7 interesting facts about Napoleon Bonaparte

By Michael Gryboski, Mainline Church Editor Tuesday, November 21, 2023

Changed how wars were fought

Napoleon Bonaparte as a young military officer, depicted in an 1830s painting. | Wikimedia Commons

Not only was Napoleon Bonaparte a successful military commander, having conquered much of Europe at his peak of power, but he also promoted innovations in how wars were fought.

In an article for The Napoleon Series published in the 1990s, U.S. Army Major James Wasson noted that Napoleon organized his armies along the corps system, allowing them to move faster and be more flexible than their enemies.

Under the corps, which had been adopted by most professional militaries, Napoleon's army would divide into smaller armies, which had a level of autonomy and could live off of the land.

Napoleon also deployed his troops in a battalion square, which allowed for better defense and made it easier for the whole army to concentrate their attack.

"The development and organization of the corps d'armée, and the doctrinal advances thus allowed, still affect our current organizations, and operational and tactical techniques. In organization, the corps of 1805 did not look much different from the corps of 1991. Operation Desert Storm, operationally, bears a striking resemblance to Napoleon's Ulm campaign," wrote Wasson.

"By 1805, the nature of warfare had changed dramatically from the time of Frederick the Great. Napoleonic warfare was quicker and more fluid. … These changes, which occurred over 190 years ago, still have profound influence on our current organizations and doctrine."