"Book Review: Radetzky's Marches by Mike Embree" Topic

Radetzky's Marches

The Campaigns of 1848 and 1849 in Upper Italy

By

Michael Embree

Published by:

b Helion and Company, Ltd.

Midlands, England

i Physical specifications:

Hardcover with full Color dust jacket, 470 pages in length, including numerous maps, sketches, color plates, detailed appendices, bibliography, brief glossary and index.


"Radetzky's Marches" deals with the first two formal and official "Wars of the Italian Risorgimento" of the 19th Century. Waged between the Austrian Empire and the disparate City-State kingdoms and principalities of Northern and Central Italy, the wars were fought to decide if the Italian peninsula would continue under Austrian control or finally become liberated and unified as one nation.

First and foremost, "Radetzky's Marches" is a book about war. This means that, unlike the vast majority of books on the subject, political situations, decisions and ramifications are purely secondary to the narrative about the military campaigns themselves. This does not mean that the author glosses over important political aspects; indeed, he gives a rather comprehensive sketch of events leading up to the start of the wars along with accounts of political events that had a direct bearing on the individual campaigns and battles. But the main focus of the book is centered on the wars proper.

The author does a very good job providing a comprehensive chronological narrative of the campaigns from start to finish. Every operation, battle and siege is covered in great detail and supported with copious maps and detailed orders of battle of the troops involved. The author also provides a nice chapter on the military organization and weaponry of the antagonists, along with particulars on naval forces, so that readers new to the subject can easily grasp the finer points that are presented later on in the narrative.

But where Mr. Embree truly excels is in the accounts of the smaller battles, combats, actions and skirmishes. His grasp of the action in these lesser known encounters comes to the fore and draws the reader in. Tactical details are enhanced by first person accounts, terrain and troop descriptions and a flowing narrative that presents a vivid picture of what was actually happening on the field of battle. In this reviewer's opinion, the accounts of the battles of Vicenza, Goito, Milan and the Volta were just as interesting as the coverage granted to the larger and more decisive battles of Custoza and Novara.

What is also appreciated is that the author thoroughly knows both his craft and subject. The book is very well researched and supported by an extensive bibliography, along with a few pages outlining the best sources encountered during his research. The book is also quite even-handed when it comes to the antagonists; at no time does the reader feel the author too sympathetic to one side or the other. Such impartiality is refreshing in this rather partisan day and age.

As noted earlier, the book contains a very large section of appendices, most of them covering detailed orders of battle of the armies at various points in the campaign. It is here that the reader gets to acquaint himself with the troops that fought during the war, ranging from the high command to the individual units that battled in various engagements. Once neglected in most military accounts, orders of battle now take pride of place in serious studies of campaigns and battles, and the effort taken in providing them is greatly appreciated by almost all knowledgeable readers.

The authors' efforts are also greatly enhanced by an array of maps, sketches and a full color section of plates detailing the various battles and personages, including artwork by some of the best contemporary military artists of the time, such as von Myrbach, Puchinger and the Adam brothers. The maps are particularly noteworthy as they range from sweeping coverage of campaign moves to detailed portions of particular battlefields, and everything in between. With the authors' fine narrative, supported by excellent maps, orders of battle and artwork, the reader leaves with a firm and satisfying grasp of the first two Wars of the Italian Risorgimento.

It must also be noted that the physical presentation and layout of the book is first rate from start to finish, not only with the previously mentioned maps and color plates, but also with the copious charts and tables. Top notch support like this from any publisher is what every writer dreams of, and it was delivered in style by Helion.

Of course, no book is perfect and while I do have a few quibbles, nothing detracts from the overall narrative, scope and impact as presented by Mr. Embree. There are a few typos early on, along with a few appendix links that are off by a few pages. But my biggest complaint is that there are almost no biographical sketches or notes regarding the major military commanders involved in the wars. Those familiar with the subject can jump right in, but it would be helpful for the casual reader to have some background information on Field Marshal Radetzky, King Carlo Alberto and others who influenced what took place on the field of battle. For participants on both sides, the wars were very much a family affair, and several fathers, brothers, uncles and sons held senior command. Keeping track of several men with the same last name proves particularly irksome when the reader is in the midst of following the tactical account of a battle. A small chapter of six to ten pages, with a paragraph or two on the various officers and leaders involved would have gone a long way to clearing up any confusion. I hope this advice is taken to heart should the book come up for a second edition.

Overall, such problems are few and far between, and do not detract from the author's success in presenting the best English account of the military aspects of the first major Wars of Italian Unification. From neophytes to scholars, anyone fortunate enough to read this book will walk away with a solid understanding and appreciation of just what took place during those two tumultuous years of war. This book is also a treasure trove for wargame designers, both board and miniature, to delve into. With thorough battle accounts, maps, terrain details, and orders of battle, the enthusiast can craft wargames covering campaigns and battles to his heart's desire.

In short, this is the book to own if you want to study the military aspects of the 1848-49 campaigns in the Wars of Italian Unification in English. Crammed full of information and detail never before presented to the public in a single comprehensive work, "Radetzky's Marches" is a must have for the shelf of any self-respecting historian, wargamer or military enthusiast interested in the 19th Century Wars of Unification and Imperialism.

Andrew Preziosi

Miami, FL

July 2011

You can also read the review here, in a nicer presentation format:

link

You can also read the review here, in a nicer presentation format…

If you read the FAQ, you can format it nicely here, too. TMP link

Point taken…Thanks!

Perfectly timed review! My partner bought me this on a hunch while away in Melbourne; I look forward to reading it.

cheers
Jon.

Thanks for the review. I've been considering this book.

Thanks for the review; outside my usual periods, but still seems worth getting!

I have this book and Andrew's review is spot on, in my opinion. I did not know much about the war and assumed that it consisted of two big battles and little else. This book describes scores of actions in all sizes: company, battalion, brigade, you name it. This looks like a great conflict to get into because one could start out with a few figures for skirmish games a work up to larger actions, all the while basing them on historical events.