From 1792-1815 Europe was convulsed by a series of wars, first against revolutionary France and then the empire of Napoleon Bonaparte. The period opened with an untrained French citizen army defying an alliance of major powers, and climaxed with France controlling the whole of continental Europe. It was the flexibility and tactical brilliance of Napoleon that burst the straitjacket of formal 18th century land warfare.The author takes as detailed samples the battles of Turcoing, Castiglione, Marengo, Eylau, Salamanca and Waterloo together with the two sea battles of Algeciras. The tactics and strategy of land and sea warfare are explored and discussed in the diversely illustrated book.