Elements of Tacticks,

(Military.) [SALDERN (Friedrich Christoph von)]

Elements of Tacticks,

and Introduction to Military Evolutions for the Infantry: by a celebrated Prussian general, with Plates. Translated from the original in German, by I[saac] Landmann, Professor of Fortification and Artillery to The Royal Military Academy at Woolwich.

Description: FIRST EDITION IN ENGLISH, 18 folding engraved plates, slightly browned in places, a few spots, pp. xvi (including half-title), 334, [1, Errata], 8vo, contemporary mottled calf, rebacked, corners worn, good

Publication Details: Printed for the Author; Sold by P. Elmsley and J. Egerton, 1787

Notes: 'Von Saldern (1719-85) was an outstanding Prussian tactician who later turned to writing, von Saldern was of great importance in spreading Prussian tactical ideas through the armies of late eighteenth-century Europe. Having entered the army of Frederick William I (1713-40) as an ensign, at the age of sixteen, he first attracted royal attention on account of his great height. Subsequently, his distinguished service during the Seven Years' War (1756-63) secured rapid promotion to the rank of major-general. Frederick the Great considered his tactical ability to be without equal and, from 1763 unt...more'Von Saldern (1719-85) was an outstanding Prussian tactician who later turned to writing, von Saldern was of great importance in spreading Prussian tactical ideas through the armies of late eighteenth-century Europe. Having entered the army of Frederick William I (1713-40) as an ensign, at the age of sixteen, he first attracted royal attention on account of his great height. Subsequently, his distinguished service during the Seven Years' War (1756-63) secured rapid promotion to the rank of major-general. Frederick the Great considered his tactical ability to be without equal and, from 1763 until his death in 1785, he served as Inspector-General for the Magdeburg Infantry Inspection. His published thoughts on tactics – Taktik der Infanterie (1784) and Taktische Grundsätz (1786) – though in part criticized as impractical, were soon translated (into English in 1787). In Britain, his evolutions were copied directly by some regiments and his thoughts were influential in the formulation of the British tactical Rules and Regulations of 1792, the adoption of which was seen by many contemporaries as finally making complete the Prussianization of the British service' (Blackwell Reference Online). HIDE

Bibliography: (ESTC T113849, recording just 2 copies in N. America, Newberry and Toronto)

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Price: £1,200

Subject: History

Published Date: 1787

Stock Number: 51539

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