Frederick Kagan - The End of the Old Order

This volume is the result of more than seven years of effort, and in all that time there has hardly been a moment when it did not bring me joy. The pleasure it has given me came partly from the subject matter and partly from the support, encouragement, and assistance of innumerable mentors, colleagues, friends, and helpers. I could not possibly have completed it without them.

Dennis Showalter, Linda Frey, and Marsha Frey have been invaluable friends and advisers for many years. Discussions with them helped refine my approach to the topic, understanding of the period, grasp of the sources, and intellectual growth. Their support and encouragement, including their willingness to read large portions of the manuscript, were essential, and I am grateful for their help and friendship.

Most of this work was prepared (on my own time) while I was teaching military history at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. I could never have undertaken this project without the intellectual preparation I received from that experience, both from the generations of cadets I had the privilege of teaching and from the many colleagues from whom I had the privilege of learning. I am particularly grateful to the leaders of the History Department for their support of my endeavors over the years: Brigadier Generals (Retired) Robert A. Doughty and Casey Brower, Colonels Lance Betros, Cole Kingseed, and Matthew Moten, and Lieutenant Colonel Steve Arata.

I was also blessed to teach alongside of some of the sharpest intellects in the military, especially Colonel H. R. McMaster; Lieutenant Colonels Ty Seidule, Chris Kolenda, and Gunner Sepp; and my fellow napolonien, Major Jim Haynsworth. From them I learned more about the nature and art of war than any amount of study could have taught me. It was my particular good fortune to be able to lead the officers and warrant officers of the 1st Squadron of the 4th U.S.Cavalry Regiment, under the command of H. R. McMaster, on a staff ride of the Austerlitz battlefield, and to accompany the officers of the Rear Detachment of the 1st Infantry Division, under the command of Chris Kolenda, on a staff ride to Jena and Auerstedt. I was also thrilled to be able to examine the various battlefields around Ulm with three of my former cadets, Andrea Twitchell, Matt Caldwell, and Wynne Beers. The experience of reviewing these marvelously well-preservedbattlefields with such experienced, educated, and professional soldiers was unforgettable, and played no small part in my developing understanding of those battles.