On War & Leadership The Words of Combat Commanders

Takes us behind the scenes and to the front lines of the major wars through the words of twenty combat commanders. This book offers a take on military history by those who lived it. The leaders showcased here range from Frederick the Great to Norman Schwarzkopf. They include such diverse figures as Napoleon Bonaparte.

Acknowledgments vii Introduction 1 I. The Modern Originals: Frederick the Great (1713-1786) and Napoleon (1769-1821) 9 II. William Tecumseh Sherman (1820-1891) 20 III. Stonewall Jackson (1824-1863) 33 IV. John Singleton Mosby (1833-1916) 52 V. Thomas Edward Lawrence (1888-1935): "Lawrence of Arabia" 69 VI. Archibald Percival Wavell (1883-1950) 89 VII. Erwin Johannes Eugen Rommel (1891-1945) 101 VIII. George S. Patton, Jr. (1885-1945) 112 IX. Charles de Gaulle (1890-1970) 133 X. Erich von Manstein (1887-1973) 137 XI. Bernard Law Montgomery (1887-1976) 148 XII. William Joseph Slim (1891-1970) 158 XIII. Joseph Warren "Vinegar Joe" Stilwell (1883-1946) 168 XIV. Matthew Bunker Ridgway (1895-1993) 172 XV. Moshe Dayan (1915-1981) 180 XVI. Vo Nguyen Giap (1911- ) 193 XVII. Harold G. Moore (1924- ) 213 XVIII. Nicholas F. "Nick" Vaux (1936- ): Vaux and the Happy Warriors of 42 Commando 237 XIX. H. Norman Schwarzkopf (1934- ) 257 Conclusions 277 Notes 285 Index 337