On War

Artillery is one of the three arms of an army. The artillery arm uses high-caliber weapons, such as cannons in Clausewitz’s lifetime. In the 21st century, artillery may contain howitzers and cruise missiles.

A base of operations provides all the necessary support and resources for the functioning of an army.

A battery is an artillery company. Historically, “battery” referred to such weapons as cannons used in combat as a group; at present, the term usually describes an artillery battery such as a rocket launcher.

A bivouac is an open-air, temporary encampment used by an army between instances of combat.

In Clausewitz’s time, a brigade was a division in the armed forces comprising 2,000-5,000 men.

A cantonment is an army camp, garrison, or station.

The cavalry is one of the three arms of an army. Historically, cavalry soldiers rode horses.

The condottieri were the mercenaries (usually foreign soldiers who fought purely for pay, not as citizens or subjects of the warring states) in the late Medieval and Early Modern periods, especially in the Italian city-states.

A circumvallation is an entrenchment around a defended position such as a fortress.

Convoys in the context of early 19th-century warfare were carts and wagons carrying supplies for the army.

A cordon line is used to prevent passage, e.g. the Great Wall of China.

A corps is a military grouping on a battlefield that may comprise at least two divisions (each with thousands of soldiers). Clausewitz describes corps of between 30-40,000 soldiers (168).

Coup d'œil is a French term that refers to taking a glance and making a decision. For Clausewitz, coup d'œil is also an ability for spatial awareness and using imagination to make the necessary military decisions.

Clausewitz uses the term “disposition” to describe the order of battle (165).

In military usage, a diversion involves distracting the enemy from the main operation, such as using a deceptive feint.

An entrenchment is a system of trenches dug for defensive purposes.

The flank is the side of a military group or formation that does not face the enemy.

A flank position is one in which the assailant exposes either his flanks or his communication line to the defense.

The term “fog of war” refers to the uncertainty and confusion regarding military operations, the sides’ capabilities, and other relevant aspects. The fog of war may also include information warfare designed to delegitimize the opponent by using propaganda.

Friction, according to Clausewitz, “distinguishes real war from war on paper,” as it is made up of all the unknowable factors like chance that make war difficult despite seeming simple on the surface (38).

Infantry is one of the three arms of an army. Infantry soldiers typically move on foot.

Interior (or exterior) lines describe the movement of the troops along a route, for instance, during an attack.

Lines of communication are roads (routes) linking the base of operations to the main body of the army.

A magazine is a place that safely stores ammunition such as gunpowder. Clausewitz also discusses magazines in the context of supplying the army with food.

When Clausewitz refers to “moral quantities (forces, powers),” he is talking about psychological factors, character, and personality.

The nation-state is a political entity in which language, culture, and ethnicity are somewhat homogenous. Nation-states such as Germany and Italy arose in the 19th century.

Points d’appui describe the locations where troops may be assembled before a battle, such as a base.

The rear is the back of an army group or formation that is the farthest away from the point of facing the enemy and defending or attacking.

A withdrawal in a war by one side as a tactical move or due to the superiority of the opponent.

The Seven Years’ War (1756-1763) involved multiple countries in Europe, including Prussia, Austria, France, Sweden, and Sweden. The North American counterpart was the French and Indian War, which featured Britain, France, and Spain. Some describe this event as the first truly global war.

A stratagem is a plan used to challenge an opponent in war.

In a war, a strategy is the combined usage of military maneuvers and political and economic means to achieve the overarching goal of the war. Clausewitz defines strategy as “the theory of the use of combats for the object of the war” (42). Historians suggest that in Clausewitz’s time, strategy had a narrower meaning than it does today and chiefly described war on an operational level.

Specific actions in war, sometimes in a single event, such as the formation and usage of troops and their weapons, to achieve the desired goal. Clausewitz defines tactics as “the theory of the use of military forces in combat” (42).

A theater of war is the entire area in which military operations take place.

The three arms, according to Clausewitz, are the three key parts of an army in his lifetime: the infantry, the cavalry, and the artillery.

“Total war” typically describes wars that came in the 20th century: mass-scale events affecting every aspect of society, including civilians and infrastructure.