Infantry in Battle 1733-1783

Winner of the 2025 Society for Army Historical Research Chapple Prize.

Infantry in Battle rewrites the story of combat in the eighteenth century by placing enlisted infantrymen and their experiences at centre stage. While popular memory and film portray these men as robotic automata they fought in flexible and adaptable ways, and they left their mark on eighteenth-century warfare.

In Infantry in Battle, Dr Alexander S. Burns provides a new understanding of combat during the mid-eighteenth century: the pivotal period between 1733 and 1783. Professor Burns argues that eighteenth-century soldiers informally negotiated authority with their officers on the battlefield by firing without orders, firing at longer ranges than their officers preferred, and by taking cover on the battlefield. In this process, these enlisted men played an important role by asserting tactical reforms from below.

Infantry in Battle is grounded in archival research on the American, British, and Prussian armies. However, it also covers the armies of military Europe more broadly, and includes writings from Austrian, French, Italian, Polish, Russian, Spanish, and Swedish soldiers. It is also the first English-language book to utilize archival material on battles from the War of Polish Succession in Northern Italy.

Infantry in Battle is a scholarly monograph, but one written with a popular audience in mind. Like his mentor, the late Christopher Duffy, Professor Burns has longstanding connections to professional military education as well as wargamers and reenactors. Cutting through myth, we see motivated enlisted men who were capable of adapting their tactics to the needs of the battlefield, rather than terrorized automata firmly controlled by their officers.

 

‘The American researcher Alexander Burns is of a new generation, thoroughly at home with European archives and culture.’ Christopher Duffy 

"Infantry in Battle is an important entry into the revisionist canon of works on contemporary warfare. It has broad appeal to historians, wargamers, reenactors, and enthusiasts alike. It is an invaluable work that belongs on shelves alongside those of Berkovich, the Möbiuses, Christy Pichichero, and, above all, Christopher Duffy." Jonathan Abel, U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Journal of Military History

“Simply put, Infantry in Battle stands as a must read for anyone with an interest in eighteenth century warfare in either Europe or North America.” The Seven Years War Association

"...The content is extremely didactic, based on numerous firsthand accounts. The whole provides a clear vision—far removed from the "Hollywood" clichés—of infantry battles in the time of Frederick the Great. Its 220 pages of relevant analysis will satisfy game enthusiasts". Vae Victus Magazine No184 (translated from French)

"...The author provides a comprehensive and well presented analysis of a far from simple subject. However, he skilfully takes us on a vivid journey through a wide range of subjects....The tables and especially the maps deserve a mention; clean, sharp, and I found them useful rather than what one often finds with maps used as filler. Not in this case. The maps certainly help one follow the action without needing a magnifying glass. This was a fascinating and enjoyable read, and I think could become a bit of a classic in the future. It is A* materiel throughout, but I will leave the reader to make their own judgement." carryingsonupthedale.com

"...Infantry in Battle is essential reading for our understanding of the development of eighteenth-century warfare." Journal of the Society for Army Historical Research

 

Listen to the author discuss the book in Dispatches podcast here.