Under the Shadow of Napoleon

As an active serving officer and a trained historian, Michael Bonura has written an excellent volume analyzing the French method and Napoleonic system of war as it applied to the American method of warfare during the formative years. Tracing the impact of this system upon the education of cadets and officers trained at West Point and the other military schools, on the army administration, its publications and military exercises as well as in the actual wars fought by America, Bonura has produced in invaluable study in understanding the evolution of America's method of war. ~Donald D. Horward,Founding Director, Institute on Napoleon and the French Revolution

In this work, the author, an active-duty army officer, has produced a wonderfully detailed intellectual history of the US Army from 1812 to 1940....This well-researched and extensively documented book will be of interest to students and scholars of French and American military history as well as intellectual history. ~Robert G. Angevine, The Historian

Bonura makes a provocative argument for the primacy of French and Napoleonic military thinking on American tactical development prior to World War II. His research provides convincing evidence of both the intellectual conservatism and the fixation on battle that have shaped the Armys way of war. ~Brian M. Linn,Ralph R. Thomas Professor in Liberal Arts, Texas A&M University

The debate over the existence of an 'American way of war' continues, and never has it had more urgency than it does today. Now, active duty officer Michael Bonura reminds us of the crucial role played by French Revolutionary and Napoleonic methods. As he argues convincingly, admiration for the 'French combat method' first took hold at West Point, spread throughout the army in the 19th century, and remained its lodestar until the very eve of World War II. Bonura presents an army that talked constantly of change and transformation, but remained largely consistent in its methods over time. This thought-provoking and well researched book is essential for anyone interested in the U.S. Army, the evolution of military doctrine, and, above all, the role that West Point has played in the armys development. ~Robert Citino,Military History Center, University of North Texas

The absence of a bibliography is academically disappointing. ~Journal of American History