Carl von Clausewitz's "On War"

**RonPrice** · May 10, 2008, 02:14 AM

THE KIND OF WAR

Carl Von Clausewitz’s On War which he wrote in the years 1817 to 1829, aimed at an understanding and clarification of the principles of conflict, of war. The nature of war seems to be changing, certainly for me and my daily life and most of my contemporaries in the last half century, 1957/8-2007/8, say, since Sputnik. In my lifetime the nature of warfare changed a great deal. But all the wars I fought were in my personal life. Even here the principles of warfare outlined by Clausewitz were relevant. -Ron Price, Pioneering Over Four Epochs, 9 February 2003.

It’s a different war these days
than the ones my father
and his father and fathers before
went to with guns and uniforms
and marching, marching. Marching.

A tightening in the gut, real fear,
morning after morning,
wanting to run away
from this stoney, narrow and tortuous path,
learning to love it, slowly, slowly, slowly--
well, most of it.

It’s the kind of war that wears you
down, year after year as you learn
to keep your forces concentrated-
that simple law of strategy-
and keep faithful to the principles
you--and he--have laid down.1

1 These were the first two principles laid down by Clausewitz in his book.
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