Convoy was an American trucking software company co-founded by CEO Dan Lewis and CTO Grant Goodale. On 25 July 2017, the company raised $62 million in Series B funding, led by Y Combinator&#x27;s Continuity Fund. Other new investors included Cascade Investment CEO Bill Gates, Mosaic Ventures, former ...

Convoy (company) - Wikipedia

Two weeks after Seattle trucking startup Convoy abruptly shut down operations and laid off most of its roughly 500 employees, the company’s technology and some of its key personnel will move to fellow freight startup Flexport, according to Flexport’s CEO.

What’s left of Convoy being sold to another trucking startup ...

News of the sale comes two days after a laid-off Convoy employee sued the company for not giving legally required advance notice of the cuts. And according to an internal message shared with The Times, Convoy did not pay severance to laid-off workers due to its debts.

Failed Seattle trucking firm Convoy sued over layoffs, may be selling ...

Convoy had smart technology, a star-studded lineup of investors and a shiny valuation that spoke to its big ambitions. But the backing that investors sent the business in early 2022, at the peak of pandemic-driven shipping demand and venture-capital fervor for new supply chain tech, also helped accelerate the undoing of one of the brightest of a long lineup of digital startups. Copyright ©2023 Dow Jones &amp; Company...

How Digital Freight Darling Convoy Ran off the Road - WSJ

Convoy’s shutdown, which wiped out the equity investors that poured $900 million into the company, marks the most extreme downfall of a once-high flying startup in recent years, amid a contraction of venture funding that has left many money-losing startups struggling to survive.

How Trucking Startup Convoy Drove Itself Into the Ground — The ...

With plentiful truck capacity, shippers could find attractive freight rates with large carriers as opposed to the independent truckers and smaller companies targeted by Convoy, Avery Vise, a trucking analyst with FTR Transportation Intelligence, told GeekWire.

The fall of Convoy, explained: Why "Uber for trucking" startup ...

The collaboration among Convoy, J.B. Hunt, Uber Freight and others to use technology to streamline scheduling at the dock level is proceeding as planned, according to company leaders at FreightWaves’ Future of Supply Chain conference in Cleveland. Read More »

Convoy's shutdown exposes the desperate state of trucking

Death from overfunding: An obituary for Convoy

Seattle-based Convoy was founded to disrupt the fragmented, low-tech freight brokerage business, in which truckers and customers connected by phone and fax. Before this week, the company had about 500 employees.

Bezos-backed freight firm Convoy shuts down after slashing hundreds ...

Convoy raised $260 million at a $3.8 billion valuation just 18 months ago. Now the company is shutting down. (GeekWire File Photo) Convoy&#x27;s plan to

Convoy collapse: Read CEO's memo detailing sudden shutdown of Seattle ...

Convoy

convoy

On War by Carl Von Clausewitz, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book here . Attack on Convoys Book VII: Chapter XVIII. Attack on Convoys The attack and defence of a convoy form a subject of tactics: we should, therefore, have nothing to say upon the subject here if it was not necessary, first, to demonstrate generally, to a certain extent, the possibility of the thing, which can only be done from strategic motives and relations. We should have had to speak of it in this respect before when treating of the defence, had it not been that the little which can be said about it can easily be framed to suit for both attack and defence, while at the same time the first plays the higher part in connection with it. A moderate convoy of three or four hundred wagons, let the load be what it may, takes up half a mile, a large convoy is several miles in length. Now, how is it possible to expect that the few troops usually allotted to a convoy will suffice for its defence? If to this difficulty we add the unwieldy nature of this mass, which can only advance at the slowest pace, and which, besides, is always liable to be thrown into disorder, and lastly, that every part of a convoy must be equally protected, because the moment that one part is attacked by the enemy, the whole is brought to a stop, and thrown into a state of confusion, we may well ask,—how can the covering and defence of such a train be possible at all? Or, in other words, why are not all convoys taken when they are attacked, and why are not all attacked which require an escort, or, which is the same thing, all that come within reach of the enemy? It is plain that all tactical expedients, such as Templehof’s most impracticable scheme of constantly halting and assembling the convoy at short distances, and then moving off afresh: and the much better plan of Scharnhorst, of breaking up the convoy into several columns, are only slight correctives of a radical evil. The explanation consists in this, that by far the greater number of convoys derive more security from the strategic situation in general, than any other parts exposed to the attacks of the enemy, which bestows on their limited means of defence a very much increased efficacy. Convoys generally move more or less in rear of their own army, or, at least, at a great distance from that of the enemy. The consequence is, that only weak detachments can be sent to attack them, and these are obliged to cover themselves by strong reserves. Added to this the unwieldiness itself of the carriages used, makes it very difficult to carry them off; the assailant must therefore, in general, content himself with cutting the traces, taking away the horses, and blowing up powder-wagons, by which the whole is certainly detained and thrown into disorder, but not completely lost; by all this we may perceive, that the security of such trains lies more in these general relations than in the defensive power of its escort. If now to all this we add the defence of the escort, which, although it cannot by marching resolutely against the enemy directly cover the convoy, is still able to derange the plan of the enemy’s attack; then, at last, the attack of a convoy, instead of appearing easy and sure of success, will appear rather difficult, and very uncertain in its result. But there remains still a chief point, which is the danger of the enemy’s army, or one of its corps, retaliating on the assailants of its convoy, and punishing it ultimately for the undertaking by defeating it. The apprehension of this, puts a stop to many undertakings, without the real cause ever appearing; so that the safety of the convoy is attributed to the escort, and people wonder how a miserable arrangement, such as an escort, should meet with such respect. In order to feel the truth of this observation, we have only to think of the famous retreat which Frederick the Great made through Bohemia after the siege of Olmütz, 1758, when the half of his army was broken into a column of companies to cover a convoy of 4,000 carriages. What prevented Daun from falling on this monstrosity? The fear that Frederick would throw himself upon him with the other half of his army, and entangle him in a battle which Daun did not desire; what prevented Laudon, who was constantly at the side of that convoy, from falling upon it at Zischbowitz sooner and more boldly than he did? The fear that he would get a rap over the knuckles. Ten miles from his main army, and completely separated from it by the Prussian army, he thought himself in danger of a serious defeat if the king, who had no reason at that time to be concerned about Daun, should fall upon him with the bulk of his forces. It is only if the strategic situation of an army involves it in the unnatural necessity of connecting itself with its convoys by the flank or by its front that then these convoys are really in great danger, and become an advantageous object of attack for the enemy, if his position allows him to detach troops for that purpose. The same campaign of 1758 affords an instance of the most complete success of an undertaking of this description, in the capture of the convoy at Domstädtel. The road to Neiss lay on the left flank of the Prussian position, and the king’s forces were so neutralised by the siege and by the corps watching Daun, that the partizans had no reason to be uneasy about themselves, and were able to make their attack completely at their ease. When Eugene besieged Landrecy in 1712, he drew his supplies for the siege from Bouchain by Denain; therefore, in reality, from the front of the strategic position. It is well known what means he was obliged to use to overcome the difficulty of protecting his convoys on that occasion, and in what embarrassments he involved himself, ending in a complete change of circumstances. The conclusion we draw, therefore, is that however easy an attack on a convoy may appear in its tactical aspect, still it has not much in its favour on strategic grounds, and only promises important results in the exceptional instances of lines of communication very much exposed. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Carl von Clausewitz (2006). On War. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/1946/pg1946-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org , located at https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html .

Attack on Convoys

The Systemic Impact of Deplatforming on Social Media: Results

SINGAPORE, Singapore, May 7th, 2024/GamingWire/-- As the digital dawn of gaming rises, the visionary minds behind DECIMATED are ecstatic to unveil their groundbreaking foray into the desolate yet captivating future of online gaming. DECIMATED, a novel 3rd person PvP and PvE online game experience, invites players to an unprecedented journey through a vast dystopian landscape. Offering freedom for players to explore this post-apocalyptic playground, DECIMATED opens up a realm where players craft their own fate as human citizens struggling for survival or cyborg cops enforcing order in a world where nature and technology collide in chaos. https://youtu.be/1_8N_Lye2JA?si=5SBJktv0U4TV25MJ&embedable=true A New World Awaits: Immersive Gameplay and Unparalleled Adventure At the heart of DECIMATED lies a richly designed, immersive world that tests each player’s survival instincts at every turn. Players engage in a relentless battle for existence against the apocalyptic aftermath, populated by mutated creatures, environmental hazards, and rival survivors. This rich narrative is further enhanced by offering players the opportunity to salvage advanced technology, uncover hidden treasures, and navigate the perils of a fractured society on the brink of rebirth. DECIMATED stands as a testament to survival, strategy, and resilience, offering a sandbox of endless possibilities. Whether patching up a battle-scarred vehicle, building impenetrable bases, to navigating the treacherous markets of this new world, players can embrace the lawless land, facing off against deranged robots, monstrous bio-entities, and other mutants, all while forging alliances or rivalries with other players to carve out a semblance of civilization amid chaos. Backed By 46 Investors And a Growing Community Decimated received an Epic Mega Grant and was backed by 46 investors in December 2021 after the studio was self-funded as an indie start-up for three years. Developers Fracture Labs were offered $34M from 180 investors and accepted $3.5M from VCs, including Mechanism Capital, Spartan Capital, Polygon Ventures, Good Games Guild, Israel Blockchain Association, Dutch Crypto Investors, and Metavest Capital, to name a few. Since then, the Decimated community has grown to 60k followers on Twitter and 23k members in Discord, many of whom are participating in the closed alpha testing. A Quest For Dominance In The Wasteland: The DIO Token Economic gameplay takes a revolutionary turn in DECIMATED with the DIO token, integrated into the game using the Solana chain and with interoperability between all of Fracture Labs' planned games. This creates a real-time digital economy within DECIMATED, incentivizing players for each and every decision made, as well as their efforts within the game itself. Every transaction, trade, and treasure found within this desolate world is valued in DIO, bridging the game to real-world economic principles and making the thrill of loot discovery and trading exponentially more engaging. The ways to earn in DECIMATED are as varied as the wasteland itself. Players can venture into the unknown, salvaging cargo and lost technology, engaging in both legal and illicit commerce to claim their fortune. Whether it's ambushing convoys for loot, undertaking dangerous missions, or trading valuable finds on the virtual market, success in the desolate landscape of DECIMATED demands wit, bravery, and a keen sense of strategy. Decimated features a leaderboard system that rewards the best-performing players, whether they play solo, in guilds, or in clans. In a recent announcement, DECIMATED confirmed its official sponsorship of Token2049 Dubai, underscoring its commitment to innovation, blockchain technology, and the burgeoning digital economy, demonstrating its potential for the future from the lens of immersive gaming. This sponsorship accentuates DECIMATED’s commitment to forging a future where gaming transcends mere entertainment to become a cornerstone of digital economies in virtual worlds, allowing players to earn real rewards through tournaments. The community buzzed with excitement for DECIMATED listing on the Epic Games Store in May 2024. While the official launch date is yet to be announced, the open alpha is pegged for the end of 2024, and the eagerness around this launch grows daily as players and fans are encouraged to keep an eye out for what hopes to be a landmark announcement in online gaming history. About DECIMATED DECIMATED is the future of immersive online gaming, offering a dynamic 3rd person PvP and PvE experience within a richly detailed post-apocalyptic world. With its unique digital economy and endless opportunities for exploration, combat, and alliance, DECIMATED invites players to define their legacy in a world where every decision can mean the difference between survival and extinction. For media inquiries or further information, please visit https://www.decimated.net Contact Stephen Arnold Fracture Labs PTE Ltd contact@decimated.net +35699554901 This story was distributed as a release by Gamingwire under HackerNoon’s Business Blogging Program. Learn more about the program here. SINGAPORE, Singapore, May 7th, 2024/GamingWire/-- As the digital dawn of gaming rises, the visionary minds behind DECIMATED are ecstatic to unveil their groundbreaking foray into the desolate yet captivating future of online gaming. DECIMATED, a novel 3rd person PvP and PvE online game experience, invites players to an unprecedented journey through a vast dystopian landscape. Offering freedom for players to explore this post-apocalyptic playground, DECIMATED opens up a realm where players craft their own fate as human citizens struggling for survival or cyborg cops enforcing order in a world where nature and technology collide in chaos. https://youtu.be/1_8N_Lye2JA?si=5SBJktv0U4TV25MJ&embedable=true https://youtu.be/1_8N_Lye2JA?si=5SBJktv0U4TV25MJ&embedable=true A New World Awaits: Immersive Gameplay and Unparalleled Adventure At the heart of DECIMATED lies a richly designed, immersive world that tests each player’s survival instincts at every turn. Players engage in a relentless battle for existence against the apocalyptic aftermath, populated by mutated creatures, environmental hazards, and rival survivors. This rich narrative is further enhanced by offering players the opportunity to salvage advanced technology, uncover hidden treasures, and navigate the perils of a fractured society on the brink of rebirth. DECIMATED stands as a testament to survival, strategy, and resilience, offering a sandbox of endless possibilities. Whether patching up a battle-scarred vehicle, building impenetrable bases, to navigating the treacherous markets of this new world, players can embrace the lawless land, facing off against deranged robots, monstrous bio-entities, and other mutants, all while forging alliances or rivalries with other players to carve out a semblance of civilization amid chaos. Backed By 46 Investors And a Growing Community Decimated received an Epic Mega Grant and was backed by 46 investors in December 2021 after the studio was self-funded as an indie start-up for three years. Developers Fracture Labs were offered $34M from 180 investors and accepted $3.5M from VCs, including Mechanism Capital, Spartan Capital, Polygon Ventures, Good Games Guild, Israel Blockchain Association, Dutch Crypto Investors, and Metavest Capital, to name a few. backed by 46 investors backed by 46 investors Since then, the Decimated community has grown to 60k followers on Twitter and 23k members in Discord , many of whom are participating in the closed alpha testing. Twitter Twitter Discord Discord A Quest For Dominance In The Wasteland: The DIO Token Economic gameplay takes a revolutionary turn in DECIMATED with the DIO token , integrated into the game using the Solana chain and with interoperability between all of Fracture Labs' planned games. DIO token DIO token This creates a real-time digital economy within DECIMATED, incentivizing players for each and every decision made, as well as their efforts within the game itself. Every transaction, trade, and treasure found within this desolate world is valued in DIO, bridging the game to real-world economic principles and making the thrill of loot discovery and trading exponentially more engaging. The ways to earn in DECIMATED are as varied as the wasteland itself. Players can venture into the unknown, salvaging cargo and lost technology, engaging in both legal and illicit commerce to claim their fortune. Whether it's ambushing convoys for loot, undertaking dangerous missions, or trading valuable finds on the virtual market, success in the desolate landscape of DECIMATED demands wit, bravery, and a keen sense of strategy. Decimated features a leaderboard system that rewards the best-performing players, whether they play solo, in guilds, or in clans. In a recent announcement , DECIMATED confirmed its official sponsorship of Token2049 Dubai, underscoring its commitment to innovation, blockchain technology, and the burgeoning digital economy, demonstrating its potential for the future from the lens of immersive gaming. This sponsorship accentuates DECIMATED’s commitment to forging a future where gaming transcends mere entertainment to become a cornerstone of digital economies in virtual worlds, allowing players to earn real rewards through tournaments. a recent announcement a recent announcement The community buzzed with excitement for DECIMATED listing on the Epic Games Store in May 2024. While the official launch date is yet to be announced, the open alpha is pegged for the end of 2024, and the eagerness around this launch grows daily as players and fans are encouraged to keep an eye out for what hopes to be a landmark announcement in online gaming history. Epic Games Store Epic Games Store About DECIMATED DECIMATED is the future of immersive online gaming, offering a dynamic 3rd person PvP and PvE experience within a richly detailed post-apocalyptic world. With its unique digital economy and endless opportunities for exploration, combat, and alliance, DECIMATED invites players to define their legacy in a world where every decision can mean the difference between survival and extinction. For media inquiries or further information, please visit https://www.decimated.net https://www.decimated.net https://www.decimated.net Contact Stephen Arnold Fracture Labs PTE Ltd contact@decimated.net +35699554901 This story was distributed as a release by Gamingwire under HackerNoon’s Business Blogging Program. Learn more about the program here. This story was distributed as a release by Gamingwire under HackerNoon’s Business Blogging Program. Learn more about the program here . here here

Post-Apocalyptic Survival Game DECIMATED Launches On Epic Store

2023 was quite a ride for the trucking industry. We faced rising fuel prices, economic roller coasters, freight recessions, driver shortages, and a battle with inflation, which just wouldn't quit. It's been tough out there. As the founder of a startup with dispatch services in the U.S., I've got a front-row seat to the challenges facing our industry. My company aggregates over 100,000 loads daily, so I've seen firsthand how these trends are impacting carriers. My conclusion: To survive, a trucking company needs to know what’s coming, be flexible, and use modern tools. Here’s how to adapt to the trends that will shape the U.S. trucking industry. Use Data to Avoid Losses Everyone in the industry is feeling the squeeze. The trucking industry is facing its toughest challenge since 2008. Truckstop reported that in 2023, 77% of owner-operators had to book shorter routes due to rising costs, while 65% had booked fewer loads altogether. The American Transportation Research Institute ranks the economy as the biggest industry challenge, followed closely by truck parking availability and fuel prices. At the beginning of 2023, our inner data of aggregated loads predicted potential industry issues. I realized that margins would fall, and many operators would go bankrupt. That happened to Convoy, Yellow Corp, and other big players who were shutting down and laying off staff en masse. To be among the survivors, we took a risk to change our business model and focused on using AI tools. Being able to predict what’s coming helped my startup generate profit for three months last year. Now, we are once again close to breaking even. Carriers who don't use analytics will continue to run loads at a loss. With data analytics, truckers can identify the most efficient routes, predict load volumes, delivery times, market trends, seasonal fluctuations, and many other factors.  Previously, this information was only available to large companies. Now even small carriers can gain insights with tools like Truckerpath, DAT, or Cargofy (disclaimer: I'm biased, it's my startup). Switch to a Subscription Model It’s the era of the carriers who offer Logistics-as-a-Service. Looking to cut costs, e-commerce and other companies are seeking LaaS tools to manage their transportation services through cloud-based platforms. Instead of handling the logistics themselves, they prefer to outsource it to a third party. And this is where you can come into play. I saw firsthand how well it works. Launching a subscription-based model in 2023 allowed us to generate a more stable revenue stream. However, the benefits of LaaS extend beyond financial stability. By adopting a subscription model, carriers improve their efficiency by implementing transportation management systems (TMS), accounting software, and data analytics. They can better analyze financial data, gain insights about shippers’ debts, and manage contracts –– all in one place. Also, carriers can offer value-added services to shippers, such as real-time tracking and visibility. Start Using AI As Much as Possible AI tools increase truck drivers' revenue by an average of 17% per year, our internal analytics shows. By analyzing big data on supply-demand dynamics, seasonality, and freight availability, AI algorithms can guide truckers toward high-paying loads that minimize empty miles. Predictive matching helps carriers dismiss loads that lead to deadhead miles and wasted time. AI is also transforming the role of truck dispatchers. Instead of making numerous phone calls to find viable loads, they use AI and get pre-matched opportunities with calculated rates. With AI’s help, an individual dispatcher can now efficiently handle 2-3 times as many trucks. I don’t believe AI will fully replace the human interaction required for negotiations. But, it dramatically reduces manual work and empowers dispatchers to secure better loads in a fraction of the time. Trim Your Team (Sorry) The trucking industry has seen its fair share of ups and downs when it comes to employment. When times are good, companies hire thousands of workers, but when the market takes a turn, layoffs can be just as common. The  American Trucking Associations reported that, in 2022, a whopping 8.4 million people worked in trucking-related jobs across the economy. 3.54 million of those people were truck drivers. In 2023, many large companies such as Flexport, Uber Freight, Flock Freight, and Lipsey Logistics had to trim their teams. As the founder of a trucking startup, I also had to make the tough choice to downsize my team by 30%. This decision was not taken lightly, but it was essential to ensure the company's survival. Otherwise, my company would go bust, and I’d have to dismiss 100% of my staff. 2023 was quite a ride for the trucking industry. We faced rising fuel prices, economic roller coasters, freight recessions, driver shortages, and a battle with inflation, which just wouldn't quit. It's been tough out there. As the founder of a startup with dispatch services in the U.S., I've got a front-row seat to the challenges facing our industry. My company aggregates over 100,000 loads daily, so I've seen firsthand how these trends are impacting carriers. My conclusion: To survive, a trucking company needs to know what’s coming, be flexible, and use modern tools. Here’s how to adapt to the trends that will shape the U.S. trucking industry. Use Data to Avoid Losses Use Data to Avoid Losses Everyone in the industry is feeling the squeeze. The trucking industry is facing its toughest challenge since 2008. Truckstop reported that in 2023, 77% of owner-operators had to book shorter routes due to rising costs, while 65% had booked fewer loads altogether. The American Transportation Research Institute ranks the economy as the biggest industry challenge, followed closely by truck parking availability and fuel prices. 77% 77% 77% biggest industry challenge , biggest industry challenge biggest industry challenge At the beginning of 2023, our inner data of aggregated loads predicted potential industry issues. I realized that margins would fall, and many operators would go bankrupt. That happened to Convoy, Yellow Corp, and other big players who were shutting down and laying off staff en masse. To be among the survivors, we took a risk to change our business model and focused on using AI tools. Being able to predict what’s coming helped my startup generate profit for three months last year. Now, we are once again close to breaking even. Carriers who don't use analytics will continue to run loads at a loss. With data analytics, truckers can identify the most efficient routes, predict load volumes, delivery times, market trends, seasonal fluctuations, and many other factors.  Previously, this information was only available to large companies. Now even small carriers can gain insights with tools like Truckerpath, DAT, or Cargofy (disclaimer: I'm biased, it's my startup). Carriers who don't use analytics will continue to run loads at a loss. With data analytics, truckers can identify the most efficient routes, predict load volumes, delivery times, market trends, seasonal fluctuations, and many other factors.  Previously, this information was only available to large companies. Now even small carriers can gain insights with tools like Truckerpath, DAT, or Cargofy (disclaimer: I'm biased, it's my startup). Switch to a Subscription Model Switch to a Subscription Model It’s the era of the carriers who offer Logistics-as-a-Service. Looking to cut costs, e-commerce and other companies are seeking LaaS tools to manage their transportation services through cloud-based platforms. Instead of handling the logistics themselves, they prefer to outsource it to a third party. And this is where you can come into play. I saw firsthand how well it works. Launching a subscription-based model in 2023 allowed us to generate a more stable revenue stream. However, the benefits of LaaS extend beyond financial stability. By adopting a subscription model, carriers improve their efficiency by implementing transportation management systems (TMS), accounting software, and data analytics. They can better analyze financial data, gain insights about shippers’ debts, and manage contracts –– all in one place. Also, carriers can offer value-added services to shippers, such as real-time tracking and visibility. Start Using AI As Much as Possible Start Using AI As Much as Possible AI tools increase truck drivers' revenue by an average of 17% per year, our internal analytics shows. By analyzing big data on supply-demand dynamics, seasonality, and freight availability, AI algorithms can guide truckers toward high-paying loads that minimize empty miles. Predictive matching helps carriers dismiss loads that lead to deadhead miles and wasted time. AI is also transforming the role of truck dispatchers. Instead of making numerous phone calls to find viable loads, they use AI and get pre-matched opportunities with calculated rates. With AI’s help, an individual dispatcher can now efficiently handle 2-3 times as many trucks. I don’t believe AI will fully replace the human interaction required for negotiations. But, it dramatically reduces manual work and empowers dispatchers to secure better loads in a fraction of the time. Trim Your Team (Sorry) Trim Your Team (Sorry) The trucking industry has seen its fair share of ups and downs when it comes to employment. When times are good, companies hire thousands of workers, but when the market takes a turn, layoffs can be just as common. The American Trucking Associations reported that, in 2022, a whopping 8.4 million people worked in trucking-related jobs across the economy. 3.54 million of those people were truck drivers. American Trucking Associations American Trucking Associations American Trucking Associations In 2023, many large companies such as Flexport, Uber Freight, Flock Freight, and Lipsey Logistics had to trim their teams. As the founder of a trucking startup, I also had to make the tough choice to downsize my team by 30%. This decision was not taken lightly, but it was essential to ensure the company's survival. Otherwise, my company would go bust, and I’d have to dismiss 100% of my staff.

2024 Will Be Tough for the U.S. Trucking Industry: Here’s How Carriers Can Adapt

240 Stories To Learn About Astounding Stories

BRIDAL VISITS AND ADIEUX.

North and South by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book . CHAPTER XLIX. here CHAPTER XLIX. BREATHING TRANQUILLITY. “And down the sunny beach she paces slowly, With many doubtful pauses by the way; Grief hath an influence so hushed and holy.” Hood. “Is not Margaret the heiress?” whispered Edith to her husband, as they were in their room alone at night after the sad journey to Oxford. She had pulled his tall head down, and stood upon tiptoe, and implored him not to be shocked, before she ventured to ask this question. Captain Lennox was, however, quite in the dark; if he had ever heard, he had forgotten; it could not be much that a Fellow of a small College had to leave; but he had never wanted her to pay for her board; and two hundred and fifty pounds a year was something ridiculous, considering that she did not take wine. Edith came down upon her feet a little bit sadder; with a romance blown to pieces. A week afterwards, she came prancing towards her husband, and made him a low curtsey: “I am right, and you are wrong, most noble Captain. Margaret has had a lawyer’s letter, and she is residuary legatee—the legacies being about two thousand pounds, and the remainder about forty thousand, at the present value of property in Milton.” “Indeed! and how does she take her good fortune?” “Oh, it seems she knew she was to have it all along; only she had no idea it was so much. She looks very white and pale, and says she’s afraid of it; but that’s nonsense, you know, and will soon go off. I left mamma pouring congratulations down her throat, and stole away to tell you.” It seemed to be supposed, by general consent, that the most natural thing was to consider Mr. Lennox henceforward as Margaret’s legal adviser. She was so entirely ignorant of all forms of business that in nearly everything she had to refer to him. He chose out her attorney; he came to her with papers to be signed. He was never so happy as when teaching her of what all these mysteries of the law were the signs and types. “Henry,” said Edith, one day, archly; “do you know what I hope and expect all these long conversations with Margaret will end in?” “No, I don’t,” said he, reddening. “And I desire you not to tell me.” “Oh, very well; then I need not tell Sholto not to ask Mr. Montagu so often to the house.” “Just as you choose,” said he with forced coolness. “What you are thinking of may or may not happen; but this time, before I commit myself, I will see my ground clear. Ask whom you choose. It may not be very civil, Edith, but if you meddle in it you will mar it. She has been very farouche with me for a long time; and is only just beginning to thaw a little from her Zenobia ways. She has the making of a Cleopatra in her, if only she were a little more pagan.” “For my part,” said Edith, a little maliciously, “I am very glad she is a Christian. I know so very few!” There was no Spain for Margaret that autumn; although to the last she hoped that some fortunate occasion would call Frederick to Paris, whither she could easily have met with a convoy. Instead of Cadiz, she had to content herself with Cromer. To that place her aunt Shaw and the Lennoxes were bound. They had all along wished her to accompany them, and, consequently, with their characters, they made but lazy efforts to forward her own separate wish. Perhaps Cromer was, in one sense of the expression, the best for her. She needed bodily strengthening and bracing as well as rest. Among other hopes that had vanished, was the hope, the trust she had had, that Mr. Bell would have given Mr. Thornton the simple facts of the family circumstances which had preceded the unfortunate accident that led to Leonards’ death. Whatever opinion—however changed it might be from what Mr. Thornton had once entertained, she had wished it to be based upon a true understanding of what she had done, and why she had done it. It would have been a pleasure to her: would have given her rest on a point on which she should now all her life be restless, unless she could resolve not to think upon it. It was now so long after the time of these occurrences, that there was no possible way of explaining them save the one which she had lost by Mr. Bell’s death. She might just submit, like many another, to be misunderstood; but, though reasoning herself into the belief that in this hers was no uncommon lot, her heart did not ache the less with longing that some time—years and years hence—before he died at any rate, he might know how much she had been tempted. She thought that she did not want to hear that all was explained to him, if only she could be sure that he would know. But this wish was vain, like so many others; and when she had schooled herself into this conviction, she turned with all her heart and strength to the life that lay immediately before her, and resolved to strive and make the best of that. She used to sit long hours upon the beach, gazing intently on the waves as they chafed with perpetual motion against the pebbly shore,—or she looked out upon the more distant heave, and sparkle against the sky, and heard, without being conscious of hearing, the eternal psalm, which went up continually. She was soothed without knowing how or why. Listlessly she sat there, on the ground, her hands clasped round her knees, while her aunt Shaw did small shoppings, and Edith and Captain Lennox rode far and wide on shore and inland. The nurses, sauntering on with their charges, would pass and repass her, and wonder in whispers what she could find to look at so long, day after day. And when the family gathered at dinner-time, Margaret was so silent and absorbed that Edith voted her moped, and hailed a proposal of her husband’s with great satisfaction, that Mr. Henry Lennox should be asked to take Cromer for a week, on his return from Scotland in October. But all this time for thought enabled Margaret to put events in their right places, as to origin and significance, both as regarded her past life and her future. Those hours by the seaside were not lost, as any one might have seen who had had the perception to read, or the care to understand, the look that Margaret’s face was gradually acquiring. Mr. Henry Lennox was excessively struck by the change. “The sea has done Miss Hale an immense deal of good, I should fancy,” said he, when she first left the room after his arrival in their family circle. “She looks ten years younger than she did in Harley Street.” “That’s the bonnet I got her!” said Edith, triumphantly. “I knew it would suit her the moment I saw it.” “I beg your pardon,” said Mr. Lennox, in the half-contemptuous, half-indulgent tone he generally used to Edith. “But I believe I know the difference between the charms of a dress and the charms of a woman. No mere bonnet would have made Miss Hale’s eyes so lustrous and yet so soft, or her lips so ripe and red—and her face altogether so full of peace and light.—She is like, and yet more,”—he dropped his voice,—“like the Margaret Hale of Helstone.” From this time the clever and ambitious man bent all his powers to gaining Margaret. He loved her sweet beauty. He saw the latent sweep of her mind, which could easily (he thought) be led to embrace all the objects on which he had set his heart. He looked upon her fortune only as a part of the complete and superb character of herself and her position; yet he was fully aware of the rise which it would immediately enable him, the poor barrister, to take. Eventually he would earn such success, and such honours, as would enable him to pay her back, with interest, that first advance in wealth which he should owe to her. He had been to Milton on business connected with her property, on his return from Scotland; and with the quick eye of a skilled lawyer, ready ever to take in and weigh contingencies, he had seen that much additional value was yearly accruing to the lands and tenements which she owned in that prosperous and increasing town. He was glad to find that the present relationship between Margaret and himself, of client and legal adviser, was gradually superseding the recollection of that unlucky, mismanaged day at Helstone. He had thus unusual opportunities of intimate intercourse with her, besides those that arose from the connection between the families. Margaret was only too willing to listen as long as he talked of Milton, though he had seen none of the people whom she more especially knew. It had been the tone with her aunt and cousin to speak of Milton with dislike and contempt; just such feelings as Margaret was ashamed to remember she had expressed and felt on first going to live there. But Mr. Lennox almost exceeded Margaret in his appreciation of the character of Milton and its inhabitants. Their energy, their power, their indomitable courage in struggling and fighting; their lurid vividness of existence, captivated and arrested his attention. He was never tired of talking about them; and had never perceived how selfish and material were too many of the ends they proposed to themselves as the result of all their mighty, untiring endeavour, till Margaret, even in the midst of her gratification, had the candour to point this out, as the tainting sin in so much that was noble and to be admired. Still, when other subjects palled upon her, and she gave but short answers to many questions, Henry Lennox found out that an enquiry as to some Darkshire peculiarity of character called back the light into her eye, the glow into her cheek. When they returned to town, Margaret fulfilled one of her sea-side resolves, and took her life into her own hands. Before they went to Cromer, she had been as docile to her aunt’s laws as if she were still the scared little stranger who cried herself to sleep that first night in the Harley Street nursery. But she had learnt, in those solemn hours of thought, that she herself must one day answer for her own life, and what she had done with it; and she tried to settle that most difficult problem for woman, how much was to be utterly merged in obedience to authority, and how much might be set apart for freedom in working. Mrs. Shaw was as good-tempered as could be; and Edith had inherited this charming domestic quality; Margaret herself had probably the worst temper of the three, for her quick perceptions and over-lively imagination made her hasty, and her early isolation from sympathy had made her proud: but she had an indescribable childlike sweetness of heart, which made her manners, even in her rarely wilful moods, irresistible of old; and now, chastened even by what the world called her good fortune, she charmed her reluctant aunt into acquiescence with her will. So Margaret gained the acknowledgment of her right to follow her own ideas of duty. “Only don’t be strong-minded,” pleaded Edith. “Mamma wants you to have a footman of your own; and I’m sure you’re very welcome, for they’re great plagues. Only to please me, darling, don’t go and have a strong mind; it’s the only thing I ask. Footman or no footman, don’t be strong-minded.” “Don’t be afraid, Edith. I’ll faint on your hands at the servants’ dinner-time, the very first opportunity; and then, what with Sholto playing with the fire, and the baby crying, you’ll begin to wish for a strong-minded woman, equal to any emergency.” “And you’ll not grow too good to joke and be merry?” “Not I. I shall be merrier than I have ever been, now I have got my own way.” “And you’ll not go a figure, but let me buy your dresses for you?” “Indeed I mean to buy them for myself. You shall come with me if you like; but no one can please me but myself.” “Oh! I was afraid you’d dress in brown and dust-colour, not to show the dirt you’ll pick up in all those places. I’m glad you’re going to keep one or two vanities, just by way of specimens of the old Adam.” “I am going to be just the same, Edith, if you and my aunt could but fancy so. Only as I have neither husband nor child to give me natural duties, I must make myself some, in addition to ordering my gowns.” In the family conclave, which was made up of Edith, her mother, and her husband, it was decided that perhaps all these plans of hers would only secure her the more for Henry Lennox. They kept her out of the way of other friends who might have been eligible sons or brothers; and it was also agreed that she never seemed to take much pleasure in the society of any one but Henry, out of their own family. The other admirers, attracted by her appearance or the reputation of her fortune, were swept away, by her unconscious smiling disdain, into the paths frequented by other beauties less fastidious, or other heiresses with a larger amount of gold. Henry and she grew slowly into closer intimacy; but neither he nor she were people to brook the slightest notice of their proceedings. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell (2003). North and South. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/4276/pg4276-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at , located at . www.gutenberg.org https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html

BREATHING TRANQUILLITY.

On War by Carl Von Clausewitz, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book here . Attack on Fortresses Book VII: Chapter XVII. Attack on Fortresses The attack on fortresses cannot of course come before us here in its aspect as a branch of the science of fortification or military works; we have only to consider the subject, first, in its relation to the strategic object with which it is connected; secondly, as regards the choice among several fortresses; and thirdly, as regards the manner in which a siege should be covered. That the loss of a fortress weakens the defence, especially in case it forms an essential part of that defence; that many conveniences accrue to the assailant by gaining possession of one, inasmuch as he can use it for magazines and depôts, and by means of it can cover districts of country cantonments, etc.; that if his offensive at last should have to be changed into the defensive, it forms the very best support for that defensive—all these relations which fortresses bear to theatres of war, in the course of a war, make themselves sufficiently evident by what has been said about fortresses in the book on the Defence, the reflection from which throws all the light required on these relations with the attack. In relation to the taking of strong places, there is also a great difference between campaigns which tend to a great decision and others. In the first, a conquest of this description is always to be regarded as an evil which is unavoidable. As long as there is yet a decision to be made, we undertake no sieges but such as are positively unavoidable. When the decision has been already given—the crisis, the utmost tension of forces, some time passed—and when, therefore, a state of rest has commenced, then the capture of strong places serves as a consolidation of the conquests made, and then they can generally be carried out, if not without effort and expenditure of force, at least without danger. In the crisis itself the siege of a fortress heightens the intensity of the crisis to the prejudice of the offensive; it is evident that nothing so much weakens the force of the offensive, and therefore there is nothing so certain to rob it of its preponderance for a season. But there are cases in which the capture of this or that fortress is quite unavoidable, if the offensive is to be continued, and in such case a siege is to be considered as an intensified progress of the attack; the crisis will be so much greater the less there has been decided previously. All that remains now for consideration on this subject belongs to the book on the plan of the war. In campaigns with a limited object, a fortress is generally not the means but the end itself; it is regarded as a small independent conquest, and as such has the following advantages over every other:— 1. That a fortress is a small, distinctly-defined conquest, which does not require a further expenditure of force, and therefore gives no cause to fear a reaction. 2. That in negotiating for peace, its value as an equivalent may be turned to account. 3. That a siege is a real progress of the attack, or at least seems so, without constantly diminishing the force like every other advance of the offensive. 4. That the siege is an enterprise without a catastrophe. The result of these things is that the capture of one or more of the enemy’s strong places, is very frequently the object of those strategic attacks which cannot aim at any higher object. The grounds which decide the choice of the fortress which should be attacked, in case that may be doubtful, generally are— (a) That it is one which can be easily kept, therefore stands high in value as an equivalent in case of negotiations for peace. (b) That the means of taking it are at hand. Small means are only sufficient to take small places; but it is better to take a small one than to fail before a large one. (c) Its strength in engineering respects, which obviously is not always in proportion to its importance in other respects. Nothing is more absurd than to waste forces before a very strong place of little importance, if a place of less strength may be made the object of attack. (d) The strength of the armament and of the garrison as well. If a fortress is weakly armed and insufficiently garrisoned, its capture must naturally be easier; but here we must observe that the strength of the garrison and armament, are to be reckoned amongst those things which make up the total importance of the place, because garrison and armaments are directly parts of the enemy’s military strength, which cannot be said in the same measure of works of fortification. The conquest of a fortress with a strong garrison can, therefore, much more readily repay the sacrifice it costs than one with very strong works. (e) The facility of moving the siege train. Most sieges fail for want of means, and the means are generally wanting from the difficulty attending their transport. Eugene’s siege of Landreci, 1712, and Frederick the Great’s siege of Olmütz, 1758, are very remarkable instances in point. (f) Lastly, there remains the facility of covering the siege as a point now to be considered. There are two essentially different ways by which a siege may be covered: by entrenching the besieging force, that is, by a line of circumvallation, and by what is called lines of observation. The first of these methods has gone quite out of fashion, although evidently one important point speaks in its favour, namely, that by this method the force of the assailant does not suffer by division exactly that weakening which is so generally found a great disadvantage at sieges. But we grant there is still a weakening in another way, to a very considerable degree, because— 1. The position round the fortress, as a rule, is of too great extent for the strength of the army. 2. The garrison, the strength of which, added to that of the relieving army, would only make up the force originally opposed to us, under these circumstances is to be looked upon as an enemy’s corps in the middle of our camp, which, protected by its walls, is invulnerable, or at least not to be overpowered, by which its power is immensely increased. 3. The defence of a line of circumvallation admits of nothing but the most absolute defensive, because the circular order, facing outwards, is the weakest and most disadvantageous of all possible orders of battle, and is particularly unfavourable to any advantageous counter-attacks. There is no alternative, in fact, but to defend ourselves to the last extremity within the entrenchments. That these circumstances may cause a greater diminution of the army than one-third which, perhaps, would be occasioned by forming an army of observation, is easy to conceive. If, added to that, we now think of the general preference which has existed since the time of Frederick the Great for the offensive, as it is called, (but which, in reality, is not always so) for movements and manœuvres, and the aversion to entrenchments, we shall not wonder at lines of circumvallation having gone quite out of fashion. But this weakening of the tactical resistance is by no means its only disadvantage; and we have only reckoned up the prejudices which forced themselves into the judgment on the lines of circumvallation next in order after that disadvantage, because they are nearly akin to each other. A line of circumvallation only in reality covers that portion of the theatre of war which it actually encloses; all the rest is more or less given up to the enemy if special detachments are not made use of to cover it, in which way the very partition of force which it was intended to obviate takes place. Thus the besieging army will be always in anxiety and embarrassment on account of the convoys which it requires, and the covering the same by lines of circumvallation, is not to be thought of if the army and the siege supplies required are considerable, and the enemy is in the field in strong force, unless under such conditions as are found in the Netherlands, where there is a whole system of fortresses lying close to each other, and intermediate lines connecting them, which cover the rest of the theatre of war, and considerably shorten the lines by which transport can be affected. In the time of Louis the Fourteenth the conception of a theatre of war had not yet bound itself up with the position of an army. In the Thirty Years’ War particularly, the armies moved here and there sporadically before this or that fortress, in the neighbourhood of which there was no enemy’s corps at all, and besieged it as long as the siege equipment they had brought with them lasted, and until an enemy’s army approached to relieve the place. Then lines of circumvallation had their foundation in the nature of circumstances. In future it is not likely they will be often used again, unless where the enemy in the field is very weak, or the conception of the theatre of war vanishes before that of the siege. Then it will be natural to keep all the forces united in the siege, as a siege by that means unquestionably gains in energy in a high degree. The lines of circumvallation in the reign of Louis XIV., at Cambray and Valenciennes, were of little use, as the former were stormed by Turenne, opposed to Condé, the latter by Condé opposed to Turenne; but we must not overlook the endless number of other cases in which they were respected, even when there existed in the place the most urgent need for relief; and when the commander on the defensive side was a man of great enterprise, as in 1708, when Villars did not venture to attack the allies in their lines at Lille. Frederick the Great at Olmütz, 1758, and at Dresden, 1760, although he had no regular lines of circumvallation, had a system which in all essentials was identical; he used the same army to carry on the siege, and also as a covering army. The distance of the Austrian army induced him to adopt this plan at Olmütz, but the loss of his convoy at Domstädtel made him repent it; at Dresden in 1760 the motives which led him to this mode of proceeding, were his contempt for the German States’ imperial army, and his desire to take Dresden as soon as possible. Lastly, it is a disadvantage in lines of circumvallation, that in case of a reverse it is more difficult to save the siege train. If a defeat is sustained at a distance of one or more days’ march from the place besieged, the siege may be raised before the enemy can arrive, and the heavy trains may, in the mean time, gain also a day’s march. In taking up a position for an army of observation, an important question to be considered is the distance at which it should be placed from the besieged place. This question will, in most cases, be decided by the nature of the country, or by the position of other armies or corps with which the besiegers have to remain in communication. In other respects, it is easy to see that, with a greater distance, the siege is better covered, but that by a smaller distance, not exceeding a few miles, the two armies are better able to afford each other mutual support. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Carl von Clausewitz (2006). On War. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/1946/pg1946-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org , located at https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html .

Attack on Fortresses

Defence of a Theatre of War (continued) When no Decision is Sought for

On War by Carl Von Clausewitz, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book here . Arming the Nation Book VI: Chapter XXVI. Arming the Nation A people’s war in civilised Europe is a phenomenon of the nineteenth century. It has its advocates and its opponents: the latter either considering it in a political sense as a revolutionary means, a state of anarchy declared lawful, which is as dangerous as a foreign enemy to social order at home; or on military grounds, conceiving that the result is not commensurate with the expenditure of the nation’s strength. The first point does not concern us here, for we look upon a people’s war merely as a means of fighting, therefore, in its connection with the enemy; but with regard to the latter point, we must observe that a people’s war in general is to be regarded as a consequence of the outburst which the military element in our day has made through its old formal limits; as an expansion and strengthening of the whole fermentation-process which we call war. The requisition system, the immense increase in the size of armies by means of that system, and the general liability to military service, the utilizing militia, are all things which lie in the same direction, if we make the limited military system of former days our starting point; and the levée en masse, or arming of the people, now lies also in the same direction. If the first named of these new aids to war are the natural and necessary consequences of barriers thrown down; and if they have so enormously increased the power of those who first used them, that the enemy has been carried along in the current, and obliged to adopt them likewise, this will be the case also with people-wars. In the generality of cases, the people who make judicious use of this means, will gain a proportionate superiority over those who despise its use. If this be so, then the only question is whether this modern intensification of the military element is, upon the whole, salutary for the interests of humanity or otherwise,—a question which it would be about as easy to answer as the question of war itself—we leave both to philosophers. But the opinion may be advanced, that the resources swallowed up in people’s wars might be more profitably employed, if used in providing other military means; no very deep investigation, however, is necessary to be convinced that these resources are for the most part not disposable, and cannot be utilized in an arbitrary manner at pleasure. One essential part that is the moral element, is not called into existence until this kind of employment for it arises. We therefore do not ask again: how much does the resistance which the whole nation in arms is capable of making, cost that nation? but we ask: what is the effect which such a resistance can produce? What are its conditions, and how is it to be used? It follows from the very nature of the thing that defensive means thus widely dispersed, are not suited to great blows requiring concentrated action in time and space. Its operation, like the process of evaporation in physical nature, is according to the surface. The greater that surface and the greater the contact with the enemy’s army, consequently the more that army spreads itself out, so much the greater will be the effects of arming the nation. Like a slow gradual heat, it destroys the foundations of the enemy’s army. As it requires time to produce its effects, therefore whilst the hostile elements are working on each other, there is a state of tension which either gradually wears out if the people’s war is extinguished at some points, and burns slowly away at others, or leads to a crisis, if the flames of this general conflagration envelop the enemy’s army, and compel it to evacuate the country to save itself from utter destruction. In order that this result should be produced by a national war alone, we must suppose either a surface-extent of the dominions invaded, exceeding that of any country in Europe, except Russia, or suppose a disproportion between the strength of the invading army and the extent of the country, such as never occurs in reality. Therefore, to avoid following a phantom, we must imagine a people-war always in combination, with a war carried on by a regular army, and both carried on according to a plan embracing the operations of the whole. The conditions under which alone the people’s war can become effective are the following— 1. That the war is carried on in the heart of the country. 2. That it cannot be decided by a single catastrophe. 3. That the theatre of war embraces a considerable extent of country. 4. That the national character is favourable to the measure. 5. That the country is of a broken and difficult nature, either from being mountainous, or by reason of woods and marshes, or from the peculiar mode of cultivation in use. Whether the population is dense or otherwise, is of little consequence, as there is less likelihood of a want of men than of anything else. Whether the inhabitants are rich or poor is also a point by no means decisive, at least it should not be; but it must be admitted that a poor population accustomed to hard work and privations usually shows itself more vigorous and better suited for war. One peculiarity of country which greatly favors the action of war carried on by the people, is the scattered sites of the dwellings of the country people, such as is to be found in many parts of Germany. The country is thus more intersected an dcovered; the roads are worse, although more numerous; the lodgement of troops is attended with endless difficulties, but especially that peculiarity repeats itself on a small scale, which a people-war possesses on a great scale, namely that the principle of resistance exists everywhere, but is nowhere tangible. If the inhabitants are collected in villages, the most troublesome have troops quartered on them, or they are plundered as a punishment, and their houses burnt, etc, a system which could not be very easily carried out with a peasant community of Westphalia. National levies and armed peasantry cannot and should not be employed against the main body of the enemy’s army, or even against any considerable corps of the same, they must not attempt to crack the nut, they must only gnaw on the surface and the borders. They should rise in the provinces situated at one of the sides of the theatre of war, and in which the assailant does not appear in force, in order to withdraw these provinces entirely from his influence. Where no enemy is to be found, there is no want of courage to oppose him, and at the example thus given, the mass of the neighboring population gradually takes fire. Thus the fire spreads as it does in heather, and reaching at last that part of the surface of the soil on which the aggressor is based, it seizes his lines of communication and preys upon the vital thread by which his existence is supported. For although we entertain no exaggerated ideas of the omnipotence of a people’s war, such as that it is an inexhaustible, unconquerable element, over which the mere force of an army has as little control as the human will has over the wind or the rain; in short, although our opinion is not founded on flowery ephemeral literature, still we must admit that armed peasants are not to be driven before us in the same way as a body of soldiers who keep together like a herd of cattle, and usually follow their noses. Armed peasants, on the contrary, when broken, disperse in all directions, for which no formal plan is required; through this circumstance, the march of every small body of troops in a mountainous, thickly wooded, or even broken country, becomes a service of a very dangerous character, for at any moment a combat may arise on the march; if in point of fact no armed bodies have even been seen for some time, yet the same peasants already driven off by the head of a column, may at any hour make their appearance in its rear. If it is an object to destroy roads or to block up a defile; the means which outposts or detachments from an army can apply to that purpose, bear about the same relation to those furnished by a body of insurgent peasants, as the action of an automaton does to that of a human being. The enemy has no other means to oppose to the action of national levies except that of detaching numerous parties to furnish escorts for convoys to occupy military stations, defiles, bridges, etc. In proportion as the first efforts of the national levies are small, so the detachments sent out will be weak in numbers, from the repugnance to a great dispersion of forces; it is on these weak bodies that the fire of the national war usually first properly kindles itself, they are overpowered by numbers at some points, courage rises, the love of fighting gains strength, and the intensity of this struggle increases until the crisis approaches which is to decide the issue. According to our idea of a people’s war, it should, like a kind of nebulous vapoury essence, never condense into a solid body; otherwise the enemy sends an adequate force against this core, crushes it, and makes a great many prisoners; their courage sinks; every one thinks the main question is decided, any further effort useless, and the arms fall from the hands of the people. Still, however, on the other hand, it is necessary that this mist should collect at some points into denser masses, and form threatening clouds from which now and again a formidable flash of lightning may burst forth. These points are chiefly on the flanks of the enemy’s theatre of war, as already observed. There the armament of the people should be organised into greater and more systematic bodies, supported by a small force of regular troops, so as to give it the appearance of a regular force and fit it to venture upon enterprises on a larger scale. From these points, the irregular character in the organisation of these bodies should diminish in proportion as they are to be employed more in the direction of the rear of the enemy, where he is exposed to their hardest blows. These better organised masses, are for the purpose of falling upon the larger garrisons which the enemy leaves behind him. Besides, they serve to create a feeling of uneasiness and dread, and increase the moral impression of the whole, without them the total action would be wanting in force, and the situation of the enemy upon the whole would not be made sufficiently uncomfortable. The easiest way for a general to produce this more effective form of a national armament, is to support the movement by small detachments sent from the army. Without the support of a few regular troops as an encouragement, the inhabitants generally want an impulse, and the confidence to take up arms. The stronger these detachments are, the greater will be their power of attraction, the greater will be the avalanche which is to fall down. But this has its limits; partly, first, because it would be detrimental to the army to cut it up into detachments, for this secondary object to dissolve it, as it were, into a body of irregulars, and form with it in all directions a weak defensive line, by which we may be sure both the regular army and national levies alike would become completely ruined; partly, secondly, because experience seems to tell us that when there are too many regular troops in a district, the people-war loses in vigour and efficacy; the causes of this are in the first place, that too many of the enemy’s troops are thus drawn into the district, and, in the second place, that the inhabitants then rely on their own regular troops, and, thirdly, because the presence of such large bodies of troops makes too great demands on the powers of the people in other ways, that is, in providing quarters, transport, contributions, etc., etc. Another means of preventing any serious reaction on the part of the enemy against this popular movement constitutes, at the same time, a leading principle in the method of using such levies; this is, that as a rule, with this great strategic means of defence, a tactical defence should seldom or ever take place. The character of a combat with national levies is the same as that of all combats of masses of troops of an inferior quality, great impetuosity and fiery ardour at the commencement, but little coolness or tenacity if the combat is prolonged. Further, the defeat and dispersion of a body of national levies is of no material consequence, as they lay their account with that, but a body of this description must not be broken up by losses in killed, wounded, and prisoners; a defeat of that kind would soon cool their ardour. But both these peculiarities are entirely opposed to the nature of a tactical defensive. In the defensive combat a persistent slow systematic action is required, and great risks must be run; a mere attempt, from which we can desist as soon as we please, can never lead to results in the defensive. If, therefore, the national levies are entrusted with the defence of any particular portion of territory, care must be taken that the measure does not lead to a regular great defensive combat; for if the circumstances were ever so favourable to them, they would be sure to be defeated. They may, and should, therefore, defend the approaches to mountains, dykes, over marshes, river-passages, as long as possible; but when once they are broken, they should rather disperse, and continue their defence by sudden attacks, than concentrate and allow themselves to be shut up in some narrow last refuge in a regular defensive position.—However brave a nation may be, however warlike its habits, however intense its hatred of the enemy, however favourable the nature of the country, it is an undeniable fact that a people’s war cannot be kept up in an atmosphere too full of danger. If, therefore, its combustible material is to be fanned by any means into a considerable flame it must be at remote points where there is more air, and where it cannot be extinguished by one great blow. After these reflections, which are more of the nature of subjective impressions than an objective analysis, because the subject is one as yet of rare occurrence generally, and has been but imperfectly treated of by those who have had actual experience for any length of time, we have only to add that the strategic plan of defence can include in itself the cooperation of a general arming of the people in two different ways, that is, either as a last resource after a lost battle, or as a natural assistance before a decisive battle has been fought. The latter case supposes a retreat into the interior of the country, and that indirect kind of reaction of which we have treated in the eighth and twenty-fourth chapters of this book. We have, therefore, here only to say a few words on the mission of the national levies after a battle has been lost. No State should believe its fate, that is, its entire existence, to be dependent upon one battle, let it be even the most decisive. If it is beaten, the calling forth fresh power, and the natural weakening which every offensive undergoes with time, may bring about a turn of fortune, or assistance may come from abroad. No such urgent haste to die is needed yet; and as by instinct the drowning man catches at a straw, so in the natural course of the moral world a people should try the last means of deliverance when it sees itself hurried along to the brink of an abyss. However small and weak a State may be in comparison to its enemy, if it foregoes a last supreme effort, we must say there is no longer any soul left in it. This does not exclude the possibility of saving itself from complete destruction by the purchase of peace at a sacrifice; but neither does such an aim on its part do away with the utility of fresh measures for defence; they will neither make peace more difficult nor more onerous, but easier and better. They are still more necessary if there is an expectation of assistance from those who are interested in maintaining our political existence. Any government, therefore, which, after the loss of a great battle, only thinks how it may speedily place the nation in the lap of peace, and unmanned by the feeling of great hopes disappointed, no longer feels in itself the courage or the desire to stimulate to the utmost every element of force, completely stultifies itself in such case through weakness, and shows itself unworthy of victory, and, perhaps, just on that account, was incapable of gaining one. However decisive, therefore, the overthrow may be which is experienced by a State, still by a retreat of the army into the interior, the efficacy of its fortresses and an arming of the people may be brought into use. In connection with this it is advantageous if the flank of the principal theatre of war is fenced in by mountains, or otherwise very difficult tracts of country, which stand forth as bastions, the strategic enfilade of which is to check the enemy’s progress. If the victorious enemy is engaged in siege works, if he has left strong garrisons behind him everywhere to secure his communications, or detached corps to make himself elbow-room, and to keep the adjacent provinces in subjection, if he is already weakened by his various losses in active means and material of war, then the moment is arrived when the defensive army should again enter the lists, and by a well-directed blow make the assailant stagger in his disadvantageous position. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Carl von Clausewitz (2006). On War. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/1946/pg1946-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org , located at https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html .

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