Sieges: A Comparative Study

(Hardback)

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Description

.Watson presents five sieges for detailed analysis. The author utilizes the methodology John Keegan developed to define sieges as a form of battle and to explore the categories of combat--those relationships of men versus weapons and the commitment to battle on the part of the contestants--which determined the outcome of battles and wars. Watson's unique study is a contribution to the study of siege warfare and provides a background for understanding the Gulf War--which, Watson shows, was a siege--as well as contemporary global conflict. The sieges--Jerusalem, Malta, Sebastopol, Kut-al-Amara, and Singapore--are analyzed in great detail. From his analysis, Watson developes a set of characteristics of sieges that is useful for understanding the siege--a form of battle that has been with us for a long time and that will remain a major element of modern warfare. Students of military history and tactics--buffs and professionals--will find value and entertainment in this provocative study.

Reviews

In this study, Watson, a retired professor and author on military topics, analyzes five sieges in Western European history: Jerusalem, Malta, Sebastopol, Kut-al-Amara, and Singapore. Using the methodology defined by John Keegan in The Face of Battle he examines the sieges as a unique form of battle that has certain constants regardless of the historical period. The five sieges are each described in detail, with final chapters providing overall conclusions and adding as modern examples, Dien Bien Phu and the Gulf War. Sieges provides the reader with a good introductory analysis to this type of warefare, though some battles will not be familiar to American readers. The bibliography suggests sources for further study of both the individual battles and siegecraft as a whole. Recommended for public and academic libraries.-Library Journal
"In this study, Watson, a retired professor and author on military topics, analyzes five sieges in Western European history: Jerusalem, Malta, Sebastopol, Kut-al-Amara, and Singapore. Using the methodology defined by John Keegan in The Face of Battle he examines the sieges as a unique form of battle that has certain constants regardless of the historical period. The five sieges are each described in detail, with final chapters providing overall conclusions and adding as modern examples, Dien Bien Phu and the Gulf War. Sieges provides the reader with a good introductory analysis to this type of warefare, though some battles will not be familiar to American readers. The bibliography suggests sources for further study of both the individual battles and siegecraft as a whole. Recommended for public and academic libraries."-Library Journal

Author Bio

BRUCE ALLEN WATSON is Emeritus Professor, History of Art, and past chairman, Division of Applied and Fine Arts, Diablo Valley College. His lifelong study of military history led to his first book, The Great Indian Mutiny: Colin Campbell and the Campaign at Lucknow (Praeger, 1991).