A truely unusual work similar to John Keegan's classic, "The Face of Battle." The author sets out to look at the battlefield weaponry, and it's effectiveness, on the mid-17th century to the mid-19th century fields of battle with the eye of the forensic scientist. It is a sucsessful endeavor.

The book is lavishly illustrated with drawings from various military training manuals from the time as well as modern photos illustrating the difficulty of accurately using a smoothbore cannon against advancing troops.

This is not a general history of the armies of this time. It dosen't concern itself with the social aspects of the armies or their respective societies. An excellent book for that would be Christopher Duffy's work; "The Military Experience in the Age of Reason". This book concerns itself with the physical effects of the weaponry on the battlefield proper, both strengths and weaknesses.

While a trifle dry in parts, for the most, it keeps one's interest and is an intelligently written work. Though a specialist work it is a great contribution to the study of military history during the Age of Reason as well as the Napoleonic Wars. It even has a place as an addendum in an American Civil War collection since so many of the weapons and tactics examined were still being used in the 1860's. A good addition to one's collection.