
Napoleon’s Equine Strategy in 1813 (2013) - gruseom
https://www.napoleon-series.org/military/organization/France/Cavalry/Remounts/c_remounts1813.html
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ucaetano
It is worth reading about the impact of supply chain on the other front of the
Napoleonic Wars, the Peninsular War in the Iberian Peninsula, especially
Wellington's defense of Portugal and the Torres Vedras.

The French forces largely relied on foraging an pillaging for supplies when
operating in the Iberian Peninsula, which initially gave them a strong
advantage, being able to operate inland without support. But eventually it
also became a problem.

As they went deeper into Spain and then into Portugal, the lack of well
established and guarded supply routes meant that messengers and envoys had to
cross enemy territory filled with partisans, resulting in the birth of the
guerrilla.

When they invaded Portugal and headed for Lisbon, matters became far worse.
Wellington had secretly fortified the peninsula leading to Lisbon with a
massive set of three line of hill forts (the Lines of Torres Vedras), and used
scorched earth tactics to wipe out any resources beyond the lines, while
Lisbon was well supported by the British Navy (that had complete control of
the waters after Trafalgar).

As the French forces approached, they were utterly surprised to find the heavy
fortifications, and the barren land meant they had no resources to maintain
themselves, as there was no supply chain.

Running out of food and unable to break into any of the fortifications, they
were forced to withdraw completely after a month going back to Spain and
losing 1/3 of its men in the process due to the harsh winter.

 _The Peninsular War_ by Esdaile is a great book about this front, and the
Sharpe series by Cornwell complement that with a historical novel aspect, and
astonishing attention to detail.

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smogcutter
The Lines of Torres Vedras were an incredible engineering achievement,
especially considering they were kept a complete secret from the French. We're
talking about 30 miles of continuous fortifications.

Among the problems the French had in the peninsula, it seems Napoleon
underestimated the poverty of the countryside and the poor quality of the
roads. An army could live off the land just fine on the banks of the Danube,
not so much on the high plain of Castile. The marshals would get orders as if
a line on the map was an actual road, then find themselves marching tens of
thousands of men over a glorified goat track through barren and almost
uninhabited hills. Add in the guerrieros and you've got a big problem.

I suppose for us it's a reminder to not mistake the map for the territory.

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pjc50
If you like this, then it's well worth attempting Clausewitz's famous _On
War_. It's long and slightly fragmented but it does drive home how very little
of war in the Napoleonic (and indeed present) era is about weapons and how
much is about logistics.

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24gttghh
Information (intelligence, counter-intel, deception), logistics, maneuvering,
and geography, are quite often the deciding factor; more-so than actual combat
or the weapons used. It's quite amazing how few leaders/generals truly
understand _The Art of War_. Early on I believe Napoleon understood the
framework (see: Austerlitz), but as what usually happens without fail: he got
greedy (e.g. invading Russia).

This quote in particular resonates:

"All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when we are able to attack, we must
seem unable; when using our forces, we must appear inactive; when we are near,
we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make
him believe we are near." Ch1, verse 18

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pcnix
This is a very fascinating account of the logistics behind war. I'd love to
read more about modern equivalent of this, can someone suggest a few books on
the subject?

~~~
ciscoriordan
You would probably enjoy “Six Frigates” by Ian Toll and “Black Hawk Down” by
Mark Bowden.

~~~
arcanus
Six frigates was a wonderful account of a fascinating time in American
history. For those who have not heard of it, it is about the founding of the
American navy.

I loved the glimpse of innovative American culture in those times: individuals
with no experience building warships developing vessels capable of standing
toe to toe(and in some cases, defeating!) the otherwise dominant British navy.

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gumby
It is no accident that the WWII Allies chose a logistics expert, Eisenhower,
as their supreme commander in Europe.

The 1993 Gulf War supposedly lasted 7 months, only the last six weeks of which
were active combat (“Desert storm”).

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gerbilly
It's one thing for humans to go to war and kill each other for nothing, but
when they have to drag animals into it...

~~~
golergka
Then they have a higher change of survival, and we humans tend to value an
animal's life much lower than our own.

~~~
gerbilly
Which supports my point.

