Infantry in Battle 1733-1783

Infantry in Battle 1733-1783 by ALEXANDER S. BURNS


ISBN
9781804515433
Published
Binding
Hardcover
Dimensions
156 x 234mm

Infantry in Battle rewrites the story of combat in the eighteenth century by placing enlisted infantrymen and their experiences at centre stage. While popular memory and film portray these men as robotic automata they fought in flexible and adaptable ways, and they left their mark on eighteenth-century warfare. In Infantry in Battle, Dr Alexander S. Burns provides a new understanding of combat during the mid-eighteenth century: the pivotal period between 1733 and 1783. Professor Burns argues that eighteenth-century soldiers informally negotiated authority with their officers on the battlefield by firing without orders, firing at longer ranges than their officers preferred, and by taking cover on the battlefield. In this process, these enlisted men played an important role by asserting tactical reforms from below. Infantry in Battle is grounded in archival research on the American, British, and Prussian armies. However, it also covers the armies of military Europe more broadly, and includes writings from Austrian, French, Italian, Polish, Russian, Spanish, and Swedish soldiers. It is also the first English-language book to utilize archival material on battles from the War of Polish Succession in Northern Italy. Infantry in Battle is a scholarly monograph, but one written with a popular audience in mind. Like his mentor, the late Christopher Duffy, Professor Burns has longstanding connections to professional military education as well as wargamers and reenactors. Cutting through myth, we see motivated enlisted men who were capable of adapting their tactics to the needs of the battlefield, rather than terrorized automata firmly controlled by their officers. AUTHOR: Dr Alexander Burns is a lecturer in Modern European History at West Virginia University. In 2021, he defended his dissertation, "The Entire Army Says Hello: Common Soldiers, Localism, and Army Reform in Britain and Prussia, 1739-1789" which was directed by Dr Katherine Aaslestad. His research focuses on the intersection of violence, race, and the state in the Atlantic world during the eighteenth century, as well as the history of state-building and reform in German Central Europe. He has published articles on the Hessian, British, and Prussian militaries, and his next monograph explores the international culture of military professionalism that allowed the United States to triumph during the American War of Independence. 20 b/w illustrations & maps, 3 tables, 3 graphs
90.00



Infantry in Battle 1733-1783 is scheduled to be released in 25 days.

Other Titles by ALEXANDER S. BURNS


You might also like

The Templars
22.99
22.99
_% Off
Napoleon The Great
35.00
35.00
_% Off
Operation Biting
37.99
37.99
_% Off
The Siege
Ben Macintyre
36.99
36.99
_% Off

RRP refers to the Recommended Retail Price as set out by the original publisher at time of release.
The RRP set by overseas publishers may vary to those set by local publishers due to exchange rates and shipping costs.
Due to our competitive pricing, we may have not sold all products at their original RRP.