Jomini versus Clausewitz: Hamley's Operations of War and Military Thought in the British Army, 1866–1933

Although Edward Hamley's Operations of War was first published in 1866, it still occupied a dominant position in the British Army's military thought in 1914. Despite this, historians have failed to explain why it was influential for so long. By considering how the volume was revised, this article demonstrates that it provided the army with a standard way to conceptualize war between 1870 and 1895, before being amended to reflect subsequent advances in military thought. Therefore, Hamley's book provides an insight into how British military thought developed, particularly the way it transitioned from a Jominian to a Clausewitzian understanding of war.