A review of the history of infantry

I. THE GREEKS                                                                          PAGE  

Persians and Greeks—The Spartan hoplite—The Athenians: Mara-

thon and Platæa—The Peloponnesian war—Professional soldiers:

Xenophon and Iphicrates—The Thebans: Epaminondas—

Philip of Macedon—Alexander in Asia: combined tactics—The

successors of Alexander . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                                      1

II. THE ROMANS

Latin characteristics: the legion—Manipular tactics: sword and

pilum—Romans and Greeks: Pyrrhus—Romans and Cartha-

ginians: Hannibal—The conquest of Greece: legion and

phalanx—Professional soldiers: Marius—The legionary under

Cæsar—The reforms of Augustus—The later empire: frontier

defence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                                        19

III. THE MIDDLE AGES

The Franks: beginnings of feudalism—Charlemagne and his succes-

sors—Mercenaries: the Crusades—Burgher militia—Feudalism

in England—The armies of Edward III.—The archer and the

dismounted man-at-arms—Crécy and Poitiers—Agincourt: de-

fensive tactics—The free companies, and the beginning of

standing armies: Charles VII.—The Swiss—The downfall of

Charles the Rash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                                     48

IV. THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY

Growth of standing armies—Swiss and German mercenaries—

French, Italian, and Spanish foot—"The great captain" in

Italy—Influence of artillery and small arms—Harquebus and

musket—The Spanish discipline—The failure of Spain—Organ-

isation and tactics of infantry—The Dutch order: Nieuport—

English infantry: disuse of the bow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                                        83

V. THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY

Cavalry in the Low Countries and in the Thirty Years' war—

Gustavus Adolphus—The Swedish order—Leipzig and Lützen—

Influence of Gustavus on the art of war—French infantry under

Louis XIII.—The English civil wars—Dunbar and the Dunes—

The reforms of Louvois—Defensive tactics: Turenne—Monte-

cuccoli—The Turks—Luxemburg and Catinat . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                                          106

VI. THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY: I.

Supersession of the matchlock by the firelock—Supersession of the

pike by the bayonet—Consequent changes in formations—Marl-

borough's victories: Malplaquet—Folard and Saxe on French

tactics—Dettingen and Fontenoy—The Highlanders: Falkirk

and Culloden—The rise of the Prussian army—Leopold of An-

halt-Dessau—The first and second Silesian wars—Frederick's

deductions from them . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                                     133

VII. THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY: II.

The Seven Years' war—Comparison of the troops engaged in it—

The British at Minden—Frederick's new deductions—Light

troops—General adoption of Prussian tactics—French advocates

of the column—The war of American Independence—The two-

deep line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                                     164

VIII. THE FRENCH REVOLUTION (1792–1815)

State of the French army in 1792—The volunteers: Valmy—Du-

mouriez invades the Netherlands—The campaign of 1793—The

amalgamation: campaign of 1794—Causes of the failure of the

allies—Republican tactics and organisation—Bonaparte in Italy

—Changes made by him: Austerlitz—The Prussian army: Jena

and Auerstedt—Increased size of French columns—French and

English in the Peninsula—Albuera and Sabugal—British light

infantry—The invasion of Russia and the war of liberation—

Ligny and Waterloo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                                            188

IX. THE NINETEENTH CENTURY: I. (1816–1866)

Infantry formations after the great war—Improvements in firearms:

rifles—The Crimean war—The war of Italian liberation—The

American civil war—The war of 1866: the breechloader . . . . . . .                                        230

X. THE NINETEENTH CENTURY: II. (1867–1900)

The Franco-German war—The Russo-Turkish war—Tactical deduc-

tions and discussions—Magazine rifles and quick-firing guns—

The war in South Africa—The Russo-Japanese war . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                                    256

TITLES OF WORKS REFERRED TO IN THE FOOTNOTES . . . . .                                    291

INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .                                     297