Napoleon's Long Shadow
How French Military Genius Shaped the American Civil War
$140.83
- Hardcover
344 pages
- Release Date
10 November 2026
Summary
This pioneering work is the first to examine Napoleon’s influence on the Civil War through direct, battle-by-battle comparison.
For the generation that fought the American Civil War, the wars of the early nineteenth century were not distant history—they were a professional guide. Military education at West Point and elsewhere immersed American officers in the campaigns of Europe’s great commanders, and none cast a longer shadow than the Corsican general Napoleon Bonap…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780700643493 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 0700643494 |
| Author: | Timothy B. Smith |
| Publisher: | University Press of Kansas |
| Imprint: | University Press of Kansas |
| Format: | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages: | 344 |
| Release Date: | 10 November 2026 |
| Dimensions: | 152mm x 229mm |
| Series: | Modern War Studies |
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Critics Review
“Civil War-era officers often referred to Napoleon, who towered over the mid-19th-century military landscape. Timothy B. Smith pairs battles from the Napoleonic wars and the Civil War to offer a compelling examination of how West Point-trained generals compared to the ‘Little Corporal’ in planning, execution, and outcomes. His conclusions should spark spirited and fruitful debate.“—Gary W. Gallagher, John L. Nau III Professor of History Emeritus, University of Virginia
“It was a common assumption in the 1860s and since that the shadow of Napoleon Bonaparte loomed over the generals of the Civil War, an assertion often echoed without much thought. Surprisingly, no one to date has taken a systematic comparative look at the similarities and differences, tactically and strategically, in the engagements of the ‘Little Corporal’ and commanders in Blue and Gray. Timothy Smith has conceived the wonderfully novel idea of doing just that in Napoleon’s Long Shadow. Whether it be setting Shiloh side-by-side with Waterloo, or Chickamauga with Austerlitz, the similarities and contradictions he finds are eye-opening. Readers interested in the art of command will find much to ponder in this richly researched and elegantly written narrative. And many will be surprised—and some challenged—by Smith’s conclusion as to who was the one true Napoleonic commander of the Civil War.“—William C. Davis, Retired Professor of History at Virginia Tech, and editor of Secret History of Confederate Diplomacy Abroad
Timothy B. Smith
Timothy B. Smith teaches history at the University of Tennessee at Martin. His many books on the Civil War include Early Struggles for Vicksburg: The Mississippi Central Campaign and Chickasaw Bayou, October 25–December 31, 1862; Bayou Battles for Vicksburg: The Swamp and River Expeditions, January 1-April 30, 1863; The Union Assaults at Vicksburg: Grant Attacks Pemberton, May 17–22, 1863; and The Siege of Vicksburg: Climax of the Campaign to Open the Mississippi River, May 23–July 4, 1863.
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