Conserving the Enlightenment: French Military Engineering from Vauban to the Revolution (review)

This volume is primarily a history of engineering by a specialist in that field. Military historians will feel a bit out of place at times, for example during Langins's discussion of descriptive geometry. On broader issues, she draws interesting distinctions between artillerist engineers and fortifications engineers. She considers the question as to whether "scientific" engineering relied primarily on mathematics or experience during the Enlightenment. And above all, Langins reveals the conservative nature of military engineers as a body. Given the state of the historiography, this may be her most important contribution, for she contradicts certain fundamental arguments advanced by Ken Alder, who she praises. Alder claims that engineering was a "quintessential revolutionary activity" that "denies history" [Alder, Engineering the Revolution: Arms and Enlightenment in France, 1763-1815 (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1997), 15] and that engineers played a crucial role in shaping the French Revolution. As in her title, Langins stresses the concept of "conserving" in several senses. Her main insight into the Enlightenment would seem to be this conservative side of men of "science."

As a work of military history, the book suffers from limitations but ultimately provides novel and interesting information. The chapters describing the evolution and functions of fortresses from the Renaissance through the reign of Louis XIV provide useful background for readers unversed in this subject, but add nothing new. The bibliography reveals significant gaps; she makes no reference to any books by Jean Chagniot, Jean-Paul Bertaud, Guy Rowlands, and other notable historians. Apparently, she did not look at either my Giant of the Grand Siècle or Wars of Louis XIV, both of which would have been helpful to her. This lack of depth leads her to miss some important points. She portrays the great military engineer, Sébastien le Prestre de Vauban, as universally revered and unchallenged during the reign of Louis XIV; however, his influence and credit were disputed late in his career. In her discussion of Gribeauval's reforms, she also seems unaware of the artillery of nouvelle invention that prefigured Gribeauval's guns during the reign of Louis XIV. Neither does she understand the full range of functions of fortresses, missing their roles in resource mobilization, particularly through the imposition of contributions. She also jumbles together the improvised defensive lines of the War of the Spanish Succession with the permanent fortifications of the pré carré advocated by Vauban.

Despite such shortcomings, the real heart of the book, her discussion of the running battle between Marc-René, marquis de Montalembert (1714- 1800) and the Corps of Military Engineers, is highly informative. Langins mines this debate to several purposes. She adds to our technical knowledge of fortress design by aptly explaining the genius and idiosyncrasy of Montalembert's proposals for fortification perpendiculaire, published in eleven volumes between 1776 and 1797. Langins contrasts the lone, innovative Montalembert with the traditionalist Corps of Military Engineers, demonstrating the native conservatism of this corporate body. To my mind, she overstates the contemporary importance of the debate when she insists that it ranks as a third crucial eighteenth-century military/technical controversy, alongside that between artillery conservatives and those who backed the Gribeauval system of cannon and that between proponents of infantry lines or columns. Nonetheless, Langins earns high credit for her admirable blow by blow account of Montalembert's varied arguments and the opposition to them.

In short, this is a book for specialists, and as such it does yeoman service. It certainly is a valuable addition to my bookshelf.