Corbett’s early work had not yet mastered the complexities and limits of the higher direction of war. Even so, it showed forensic insight, judgment, an ability to pose new questions, and prose sharpened by legal practice and literature. The Drake books remained centred on leading men and sometimes strayed into technical digressions better suited to another format. They established Corbett’s career and his study of the foundations of English sea power. Support from Naval Records Society councillor George Sydenham Clarke helped him move from heroic biography toward the strategy of empire.
Notable Point · 1:16-1:53
Corbett’s early strengths and limitations
Corbett already shows forensic insight, judgment, and a talent for new questions, though his grasp of the higher direction of war is still incomplete.