Napoleon Absent, Coalition Ascendant

Carl von Clausewitz's The 1799 Campaign in Italy and Switzerland deserves attention not only because it is one of the last texts he wrote. Careful readers would not fail to recognize why this largely overlooked campaign preoccupied Clausewitz's mind in the late 1820s. None of the adversaries could claim a commander of Napoleon's caliber, thus providing a more balanced view about the changes the French Revolution had ushered in in the military realm. The campaign revealed the difficulties of coalition warfare, a subject Clausewitz mulled over in the late 1820s. Fought within a fraught domestic and international context, the campaign's leadership and direction frequently changed. For many of the participants, this remained mainly a war with limited objectives. In other words, throughout The 1799 Campaign, Clausewitz explored issues he had encountered while writing On War but was yet to capture on its pages comprehensively. Murray and Pringle's translation is exceptional; it remains faithful to the original while offering its readers elegant and accessible prose."—Vanya Eftimova Bellinger, author of Marie von Clausewitz: The Woman behind the Making of On War

"Carl von Clausewitz—the name evokes the masterpiece of military theory, but much of the great Prussian theorist's voluminous legacy remains unknown to the wider public. This includes Clausewitz's insightful analysis of crucial campaigns of the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. Nicholas Murray and Christopher Pringle have done a masterful job in rectifying this problem. They have already translated Clausewitz's book on Napoleon's 1796 Italian Campaign, and now regale us with a new and exciting edition of the eminent military thinker's analysis of the 1799 campaigns in Italy and Switzerland. This is a highly welcome and thought-provoking addition to Clausewitzian studies. The translation is brilliantly executed, with copious footnotes and annotations by the erudite editors. This book should be on the bookshelf of anyone with an interest in the French Revolutionary Wars or who wants to understand how history, strategy, and politics interact under wartime conditions. Highly recommended!"—Alexander Mikaberidze, author of The Napoleonic Wars: A Global History