The Roots of Artillery Doctrine: Napoleonic Artillery Tactics Reconsidered

 

The Roots of Artillery Doctrine: Napoleonic Artillery Tactics Reconsidered

“The Roots of Artillery Doctrine: Napoleonic Artillery Tactics Reconsidered” by Bruce McConachy, published in The Journal of Military History (Vol. 65, No. 3, July 2001, pp. 617–640), provides a critical reexamination of Napoleonic artillery tactics and their influence on the development of European artillery doctrine. McConachy analyzes the organizational innovations, battlefield deployment, and tactical employment of artillery during the Napoleonic Wars, highlighting how mobility, concentration of fire, and coordination with infantry and cavalry shaped combat outcomes. Drawing on contemporary manuals, reports, and after-action accounts, the article situates Napoleonic artillery within a broader historical framework, offering new insights into how these practices informed later 19th-century military thought. Essential reading for scholars of military history, doctrine development, and Napoleonic warfare.