these ideas of ambiguity, deception, and rapid/easy movement to surprise and successively defeat fractions of superior forces. In later campaigns (as emperor) he relied
increasingly on massed direct artillery fire, dense infantry columns, and
heavy cavalry going
against regions of strong, resistanceat an eventually crippling cost in
casualties.
American colonists, Spanish and Russian Guerrillas, in unexpected ways, used environmental background
(terrain, weather, darkness, etc.) and mobility/fluidity as basis for dispersion and concentration to harass,
confuse, and contribute toward the defeat of the British and French under Napoleon.