Battle of Valmy

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Template:Short description Template:Good article Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox military conflict Template:Campaignbox First Coalition

The Battle of Valmy, also known as the Cannonade of Valmy, was the first major victory by the army of France during the Revolutionary Wars that followed the French Revolution. The battle took place on 20 September 1792 as Prussian troops commanded by the Duke of Brunswick attempted to march on Paris. Generals François Kellermann and Charles Dumouriez stopped the advance near the northern village of Valmy in Champagne-Ardenne.

In this early part of the Revolutionary Wars—known as the War of the First Coalition—the new French government was in almost every way unproven, and thus the small, localized victory at Valmy became a huge psychological victory for the Revolution at large. The outcome was thoroughly unexpected by contemporary observers—a vindication for the French revolutionaries and a stunning defeat for the vaunted Prussian army. The victory emboldened the newly assembled National Convention to formally declare the end of monarchy in France and to establish the French Republic. Valmy permitted the development of the Revolution and all its resultant ripple effects, and for that it is regarded by historians as one of the most significant battles in history.

Background

As the French Revolution continued, the monarchies of Europe became concerned that revolutionary fervor would spread to their countries. The War of the First Coalition was an effort to stop the revolution, or at least contain it to France. King Frederick William II of Prussia had the support of Great Britain and the Austrian Empire to send the Duke of Brunswick towards Paris with a large army.<ref>Creasy, p. 334.</ref> In the war's early encounters of mid-1792, French troops did not distinguish themselves,<ref>Creasy, p. 330.</ref> and enemy forces advanced dangerously deep into France intending to pacify the country, restore the traditional monarchy, and end the Revolution. The French commander Charles Dumouriez, meanwhile, had been marching his army northeast to attack the Austrian Netherlands, but this plan was abandoned because of the more immediate threat to Paris.<ref name=Schama640>Schama, p. 640.</ref> A second army under General François Kellermann was ordered to link up with him in a mutual defense.<ref name=Fuller352>Fuller, p. 352.</ref>

Just over half of the French infantry were regulars of the old Royal Army, as were nearly all of the cavalry and, most importantly, the artillery,<ref name=Schama640/><ref>Price, p. 311.</ref> which were widely regarded as the best in Europe at the time.Template:Sfn<ref name=Fuller350>Fuller, p. 350.</ref> These veterans provided a professional core to steady the enthusiastic volunteer battalions.<ref>Crowdy, pp. 8, 24.</ref> Combined, Dumouriez' Army of the North and Kellermann's Army of the Centre totalled approximately 54,000 troops.<ref name=Tucker260>Tucker, p. 260.</ref> Heading towards them was Brunswick's coalition army of about 84,000, drilled Prussian and Austrian troops augmented by large complements of Hessians and emigres of the French royalist Army of Condé.<ref name=Tucker260/>

Battle

The invading army handily captured Longwy on 23 August and Verdun on 2 September, then moved on toward Paris through the defiles of the Forest of Argonne.Template:Sfn In response, Dumouriez halted his advance to the Netherlands and reversed course, approaching the enemy army from its rear.<ref name=Schama640/> From Metz, Kellermann moved to his assistance, joining him at the village of Sainte-Menehould on 19 September.Template:Sfn The French forces were now east of the Prussians, behind their lines. Theoretically the Prussians could have marched straight towards Paris unopposed, but this course was never seriously considered: the threat to their lines of supply and communication was too great to be ignored. The unfavorable situation was compounded by bad weather and an alarming increase in sickness among the troops. With few other options available, Brunswick turned back and prepared to do battle.<ref name=Schama640/>

The troops trudged laboriously through a heavy downpour—"rain as of the days of Noah", in the words of Thomas Carlyle.<ref>Carlyle, p. 39.</ref> Brunswick headed through the northern woods believing he could cut off Dumouriez. At the moment when the Prussian manœuvre was nearly completed, Kellermann advanced his left wing and took up a position on the slopes between Sainte-Menehould and Valmy.Template:Sfn He centered his command around an old windmill, which he quickly razed to prevent enemy artillery spotters from using it as a sighting location.<ref>Azema pp. 84–85.</ref> His veteran artillerists were well-placed upon its accommodating ridge to begin the so-called "Cannonade of Valmy".<ref name="H. Wainwright 1973">E. H. Wainwright, "The cannonade of Valmy." Kleio 5.2 (1973): 62–76.</ref> Brunswick moved toward them with about 34,000 of his troops.<ref name=Tucker260/> As they emerged from the woods, a long-range gunnery duel ensued and the French batteries proved superior. The Prussian infantry made a cautious, and fruitless, effort to advance under fire across the open ground.<ref name=Schama640/>

A statue of General Kellermann calling to his troops
Valmy obelisk with statue of Kellermann

As the Prussians wavered, a pivotal moment was reached when Kellermann raised his hat and made his famous cry of "Vive la Nation". The cry was repeated again and again by all the French army, and had a crushing effect upon Prussian morale. The French troops sang "La Marseillaise" and "Ça Ira", and a cheer went up from the French line.<ref>Soboul, p. 589.</ref> To the surprise of nearly everyone, Brunswick broke off the action and retired from the field. The Prussians rounded the French positions at a great distance and commenced a rapid retreat eastward. The two engaged forces had been essentially equal in size, Kellermann with approximately 36,000 troops and 40 cannon, and Brunswick with 34,000 and 54 cannon. Yet by the time Brunswick retreated, casualties had risen no higher than three hundred French and two hundred Prussians.<ref name=Lanning145>Lanning, p. 145.</ref>

Prussian retreat

The precipitous end to the action provoked elation among the French.<ref name=Schama640/> The question of exactly why the Prussians withdrew has never been definitively answered. Most historians ascribe the retreat to some combination of the following factors: the highly defensible French position<ref name=Schama640/> together with the rapidly growing numbers of reinforcements and citizen volunteers<ref name=Doyle198/> with their discouraging and thoroughly unexpected élan<ref name="Soboul269">Soboul, p. 269.</ref> which persuaded the cautious Brunswick to spare himself a dangerous loss of manpower,<ref>Esdaile, p. 161.</ref> particularly when the Russian invasion of Poland had already raised concerns for Prussia's defensibility in the east.<ref name=Doyle198>Doyle, p. 198.</ref> Others have put forward more shadowy motives for the decision, including a secret plea by Louis XVI to avoid an action which might cost him his life, and even bribery of the Prussians, allegedly paid for with the Bourbon crown jewels.<ref>Webster, pp. 348–52.</ref>

An analysis by Munro Price, reader in history at the University of Bradford and a modern specialist in this period, concludes that there is no convincing proof of bribery turning back the Prussians.<ref>Price, p. 312.</ref> The more likely explanation remains that, having initially adopted an aggressive strategy, Brunswick lacked the will to carry it through when confronted by an unexpectedly determined and disciplined opposition.<ref>Price, pp. 311–12.</ref> Brunswick had actually been offered command of the French armies prior to the outbreak of war and émigré factions subsequently used this as a basis to allege treachery on his part. In any case, the battle ended decisively, the French pursuit was not seriously pressed,<ref name=Soboul270>Soboul, p. 270.</ref> and Brunswick's troops managed a safe if inglorious eastward retreat.<ref name=Schama641>Schama, p. 641.</ref>

Aftermath

This engagement was the turning point of the Prussians' campaign. Beset with food shortages and dysentery, their retreat continued well past the Rhine River.<ref name=Schama641/> French troops soon struck forward into Germany, taking Mainz in October. Dumouriez once again moved against the Austrian Netherlands and Kellermann ably secured the front at Metz.<ref name=Schama641/>

Dumouriez would bear a harsh change of fortune: after one more influential success in November 1792 at Jemappes, he was by the following year a broken man. His army had suffered such catastrophic losses that he defected to the royalist side for the rest of his life.<ref>Thiers, pp. 298ff.</ref> Kellermann, however, continued in a long and distinguished military career. In 1808 he was ennobled by Napoleon and became Duke of Valmy.<ref>Dunn-Pattinson, p. 321.</ref>

Legacy

refer to caption
A modern replica of the windmill at Valmy stands amid a memorial site.

In terms of military history the battle introduced features that reshaped modern warfare. It exemplified key components of "total war" in terms of political propaganda, psychological warfare, and eager participation of large numbers of politicized civilians.<ref name="H. Wainwright 1973"/>

After a while the battle came to be celebrated as the first great victory of the armies of the French Revolution.<ref>Élise Meyer, "Valmy: The victory and its reputation." Annales historiques de la Revolution francaise. No. 4. 2020.</ref> In the varied historiography of the French Revolution, it is typically portrayed as the first victory of a citizen army, inspired by liberty and nationalism. Many thousands of volunteers did indeed swell the ranks, but at least half of the French forces were professional soldiers, particularly among Kellermann's critical artillery units.<ref name=Schama640/> The French artillery also held a tactical advantage in its modern Gribeauval gun system which proved highly successful on the battlefield.<ref name=Fuller350/> But in popular conception, Valmy was a victory of citizen-soldiers: the battle was emblemized by Kellermann's cry, augmented by the troops' singing of "La Marseillaise" and the "Ça Ira" while under fire.<ref name=Schama641/>

On the day of the battle, the Legislative Assembly had duly transferred its power to the National Convention.<ref name=Soboul270/> Over the next two days, flush with the news from Valmy, the new Convention deputies abolished the monarchy and proclaimed the French Republic.<ref name=Doyle193>Doyle, p. 193.</ref> The victory was a much-needed source of pride for the revolutionary French state, and provided enduring inspiration for the years that followed.<ref name="Soboul269"/> It was considered by many contemporaries to be a miraculous event for France, and a "decisive defeat" for one of the most effective armies in Europe.<ref>Horne, p. 197.</ref> Scholars continue to count it among the most significant clashes in military history.<ref name=Lanning145/><ref>Creasy, pp. 328ff.</ref>

The Prussians themselves recognized the importance of the battle, not merely as a setback in the war but as a crucial advancement for the Revolution as a whole.<ref>Blanning, pp. 78–79.</ref> The German writer and poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who was present at the battle with the Prussian army, later wrote that he was approached by some of his comrades in a state of dejection. He had previously cheered them up with memorable and clever quotes but his only consolation this time was, "Here and today, a new epoch in the history of the world has begun, and you can boast you were present at its birth."<ref name=Doyle193/>

References

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Sources

Further reading

  • Forrest, Alan. The Legacy of the French Revolutionary Wars: The Nation-in-Arms in French Republican Memory (Cambridge University Press, 2009)
  • Lynn, John A. "Valmy" MHQ: Quarterly Journal of Military History (Fall 1992), 5#1 pp 88–97.
  • Scott, Samuel F. From Yorktown to Valmy: the transformation of the French Army in an age of revolution (University Press of Colorado, 1998)
  • Thoral, Marie-Cécile. From Valmy to Waterloo: France at War, 1792–1815 (Palgrave Macmillan UK, 2011)

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