Quotes About Tactics

War should be the only study of a prince. He should consider peace only as a breathing-time, which gives him leisure to contrive, and furnishes as ability to execute, military plans.

No enterprise is more likely to succeed than one concealed from the enemy until it is ripe for execution.

A prince should therefore have no other aim or thought, nor take up any other thing for his study but war and it organization and discipline, for that is the only art that is necessary to one who commands.

War cannot be avoided; it can only be postponed to the others advantage.

People should either be caressed or crushed. If you do them minor damage they will get their revenge; but if you cripple them there is nothing they can do. If you need to injure someone, do it in such a way that you do not have to fear their vengeance.

The British would have them next day and a battle would ensue.

VILLENEUVE HOLDS A COUNCIL OF WAR

The council of war took place aboard the Bucentaure on 8 October.

commander-in-chief of the British army,

Lord Nelson promptly followed it up with two signals of his own.

the first said simply: 'General chase, south-east.' The second said: 'Prepare for battle.

They were aiming for the Straits of Gibraltar. It was the obvious place to intercept the French

It would take the fleets all day just to catch sight of each other, let alone come to quarters

Villeneuve didn't hesitate. Gravina was right. The whole fleet must form line of battle at once,

Napoleon had been in the thick of it, leading from the front.

Napoleon had 60,000 troops in Italy, scattered in different locations.

A third possibility open to the duke was the flooding of Romney Marsh.

One was John Moore, who had introduced the Light Infantry to the British army,

By writing to George III, he could test the waters and find out how badly they wanted peace.

There was nothing to be gained from fighting the British off Brest.

But Napoleon saw everything in military terms.

Almost a mile to the north, the Victory was still short of the enemy line,

The Victory was still about 1,000 yards from the enemy, not yet in proper range.

the French and Spanish should have closed their line,