Commentator's preface; Part I. A View of the Principle on Which the Modern System of War Is Founded: 1. General notions; 2. Of lines of operation; 3. Of diverging lines of operation; 4. Of parallel lines of operation; 5. Of lines of operation; 6. Of the most advantageous form and direction of a base; 7. Of retreats within the base; 8. Of parallel and eccentric retreats; 9. Of the result of all the foregoing inquiries; 10. The difference between strategics and tactics; 11. Of the order of battle; 12. Of the Chevalier Foulard's column; 13. Difference between the tactics of the ancients and those of the moderns; 14. Result of the foregoing chapters; Part II. Consequence of the Principle Which Requires a Military Base Previous to Any Operation: 1. Masses of fighting men; 2. One consequence of the foregoing exposition; [...]ope will one day be divided into several great states; 4. Natural limits; 5. The superiority given by the modern system of war to number over valour; 6. Perpetual peace; 7. Conclusion; Part III. Application of the Principle of the Base to Past Military Events, and to Those that May Take Place in Future: 1. Of the period at which the first development of the principle of the base was made; 2. Examination of some campaigns of the Seven Years' War; 3. Observations on the wars which have occurred since the Seven Years' War; 4. What are the natural bounds of the great European states?; Conclusion.