Maurice de Saxe Mes Rêveries Maj Barry Rockx, Seminar 6 AMSP July 2015 It is not big armies that win battles, it is the good ones.

AGENDA Biography and context Mes Rêveries Impact on doctrine then and now Conclusion and sources 2unclassified

Biography and Context Timeframe and place: – 18 th Century Europe – Rise and Fall powers – Graf Hermann Moritz von Sachsen Maurice de Saxe ( ) Turning point in warfare Enlightenment 3unclassified

Mes Rêveries Book, written in 1732, published 1757 Part 1 details army organization, battle formation, armament Part2 sublime parts of war: warfare in open field, mountains, rough terrain, during siege, field fortifications – Comfort and health – Musket fire – Light troops / independently – ‘principle of action’ – Open mind / scrutinize Human dimension/spirit 4unclassified

Impact on doctrine then and now Mobility Raise and train Good have been better if… Resemblance with US Doctrine: – Foundations, tenets, etc 5unclassified

Conclusion and sources Theory of warfare, comparable to current day US Army doctrine Timeless and influential Open mind, scrutinize and become better Human dimension of war Sources: – Gat Azar, a History of Military Thought: From the Enlightenment to the Cold War. Oxford: University Press, – Hart Liddel, Great Captains Unveiled. Edinburgh and London: Blackwood, – Lynn John, Battle: A History of Combat and Culture. Colorado: Westview Press, – Manchip John White, Marshal of France: The life and times of Maurice de Saxe, Chicago: Rand McNally, – Paret Peter, Makers of Modern Strategy: From Machiavelli to the Nuclear Age. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, – Saxe de Maurice, “Mes Reveries,” in Thomas Philips, Reveries on the Art of War, Harrisburg, PA: Stacpole Books, unclassified

Questions?