only in the War as a whole
but also in each separate combat, and how that principle suits all the
forms and conditions necessarily demanded by the relations out of which
War springs, the sequel will show. For the present all that we desire is
to uphold its general importance, and with this result we return again
to the combat.

CHAPTER IV. THE COMBAT IN GENERAL (CONTINUATION)

IN the last chapter we showed the destruction of the enemy as the
true object of the combat, and we have sought to prove by a special
consideration of the point, that this is true in the majority of cases,
and in respect to the most important battles, because the destruction of
the enemy's Army is always the preponderating object in War. The other
objects which may be mixed up with this destruction of the enemy's
force, and may have more or less influence, we shall describe generally
in the next chapter, and become better acquainted with by degrees
afterwards; here we divest the combat of them entirely, and look upon
the destruction of the enemy as the complete and sufficient object of
any combat.

What are we now to understand by destruction of the enemy's Army? A
diminution of it relatively greater than that on our own side. If we
have a great superiority in numbers over the enemy, then naturally the
same absolute amount of loss on both sides is for us a smaller one than
for him, and consequently may be regarded in itself as an advantage. As
we are here considering the combat as divested of all (other) objects,
we must also exclude from our consideration the case in which the combat
is used only indirectly for a greater destruction of the enemy's force;
consequently also, only that direct gain which has been made in the
mutual process of destruction, is to be regarded as the object, for this
is an absolute gain, which runs through the whole campaign, and at the
end of it will always appear as pure profit. But every other kind of
victory over our opponent will either have its motive in other objects,
which we have completely excluded here, or it will only yield a
temporary relative advantage. An example will make this plain.

If by a skilful disposition we have reduced our opponent to such a
dilemma, that he cannot continue the combat without danger, and after
some resistance he retires, then we may say, that we have conquered
him at that point; but if in this victory we have expended just as many
forces as the enemy, then in closing the