Reveries or Memories upon the Art of War: by Field-marshal Count Saxe. Illustrated with Copper Plates. To which are added some original Letters, upon various Military Subjects, wrote by the Count to the late King of Poland, and M. de Folard, which were never before made publick: Together with H

CELEBRATED GENERAL ON THE ART OF WAR
first edition in English 4to. [2 (title)], (iii)-x, [2 (dedication)], 195, [1 (advts.)]pp., 40 numbered engraved images on 34 folding plates, attractive and sympathetic modern contemporary-style tan half calf by Brockman, spine panelled by raised bands highlighted by double gilt fillets, large blind tool at panel centres, black morocco title label, brown marbled sides, hand-made paper endpapers, title leaf a little dusty and with minor and almost invisible archival tissue reinforcement on verso at fore edge, a few slight fox spots on fore-edge of plates, else a nice fresh copy. A handsome copy.

ESTC t97717
Maurice, Comte de Saxe (1696-1750), one of the most notable and successful military commanders of the eighteenth century, was an illegitimate son of Augustus II, King of Poland and Elector of Saxony. He was engaged in and immersed in military engagements and soldiering from his early youth and served successively in the armies of the Holy Roman Empire, the Austrian army and France with the title of Marshal General of French being specially revived for him in the last of these. Characteristic of his military methods were the use of surprise and of mobile warfare by harassing a superior force without head-on conflict until he was in a position to engage it in a decisive battle. The most celebrated of his victories, the brilliant and decisive defeat of the English at the Battle of Fontenoy in 1745, was an exemplar of his methods. His book on the art of war, Mes Rêveries, was first postumously published in 1757.In the book Saxe subjected military affairs to reasoned criticism with a view to creating military doctrines based on universal principles. "Written following Prussian expansion during the War of the Austrian Succession, Saxe [in the book] rejected their rigid discipline; arguing the French character was fundamentally different and their tactics should reflect that, he advocated the use of a deep order or ordre profond, rather than relying on firearms. However, Mes Rêveries also challenged French military orthodoxy in arguing for a greater focus on mobile warfare, rather than fortifications; this was partly a legacy of [the French military engineer] Vauban (1633-1707), who had revolutionised this field but adherence to his principles meant French engineers became ultra-conservative. As early as 1701, John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough argued winning one battle was more beneficial than taking 12 fortresses; Saxe followed this line but his argument was [later] given increased weight by French losses in the 1756-1763 Seven Years' War" [wikipedia].
The Battle of Fontenoy on 11 May 1745 during the War of the Austrian Succession pitted the Pragmatic Allies - principally the Dutch, British and Hanoverians - against the French, which pitched two armies of about 50,000 men against each other was notable for several reasons: both the British and French kings were present on the field of battle; it enabled further French victories; and, in so doing, it greatly reinforced the position of the French Ancien Régime. The battle was for a time closely fought but was swayed in French favour by the deployment of the Irish Brigades in the French army which, in a celebrated counter attack, swept a flank of English infantry from the field with great loss of life on both sides. They captured the English colours and 15 cannon and reputedly charged with the war-cry in Irish "Cuimhnigidh ar Luimnech agus feall na Sassonach!" (that is "Remember Limerick and Saxon Perfidy"). The casualty figures were appalling with at least 7000 killed or wounded on the French side (including 500 Irish) and between 10,000 and 12,000 on the allied side.