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The Journal of Military History 67.4 (2003) 1284-1285



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Gerhard von Scharnhorst, Private und Dienstliche Schriften, vol. 1, Kurhannover bis 1795: Schüler, Lehrer, Kriegsteilnehmer. By Johannes Kunish et al. Köln: Böhlau Verlag, 2002. ISBN 3-412-14700-1. Notes. Indexes. Pp. xxxix, 864. Euro 79.00.

The publication of Gerhard von Scharnhorst's private and professional papers is symbolic of the progress the Germans have made in restoring order to their archival system after the chaos in the early and mid 1990s following reunification. The editors have taken advantage of the vast repositories located at the Geheimen Staatsarchivs Preußischer Kulturbesitz in Berlin-Dahlem that constitute Scharnhorst's Nachlaß, as well as holdings in the Hanoverian state archives, to produce a first volume that covers Scharnhorst's early life and writings until 1795. With the subtitle of student, teacher, and war participant, the editors have made herculean efforts not only to reproduce Scharnhorst's writings, but to present them in a chronologically well-organized manner.

Scharnhorst's papers are preceded by an extremely interesting introduction by Michael Sikora, whose opening line, "Gerhard von Scharnhorst was not a typical soldier for his time" (p. ix), more than adequately sets the stage for the fascinating papers that have been reproduced and supplemented by helpful annotations. The editors also provide a short yet useful bibliography of the major German and English works that pertain to Scharnhorst and his early career. They have divided the volume into five large chapters beginning with a short section on Scharnhorst's time as a student of the famed military reformer Wilhelm Graf zu Schaumburg-Lippe.

Chapter two, 161 pages, covers Scharnhorst's writings when he taught at the Hanoverian military academy and is subdivided in three sections: (1) private and professional, (2) military education systems, and (3) miscellaneous writings. Scharnhorst's correspondence during the campaign of 1793, his first combat experience, is contained in chapter three, while chapter four covers the 1793/94 period when he was garrisoned in Menin. Chapter five (1794/95) constitutes the vast bulk of the volume: 392 pages containing 312 letters written while Scharnhorst served on the Hanoverian Field-Marshal Johann Ludwig Reichsgraf von Wallmoden's staff. This chapter is also subdivided into three sections that contain Scharnhorst's (1) private and professional letters, (2) his suggestions for the formation of a general staff, and (3) an analysis of the events of the recent war. Following the chapters are two considerably helpful appendixes. The first is a biographical dictionary containing thirty entries concerning Scharnhorst's family and the people who shaped his early life and career. Appendix two provides a glossary of military and civilian terms, ranks, and titles, including the confusing German mutations of French siege terminology that cannot be found in most German/English dictionaries. Following the appendixes are two indexes that provide: (1) a generous detailed glossary of names, many of which have the full array of first and middle names, dates of birth and death, as well as career highlights, and (2) as with most German books, an Ortsindex of towns, cities, countries, [End Page 1284] and geographical points. Completing the work is a register of all 471 letters, broken down by chapter, with date, addressee, title, and page number.

Hopefully volumes two and three will be equally as superb as this volume. This work is an indispensable tool for any student or scholar interested in the history of general staffs, the Prussian army, and the Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. The time and funds that would be required to reproduce these letters at the German Archives would far outstrip the comparatively modest 79.00 Euros being asked for this excellent resource.



Michael V. Leggiere
Louisiana State University in Shreveport
Shreveport, Louisiana

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