It is widely recognized that General Baron Antoine Henri Jomini, a commander and staff officer, is among the most important researchers who dealt with the issues of logistics. His name and works are cited in many studies devoted to both civil (economic) and military (military) logistics. However, there is a lack of a broader discussion of his career path, theoretical achievements, and practical accomplishments in the field of logistics in these works.
Career of General Baron A. H. Jomini
Antoine Henri Jomini was born on March 6, 1779, in Payerne (Canton of Vaud) in Switzerland, where his father worked as a syndic. Even as a teenager, he was interested in military service. His youthful dreams were thwarted by the dissolution of Swiss regiments in France. For this reason, he worked for a short time in Parisian banking. Jomini began his military career with the rank of lieutenant after the creation of the Helvetic Republic – he was an aide-de-camp to the Minister of War and participated in organizing the army. In 1799, he was promoted to the rank of captain and appointed as an aide-de-camp, and a year later he was already commanding a battalion. After leaving the Swiss army in 1802, he went to Paris, where he worked at the Delpont military equipment manufactory. At the same time, he was preparing his Treatise on Grand Military Operations (Traité des grandes operations militaires). At the age of 24, he published the first volume of his Theoretical and Practical Course of Higher Tactics. After joining the French army in 1804, he became a battalion commander and then an aide-de-camp to Marshal Michel Ney. After the Battle of Ulm, thanks to the Treatise on Grand Military Operations (which he had not yet finished) presented to Napoleon Bonaparte, he was promoted to the rank of colonel and the position of chief aide-de-camp, gaining fame in France and abroad. Jomini took part in the Battle of Jena and the Battle of Eylau, after which he was awarded the Legion of Honour. A year after the Peace of Tilsit, on July 27, 1808, he received the title of baron. He was also appointed chief of staff of the VI Corps, commanded by Marshal Ney in the Spanish campaign. Jomini often presented dissenting views, which led to many disputes. From November 18, 1809, he performed duties on the staff of Marshal Louis Alexandre Berthier. As a result of unfavorable opinions about him, which had already occurred in 1807, he submitted a request for resignation on October 28, 1810, which was rejected by Napoleon. He therefore established contact by correspondence with Tsar Alexander I of Russia. In response to his letter, the Tsar ordered a passport authorizing his entry into Russian territory to be sent to Vienna, where Jomini was stationed at the time. However, Jomini did not collect the passport, as he was summoned to Paris on December 7, 1810, to accept his promotion to the rank of brigadier general. Later, he served as head of the historical section on the staff of the Grande Armée (January 29, 1812), and then as commandant of the general headquarters (February 24, 1812). He was appointed governor of Vilnius (August 11, 1812), and subsequently of Smolensk. In Vilnius, he directed the construction of fortifications in Šnipiškės, intended to ensure the city’s defense from the north against a potential Russian attack.
The article comes from the magazine “Logistyka” 5/2008.