Battle Studies

Charles Ardant du Picq was a French Army officer and military theorist during the mid-nineteenth century. His writings were influential in French military theory. As a captain, he saw action in the French expedition to Varna during the Crimean War, but he fell ill and was shipped home. Upon recovery, he rejoined his regiment in front of Sevastopol. He was captured during the storming of the central bastion of Sevastopol in September 1855 and released several months later. He was killed leading his troops at the Battle of Borny-Colombey in 1870. Ardant du Picq was interested in the moral and psychological aspects of battle. Ardant du Picq was a talented analyst and, had he lived, would have gained a fine reputation as a military historian.