Sun Tzu at Gettysburg: Ancient Military Wisdom in the Modern World

Bevin Alexander

May 2011 · W. W. Norton & Company

About this ebook

“The world’s most fascinating battles and how they were won or lost, according to the Chinese sage.”—Kirkus Reviews Imagine if Robert E. Lee had withdrawn to higher ground at Gettysburg instead of sending Pickett uphill against the entrenched Union line. Or if Napoléon, at Waterloo, had avoided mistakes he’d never made before. The advice that would have changed these crucial battles was written down centuries before Christ was born—but unfortunately for Lee, Napoléon, and Hitler, Sun Tzu’s The Art of War only became widely available in the West in the mid-twentieth century. As Bevin Alexander shows, Sun Tzu’s maxims often boil down to common sense, in a particularly pure and clear form. When Alexander frames these modern battles against 2,400-year-old precepts, the degree of overlap is stunning.

Ratings and reviews

It's an interesting read, however the author skips on analysing prominent campaigns that don't conform to his ideas such as the occupation of New Orleans in the civil war, the invasion of Gallipoli (against the "sick man of Europe") in WW1 and the Caucasus offensive (Fall Blau) in WW2.

About the author

Bevin Alexander is the author of How Great Generals Win, Lost Victories, and Inside the Nazi War Machine. He lives in Bremo Bluff, Virginia.