Show KING DAVID AS A GENERAL t scientist on wa tactics tb at a late meeting of the academic les inscriptions et belles let tres 1 I Dieu lafoy the well known explorer in persia read a very interesting account f his visit to the scene of the decisive mchunter between king david and alie philistines in the valley of Kep haim M Dieu lafoy described how after the capture of jerusalem by david and the establishment 01 the israelite monarchy the philistines resolved to crush the nascent kingdom and how after alternations of success and failure they occupied the valley of rephraim Rep haim situated at alie foot of the slopes which led from the west to jerusalem it was then according to M Dieu lafoy eliat david constantly attacked by his enemies executed one of the finest military maneuvers recorded in his history M Dieu lafoy while indicating the various advances made by military art and having shown that before the wars of the modes no nation had any acquaintance with the rules of higher tactics and strategy dwelt upon the fact that david was the first of the israelite leaders to form drilled and disciplined troops and pointed out what good use the king made of this army in the valley of rephraim Rep haim the plan of the battle very clearly described in the bible which ascribed the conception of it to jehovah comprised a flank march a rapid change of front the rapid encompassing of the left wing of the philistines and an attack from behind on thia wing this was a complicated and bold turning movement very difficult to execute and something quite out of the common for the age in which it was carried out M Dieu lafoy who had discovered the theater of operations and had made use of alie general topography of the region in order to reconstitute the principal phases of the battle pointed out that this movement presented a striking analogy with those executed by frederick II 11 at the battles of mollwitz ind rossbach and by napoleon at austerlitz in the conduct of this operation david gave evidence of the highest capacities taking advantage of all the inequalities of the ground form ing his troops afresh in the wood and charging impetuously and M Dieu lafoy insisted very strongly upon the simi lariscy of his military genius to eliat of napoleon Nan oleon |