The Battle of Valmy
Part of the French Revolutionary Wars
The Battle of Valmy
Date 20 September 1792 Location Between Sainte-Menehould and Valmy Result French victory
Combatants
France	Prussia
Commanders
Dumouriez, Kellermann	Duke of Brunswick
Strength
47,000	35,000
Casualties
300	184

The Battle of Valmy (or Cannonade of Valmy) was fought on 20 September 1792, during the French Revolutionary Wars, around the village of Valmy in northern France. Tactically it was indecisive artillery engagement, but strategically it marks the survival of the French Revolution. Forces of French Army of the North, commanded by Charles François Dumouriez, and French Army of the Centre, commanded by François Christophe Kellermann, stopped the advance towards Paris of a Prussian army, commanded by Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick. Despite the minimal casualties (less that 500 total) and the inconclusive tactical results, Valmy has been considered one of the main battles of French Revolutionary Wars because it was a first victory of new French Armies and started the 24-years period of their glory. Combatants Great Britain Austria Prussia Spain[1] Russia Sardinia Ottoman Empire Portugal Dutch Republic[2] France The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1500x1012, 484 KB) Auteur:: Scan dArnaud Gaillard (arnaud (at) amarys . ... September 20 is the 263rd day of the year (264th in leap years). ... 1792 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Sainte-Menehould is a commune of the Marne département, in northeastern France. ... Valmy is a village and commune in the Sainte-Menehould arrondissement of the Marne département in France. ... Motto: Suum cuique Latin: To each his own Prussia at its peak, as leading state of the German Empire Capital Königsberg, later Berlin Political structure Duchy, Kingdom, Republic Duke1  - 1525–68 Albert I  - 1688–1701 Frederick III King1  - 1701–13 Frederick I  - 1888–1918 William II Prime Minister1,2... Charles François Dumouriez. ... François Christophe de Kellermann François Christophe Kellermann or de Kellermann (28 May 1735 - 23 September 1820), duke of Valmy and marshal of France, came of a Saxon family, long settled in Strasbourg and ennobled. ... Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick (October 9, 1735 - November 10, German general, was born at Wolfenbüttel. ... The name First Coalition (1793–1797) designates the first major concerted effort of multiple European powers to contain revolutionary France. ... The Battle of Jemappes (November 6, 1792) took place near the town of Jemappes in Hainaut, Belgium, near Mons. ... Combatants First French Republic Kingdom of Prussia Austria (Habsburg) Electorate of Saxony Landgraviate of Hesse-Darmstadt Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel Electoral Palatinate Duchy of Saxe-Weimar Commanders General Ignace dOyré Alexandre de Beauharnais Field marshal von Kalckreuth Duke of Brunswick Strength 23,000 184 cannons 36,000 later 44... The Battle of Neerwinden (18 March 1793) took place near the village of Neerwinden in present-day Belgium between the Austrians under Prince Josias of Coburg and the French under General Dumouriez. ... Combatants First French Republic Vendée Royalist Commanders General Westermann Marquis de la Roche-Jacquelin Strength 25,000 31,000 Casualties 4,000 killed, wounded, or missing ca 2,100 killed or wounded The Battle of Entrames was fought on 27 October 1793 during the French Revolutionary Wars between French... The Battle of Toulon took place in 1793. ... Combatants French Republic Austria, Hannover, Great Britain Commanders General Lamarche The Duke of York Strength 27,000 53,000 Casualties 3,000 killed or wounded, 300 captured, 17 cannons lost, 14 ammunition wagons, 3 standards lost ca 1,100 killed or wounded The Battle of Famars was fought during the... Combatants French Republic Royalists Commanders General Chalbos Marquis de Lescure Strength 14,000 35,000 Casualties 4,000, 40 cannons lost 1,000 The Battle of Fontenay-le-Comte was fought on 25 May 1793 during the French Revolutionary Wars, between forces of the French Republic under General Chalbos and... Combatants First French Republic Vendéen Royalists Commanders General Léchelle Gigot d’Elbée â€  Strength 25,000 40,000 Casualties 4,000 killed or wounded ca 8,000 killed, wounded, or missing 12 cannons lost The Battle of Cholet was fought on 17 October 1793 during the French Revolutionary... Combatants French Republic Royalists Commanders General Tuncq Gigot d’Elbée Strength 10,000 35,000 17 cannons Casualties ca 500 killed or wounded ca 5,000 killed, wounded or missing 17 cannons lost The Battle of Luçon was fought on 14 August 1793 during the French Revolutionary Wars... The Battle of Hondshoote was fought on September 6 - 8, 1793 and resulted in a French victory under General Houchard and General Jourdan against the British under the Duke of York. ... The Battle of Wattignies, during the French Revolutionary Wars, was fought at the village of Wattignies-la-Victoire on October 15 and October 16, Austrians under General Cobourg. ... Combatants First French Republic Spain Commanders Auguste Dagobert Antonio Ricardos Strength 22,000 17,000 Casualties 3,000 killed or wounded, 1,500 captured, 10 cannons lost About 2,000 killed, wounded or missing The Battle of Truillas was fought on 22 September 1793 during the French Revolutionary War, between... The Battle of Boulou was fought on April 30, French victory under General Dugommier against the Spanish under General Union. ... The Battle of Tourcoing was fought near the town of Tourcoing in northeastern France on May 18, 1794 and resulted the victory of the French under General Joseph Souham and General Moreau against the British under the Duke of York and the Austrians under General Coburg. ... The Battle of Fleurus, fought on June 26, 1794 was one of the most decisive battles in the Low Countries during the French, under Jourdan were able to more effectively concentrate their forces in order to achieve victory against the Austrian army under Saxe-Cobourg. ... The Battle of the Vosges also known as the Battle of Tripstadt was fought on 13 July 1794 in western France in the Vosges Mountains from which it derives its name. ... Combatants French Republic Austria, Great Britain, Hannover Commanders General Pichegru Prince Josias of Coburg Strength ca 45,000 ca 28,000 Casualties 5,500 killed or wounded, 450 captured, 7 cannons lost 3,000 killed or wounded The Battle of Tournay, was fought on 22 May 1794 in the Belgian... The Battle of San-Lorenzo de la Muga (French: St-Laurent, also Battle of the Sierra Negra or Battle of the Black Mountains) was fought on November 20, 1794, and resulted in the victory of French under General Perignon and General Dugommier against the Spanish under General Union. ... Italic textThe Battle of Lodi took place at Lodi, Lombardy, Italy on May 10, 1796. ... The Battle of the Bridge of Arcole (Le Bataille du Pont dArcole in French), occurred on November 17, 1796. ... Combatants First French Republic Kingdom of Great Britain, Kingdom of Naples and Sicily Commanders Rear Admiral Martin Vice Admiral Hotham Strength 13 ships of the line, 490 guns, 9,520 men 14 ships of the line, 557 guns, 8,810 men Casualties 600 killed, 1,000 wounded, 2 ships of... Combatants First French Republic Great Britain Naples Commanders Rear Admiral Martin Vice Admiral Hotham Strength Exact strength not clear 6 ships of the line engaged Casualties uncertain ca 100 men killed 1 ship of the line lost 11 killed 28 wounded The Naval Battle of Hyères Islands was fought... Combatants First French Republic Austria Commanders General François Ignace Schaal Count Clerfayt Strength 33,000 ca 27,000 Casualties 3,000 killed or wounded 1,800 captured 138 cannons lost 1,400 killed or wounded 200 captured The Battle of Mainz was fought on 29 October 1795 during the... The Battle of Amberg resulted in an Austrian victory under Archduke Charles against the French under General Jourdan. ... 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Combatants First French Republic Austrian Empire, Kingdom of Sardinia Commanders General Bonaparte, General Massena Count Argenteau, Colonel Vukassovich Strength ca 15,000 ca 5,700 Casualties ca 2,100 killed or wounded, 317 captured ca 4,700 killed, wounded or captured The Second Battle of Dego was fought on 14... There are three Battles of Cape St Vincent The Battle of Cape St Vincent, 14 February 1797 by Robert Cleveley, painted 1798, shows the end of the battle with the captured Spanish ship Salvador del Mundo in the right foreground. ... Combatants Britain Spain Commanders Horatio Nelson Antonio Gutiérrez Strength 4,000 regulars and sailors 400 guns 1,700 regulars, militia, and sailors 91 guns Casualties 250 dead 128 wounded 30 dead 40 wounded The Battle of Santa Cruz de Tenerife was a British attack on the Spanish port city... 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Combatants Great Britain Austria Prussia Spain[1] Russia Sardinia Ottoman Empire Portugal Dutch Republic[2] France The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states. ... Valmy is a village and commune in the Sainte-Menehould arrondissement of the Marne département in France. ... The French Revolution (1789–1815) was a period of political and social upheaval in the political history of France and Europe as a whole, during which the French governmental structure, previously an absolute monarchy with feudal privileges for the aristocracy and Catholic clergy, underwent radical change to forms based on... Charles François Dumouriez. ... François Christophe de Kellermann François Christophe Kellermann or de Kellermann (28 May 1735 - 23 September 1820), duke of Valmy and marshal of France, came of a Saxon family, long settled in Strasbourg and ennobled. ... Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick (October 9, 1735 - November 10, German general, was born at Wolfenbüttel. ... Combatants Great Britain Austria Prussia Spain[1] Russia Sardinia Ottoman Empire Portugal Dutch Republic[2] France The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states. ...

Background

After France declared war on Austria on 20 April 1792 and following early encounters in which French arms did not distinguish themselves, anti-revolutionary forces advanced into France (19 August). The combined invading force comprised Prussians, Austrians, Hessians and émigrés under the Duke of Brunswick, representing the supreme command of King Frederick William II of Prussia. The commanders-in-chief of the armies that had formed became one after another "suspects"; and before a serious action had been fought, the three French Revolutionary Armies commanded by Rochambeau, Lafayette and Luckner had resolved themselves into two commanded by Dumouriez and Kellermann. April 20 is the 110th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (111th in leap years). ... 1792 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... August 19 is the 231st day of the year (232nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Motto: Suum cuique Latin: To each his own Prussia at its peak, as leading state of the German Empire Capital Königsberg, later Berlin Political structure Duchy, Kingdom, Republic Duke1  - 1525–68 Albert I  - 1688–1701 Frederick III King1  - 1701–13 Frederick I  - 1888–1918 William II Prime Minister1,2... In mathematics, the Hessian matrix of a function of several real variables is the (symmetric) matrix of all second partial derivatives. ... Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick (October 9, 1735 - November 10, German general, was born at Wolfenbüttel. ... Frederick William II (German: ; September 25, 1744 – November 16, 1797) was the fourth king of Prussia, reigning from 1786 until his death. ... The standard of the Revolutionary 1ére Demi-Brigade dInfanterie de Bataille, 1794 pattern. ... Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau (July 1, 1725 – May 10, 1807) was a French aristocrat, soldier, and a Marshal of France. ... Marie-Joseph-Paul-Roch-Yves-Gilbert du Motier, marquis de La Fayette (September 6, 1757–May 20, 1834), was a French aristocrat most famous for his participation in the American Revolutionary War and early French Revolution. ... Niklaus, Count Luckner ( 1722 - 1794), Marshal of France, originated in Cham in eastern Bavaria, and joined the French military in 1763. ... Charles François Dumouriez. ... François Christophe de Kellermann François Christophe Kellermann or de Kellermann (28 May 1735 - 23 September 1820), duke of Valmy and marshal of France, came of a Saxon family, long settled in Strasbourg and ennobled. ...

The invading allies readily captured Longwy on 23 August and slowly marched on to Verdun, which was even less defensible than Longwy. The commander, Colonel Beaurepaire, shot himself in despair, and the place surrendered on 2 September. Duke of Brunswick now began his march on Paris and approached the defiles of the Argonne. But Dumouriez, who had been training his raw troops at Valenciennes in constant small engagements, with the purpose of invading Belgium, now threw himself into the Argonne by a rapid and daring flank march, almost under the eyes of the Prussian advanced guard, and barred the Paris road, summoning Kellermann to his assistance from Metz. Kellermann moved slowly, and before he arrived the northern part of the line of defence had been forced. Dumouriez, undaunted, changed front so as to face north, with his right wing on the Argonne and his left stretching towards Châlons, and in this position Kellermann joined him at Sainte-Menehould on 19 September. Longwy is a town and commune located in the Meurthe-et-Moselle département in northeastern France. ... Verdun, (German: Wirten) sometimes also called Verdun-sur-Meuse, is a city and commune in northeast France, in the Meuse département, of which it is a sous-préfecture. ... September 2 is the 245th day of the year (246th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick (October 9, 1735 - November 10, German general, was born at Wolfenbüttel. ... City flag City coat of arms Motto: Fluctuat nec mergitur (Latin: Tossed by the waves, she does not sink) Paris Eiffel tower as seen from the esplanade du Trocadéro. ... Argonne can refer to several different things. ... Valenciennes (Dutch: Valencijn, Latin: Valentianae) is a town and commune in northern France in the Nord département on the Escaut river. ... For other uses of Metz, see Metz (disambiguation) City motto: Si paix dedans, paix dehors (French: If peace inside, peace outside) City proper (commune) Région Lorraine Département Moselle (57) Mayor Jean-Marie Rausch Area 41. ... Chalons or Châlons is the name or part of the name of several communes in France: Châlons, in the Isère département Châlons-en-Champagne, formerly Châlons-sur-Marne, in the Marne département Chalon-sur-Saône, in the Saône-et-Loire d... Sainte-Menehould is a commune of the Marne département, in northeastern France. ... September 19 is the 262nd day of the year (263rd in leap years). ...

Battle

Brunswick meanwhile had passed the northern defiles and had then swung round to cut off Dumouriez from Châlons. At the moment when the Prussian manoeuvre was nearly completed, Kellermann, commanding in Dumouriez’s momentary absence, advanced his left wing and took up a position between Sainte-Menehould and the mill of Valmy. The result was the Cannonade of Valmy. Kellermann's 47,000 infantry, nearly all regulars, stood steady. The French artillery justified its reputation as the best in Europe, and eventually, with no more than a half-hearted infantry attack, Brunswick's 35,000 strong broke off the action and retired. The French suffered 300 casualties and their opponents 184. Valmy is a village and commune in the Sainte-Menehould arrondissement of the Marne département in France. ...

Aftermath

This engagement was the turning-point of the campaign and a turning point in the world’s history. Ten days later, without firing another shot, the invading army began its retreat. Dumouriez's pursuit was not seriously pressed; he occupied himself chiefly with a series of subtle and curious negotiations which, with the general advance of the French troops, brought about the complete withdrawal of the allied invaders from the soil of France.

The day after this first victory of the French revolutionary troops, on 21 September, in Paris, the French monarchy was abolished and the First French Republic proclaimed. The battle of Valmy was really the first victory of an army solely inspired by citizenship and nationalism and the death knell of the absolute monarchies was begun with this victory. September 21 is the 264th day of the year (265th in leap years). ... The French people proclaimed Frances First Republic on 21 September 1792 as a result of the French Revolution and of the abolition of the French monarchy. ...

See also

• The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World

The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World: from Marathon to Waterloo is a book written by Sir Edward Shepherd Creasy and published in 1851. ...

References

• The Battle of Valmy from Edward Shepherd Creasy's The Fifteen Decisive Battles of the World.
• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.