Talk:Antoine-Henri Jomini

Some additional areas?

Since I'm not sure how deeply you want to go into Jomini's effect on the ACW and even later developments, treat these comments only as suggestions; they may be more appropriate in other articles. These thoughts have to do with interior lines and with maps (and, in a broader sense, geographic and temporal synchronization).

While I recognized Jomini began to deemphasize interior lines, I'd have to think the concept gained momentum again, with the introduction of railroads, and, to some extent, telegraphy. Given the quantum leap of speed possible with railroads over horse-drawn wagons, the Union, especially, began both to plan around railroads, and also make destruction of the Confederacy's railroads a high priority. It's much more difficult, of course, to destroy a horse and wagon path so that it cannot be repaired in a reasonable time.

Moltke the Elder, however, took a leap beyond the ACW use of railroads and, I believe, was at least affected by Jomini in his railroad-based mobilization plans.

The issue of the significance of maps, and the broader sense of synchronization, is also, perhaps, grist for another article. Nevertheless, it might be observed (e.g., from Goerlitz) that an early Prussian General Staff role was mapping as well as history, that Napoleon made use not just of maps but of the availability of reliable and portable timepieces for geographic/temporal synchronization, and a progression can be observed, with good and bad commanders, up to the present time. One wonders, in the Gettysburg campaign, if Stuart could tell time. Japanese naval operations in WWII often assumed a precision of synchronized converging movements that was far beyond them. On the other hand, in modern environments, the time reference of GPS is just as important as the position reference.

Appropriate levels of details in maps, and moving into computer-generated displays, is another matter. The unwise commander would micromanage given too much detail; Hitler is a case in point. I have a good deal of experience in building displays and supporting software for command centers, and it is as important to know what not to display as it is to present. It's an interesting speculation if Jomini would have been a micromanager given real-time imagery.

Howard C. Berkowitz 09:43, 18 June 2008 (CDT)

well the speculation is interesting and goes to show that Jomini is still influential (he rules at West Point, for example.) But this is an encyclopedia and so a signed-article seems the best place for speculation.Richard Jensen 09:58, 18 June 2008 (CDT)