NationMaster - Encyclopedia: French Revolutionary Army

The French Revolutionary Army is the term used to refer to the military of France during the period between the fall of the ancien regime under Louis XVI in 1792 and the formation of the First French Empire under Napoleon Bonaparte in 1804. These armies were characterised by their revolutionary fervour and their poor equipment. They performed with mixed results, from the early disastrous defeats to the amazing victories under Generals Moreau, Masséna and Bonaparte. Ancien R gime means Old Regime or Old Order in French; in English, the term refers primarily to the social and political system established in France under the Valois and Bourbon dynasties, and secondarily to any regime which shares the formers defining features: a feudal system under the control... Louis XVI Louis XVI (August 23, 1754 - January 21, 1793), was King of France and Navarre from 1774 until 1791, and then King of the French in 1791-1792. ... 1792 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Map of the First French Empire in 1811, with the Empire in dark blue and satellite states in light blue Capital Paris Language(s) French Government Monarchy Emperor - 1804 - 1814/1815 Napoleon I - 1814/1815 Napoleon II Legislature Parliament - Upper house Senate - Lower house Corps lÃ©gislatif Historical era Napoleonic... Bonaparte as general Napoleon Bonaparte ( 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821) was a general of the French Revolution and was the ruler of France as First Consul (Premier Consul) of the French Republic from November 11, 1799 to May 18, 1804, then as Emperor of the French (Empereur des... 1804 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Jean Victor Marie Moreau Jean Victor Mark Andrew Moreau (February 14, 1763 â€“ September 2, 1813) was a French general. ... AndrÃ© MassÃ©na, duc de Rivoli, prince dEssling, marÃ©chal dEmpire. ... Bonaparte as general Napoleon Bonaparte ( 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821) was a general of the French Revolution and was the ruler of France as First Consul (Premier Consul) of the French Republic from November 11, 1799 to May 18, 1804, then as Emperor of the French (Empereur des...

Formation

As the ancien regime gave way to a constitutional monarchy, and then to a republic, the entire structure of France was transformed to fall into line with Revolutionary principles of "Liberty, Equality and Fraternity". The signing of the Declaration of Pillnitz between the Holy Roman Emperor Leopold II and King Frederick William II of Prussia and the subsequent French declaration of war meant that from its formation, the Republic of France was at war, and it required a potent military force to ensure its survival. As a result, one of the first major elements of the French state to be restructured was the army. For other uses, see Liberty (disambiguation). ... Egalitarianism (derived from the French word Ã©gal, meaning equal or level) is a political doctrine that holds that all people should be treated as equals from birth. ... The Declaration of Pillnitz on August 27, 1791, was a statement issued at the Castle of Pillnitz in Saxony (south of Dresden) by Emperor Leopold II and Frederick William II of Prussia. ... The Holy Roman Emperor was, with some variation, the ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, the predecessor of modern Germany, during its existence from the 10th century until its collapse in 1806. ... Leopold II (born Peter Leopold Joseph) (May 5, 1747 â€“ March 1, 1792) was the penultimate Holy Roman Emperor from 1790 to 1792 and Grand Duke of Tuscany. ... Frederick William II (German: ; September 25, 1744â€“November 16, 1797) was the fourth King of Prussia, reigning from 1786 until his death. ...

Almost all of the ancien regime officer class had been drawn from the aristocracy, and most of these had either been imprisoned or killed during the Reign of Terror, or had fled the country to join the émigré army of Louis Joseph, Prince of Condé. The small remaining cadre of officers were promoted swiftly; this meant that the majority of the Revolutionary officers were far younger than their Monarchist counterparts. Those high ranking aristocratic officers who remained, among them Marquis de la Fayette, Comte de Rochambeau and Comte Nicolas Luckner, were soon accused of having monarchist sympathies and either killed or forced into exile. For other uses of terror, see Terror. ... Ã‰migrÃ© is a French term that shows how Martin B. loves stephanie. ... Louis Joseph of Bourbon or Louis V (August 9, 1736 â€“ May 13, 1818) was Prince of CondÃ© from 1740 to his death. ... 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. ... Jean Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, comte de Rochambeau (July 1, 1725 â€“ May 10, 1807), French soldier, was born at VendÃ´me (Loir-et-Cher). ... Niklaus, Count Luckner ( 1722 - 1794), Marshal of France, originated in Cham in eastern Bavaria, and joined the French military in 1763. ...

Revolutionary fervour, along with calls to save the new regime, resulted in a large influx of enthusiastic yet untrained and undisciplined volunteers (the first sans-culottes, so called because they wore peasants trousers rather than the knee-breeches used by the other armies of the time). The desperate situation meant that these men were quickly inducted into the army, where the ranks were seasoned by a number of veteran soldiers who had remained. Painted rendition of a sans-culottes. ... Breeches as worn in America in the latter 18th century: Elijah Boardman by Ralph Earl, 1789. ...

Trial by fire

The French struck first, with an invasion of the Austrian Netherlands proposed by foreign minister Charles François Dumouriez. This invasion soon turned into a debacle when it was found that the hastily-trained Revolutionary forces badly lacked military discipline: on one occasion, troops murdered their general to avoid a battle; on another, troops insisted on putting their commander's orders to a vote. The Revolutionary forces retreated from the Austrian Netherlands in disarray. Originally the term Netherlands referred to a much larger entity than the current Kingdom of the Netherlands. ... Charles FranÃ§ois Dumouriez. ...

In August 1792, a large Austro-Prussian army commanded by the Duke of Brunswick crossed the frontier and began its march on Paris with the declared intention of restoring full power to Louis XVI. Several Revolutionary armies were easily defeated by the professional Austrian, Hessian, Brunswick and Prussian troops. The immediate result of this was the storming of the Tuileries Palace and the overthrow of the king. Successive Revolutionary forces failed to halt Brunswick's advance, and by mid September it appeared that Paris would fall to the monarchists. The Convention ordered the remaining armies to be combined under the command of Dumouriez and François Christophe Kellermann. At the Battle of Valmy on 20 September 1792, the Revolutionary forces defeated Brunswick's advance guard, causing the invading army to begin retreating to the border. Much of the credit to the victory must go to the French artillery, widely viewed as the best in Europe thanks to the technical improvements of Jean Baptiste Vaquette de Gribeauval. Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick-LÃ¼neburg, (Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand, Herzog zu Braunschweig-LÃ¼neburg, FÃ¼rst von Braunschweig-WolfenbÃ¼ttel-Bevern) (October 9, 1735 - 1806) was a German military general born in WolfenbÃ¼ttel, Germany. ... The term Hessian refers to the inhabitants of the German state of Hesse. ... Brunswick-LÃ¼neburg was an historical state within the Holy Roman Empire. ... For other uses, see Prussia (disambiguation). ... On August 10, 1792, during the French Revolution, a mob â€“ with the backing of a new municipal government of Paris that came to be known as the insurrectionary Paris Commune â€“ besieged the Tuileries palace. ... Tuileries Palace before 1871 - View from the Louvre courtyard The Tuileries Palace stood in Paris, France, on the right bank of the River Seine until 1871, when it was destroyed. ... This article is about the legislative body and constitutional convention during the French Revolution. ... FranÃ§ois Christophe de Kellermann. ... 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. ... For other uses, see Artillery (disambiguation). ... Lieutenant General Jean Baptiste Vaquette de Gribeauval (15 September 1715 - 9 May 1789) was a French artillery officer and engineer who introduced various technical improvements to French cannon, providing them with an advantage during the early years of the Napoleonic wars. ...

The Battle of Valmy ensured that the Revolutionary armies were respected by their enemies, and for the next ten years they not only defended the fledgling First French Republic, but under the command of Generals such as Moreau, Jourdan, Kléber, Desaix and Bonaparte expanded the borders of the French republic. 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. ... Jean Victor Marie Moreau Jean Victor Mark Andrew Moreau (February 14, 1763 â€“ September 2, 1813) was a French general. ... Jean-Baptiste Jourdan Jean-Baptiste, comte Jourdan (April 29, 1762 â€“ November 23, 1833), was a marshal of France. ... Jean Baptiste KlÃ©ber. ... Louis Charles Antoine Desaix de Veygoux Louis Charles Antoine Desaix de Veygoux (1768 - June 14, 1800), was a French military leader. ... Bonaparte as general Napoleon Bonaparte ( 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821) was a general of the French Revolution and was the ruler of France as First Consul (Premier Consul) of the French Republic from November 11, 1799 to May 18, 1804, then as Emperor of the French (Empereur des...

Lazare Carnot

While the Cannonade of Valmy had saved the Republic from imminent destruction and caused its enemies to take pause, the guillotining of Louis XVI in January 1793 and the convention's proclamation that it would 'export the revolution' hardened the resolve of France's enemies to destroy the Republic and reinstate a monarchy. This article is about the decapitation device. ...

In early 1793, the First Coalition was formed, not only from Prussia and Austria, but also Sardinia, Naples, Spain and Great Britain. The Republic was under attack on several fronts, and in the fiercely Catholic region of La Vendée an armed revolt had broken out. The Revolutionary army was greatly overstretched, and it seemed that the fall of the republic was imminent. The name First Coalition (1793â€“1797) designates the first major concerted effort of multiple European powers to contain Revolutionary France. ... For the place in the United States, see Sardinia, Ohio. ... Location of the city of Naples (red dot) within Italy. ... VendÃ©e is a dÃ©partement in west central France, on the Atlantics Bay of Biscay. ... Flag of the so-called ArmÃ©e Royale et Catholique (Royal and Catholic Army) from VendÃ©e Insigna of the royalist insurgents During the French Revolution, the 1793-1796 uprising in the VendÃ©e, variously known as the Uprising, Insurrection, Revolt, VendÃ©an Rebellion, or Wars in the VendÃ©e...

In early 1793 Lazare Carnot, a prominent mathematician, physicist, and delegate to the Convention, was promoted to the Committee of Public Safety. Displaying an exceptional talent for organization and for enforcing discipline, Carnot set about rearranging the disheveled Revolutionary Armies. Realizing that no amount of reforming and discipline was going to offset the massive numerical superiority enjoyed by France's enemies, Carnot ordered each département to provide a quota of new recruits, a number totaling around 300,000. By mid 1793, the Revolutionary Army had increased around 645,000 men. Lazare Carnot Comte Lazare Nicolas Marguerite Carnot (May 13, 1753â€”August 2, 1823) was a French politician, engineer, and mathematician. ... Leonhard Euler, considered one of the greatest mathematicians of all time A mathematician is a person whose primary area of study and research is the field of mathematics. ... Not to be confused with physician, a person who practices medicine. ... The Committee of Public Safety (French: ComitÃ© de salut public), set up by the National Convention on April 6, 1793, formed the de facto executive government of France during the Reign of Terror (1793-4) of the French Revolution. ... The dÃ©partements (or departments) are administrative units of France, roughly analogous to British counties. ...

Levée en masse

On 23 August 1793, at Carnot's insistence, the Convention issued the following proclamation ordering a levée en masse LevÃ©e en masse (literally Mass uprising) is a French term for mass conscription. ...

All unmarried able bodied men aged between 18 and 25 were to report immediately for military service. Those married, as well as the remaining men, women and children, were to focus their efforts on arming and supplying the army.

This increased the size of the Revolutionary Armies dramatically, providing the armies in the field with the manpower to hold off the enemy attacks. Carnot was hailed by the government as the Organizer of Victory. By September 1794, the Revolutionary Army had 1,500,000 men under arms. Carnot's levée en masse had provided so much manpower that it was not necessary to repeat it again until 1797.

Organisation and tactics

1791 Reglement

Officially, the Revolutionary Armies were operating along the guidelines set down in the 1791 Reglement, a set of regulations created during the years before the Revolution. The 1791 Reglement laid down several complex tactical maneuvers, maneuvers which demanded well trained soldiers, officers and NCOs to perform correctly. The Revolutionary Army was lacking in all three of these areas, and as a result the early efforts to conform to the 1791 Reglement were met with disaster. The untrained troops could not perform the complex maneuvers required, unit cohesion was lost and defeat was ensured.

Realizing that the army was not capable of conforming with the 1791 Reglement, commanders began experimenting with formations which required less training to perform. Many eminent French military thinkers had been clamoring for change decades before. In the period following the humiliating performance of the French Army during the Seven Years' War, they began to experiment with new ideas. Guibert wrote his epic Essai général de Tactique, Bourcet focused on staff procedures and mountain warfare, and Mesnil-Durand spent his time advocating l'ordre profond, tactics of maneuvering and fighting in heavy columnar formations, placing emphasis on the shock of cold steel over firepower. Combatants Kingdom of Prussia Kingdom of Great Britain and its American Colonies Electorate of Hanover Iroquois Confederacy Kingdom of Portugal Electorate of Brunswick Electorate of Hesse-Kassel Philippines Archduchy of Austria Kingdom of France Empire of Russia Kingdom of Sweden Kingdom of Spain Electorate of Saxony Kingdom of Naples and... Jacques Antoine Hippolyte, Comte de Guibert (1743 - May 6, 1790), French general and military writer, was born at Montauban, and at the age of thirteen accompanied his father, Charles Bénoit, comte de Guibert (1715-1786), chief of staff to Marshal de Broglie, throughout the war in Germany, and won... For other uses, see bayonet (disambiguation). ...

In the 1770s, some commanders, among them the brilliant duc de Broglie performed exercises testing these tactics. It was finally decided to launch a series of experiments to try out the new tactics, and comparing them to the standard Fredrickian linear formation known as l'ordre mince which was universally popular throughout Europe. De Broglie decided that l'ordre profond worked best when it was supported by artillery and large numbers of skirmishers. Despite these exercises, l'ordre mince had strong and powerful supporters in the Royal Armée Française, and it was this formation which went into the 1791 Reglement as the standard. Victor-FranÃ§ois, 2nd duc de Broglie (19 October 1718â€“30 March 1804) was a French aristocrat and soldier and a marshal of France. ... Frederick the Great Frederick II of Prussia (Friedrich der Große, Frederick the Great, January 24, 1712 – August 17, 1786) was the Hohenzollern king of Prussia 1740–86. ...

Tactics

Seeing the failure of the 1791 Reglement, several early Revolutionary commanders followed de Broglie's example and experimented with the pre-Revolutionary ideas, gradually adapting them until they discovered a system that worked. The final standard used by the early Revolutionary armies consisted of the following. Image File history File links General,_Officer_d'Legere,_Soldat_d'Ligne. ... Image File history File links General,_Officer_d'Legere,_Soldat_d'Ligne. ...

Those troops with exceptional morale or skill became skirmishers, and were deployed in a screen in front of the Army. Both mounted and on foot, the large swarm of skirmishers peppered the enemy formations with fire. Unable to retaliate on the scattered skirmishers, the morale and unit cohesion of the better trained and equipped émigré and monarchist armies was gradually worn down. The incessant harassing fire usually resulted in a section of the enemy line wavering, and then the 'regular' formations of the Revolutionary army would be sent into the attack. Traditionally light infantry (or skirmishers) were soldiers whose job was to provide a skirmishing screen ahead of the main body of infantry, harassing and delaying the enemy advance. ...

The skirmish screen also provided protection for those troops with less skill and of more dubious quality. These troops, making up the 'regular' part of the army, were formed into battalion columns. The battalion column required little training to perfect, and provided commanders with potent battering ram style formations with which to hit the enemy lines after the skirmishers had done their work. The Mixed Order (Ordre Mixte) was a tactical formation used by demi-brigades of the French Revolutionary Army and later by Napoleons La Grande ArmÃ©e to great effect. ...

Infantry

Following the dissolution of the ancien regime, the system of named regiments was abandoned. Instead, the new army was formed into a series of numbered demi-brigades. Consisting of two or three battalions, these formations were designated demi-brigades in an attempt to avoid the feudal connotations of the term Regiment. In mid 1793, the Revolutionary army officially comprised 196 infantry demi-brigades. Symbol of the Austrian 14th Armoured Battalion in NATO military graphic symbols This article is about the military unit. ... The standard of the Revolutionary 1Ã©re Demi-Brigade dInfanterie de Bataille, 1794 pattern. ...

After the initial dismal performance of the federe volunteer battalions, Carnot ordered that each demi-brigade was to consist of one regular and two federe battalions. These new formations were proven successful at Valmy in September 1792. In 1794, the new demi-brigade was universally adopted.

The Revolutionary army had been formed from a hodgepodge of different units, and as such did not have a uniform appearance. Veterans in their white uniforms and tarleton helments from the ancien regime period served alongside national guardsmen in their blue jackets with white turnbacks piped red and federes dressed in civilian clothes with only the red phyrgian cap and the tricolour cockade to identify them as soldiers. Poor supplies meant that uniforms which had worn out were replaced with civilian clothes, and so the Revolutionary army lacked any semblance of uniformity, with the exception of the tricolour cockade which was worn by all soldiers. As the war progressed, several demi-brigades were issued specific coloured uniform jackets, and the Revolutionary Armée d'Orient which arrived in Egypt in 1798 was uniformed in purple, pink, green, red, orange and blue jackets. Image File history File links EgyptFrInf2Lg. ... Image File history File links EgyptFrInf2Lg. ... A Phrygian cap The Phrygian cap or Bonnet Phrygien is a soft, red, conical cap with the top pulled forward, worn in antiquity by the inhabitants of Phrygia, a region of central Anatolia. ... The Tricolore cockade of France. ...

Along with the problem of uniforms, many men of the Revolutionary army lacked weapons and ammunition. Any weapons captured from the enemy were immediately absorbed into the ranks. After the Battle of Montenotte in 1796, 1,000 French soldiers who had been sent into battle unarmed were afterwards equipped with captured Austrian muskets. As a result, uniformity was also lacking in weapons. Combatants First French Republic Austrian Empire, Kingdom of Sardinia Commanders General Bonaparte Count Argenteau Strength 14,000 9,000 Casualties 800 killed, wounded or missing 2,500 killed, wounded, or (mostly) captured, 12 cannons lost The Battle of Montenotte was fought on 12 April 1796, during the French Revolutionary Wars...

Besides the regular demi-brigades, light infantry demi-brigades also existed. These formations were formed from soldiers who had shown skill in marksmanship, and were used for skirmishing in front of the main force. As with the line demi-brigades, the light demi-brigades lacked uniformity in either weapons or equipment. Traditionally light infantry (or skirmishers) were soldiers whose job was to provide a skirmishing screen ahead of the main body of infantry, harassing and delaying the enemy advance. ...

Artillery

Supporting the skirmishers was the French Artillery. The artillery had suffered least from the exodus of aristocratic officers during the early days of the Revolution, as it was commanded mostly by men drawn from the middle-class. The various technical improvements of Général Jean Baptiste Vaquette de Gribeauval in the years preceding the Revolution, and the subsequent efforts of Baron du Teil and his brother Chevalier Jean du Teil meant that the French artillery was the finest in Europe. The Revolutionary artillery was responsible for several of the Republic's early victories; for example at Valmy, on 13 Vendémiaire, and at Lodi. The Revolutionary cannon played a vital role in their success. The cannon continued to have a dominating role on the battlefield throughout the Napoleonic Wars. For other uses, see Artillery (disambiguation). ... Lieutenant General Jean Baptiste Vaquette de Gribeauval (15 September 1715 - 9 May 1789) was a French artillery officer and engineer who introduced various technical improvements to French cannon, providing them with an advantage during the early years of the Napoleonic wars. ... 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. ... The JournÃ©e of 13 VendÃ©maire, Year 4, The St. ... Italic textThe Battle of Lodi took place at Lodi, Lombardy, Italy on May 10, 1796. ...

Cavalry

The Cavalry was the most seriously affected by the Revolution. The majority of officers and men had been aristocratic and had fled France to avoid the terror. Many French Cavalry soldiers joined the émigré army of the Prince du Conde. Two entire regiments, the Hussards du Saxe and the 15éme Cavalerie (Royal Allemande) defected to the Austrians. Image File history File links Frrepublicancav. ... Image File history File links Frrepublicancav. ...

Lacking not only trained officers and men, but also mounts and equipment, the Revolutionary cavalry had to be formed from nothing, and continued to be the worst equipped arm of the Revolutionary Army. By Mid 1793, the paper organisation of the Revolutionary Army included twenty six heavy cavalry regiments, two regiments of carabiniers, twenty dragoon regiments, eighteen regiments of chasseurs à cheval and ten hussar regiments. In reality, it was seldom that any of these regiments reached even half strength.

Notable generals and commanders

Notable battles and campaigns

Battles of the early revolutionary period

In the campaigns of 1792 the French Revolutionary Wars opened. ... 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. ... The Battle of Jemappes (November 6, 1792) took place near the town of Jemappes in Hainaut, Belgium, near Mons. ...

War of the First Coalition, (1793-1797)

The name First Coalition (1793–1797) designates the first major concerted effort of multiple European powers to contain revolutionary France. ... The Battle of Verdun was fought on August 20, 1792 between French Revolutionary forces and a Prussian army. ... 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. ... 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 dOyrÃ© 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 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... 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 France Prussia Commanders Lazare Hoche Charles William Ferdinand, Duke of Brunswick Strength 30,000 Casualties 3,000 1,300 The Battle of Kaiserslautern (28-30 November 1793) was a battle of the War of the First Coalition (part of the French Revolutionary Wars), fought near the German city of... Combatants France Great Britain Austria Commanders Jean Victor Marie Moreau Joseph Souham Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany Prince Josias of Coburg Strength 70,000 74,000 Casualties 3,000 men 6 guns 5,500 men 60 guns The Battle of Tourcoing was fought near the town of Tourcoing... 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... Combatants Great Britain France Commanders Richard Howe, 1st Earl Howe Louis Thomas Villaret de Joyeuse Strength 25 ships of the line 26 ships of the line Casualties 8 ships damaged, 287 men killed, 811 wounded 7 ships lost, 13 damaged, 1,500 men killed, 2,000 wounded, 3,000 captured... 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. ... Battle of the War of the First Coalition between French and Austrian armies which took place on 21 September 1794. ... 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... The Battle of Groix was a naval battle fought on 23 June 1795 off the coast of France during the French Revolutionary War. ... 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 HyÃ¨res Islands was fought... Combatants First French Republic Austria Commanders General FranÃ§ois 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 Millesimo was the name that Napoleon Bonaparte gave in his correspondence to one of a series of small battles that were fought in Piedmont, Northern Italy, in April 1796 between the armies of France and the opposing armies of Austria and of the Kingdom of Sardinia. ... Combatants First French Republic Austrian Empire, Kingdom of Sardinia Commanders General Bonaparte Count Argenteau Strength 14,000 9,000 Casualties 800 killed, wounded or missing 2,500 killed, wounded, or (mostly) captured, 12 cannons lost The Battle of Montenotte was fought on 12 April 1796, during the French Revolutionary Wars... 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... The Battle of MondovÃ¬ was fought on April 21, 1796 between the French army of Napoleon Bonaparte and the Kingdom of Sardinia. ... Italic textThe Battle of Lodi took place at Lodi, Lombardy, Italy on May 10, 1796. ... Battle of the War of the First Coalition which took place on 5 August 1796 at Castiglione delle Stiviere in northern Italy between a French army under Napoleon Bonaparte and an Austrian army under Wurmser. ... Combatants First French Republic Austrian Empire Commanders Jean Victor Marie Moreau Archduke Charles Strength 50,000 20,000 Casualties 2,400 1,600 The Battle of Neresheim was fought on August 11, 1796 and resulted the victory of French under General Moreau against Austrians under Archduke Charles. ... Combatants First French Republic Austrian Empire Commanders Jean-Baptiste Jourdan Archduke Charles Wilhelm von Wartensleben Strength 34,000 40,000 Casualties 2,000 400 The Battle of Amberg resulted in an Austrian victory under Archduke Charles of Austria against the French under General Jourdan. ... Combatants France Austria Commanders Jean-Baptiste Jourdan Archduke Charles The Battle of WÃ¼rzburg was fought on September 3, 1796. ... Combatants First French Republic Austrian Empire Commanders General Bonaparte Count Wurmser Strength 20,000 ca 11,000 Casualties 400 killed, wounded or missing 600 killed or wounded, 2,000 captured, 30 cannons lost, 8 standards lost, 200 limbers and ammunition waggons lost The Battle of Bassano was fought on 8... Combatants First French Republic Austrian Empire Commanders General Bonaparte Baron Paul Davidovich Strength 20,000 10,000 Casualties 750 killed, wounded, or missing 3,000 killed, wounded, or (mostly) captured, 25 cannons lost, 7 colours lost The Battle of Rovereto (also known as Battle of Roveredo), was fought on 4... Combatants French Revolutionary Army Austrian Empire Commanders General Napoleon Bonaparte General Alvinczy Casualties Unknown, three days of heavy fighting Unknown, much of the Austrian army had moved to safety. ... Combatants French Republic Austrian Empire Commanders Napoleon Bonaparte Joseph Alvinczy, Peter Quasdanovich Strength 23,000 28,000 Casualties 5,000 dead and wounded 14,000 dead, wounded or captured The Battle of Rivoli (14â€“15 January 1797) was a key victory in the first French campaign in Italy against Austria. ... The Battle of Neuwied was fought on April 18, French under General Louis Lazare Hoche against Austrians under General Wermecek. ... The Battle of Camperdown, 11 October 1797 by Thomas Whitcombe, painted 1798, showing the British flagship Venerable engaged with the Dutch flagship Vrijheid The naval Battle of Camperdown took place on 11 October 1797 during the French Revolutionary Wars, and was a victory for a British fleet under Admiral Adam... Flag of the so-called ArmÃ©e Royale et Catholique (Royal and Catholic Army) from VendÃ©e Insigna of the royalist insurgents During the French Revolution, the 1793-1796 uprising in the VendÃ©e, variously known as the Uprising, Insurrection, Revolt, VendÃ©an Rebellion, or Wars in the VendÃ©e... War of the Pyrenees, also known as Great War, War of Rosellón, or War of the Convention, was fought between France and Spain (member of the First Coalition) in 1793-1795 during the French Revolutionary Wars. ... The French Revolutionary Wars continued from 1792, with new powers entering the First coalition after the execution of King Louis XVI. Spain and Portugal entered the coalition in January 1793, and on February 1 France declared war on Great Britain and the Netherlands. ... 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 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 dOyrÃ© Alexandre de Beauharnais Field marshal von Kalckreuth Duke of Brunswick Strength 23,000 184 cannons 36,000 later 44... is the 104th day of the year (105th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 204th day of the year (205th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1793 (MDCCXCIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the 11-day slower Julian calendar). ... Combatants France French Royalists Naples, Sardinia, Spain, Great Britain Strength 32,000 (at peak) ca 22,000 12 ships of the line Casualties 2,000 killed or wounded, 14 French ships of the line sunk in harbour, 15 captured by British ca 4,000 The Siege of Toulon took place... The French Revolutionary Wars continued from 1793 with few immediate changes in the diplomatic situation as France fought the First coalition. ... Combatants France Great Britain Austria Commanders Jean Victor Marie Moreau Joseph Souham Prince Frederick, Duke of York and Albany Prince Josias of Coburg Strength 70,000 74,000 Casualties 3,000 men 6 guns 5,500 men 60 guns The Battle of Tourcoing was fought near the town of Tourcoing... 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 French Revolutionary Wars continued from 1794 between France and the First coalition. ... The JournÃ©e of 13 VendÃ©maire, Year 4, The St. ... The French Revolutionary Wars continued from 1795, with the French in an increasingly strong position as members of the First Coalition made separate peaces. ... Combatants French Revolutionary Army Austrian Empire Commanders General Napoleon Bonaparte General Alvinczy Casualties Unknown, three days of heavy fighting Unknown, much of the Austrian army had moved to safety. ... Italic textThe Battle of Lodi took place at Lodi, Lombardy, Italy on May 10, 1796. ... The French Revolutionary Wars continued from 1796, with France fighting the First Coalition including Austria and Great Britain. ... Combatants French Republic Austrian Empire Commanders Napoleon Bonaparte Joseph Alvinczy, Peter Quasdanovich Strength 23,000 28,000 Casualties 5,000 dead and wounded 14,000 dead, wounded or captured The Battle of Rivoli (14â€“15 January 1797) was a key victory in the first French campaign in Italy against Austria. ...

War of the Second Coalition (1798-1800)

aign_of_1798.E2.80.931801" id="Egypt.E2.80.93Syria_Campaign_of_1798.E2.80.931801"> The name Second Coalition (1798 - 1800) designates the second major concerted effort of multiple European powers to contain Revolutionary France. ... Combatants French Consulate Austrian Empire Commanders Jean-Baptiste Jourdan Archduke Charles Strength 40,000 soldiers 60,000 soldiers The Second Battle of Stockach was a battle of the War of the Second Coalition, fought between the French Consulate and the Austrian Empire. ... Combatants France Austria, Russia Commanders General Moreau Alexander Suvorov The battle of Cassano dAdda was a battle in the French Revolutionary Wars that was fought on April 27, 1799 near Cassano dAdda. ... The Battle of Montebello was fought on 9 June 1800 near Montebello in Lombardy. ... Combatants France Russia and Austria Commanders General Macdonald General Suvorov Strength 33,500 32,700 Casualties 16,000 killed, wounded, and prisoners 6,000 killed, wounded & missing The Battle of Trebbia was fought on June 19, 1799 and resulted in the victory of the Austrians and Russians under Field Marshal... Combatants France Austria, Russia Commanders BarthÃ©lemy Catherine Joubert â€ Alexander Suvorov Strength 34,930 51,547 Casualties 12,000 killed and wounded, 4,600 prisoners, 37 guns, 28 powder transports 8,200 killed, wounded & missing The Battle of Novi was a battle near Novi Ligure, Italy. ... The Battle of Bergen also called the Battle of Bergen-Binnen was fought on September 19, 1799, and resulted in a French-Dutch victory under General Brune and General Daendels against the Russians and British under the Duke of York who had landed in the North of Holland. ... Guillaume Brune, commander of the Franco-Dutch troops The Battle of Castricum took place on October 6, 1799, during the War of the Second Coalition against revolutionary France. ... Combatants France Austrian empire Commanders Andre Massena Michael von Melas Strength 18,000 40,000 Casualties 11,000 total 17,000 total For other uses, see Siege of Genoa. ... Combatants French Consulate Austrian Empire Commanders General Lecourbe Prince of Lorraine The Battle of Stockach was fought on May 3, 1800 and resulted the victory of French under General Lecourbe against the Austrians under the Prince of Lorraine. ... Combatants French Consulate Austrian Empire Commanders Napoleon Bonaparte, Desaixâ€ Michael von Melas Strength 28,000, 24 guns 31,000, 100 guns Casualties 1,100 killed, 3,600 wounded, 900 missing or captured 963 killed, 5,518 wounded, 2,921 captured In the Battle of Marengo (14 June 1800) Napoleons... Combatants France Austrian Empire Commanders General Jean Victor Marie Moreau General Baron PÃ¡l Kray The Battle of HÃ¶chstÃ¤dt was fought on June 19, 1800 on the North bank of the Danube near HÃ¶chstÃ¤dt, and resulted in a French victory under General Jean Victor Marie Moreau... Combatants First French Republic Austrian empire Commanders General Moreau Archduke John Strength 180,000 120,000 Casualties 6,000 dead and wounded 8,000 dead and wounded, 12,000 captured, 200 cannons lost The Battle of Hohenlinden near Munich was fought on December 3, 1800, during the French Revolutionary Wars. ... Combatants Great Britain Denmark-Norway Commanders Admiral Sir Hyde Parker Lord Nelson Olfert Fischer, Steen Bille Strength Nelson: 12 ships of the line, 5 frigates, 7 bombs, 6 others Parker (reserve): 8 ships of the line Fischer: 7 ships of the line, 10 others Bille: 17 ships, 1 land battery... HMS Hannibal (left foreground) lies aground and dismasted at the Battle of Algeciras Bay. ... During the French Revolutionary Wars, the revolutionary armies boiled eastward, enveloping Switzerland in their battles against Austria. ... By 1799, the French Revolutionary Wars had resumed after a period of relative peace in 1798. ... Combatants France Austria, Russia Commanders General Moreau Alexander Suvorov The battle of Cassano dAdda was a battle in the French Revolutionary Wars that was fought on April 27, 1799 near Cassano dAdda. ... The battle of Trebia was fought on June 19, Austrians and Russians under General Suvorov against the French under General Macdonald. ... The Battle of Bergen also called the Battle of Bergen-Binnen was fought on September 19, 1799, and resulted in a French-Dutch victory under General Brune and General Daendels against the Russians and British under the Duke of York who had landed in the North of Holland. ... The French Revolutionary Wars continued from 1799 with the French fighting the forces of the Second Coalition. ... Combatants French Consulate Austrian Empire Commanders Napoleon Bonaparte, Desaixâ€ Michael von Melas Strength 28,000, 24 guns 31,000, 100 guns Casualties 1,100 killed, 3,600 wounded, 900 missing or captured 963 killed, 5,518 wounded, 2,921 captured In the Battle of Marengo (14 June 1800) Napoleons... The Battle of Hochstadt was fought by the Armenian General Hochstadt against his alter ego Pewee Herman. ... Combatants First French Republic Austrian empire Commanders General Moreau Archduke John Strength 180,000 120,000 Casualties 6,000 dead and wounded 8,000 dead and wounded, 12,000 captured, 200 cannons lost The Battle of Hohenlinden near Munich was fought on December 3, 1800, during the French Revolutionary Wars. ...

Egypt–Syria Campaign of 1798–1801

Combatants French Republic Mamluks Commanders Napoleon Bonaparte Murad Bey Strength 20,000[1] 60,000[1] Casualties 300 5,000-6,000 Battle of the Pyramids, Francois-Louis-Joseph Watteau, 1798-1799. ... Combatants Britain France Commanders Horatio Nelson FranÃ§ois-Paul Brueys DAigalliersâ€ Strength 14 ships of the line: * 13 x 74-gun, * 1 x 50-gun, 1 sloop 13 ships of the line: * 1 x 120-gun, * 3 x 80-gun, * 9 x 74gun, 4 frigates, some smaller Casualties 218... The Siege of El Arish was fought during February 1799 between French and Ottoman forces. ... The Siege of Jaffa was fought on March 7, 1799 between France and the Ottoman Empire. ... Combatants England Ottoman Empire France Commanders W. Sidney Smith Napoleon Bonaparte Strength Unknown 8000 Casualties Unknown ~ 2,000 The Siege of Acre of 1799 was a siege of the Turkish-defended, walled city of Acre (now Akko in modern Israel) by Napoleon Bonaparte, future Emperor of France. ... Combatants Ottoman Empire The Directoire Commanders Ahmad Basha al-Jazzar. ... Combatants France Ottoman Turks Commanders Napoleon Bonaparte Mustafa IV Strength 10,000 8,000 Casualties 1,000 killed and wounded 6,000 killed, wounded, or drowned. ... Combatants Britain France Commanders Ralph Abercromby Louis Friant Strength 5,000 2,000 Casualties 1,100 killed Uknown, but heavy The Battle of Abukir (1801) was the second battle of the Egyptian campaign, fought on March 8, 1801 at Abu Qir on the Mediterranean coast, near the Nile delta. ... The Egyptian city of Alexandria figured prominently in the military operations of Napoleons expedition of 1798. ... Combatants First French Republic Great Britain Commanders General Menou # General Hutchinson Casualties 8,000 troops and civilians surrendered (later repatriated) ? The Siege of Alexandria was fought between 17 August and 2 September 1801, during the French Revolutionary Wars, between French and British forces and was the last action of the... Combatants French Republic Mamluks Commanders Napoleon Bonaparte Murad Bey Strength 20,000[1] 60,000[1] Casualties 300 5,000-6,000 Battle of the Pyramids, Francois-Louis-Joseph Watteau, 1798-1799. ... The Siege of Jaffa was fought on March 7, 1799 between France and the Ottoman Empire. ... Combatants England Ottoman Empire France Commanders W. Sidney Smith Napoleon Bonaparte Strength Unknown 8000 Casualties Unknown ~ 2,000 The Siege of Acre of 1799 was a siege of the Turkish-defended, walled city of Acre (now Akko in modern Israel) by Napoleon Bonaparte, future Emperor of France. ... Combatants France Ottoman Turks Commanders Napoleon Bonaparte Mustafa IV Strength 10,000 8,000 Casualties 1,000 killed and wounded 6,000 killed, wounded, or drowned. ...

Active Armies - 1792-1804

Armies of 1792

Armies after restructure of 1793

On 1st October, the Armée de la Rochelle was redesignated as the armée de l'Ouest.

Armies Formed for Specific Tasks

The Army of Sambre-et-Meuse (French: ArmÃ©e de Sambre-et-Meuse) is the most well known of the armies of the French Revolution. ... Combatants First French Empire (land and naval forces) Batavian Republic (invasion barges) Kingdom of Spain (as part of combined fleet) United Kingdom Commanders Napoleon, Eustache Bruix, Pierre-Charles Villeneuve HonorÃ© Joseph Antoine Ganteaume Robert Calder, Cuthbert Collingwood, Horatio Nelson Strength Around 200,000 troops Casualties Zero, besides losses in training... La Grande ArmÃ©e (French the Big, Great or Grand Army) is the French military term for the main force in a military campaign. ... La Grande ArmÃ©e (French for the Great Army or the Grand Army) first entered the annals of history when, in 1805, Napoleon I renamed the army that he had assembled on the French coast of the English Channel for the proposed invasion of Britain and re-deployed it East...

References

^ Hazen, C.D. - The French Revolution Vol II, pp 666

Lynn, J.A. - The Bayonets of the Republic: Motivation and Tactics in the Army of Revolutionary France, 1791-94 , 356 pages, ISBN 0-8133-2945-0
Hazen, Charles Downer - The French Revolution, Vols I-II, 948 pages. ASIN: B00085AF0W
Campaigns of Napoleon, David G. Chandler. 1216 pages. 1973. ISBN 0-02-523660-1
Swords Around a Throne: Napoleon's Grande Armee, John Robert Elting. 784 pages. 1997. ISBN 0-306-80757-2
Royal, Republican, Imperial, a History of the French Army from 1792-1815: Vol 1 - Infantry - History of Line Infantry (1792-1815), Internal & Tactical Organization; Revolutionary National Guard, Volunteers Federes, & Compagnies Franches; and 1805 National Guard., Nafziger, George. 98 pages. (http://home.fuse.net/nafziger/NAFNAP.HTM)
Royal, Republican, Imperial, a History of the French Army from 1792-1815: Vol 2 - Infantry - National Guard after 1809; Garde de Paris, Gendarmerie, Police, & Colonial Regiments; Departmental Reserve Companies; and Infantry Uniforms., Nafziger, George. 104 pages. (http://home.fuse.net/nafziger/NAFNAP.HTM)
Royal, Republican, Imperial, a History of the French Army from 1792-1815: Vol 3 - Cavalry - Line, National Guard, Irregular, & Coastal Artillery, Artillery & Supply Train, and Balloon Companies., Nafziger, George. 127 pages.
Royal, Republican, Imperial, a History of the French Army from 1792-1815: Vol 4 - Imperial Guard, Nafziger, George. 141 pages. (http://home.fuse.net/nafziger/NAFNAP.HTM)

Contents

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