French Thought and the American Military Mind:A History Of
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Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2008 French Thought and the American Military Mind: A History of French Influence on the American Way of Warfare from 1814 Through 1941 Michael A. Bonura Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES FRENCH THOUGHT AND THE AMERICAN MILITARY MIND: A HISTORY OF FRENCH INFLUENCE ON THE AMERICAN WAY OF WARFARE FROM 1814 THROUGH 1941 BY MICHAEL ANDREW BONURA A Dissertation submitted to the Department of History in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Degree Awarded: Fall Semester 2008 Copyright © 2008 Michael Andrew Bonura All Rights Reserved The members of the Committee approve the Dissertation of Michael Andrew Bonura defended on August 6, 2008. ____________________________ Frederick R. Davis Professor Directing Dissertation ____________________________ J. Anthony Stallins Outside Committee Member ____________________________ James P. Jones Committee Member ____________________________ Jonathan Grant Committee Member ____________________________ Darrin M. McMahon Committee Member The Office of Graduate Studies has verified and approved the above named committee members. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS As everyone knows, a project of this size is the product of more than a single person, and many have helped me along the way. First and foremost I would like to thank Dr. Frederick R. Davis, my major professor, who agreed to take me on as a student after the retirement of Dr. Donald Horward. Dr. Davis took an early interest in my development as a Historian and continued to encourage my work and study in the Historian’s craft, even by letting me audit his Historical Methods course. He challenged me intellectually and academically and his continued long distance mentorship made this dissertation possible. I am eternally grateful and consider him not only a mentor, but also a friend. I would also like to thank the other members of my committee, Dr. Jim Jones, Dr. Jonathan Grant, Dr. Darrin McMahon, and Dr. Tony Stallins. From my first semester in graduate school, Dr. Jones was always available to challenge my assertions and broaden my horizons. I can truly say that I am a better scholar and citizen for having been exposed to his certain brand of education. Dr. Grant was as committed to my education as he is to all of the graduate students in the FSU Department of History. He always had advice and guidance when no one else did and contributed greatly to my development as a Historian. Dr. McMahon did the most to guide my intellectual development, often challenging me to read and think deeply about a variety of subjects. His mentorship, as both a Historian of the French Revolution and more generally as an Intellectual Historian, prepared me to interact intelligently with both my civilian and military peers at West Point. For this I am eternally grateful. I would also like to thank Dr. Stallins, who graciously agreed to join this committee at short notice and to spend his valuable time and energy helping me to defend my dissertation. A special thanks goes out to Dr. Donald Horward, who accepted me into the Department of History and the Institute on Napoleon and the French Revolution with an undistinguished undergraduate transcript. His mentorship and example has set a high standard of both scholarship and integrity that I will strive to live up to for the rest of my life. I truly would not be here today without his trust and confidence, and I hope my achievements reflect greatly upon him. I could not have successfully completed all of the requirements for this degree without the support and friendship of Chris Pignatiello. Chris was the only friendly face I knew my entire first summer at FSU and continued to be a bright part of my daily interaction in the department. iii Since I left, she has kept me straight with deadlines, course numbers, and friendly advice. I promise to keep in touch. I would never have been able to complete this project on the current timeline if it had not been for the United States Military Academy Special Collections and Archives under the direction of Suzanne Christoff. The Special Collections provided the majority of my sources due to the depth and breadth of its holdings in both the warfare in the French Revolution, but also its holdings in obscure American military writings. I especially could not have completed my work but for the help of Valerie Dutdut, who cheerfully retrieved armload after armload of obscure Nineteenth Century regulations, and found several important works hiding in the collection. The support of the USMA Department of History has been incredible, and I want to especially thank COL Lance Betros, COL Matthew Moten, and COL Ty Seidule for their continued faith in my abilities as both an Officer and as a Historian. I continue to be indebted to one of my most important mentors and friends COL Kevin Farrell, who has continued in the last two years the job of mentoring me that he began when I was only Cadet Bonura. He provides sage advice when I bring the problems, frustrations, and heresies of the moment to his office. He continues to keep me on the path of righteousness and for that my debt is eternal. One of the best parts of being a part of the USMA Department of History is the interactions with my peers as both Officers and Historians. Many of the ideas and arguments I made throughout this dissertation were strengthened in the crucible of discussion with many of my peers, MAJ’s J. P. Clark, John Due, and Brian Schoelhorn being only a few of the most difficult to convince. My biggest debt in the intellectual growth of my project is to Dr. Jonathan Gumz who has listened to my ideas and has offered some of the most useful and interesting advice during this project. His advice and his friendship made this dissertation possible. I would also like to thank my family for continuing to support me in this endeavor. My mother Terri Bonura, who could not be more proud of her second son to earn a Ph.D., is always there for me and keeps me on track. Thank you so much for all of your love and support. To my brother Carlo Bonura, the first son with a Ph.D., he challenges me intellectually in ways few do and keeps me on my toes. To my mother-in-law Sandra Bethany, who has done everything she could to support my work, to include proofreading my chapters for me, Thank you for being a part of my life and my family. iv Last but certainly not least is my undying love, devotion, and gratitude to the love of my life, my wife Kimberlee. I cannot imagine completing this dissertation without her unwavering love and support, and especially understanding of the demands of this kind of endeavor. She was a great sounding board, a great example for excellence in dissertations, and she was a source of inspiration and wisdom. I could not live without her and I certainly could not have finished this project without her. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT................................................................................................................................viii INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................... 1 CHAPTER 1: THE FRENCH COMBAT METHOD ............................................................. 10 SECTION 1: Military Art and Science before the French Revolution.............................. 11 The Military Revolution 1789-1804................................................................................... 11 The Linear Warfare of the Ancien Regime ...................................................................... 13 The French Debates from 1760-1788 ................................................................................ 15 SECTION 2: The New Warfare of the French Revolution................................................. 17 The Creation of the Citizen Soldier................................................................................... 17 The New Discipline of an Army of Citizen Soldiers......................................................... 18 The Regulations of 1791: A New System of Tactics......................................................... 21 The Regulations of 1792: A New Framework of Battle................................................... 23 SECTION 3: The French Combat Method in Action- Fleurus 1794 ................................. 31 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 34 CHAPTER 2: BRINGING THE FCM TO AMERICA .......................................................... 38 SECTION 1: Choosing the French Combat Method .......................................................... 38 From Steuben to a Multiplicity of Frameworks 1783-1808 ............................................ 38 The First Attempt to Bring the FCM to America 1808-1814.......................................... 41 No Standard Regulation and the British Alternative ...................................................... 43 Winfield Scott and the Grey Line on the Niagara 1814 .................................................. 45 America Adopts the FCM: The Regulations Board of 1814........................................... 49 SECTION 2: Institutionalizing The FCM ............................................................................ 51 The General Army