ff the coast
of Italy." In the case under consideration, the navy played the part
of such a force upon the supposed desert; but as it acts on an element
strange to most writers, as its members have been from time immemorial
a strange race apart, without prophets of their own, neither
themselves nor their calling understood, its immense determining
influence upon the history of that era, and consequently upon the
history of the world, has been overlooked. If the preceding argument
is sound, it is as defective to omit sea power from the list of
principal factors in the result, as it would be absurd to claim for it
an exclusive influence.

Instances such as have been cited, drawn from widely separated periods
of time, both before and after that specially treated in this work,
serve to illustrate the intrinsic interest of the subject, and the
character of the lessons which history has to teach. As before
observed, these come more often under the head of strategy than of
tactics; they bear rather upon the conduct of campaigns than of
battles, and hence are fraught with more lasting value. To quote a
great authority in this connection, Jomini says: "Happening to be in
Paris near the end of 1851, a distinguished person did me the honor to
ask my opinion as to whether recent improvements in firearms would
cause any great modifications in the way of making war. I replied that
they would probably have an influence upon the details of tactics, but
that in great strategic operations and the grand combinations of
battles, victory would, now as ever, result from the application of
the principles which had led to the success of great generals in all
ages; of Alexander and Caesar, as well as of Frederick and Napoleon."
This study has become more than ever important now to navies, because
of the great and steady power of movement possessed by the modern
steamer. The best-planned schemes might fail through stress of weather
in the days of the galley and the sailing-ship; but this difficulty
has almost disappeared. The principles which should direct great naval
combinations have been applicable to all ages, and are deducible from
history; but the power to carry them out with little regard to the
weather is a recent gain.

The definitions usually given of the word "strategy" confine it to
military combinations embracing one or more fields of operations,
either wholly distinct or mutually dependent, but always regarded as
actual or immed