Friction in War: The Effects of Climate, Disease, and Morale at the Battle of Labadieville

Abstract

This article reviews and applies the theories of two of the most prominent post-Napoleonic writers, the Baron de Jomini and Carl von Clausewitz, to an obscure yet relevant battle in the American Civil War. Civil War commanders were trained in the Napoleonic art of war, and attempted on the battlefield to execute the basic principles of warfare as outlined by Jomini. Despite the best plans and executions of strategy and tactics, frictions in war, as discussed by von Clausewitz, tend to disrupt preparations and affect battle outcomes. The south Louisiana 1862 Battle of Labadieville serves as an ideal case study for fostering this thesis.