Elements of Military Art and Science

Before discussing campaigns and fortifications, H. W. Halleck asks when a nation may justifiably resort to war. His opening weighs arguments from Christian ethics against the case for armed defence. Developed from lectures delivered at the Lowell Institute in Boston, the handbook gathers military principles for volunteers and militia officers, illustrating them with historical examples and the practice of generals.

The contents move through strategy, logistics, battlefield formations and the organization of different army branches. Coastal works, frontier defences, bridges and military education receive separate attention. In the middle excerpt, Halleck compares proposals for defending the northern United States, emphasizing routes, distances and access to supply lines. Readers interested in military history can examine how a nineteenth-century instructor connected geography, engineering and administration with the practical demands of national defence.