Jomini was a major general in the Napoleonic’s
army and later in the Russian army of
Alexander I, and one of the most celebrated writers on the Napoleonic art of war. He also organized the militia of the Helvetic Republic. He published a total of 27 books on modern warfare. His most significant of works was his 1838 Précis de l'art de la guerre (Summary of the Art of War). According to the historian John Shy, Jomini "deserves the dubious title of founder of modern strategy.” He suggested 4 fundamental rules for when in battle:
one, move
one’
s forces to
bear upon the enemy’s most important points and disrupt communications without placing
one’s own force in a vulnerable position; two, instead of bringing
one’s own forces to
bear all the enemy’s force, concentrate on just
one part of the enemy’s force; three, determine the decisive point of the battlefield and the enemy’s force to maneuver
one’s forces against it; and four, when concentrating mass upon decisive points, do so quickly and in a well timed and coordinated maneuver. One of the key principles to Jominian thought was the idea of maintaining the initiative. If a general had control of his forces, he could force his opponent to react to his wishes achieving a strategic initiative.
