Although the sum of all military events which happen in all the
Theatres of War in one year is often called a _Campaign_, still,
however, it is more usual and more exact to understand by the term the
events in _one single_ Theatre of War. But it is worse still to connect
the notion of a Campaign with the period of one year, for wars no
longer divide themselves naturally into Campaigns of a year’s duration
by fixed and long periods in winter quarters. As, however, the events
in a Theatre of War of themselves form certain great chapters—if, for
instance, the direct effects of some more or less great catastrophe
cease, and new combinations begin to develop themselves—therefore these
natural subdivisions must be taken into consideration in order to allot
to each year (Campaign) its complete share of events. No one would make
the Campaign of 1812 terminate at Memel, where the armies were on the
1st January, and transfer the further retreat of the French until they
recrossed the Elbe to the campaign of 1813, as that further retreat was
plainly only a part of the whole retreat from Moscow.
That we cannot give these conceptions any greater degree of
distinctness is of no consequence, because they cannot be used as
philosophical definitions for the basis of any kind of propositions.
They only serve to give a little more clearness and precision to the
language we use.
CHAPTER III. Relation of Power
In the eighth chapter of the third book we have spoken of the value of
superior numbers in battles, from which follows as a consequence the
superiority of numbers in general in strategy. So far the importance of
the relations of power is established: we shall now add a few more
detailed considerations on the subject.
An unbiassed examination of modern military history leads to the
conviction that the _superiority in numbers becomes every day more
decisive;_ the principle of assembling the greatest possible numbers
for a decisive battle may therefore be regarded as more important than
ever.
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