Alexander : a history of the origin and growth of the art of war from ...

8 HISTORY OF WAR.Cyrus, and capped all military-historical works in his wonderfulAnabasis. The same character was kept up by Polybius,Diodorus, Dionysius, Arrian, Plutarch, among theGreeks, and by Csesar, Sallust, Livy, Tacitus, NejDos, amongthe Romans. That the works of all these and many otherauthors should deal mostly with war was a necessity.It waswar which was, as a rule, the precursor of advancing civilization.From the decline of Rome throughout the Middle Agesthere was no history, properly speaking.Only chronicles andpartial notes were kept ; nor did history emerge from its hidinguntil the revival of learning and the arts in the fifteenthand sixteenth centuries.It was then patterned, as was everythingelse, on ancient models. The invention of gunpowdergave a new direction to war and its records, though the classicalinfluence and a certain pedantry in historical work remaineduntil the eighteenth century. The systems of warpartook of this same pedantry, with the excejotion of whatwas done by a few great masters, and it was not until theFrench Revolution overturned aU preconceived notions onevery subject that the art of war, as we understand it, aroseand throve. The worship of the ancient models gave way toa national sentiment, and the growth ofscientific war becameassured and permanent, as well as the fruitful study of whatthe great captains had really done. Military history hadbeen but a record. It became an inquiry into the principlesgoverning the acts recorded.Prince Galitzin's splendid work divides the history of warinto four sections :—1°. Down to 500 B. c.A. Ancient War.2°. From the beginning of the Persian wars, 500 B. C, down tothe death of Alexander, 323 B. c.