Editing Napoleon (section)

===Warfare===
{{Further|Napoleonic weaponry and warfare|Military career of Napoleon}}
[[File:Napoleon a Cherbourg bordercropped.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=Photo of a grey and phosphorous-coloured equestrian statue. Napoleon is seated on the horse, which is rearing up, he looks forward with his right hand raised and pointing forward; his left hand holds the reins.|Statue in [[Cherbourg-Octeville]] unveiled by [[Napoleon III]] in 1858. Napoleon I strengthened the town's defences to prevent British naval incursions.]]
In the field of [[military organization]], Napoleon borrowed from previous theorists such as [[Jacques Antoine Hippolyte, Comte de Guibert]], and from the reforms of preceding French governments, and then developed what was already in place. He continued the revolutionary policies of conscription and promotion based primarily on merit.<ref name="Archer">{{Cite book |last1=Archer |first1=Christon I. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0lfSwAEACAAJ |title=World History of Warfare |last2=Ferris |first2=John R. |last3=Herwig |first3=Holger H. |last4=Travers |first4=Timothy H. E. |date=2008 |publisher=University of Nebraska Press |isbn=978-0-8032-1941-0 |pages=380–404 |access-date=5 December 2023 |archive-date=7 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231207110506/https://books.google.com.pe/books?id=0lfSwAEACAAJ&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&hl=es&redir_esc=y |url-status=live}}</ref>{{sfnp|Flynn|2001|p=16}}

[[Corps]] replaced divisions as the largest army units, [[Self-propelled artillery|mobile artillery]] was integrated into reserve batteries, the staff system became more fluid, and cavalry returned as an important formation in French military doctrine. These methods are now referred to as essential features of Napoleonic warfare.<ref name="Archer" />

Napoleon was regarded by the influential military theorist [[Carl von Clausewitz]] as a genius in the art of war, and many historians rank him as a great military commander.<ref name="Archer" /> Wellington considers him the greatest military commander of all time,{{sfnp|Roberts|2004|p=272}} and [[Henry Vassall-Fox, 3rd Baron Holland|Henry Vassall-Fox]] calls him "the greatest statesman and the ablest general of ancient or modern times".{{sfnp|Roberts|2001|p=59}} Cobban states that he showed his genius in moving troops quickly and concentrating them on strategic points.{{sfnp|Cobban|1963|pp=46-47}} His principles were to keep his forces united, keep no weak point unguarded, seize important points quickly, and seize his chance.{{sfnp|Conner|2004|p=90}} Owen Connelly, however, states, "Napoleon's personal tactics defy analysis." He used his intuition, engaged his troops, and reacted to what developed.{{sfnp|Conner|2004|pp=93-94}}

Napoleon was an aggressive commander with a preference for the offensive.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rothenberg |first=Gunther E. |title=The Napoleonic Wars |last2=Keegan |first2=John |date=2000 |publisher=Cassell |isbn=978-0-304-35267-8 |series=The Cassell history of warfare |location=London |pages=35 |language=en}}</ref> Under Napoleon, the focus shifted towards destroying enemy armies rather than simply outmanoeuvering them. Wars became more costly and decisive as invasions of enemy territory occurred on larger fronts. The political cost of war also increased, as defeat for a European power meant more than just losing isolated territories. Peace terms were often punitive, sometimes involving regime change, which intensified the trend towards [[total war]] since the revolutionary era.<ref name="Archer" />{{sfnp|Bell|2015|pp=10-13}}