The Last Gaiter Button: A Study of the Mobilization and Concentration of the French Army in the War of 1870

by Thomas J. Adriance

Overview

Since the collapse of the French Army in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, military strategists and officials have recognized the critical importance of mobilization and concentration to the outcome of armed conflicts. This study breaks new ground in the study of military history by providing a reconstruction of the French mobilization in 1870. Thomas Adriance demonstrates that the French defeat was largely due to their inability to match Prussia's mobilization and exploit Prussian concentration blunders. A major contribution to our understanding of the reasons for France's costly defeat in 1870, The Last Gaiter Button also sheds new light on the general importance of mobilization and concentration in the conduct of modern warfare.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313254697
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	11/17/1987
Series:	Contributions in Military Studies , #73
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

THOMAS J. ADRIANCE is Associate Professor of History at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

Table of Contents

List of Maps
Preface
Abbreviations
Introduction
Mobilization, Concentration and the War of 1870
The French Army in 1870
The Challenge
Mobilizing Manpower
Mobilizing Supplies and Services
The Concentration of the Army of the Rhine
The Destruction of the Army of the Rhine
Conclusion
Appendix I: Number of Detachments of Reservists and Number of Reservists Sent from Departmental Recruiting Centers to Depots, 18-28 July 1870
Appendix II: Increase of Manpower in the Army of the Rhine, 27 July-6 August, 1870
Appendix III: Number of Men Available to Infantry and Cavalry Units of the Army of the Rhine on 1 August 1870
Bibliography
Index