Guibert preached the importance of speed, surprise and mobility in warfare, and of abandoning large supply depots in walled cities in favour of living off the land. Another of Guibert’s principles was that high morale – esprit de corps – could overcome most problems.
Napoleon relies heavily on the idea of speed. He was always attempting to maintain the initiative, and this was also the reason for his rapid push into Russia. Usually, his obsession with supplies and resulting high morale would carry the day, but in Russia, the Grande Arme was simply too large to micromanage at such a scale.
