Julian Corbett
Encyclopedia
Sir Julian Stafford Corbett (12 November 1854, Walcot House, Kennington Road
, Lambeth
– 21 September 1922, Manor Farm, Stopham
, Pulborough
, Sussex
) was a prominent British
naval historian
and geostrategist of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, whose works helped shape the Royal Navy
's reforms of that era. One of his most famous works is Some Principles of Maritime Strategy, which remains a classic among students of naval warfare
. Corbett was a good friend and ally of naval reformer Admiral John "Jackie" Fisher, the First Sea Lord
. He was chosen to write the official history of Naval operations during World war I.
(1869–73) and at Trinity College, Cambridge
(1873–6), where he took a first class honours degree in law. Corbett became a Barrister at Middle Temple in 1877 and practised until 1882 when he turned to writing as a career. Fascinated by the Elizabethan period, he first wrote historical novels on this period. He became a correspondent for the Pall Mall Gazette
, and reported on the Dongola Expedition in 1896. Corbett came to naval history in mid-life and from a civilian background. He was a man of independent means who traveled extensively.
Julian Corbett had three brothers, Herbert E. (1876-), Edward M. (1899-) and Frank E. (1881-). In 1899 he Married Edith Alexander, daughter of George Alexander. They had one son and one daughter.
’s request to edit a volume of documents on the Spanish war, 1585 – 87 which served as the start of his career as a naval historian. Corbett became known as one of the Royal Navy
’s leading intellectuals, and from 1901 to 1922 was writing regularly on naval history and strategy. In 1902 he began lecturing at the British Naval War College, founded in 1900. In 1903, he gave the Ford Lectures
in English History at Oxford University. In 1905, he became the Admiralty
’s chief unofficial strategic adviser and served as secretary of the Cabinet Historical Office. Appointed a knight in 1917, he was awarded the Chesney Gold Medal in 1914.
of the U.S. Navy
, Corbett saw naval warfare
as part of a nation's larger policies. In this respect, the Prussian military thinker Carl von Clausewitz
was an important influence on his work. Another major influence on Corbett was Professor John Knox Laughton
, arguably the first naval historian, and of whom Corbett has been described as his 'protégé'. Corbett differed from Mahan, however, in placing less emphasis on fleet battle
. This stance angered many officers in the Royal Navy, who believed such a view lacked the heroic aspect of Lord Nelson's strategy in the Napoleonic Wars
.
Corbett’s primary objective was to fill the void in British naval doctrine by formalizing the theories and principles of naval warfare
. The strategies of naval warfare by Corbett focused on the art of naval warfare and defined the differences between land warfare and naval warfare
. He set the initial focus towards the employment of manoeuvre type doctrine. Corbett’s principles of sea control, focus on the enemy, and manoeuvre for tactical advantage form the foundation of today’s naval manoeuvre warfare.
Corbett was working from within the naval community and trying to influence the naval establishment. Corbett believed in studying and developing the theory of war for educational purposes which he felt established a “common vehicle of expression and a common plane of thought . . . for the sake of mental solidarity between a chief and his subordinates”. Through his lectures at the Naval War College, Corbett was trying to convey to the attending flag-officers his ideas of limited war and the strategic defence which were very different from the accepted norms of naval theory and strategy
of the time. Through his publication of Some Principles of Maritime Strategy Corbett was trying to expand the audience for his strategies and teachings to include the general public.
and Carl von Clausewitz
, Corbett was instrumental in attempting to apply the existing theories of land warfare for war at sea. Clausewitz’s On War was an invaluable basis and stimulus for Corbett’s theoretical work; however, it was not his blueprint. For example, Corbett did not hesitate to take issue with Clausewitz, Jomini or other continental strategists on the importance of the search for the decisive battle and the principle of concentration. The fact that Corbett believed these factors to be far less relevant at sea was a daring departure from the accepted wisdom of his time. In developing his theory of limited war, Corbett again used On War as his point of departure but ended up with his own, unique method of waging a limited war in a maritime environment.
meant to the power of a nation. While many theorists of naval warfare tried to mechanically adopt land warfare concepts to the maritime environment, Corbett countered that the interest and requirement of naval warfare differed in fundamental ways from those of land warfare.
a. Corbett felt that protecting lines of communication was much more difficult to enforce at sea than on land. This difficulty was the physical geographical differences of the sea and land. Because of these physical differences, Corbett analyzed naval warfare in its own terms, having its own unique characteristics. Corbett stated that you cannot conquer the sea because it is not susceptible to ownership. This led to Corbett's most important contribution to the early theories of naval warfare. What mattered most was not Mahan
's concept of physical destruction of the enemy, but the act of passage on the sea. To Corbett, command of the sea
was a relative and not an absolute which could be categorized as general or local, temporary or permanent. Corbett defined the two fundamental methods of obtaining control of the lines of communication as the actual physical destruction or capture of enemy warships and merchants, and or a naval blockade
. Today, this concept is defined as sea control.
b. Corbett was not infatuated with the search for the decisive battle or with the need for the strategic offensive. In general, he favored the strategic defensive, with an emphasis on the offensive at the operational level. Corbett’s strategic defence advocated such measures as an intense local offensive, the projection of land forces, various types of blockade
s, and raids on enemy trade routes. Moreover, Corbett recognized that once the enemy has been sufficiently weakened on sea and on land, the shift to the strategic offensive should not be delayed.
c. Corbett did not believe that the concentration of naval forces at sea was the highest and simplest law of strategy
. On the contrary, he observed that the principle of concentration had become “a kind of shibboleth
” that had done more harm than good. The principle of concentration is “a truism
— no one would dispute it. As a canon of practical strategy, it is untrue”. Corbett felt that superior concentration thus not only deterred the weaker opponent from seeking battle but presented him with an opportunity to attack his enemy’s exposed national lines of communication. Corbett felt that superior concentration of naval forces created yet another serious problem. The greater the concentration of a fleet
, the more difficult it was to conceal its whereabouts and movements.
d. In the process of adapting Clausewitz
’s theory to the unique circumstances of naval warfare
, Corbett developed his own innovative theory of limited war in maritime strategy. The first of his two main points was that in wartime conditions on the continent, as opposed to those in the maritime and imperial environment, wars were fought mostly between adjacent states. Corbett’s second point was that in wars between contiguous continental states “there will be no strategical obstacle to his [the enemy’s] being able to use his whole force”. In other words, the nature of continental war makes it difficult to limit political aims, because one or both states are able to use all of the means at their disposal to protect the inevitably threatened vital interests. As Corbett demonstrated, this means that the conditions for the ideal limited war exist only in maritime warfare and can only be exploited by the preponderant naval power: “Limited war is only permanently possible to island Powers or between Powers which are separated by sea, and then only when the Power desiring limited war is able to command the sea to such a degree as to be able not only to isolate the distant object, but also to render impossible the invasion of his home territory.”
e. Like Clausewitz, Corbett shared a belief in the primacy of politics in war and in devising an appropriate strategy to protect the national interests. However, Corbett was interested in the diplomatic alliance systems and coalitions formed before and during a war, and he was concerned with the economic and financial dimensions of waging war as well as with the technological and material aspects of war, which were of no interest to Clausewitz.
However, his concept of limited war on isolated countries or nation states most likely would be very difficult to achieve with today’s political and economic intricacies between nations in conjunction with current technologies on a symmetric battlefield. However, they could still be applied on an asymmetric battlefield with success.
, the importance of Corbett's contribution to British naval history was largely overlooked until Professor D. M. Schurman
published his pioneering work on The Education of a Navy: the development of British Naval Strategic Thought, 1867-1914 (1965). In 1981, Schurman went on to write a full-length biography of Corbett. Further work on Corbett appeared with John Hattendorf
's essay 'Sir Julian Corbett on the Significance of Naval History' (1971, reprinted 2000) and Goldrick and Hattendorf's Conference Proceedings, Mahan is Not Enough (1993), followed by the revised biography on Corbett in The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (2004).
These works were complemented by Eric J. Grove's definitive, annotated edition of Corbett's Some Principles of Maritime Strategy (Classics of Sea Power series, U.S. Naval Institute Press, 1988), which included Corbett's previously unpublished 'Green Pamphlet' on strategical terms. In addition, D. M. Schurman and John Hattendorf edited and wrote an introduction to Corbett's previously unpublished official study Maritime Operations in the Russo-Japanese War, 1904-1905 (U.S. Naval Institute, 1994).
Historical:
Kennington Road
Kennington Road is a long straight road, approximately a mile in length, in the London Borough of Lambeth in London, England, running south from Westminster Bridge Road to Kennington Park Road....
, Lambeth
Lambeth
Lambeth is a district of south London, England, and part of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is situated southeast of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:...
– 21 September 1922, Manor Farm, Stopham
Stopham
Stopham is a hamlet and civil parish in the District of Chichester in West Sussex, England located two kilometres west of Pulborough on the A283 road....
, Pulborough
Pulborough
Pulborough is a large village and civil parish in the Horsham district of West Sussex, England, with some 5,000 inhabitants. It is located almost centrally within West Sussex and is south west of London. It is at the junction of the north-south A29 and the east-west roads.The village is near the...
, Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
) was a prominent British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
naval historian
Naval history
Naval history is the area of military history concerning war at sea and the subject is also a sub-discipline of the broad field of maritime history....
and geostrategist of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, whose works helped shape the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
's reforms of that era. One of his most famous works is Some Principles of Maritime Strategy, which remains a classic among students of naval warfare
Naval warfare
Naval warfare is combat in and on seas, oceans, or any other major bodies of water such as large lakes and wide rivers.-History:Mankind has fought battles on the sea for more than 3,000 years. Land warfare would seem, initially, to be irrelevant and entirely removed from warfare on the open ocean,...
. Corbett was a good friend and ally of naval reformer Admiral John "Jackie" Fisher, the First Sea Lord
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
. He was chosen to write the official history of Naval operations during World war I.
Early life and education
The son of a London architect and property developer, Charles Joseph Corbett, who owned among other properties Imber Court at Weston Green, Thames Ditton, where he made the family home, Julian Corbett was educated at Marlborough CollegeMarlborough College
Marlborough College is a British co-educational independent school for day and boarding pupils, located in Marlborough, Wiltshire.Founded in 1843 for the education of the sons of Church of England clergy, the school now accepts both boys and girls of all beliefs. Currently there are just over 800...
(1869–73) and at Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Trinity has more members than any other college in Cambridge or Oxford, with around 700 undergraduates, 430 graduates, and over 170 Fellows...
(1873–6), where he took a first class honours degree in law. Corbett became a Barrister at Middle Temple in 1877 and practised until 1882 when he turned to writing as a career. Fascinated by the Elizabethan period, he first wrote historical novels on this period. He became a correspondent for the Pall Mall Gazette
Pall Mall Gazette
The Pall Mall Gazette was an evening newspaper founded in London on 7 February 1865 by George Murray Smith; its first editor was Frederick Greenwood...
, and reported on the Dongola Expedition in 1896. Corbett came to naval history in mid-life and from a civilian background. He was a man of independent means who traveled extensively.
Julian Corbett had three brothers, Herbert E. (1876-), Edward M. (1899-) and Frank E. (1881-). In 1899 he Married Edith Alexander, daughter of George Alexander. They had one son and one daughter.
Career as a naval historian
In 1896 he accepted John Knox LaughtonJohn Knox Laughton
Sir John Knox Laughton Kt was a British naval historian and arguably the first to argue for the importance of the subject as an independent field of study...
’s request to edit a volume of documents on the Spanish war, 1585 – 87 which served as the start of his career as a naval historian. Corbett became known as one of the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
’s leading intellectuals, and from 1901 to 1922 was writing regularly on naval history and strategy. In 1902 he began lecturing at the British Naval War College, founded in 1900. In 1903, he gave the Ford Lectures
Ford Lectures
The Ford Lectures are a prestigious series of public lectures given annually in English or British History by a distinguished historian. Known commonly as "The Ford Lectures," they are properly titled "Ford's Lectures in British History" and they are given by a scholar elected to be "Ford's...
in English History at Oxford University. In 1905, he became the Admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
’s chief unofficial strategic adviser and served as secretary of the Cabinet Historical Office. Appointed a knight in 1917, he was awarded the Chesney Gold Medal in 1914.
Work
Like his American contemporary, Rear Admiral Alfred Thayer MahanAlfred Thayer Mahan
Alfred Thayer Mahan was a United States Navy flag officer, geostrategist, and historian, who has been called "the most important American strategist of the nineteenth century." His concept of "sea power" was based on the idea that countries with greater naval power will have greater worldwide...
of the U.S. Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
, Corbett saw naval warfare
Naval warfare
Naval warfare is combat in and on seas, oceans, or any other major bodies of water such as large lakes and wide rivers.-History:Mankind has fought battles on the sea for more than 3,000 years. Land warfare would seem, initially, to be irrelevant and entirely removed from warfare on the open ocean,...
as part of a nation's larger policies. In this respect, the Prussian military thinker Carl von Clausewitz
Carl von Clausewitz
Carl Philipp Gottfried von Clausewitz was a Prussian soldier and German military theorist who stressed the moral and political aspects of war...
was an important influence on his work. Another major influence on Corbett was Professor John Knox Laughton
John Knox Laughton
Sir John Knox Laughton Kt was a British naval historian and arguably the first to argue for the importance of the subject as an independent field of study...
, arguably the first naval historian, and of whom Corbett has been described as his 'protégé'. Corbett differed from Mahan, however, in placing less emphasis on fleet battle
Naval battle
A naval battle is a battle fought using boats, ships or other waterborne vessels. Most naval battles have occurred at sea, but a few have taken place on lakes or rivers. The earliest recorded naval battle took place in 1210 BC near Cyprus...
. This stance angered many officers in the Royal Navy, who believed such a view lacked the heroic aspect of Lord Nelson's strategy in the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
.
Corbett’s primary objective was to fill the void in British naval doctrine by formalizing the theories and principles of naval warfare
Naval warfare
Naval warfare is combat in and on seas, oceans, or any other major bodies of water such as large lakes and wide rivers.-History:Mankind has fought battles on the sea for more than 3,000 years. Land warfare would seem, initially, to be irrelevant and entirely removed from warfare on the open ocean,...
. The strategies of naval warfare by Corbett focused on the art of naval warfare and defined the differences between land warfare and naval warfare
Naval warfare
Naval warfare is combat in and on seas, oceans, or any other major bodies of water such as large lakes and wide rivers.-History:Mankind has fought battles on the sea for more than 3,000 years. Land warfare would seem, initially, to be irrelevant and entirely removed from warfare on the open ocean,...
. He set the initial focus towards the employment of manoeuvre type doctrine. Corbett’s principles of sea control, focus on the enemy, and manoeuvre for tactical advantage form the foundation of today’s naval manoeuvre warfare.
Corbett was working from within the naval community and trying to influence the naval establishment. Corbett believed in studying and developing the theory of war for educational purposes which he felt established a “common vehicle of expression and a common plane of thought . . . for the sake of mental solidarity between a chief and his subordinates”. Through his lectures at the Naval War College, Corbett was trying to convey to the attending flag-officers his ideas of limited war and the strategic defence which were very different from the accepted norms of naval theory and strategy
Naval strategy
Naval strategy is the planning and conduct of war at sea, the naval equivalent of military strategy on land.Naval strategy, and the related concept of maritime strategy, concerns the overall strategy for achieving victory at sea, including the planning and conduct of campaigns, the movement and...
of the time. Through his publication of Some Principles of Maritime Strategy Corbett was trying to expand the audience for his strategies and teachings to include the general public.
Historical context of Corbett's work
At the turn of the century Corbett emerged as one of the first authors in the development of modern naval doctrine. Drawing from the influences of Baron de JominiAntoine-Henri Jomini
Antoine-Henri, baron Jomini was a general in the French and later in the Russian service, and one of the most celebrated writers on the Napoleonic art of war...
and Carl von Clausewitz
Carl von Clausewitz
Carl Philipp Gottfried von Clausewitz was a Prussian soldier and German military theorist who stressed the moral and political aspects of war...
, Corbett was instrumental in attempting to apply the existing theories of land warfare for war at sea. Clausewitz’s On War was an invaluable basis and stimulus for Corbett’s theoretical work; however, it was not his blueprint. For example, Corbett did not hesitate to take issue with Clausewitz, Jomini or other continental strategists on the importance of the search for the decisive battle and the principle of concentration. The fact that Corbett believed these factors to be far less relevant at sea was a daring departure from the accepted wisdom of his time. In developing his theory of limited war, Corbett again used On War as his point of departure but ended up with his own, unique method of waging a limited war in a maritime environment.
Corbett’s views about war
Corbett offered no general theory of warfare at sea. Instead, Corbett focused his thoughts on the nature of maritime strategy and what the meaning of naval warfareNaval warfare
Naval warfare is combat in and on seas, oceans, or any other major bodies of water such as large lakes and wide rivers.-History:Mankind has fought battles on the sea for more than 3,000 years. Land warfare would seem, initially, to be irrelevant and entirely removed from warfare on the open ocean,...
meant to the power of a nation. While many theorists of naval warfare tried to mechanically adopt land warfare concepts to the maritime environment, Corbett countered that the interest and requirement of naval warfare differed in fundamental ways from those of land warfare.
a. Corbett felt that protecting lines of communication was much more difficult to enforce at sea than on land. This difficulty was the physical geographical differences of the sea and land. Because of these physical differences, Corbett analyzed naval warfare in its own terms, having its own unique characteristics. Corbett stated that you cannot conquer the sea because it is not susceptible to ownership. This led to Corbett's most important contribution to the early theories of naval warfare. What mattered most was not Mahan
Alfred Thayer Mahan
Alfred Thayer Mahan was a United States Navy flag officer, geostrategist, and historian, who has been called "the most important American strategist of the nineteenth century." His concept of "sea power" was based on the idea that countries with greater naval power will have greater worldwide...
's concept of physical destruction of the enemy, but the act of passage on the sea. To Corbett, command of the sea
Command of the sea
A naval force has command of the sea when it is so strong that its rivals cannot attack it directly. Also called sea control, this dominance may apply to its surrounding waters or may extend far into the oceans, meaning the country has a blue-water navy...
was a relative and not an absolute which could be categorized as general or local, temporary or permanent. Corbett defined the two fundamental methods of obtaining control of the lines of communication as the actual physical destruction or capture of enemy warships and merchants, and or a naval blockade
Blockade
A blockade is an effort to cut off food, supplies, war material or communications from a particular area by force, either in part or totally. A blockade should not be confused with an embargo or sanctions, which are legal barriers to trade, and is distinct from a siege in that a blockade is usually...
. Today, this concept is defined as sea control.
b. Corbett was not infatuated with the search for the decisive battle or with the need for the strategic offensive. In general, he favored the strategic defensive, with an emphasis on the offensive at the operational level. Corbett’s strategic defence advocated such measures as an intense local offensive, the projection of land forces, various types of blockade
Blockade
A blockade is an effort to cut off food, supplies, war material or communications from a particular area by force, either in part or totally. A blockade should not be confused with an embargo or sanctions, which are legal barriers to trade, and is distinct from a siege in that a blockade is usually...
s, and raids on enemy trade routes. Moreover, Corbett recognized that once the enemy has been sufficiently weakened on sea and on land, the shift to the strategic offensive should not be delayed.
c. Corbett did not believe that the concentration of naval forces at sea was the highest and simplest law of strategy
Strategy
Strategy, a word of military origin, refers to a plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal. In military usage strategy is distinct from tactics, which are concerned with the conduct of an engagement, while strategy is concerned with how different engagements are linked...
. On the contrary, he observed that the principle of concentration had become “a kind of shibboleth
Shibboleth
A shibboleth is a custom, principle, or belief distinguishing a particular class or group of people, especially a long-standing one regarded as outmoded or no longer important...
” that had done more harm than good. The principle of concentration is “a truism
Truism
A truism is a claim that is so obvious or self-evident as to be hardly worth mentioning, except as a reminder or as a rhetorical or literary device and is the opposite of falsism....
— no one would dispute it. As a canon of practical strategy, it is untrue”. Corbett felt that superior concentration thus not only deterred the weaker opponent from seeking battle but presented him with an opportunity to attack his enemy’s exposed national lines of communication. Corbett felt that superior concentration of naval forces created yet another serious problem. The greater the concentration of a fleet
Naval fleet
A fleet, or naval fleet, is a large formation of warships, and the largest formation in any navy. A fleet at sea is the direct equivalent of an army on land....
, the more difficult it was to conceal its whereabouts and movements.
d. In the process of adapting Clausewitz
Carl von Clausewitz
Carl Philipp Gottfried von Clausewitz was a Prussian soldier and German military theorist who stressed the moral and political aspects of war...
’s theory to the unique circumstances of naval warfare
Naval warfare
Naval warfare is combat in and on seas, oceans, or any other major bodies of water such as large lakes and wide rivers.-History:Mankind has fought battles on the sea for more than 3,000 years. Land warfare would seem, initially, to be irrelevant and entirely removed from warfare on the open ocean,...
, Corbett developed his own innovative theory of limited war in maritime strategy. The first of his two main points was that in wartime conditions on the continent, as opposed to those in the maritime and imperial environment, wars were fought mostly between adjacent states. Corbett’s second point was that in wars between contiguous continental states “there will be no strategical obstacle to his [the enemy’s] being able to use his whole force”. In other words, the nature of continental war makes it difficult to limit political aims, because one or both states are able to use all of the means at their disposal to protect the inevitably threatened vital interests. As Corbett demonstrated, this means that the conditions for the ideal limited war exist only in maritime warfare and can only be exploited by the preponderant naval power: “Limited war is only permanently possible to island Powers or between Powers which are separated by sea, and then only when the Power desiring limited war is able to command the sea to such a degree as to be able not only to isolate the distant object, but also to render impossible the invasion of his home territory.”
e. Like Clausewitz, Corbett shared a belief in the primacy of politics in war and in devising an appropriate strategy to protect the national interests. However, Corbett was interested in the diplomatic alliance systems and coalitions formed before and during a war, and he was concerned with the economic and financial dimensions of waging war as well as with the technological and material aspects of war, which were of no interest to Clausewitz.
Works of enduring value
Corbett’s value for today’s military professional lies in four of his concepts:- (1) controlling lines of communications, focus on the enemy, and manoeuvre for tactical advantage;
- (2) the aspects of political, economic and financial dimensions of waging war as well as with the technological and material aspects of war;
- (3) the primacy of politics in war and in devising an appropriate strategyStrategyStrategy, a word of military origin, refers to a plan of action designed to achieve a particular goal. In military usage strategy is distinct from tactics, which are concerned with the conduct of an engagement, while strategy is concerned with how different engagements are linked...
to protect the national interests and - (4) the emphasis on efficiency in battle while preserving costly assets.
However, his concept of limited war on isolated countries or nation states most likely would be very difficult to achieve with today’s political and economic intricacies between nations in conjunction with current technologies on a symmetric battlefield. However, they could still be applied on an asymmetric battlefield with success.
Writing about Corbett
Beyond the University of London's annual award of the Julian Corbett Prize in Naval HistoryJulian Corbett Prize in Naval History
The Julian Corbett Prize in Modern Naval History was established in 1924 by Mr. H. E. Corbett in memory of his brother, the great naval historian Sir Julian Corbett . It was first awarded in 1926...
, the importance of Corbett's contribution to British naval history was largely overlooked until Professor D. M. Schurman
D. M. Schurman
Donald Mackenzie Schurman was a professor of history at Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, and also served at the Royal Military College of Canada. In the Festschrift published in his honour in 1997, the editors hailed D. M...
published his pioneering work on The Education of a Navy: the development of British Naval Strategic Thought, 1867-1914 (1965). In 1981, Schurman went on to write a full-length biography of Corbett. Further work on Corbett appeared with John Hattendorf
John Hattendorf
John Brewster Hattendorf is an American naval historian. He is the author, co-author, editor, or co-editor of more than forty books on British and American maritime history and naval warfare. In 2005, the U.S...
's essay 'Sir Julian Corbett on the Significance of Naval History' (1971, reprinted 2000) and Goldrick and Hattendorf's Conference Proceedings, Mahan is Not Enough (1993), followed by the revised biography on Corbett in The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (2004).
These works were complemented by Eric J. Grove's definitive, annotated edition of Corbett's Some Principles of Maritime Strategy (Classics of Sea Power series, U.S. Naval Institute Press, 1988), which included Corbett's previously unpublished 'Green Pamphlet' on strategical terms. In addition, D. M. Schurman and John Hattendorf edited and wrote an introduction to Corbett's previously unpublished official study Maritime Operations in the Russo-Japanese War, 1904-1905 (U.S. Naval Institute, 1994).
Published works
Novels:- The Fall of Asgard. 1886
- For God and Gold, 1887
- Kophetua XIII, 1889
- A Business in Great Water
Historical:
- Monographs on Monk in 1889 and Sir Francis Drake in 1890 for the 'English men of Action' series
- Drake and the Tudor Navy, a history of the rise of England as a naval power, 1899
- The successors of Drake, 1900
- England in the Mediterranean, British power within the straight (1603-1713), 1904
- Fighting Instructions, 1530-1816.
- England in the Seven Years War. 1907
- Signals and Instructions, (1778-1794)
- The Campaign of Trafalger, 1910
- Some Principles of Maritime Strategy, 1911
- The Spencer Papers (1794-1801)
- Maritime Operations in the Russo-Japanese War 1904-05 (Originally classified secret in two volumes, published for public release in 1994).
- Official History of the Great War Naval Operations, Vol I April 1920, vol II November 1921, but died before agreeing final corrections to vol III published in 1923 (Longman Green and Co.).
External links
- Murray, Williamson. "Corbett, Julian." Reader's Companion to Military History. Houghton Mifflin. 23 September 2004.
- Corbett Bibliography. "Great Warrior Leaders/Thinkers." August 1999. Air University Library, Maxwell AFB, Alabama. 23 September 2004.