Battle of Valmy

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. In the war's early encounters of mid-1792, French troops did not distinguish themselves, 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. A second army under General François Kellermann was ordered to link up with him in a mutual defense.

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, which were widely regarded as the best in Europe at the time. These veterans provided a professional core to steady the enthusiastic volunteer battalions. Combined, Dumouriez' Army of the North and Kellermann's Army of the Centre totalled approximately 54,000 troops. 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. 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. He centered his command around an old windmill, which he quickly razed to prevent enemy artillery spotters from using it as a sighting location. His veteran artillerists were well-placed upon its accommodating ridge to begin the so-called "Cannonade of Valmy". Brunswick moved toward them with about 34,000 of his troops. Although several French armies were nearby, Kellermann carried out most of the fighting himself. Dumouriez's army stayed southeast of Sainte-Menehould, Beurononville's troops remained behind Kellermann, and Dillion's forces at Les Islettes stopped Hohenlohe's troops from reinforcing the Prussians. Because of this, Kellermann fought the Battle of Valmy largely on his own. To the surprise of nearly everyone, Brunswick broke off the action and retired from the field. As the night approached, Brunswick, King Frederick William II, and the Prussian officers met near the inn of La Lune. During this meeting, Brunswick reportedly said, "Hier schlagen wir nicht" ("Here we will not fight [or win]"), showing that the Prussian leadership believed the battle couldn't be continued. 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.

After the battle, Kellermann moved his troops south of the Châlons road, leaving the Prussians a clear path to retreat. Dumouriez, who took command of both French armies after Valmy, negotiated with the Prussians while strengthening his forces. On September 30, Brunswick withdrew toward Germany without being attacked, as French commanders were ordered not to engage.

Prussian retreat

The precipitous end to the action provoked elation among the French. which persuaded the cautious Brunswick to spare himself a dangerous loss of manpower, particularly when the Russian invasion of Poland had already raised concerns for Prussia's defensibility in the east. 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.

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. 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. 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, and Brunswick's troops managed a safe if inglorious eastward retreat.

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. Kellermann, however, continued in a long and distinguished military career. In 1808 he was ennobled by Napoleon and became Duke of Valmy.

Legacy

thumb|alt=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. 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. The victory was a much-needed source of pride for the revolutionary French state, and provided enduring inspiration for the years that followed. Scholars continue to count it among the most significant clashes in military history.

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. 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." In his official report of the battle, Kellermann singled out the young Louis Philippe for his courage during the cannonade. Decades later, Louis Philippe's military service was used to justify the Orleanist bid for the throne in the immediate aftermath of the July Revolution of 1830. To legitimize himself in the eyes of liberals and nationalists, Louis-Philippe promoted himself as a patriotic citizen-king who had served in the army of the First Republic. He commissioned artworks depicting his military service such as The National Guard of Paris Departs for the Army and Louis-Philippe visiting the battlefield of Valmy.

References

Sources

Meyer, Élise. "Valmy: The victory and its reputation." Annales historiques de la Revolution francaise. No. 4. 2020. abstract
Wainwright, E. H. "The cannonade of Valmy." Kleio 5.2 (1973): 62–76.

External links

Cannon Thunder at Valmy, David A. Norris, Warfare History Network, 21 March 2019
HTML version of The Battle of Valmy from Edward Shepherd Creasy's The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World