ABSTRACT
This chapter presents an analysis and synthesis of the Napoleonic Wars and the wars of the nineteenth century. The traditional view of warfare in the nineteenth century divides it into several distinct and neat phases with their evolution clearly defined. There was significant evolution and change during the Napoleonic Wars, and there are more similarities than differences between Napoleonic warfare and warfare in the mid-nineteenth century. The process begins with Napoleon. Napoleonic warfare is characterized by the French use of the army corps system and decisive victories in which the opposing armies are destroyed in one big battle, usually lasting a single day. For the campaign in 1805, Napoleon sought a strategic envelopment of the Austrian field army operating on the upper Danube. At the outset of the campaign, both the Napoleonic and Russian forces were organized into distinct field armies.
