Fighting Techniques of the Imperial Age

Fighting Techniques of the Imperial Age describes the fighting techniques of armies from the beginning of the American War of Independence (1776) through to the imperial clashes that preceded World War I. The book explores the tactics and strategy required to win battles in a period when often opponents were either heavily mismatched in technology or employed entirely different strategies and tactics to outwit each other. Campaigns covered include the American War of Independence, the Mexican War, the American Indian Wars, the Zulu War (1879), the Sudan campaign (1896–98), the Italo-Abyssinian campaign (1896), the Boer War (1899–1901) and the Boxer Rebellion.

Divided into five sections, the text first examines the individual components of the armies of the period: the foot soldier and the cavalryman, the equipment they wore and used, and how they fought together as a unit. Fighting Techniques of the Imperial Age describes the changes that occurred over the period, and the impact of fighting in remote corners of the globe. The third section discusses how these units were used together on the battlefield, and how generals made the best (or worst) use of the resources at their disposal. The fourth part of the book looks at the specialist techniques and equipment developed for artillery both on the field and for the purpose of conducting siege warfare against the latest styles of fortification. Finally the last section covers naval warfare, from the ships in which the men fought to the weapons they carried and the major battles of the period.

Using specially commissioned colour and black-and-white artworks to illustrate the battles, equipment and tactics of the era, Fighting Techniques of the Imperial Age shows in detail the methods by which armies gained and lost ascendancy on the battlefield.