There is little doubt that most of the credit should go to Kellermann who took all the necessary dispositions and acted decisively during the battle. However, Dumouriez [25] also deserves some credit. It is his stubbornness that forced the reluctant Kellermann to fight. It is interesting to note that at the end of the battle there was little thought of triumph. The day seemed more a respite than a victory. Both Dumouriez and Kellermann expected renewed Prussian attacks on the next day and after a conference with Dumouriez at around 9:00PM, Kellermann began to withdraw across the Auve to a very strong position between Dampierre-sur-Auve and Voilemont, behind the Yevre and the Auve streams with his right resting on Dumouriez and his left difficult to turn. The battle is known as the "cannonade de Valmy" for the opposing sides never came to grips. It was an artillery duel between the French and the Prussians. To everyone's and especially Brunswick's surprise, the French stood firm. The psychological importance of this limited victory was immense for the French army which so far had had no success to speak of in the field. The encounter clearly showed the superiority of the French artillery. Finally, the political outcome was of crucial importance to the survival of the French Revolution. The Aftermath of Valmy The expected Prussian attack did not materialize. The Prussians and the French remained in their positions and faced each other until September 30, more or less acknowledging a state of truce. Some disagreements took place between Dumouriez who cared nothing for the threat to Paris and clung to the Argonne and Kellermann who threatened withdrawing to Chalons. Dumouriez had to appeal to the War Minister. Dumouriez's policy was upheld and he was given overall command of both his and Kellermann's armies. Brunswick was never very enthusiastic about going to Paris. He fully realized that his effective strength was far too low for such an enterprise and that his supply system had broken down because of the advancing season. Because of this, his troops had been poorly fed and were suffering from dysentery. Dumouriez entered into secret negotiations with the Prussians and obtained their withdrawal across the Rhine without any fighting. Consequently, Brunswick began to withdraw on September 30. Kellermann was kept out of the secret and was not told until October 6. He was utterly shocked when he was informed not to make any attack against the Prussians. Dumouriez with the Armee du Nord was to invade Belgium while Kellermann with theAnnee du Centre was simply to gently push Brunswick [26] back to the Rhine and to retake Longwy and Verdun without bloodshed. Kellermann fully cooperated and the program was carried out as planned. The Prussians surrendered Verdun and Longwy and completed their evacuation of France by October 7. On October 1, the Armee du Centre was renamed the Armee de la Moselle. Still under Kellermann's command, it was placed in cantonments between Longwy and Saarlouis. SOURCES Chuquet, A. Les guerres de la Revolution, Valmy, 8 volumes, Paris, Cerf, 1881. Belhomme, Histoire de l'infanterie en France Susanne, General Histoire de l'infanterie Francaise Phipps, Colonel R.W. The Armies of the First French Republic Chandler, David G. editor of Napoleon's Marshals. Misc. notes from French archives. FOOTNOTES [1] The Argonne region of France is famous for the bloody battles that took place during WWI. Verdun, the most famous, is only 20 miles away. [2] One of the reasons was that, with the exception of the artillery, the great majority of the French army officers were of noble birth. [3] The provincial infantry consisted of 8 Royal regiments, 14 provincial regiments and 78 garrison battalions. They were recruited by ballot in parishes. In case of war, these battalions were called up taking over garrisons from the regular army and, if necessary, furnishing reinforcements to the field army. [4] For instance, see Colonel H.C.B. Rogers, Napoleon's Army, Hippocrene Books, New York, 1974, p.59. [5] Phipps, Colonel Ramsay Weston, The Armies of the First French Republic, Greenwood Press Publishers, Westport, CT, 1980 (reprint of original first edition published in 1926), Vol. 1, p. 13. [6] Prior to 1789, France was administratively divided into Provinces. The Revolution abolished the Provinces and replaced them with 89 departments. [7] Phipps, p. 16. [8] The volunteers of the second bans elected their officers. They were a source of weakness and danger for the new armies which they joined. General Suzane in Histoire de l'infanterie francaise p.353, says: "It is the indiscipline, ignorance, presumption and cowardice of the greater number of these battalions which caused the disasters of 1792 and which used up all the Generals of the Republic and led to the scaffold commanders whose sole crime was to have written to the Convention, `Send us regular troops and relieve us of the "sans-culottes".' [9] A battalion of Federes from Marseilles took an active part in the massacre of the King's Swiss Guards at the Tuilleries after the King ordered the latter to cease fire. [10] We are speaking of the very same Rochambeau who commanded the French expeditionary forces during the War of the American Revolution. [11] At the time of Valmy, the Duke of Brunswick was considered the best general in Europe. He was killed at the Battle of Auerstadt in 1806. [12] See Map 2, which shows Kellerman's movements to join Dumouriez. [13] Luckner was assembling numerous reinforcements in that city and Kellerman was also heading that way. [14] 14 Phipps, Vol.1, p. 122. [15] Ibid, p. 122 [16] Kellerman had lightened his army. A third of the avantgarde had been left behind at Bar-le-Duc to protect his rear. Another third was sent back to Sampigny to protect the wokshops there. The pontoon train, the heavy carriages and part of the artillery train were also left behind. Only 36 guns were retained with Kellerman's force but these had a double supply of ammunition. [17] An eyewitness quoted by Phipps, Vol. 2, p.15, mentions that the artillery had fine pieces with good teams admirably served and supplied with abundant ammunitions. [18] The volunteers of the 1st ban, most of whom had previously served in the army, had been training for over a year and were disciplined troops. [19] The road from Chalons to Ste. Menehould of that period is exactly following the modern road N.3 (N stands for a National Highway). [20] Dumouriez and Kellerman were on equal terms. [21] At the time of the Battle of Valmy, although Louis the XVIth had been suspended and the Royal family imprisoned, the king, at least officially still reigned. It was not for long since after Valmy, royalty was abolished in France. Louis the XVIth was executed on January 21, 1793. [22] The young Duc de Chartres, son of Phil ippe-Egalit6, led the cavalry and his father was a Division of infantry. [23] 23 Let us not forget that, at this time, the Prussian army was reputed to be the best in Europe. [24] In 1792, in the French army, the train of artillery had only civilian drivers, which were reputed for fleeing at the first sign of danger. That situation was changed in 1799 by replacing them with soldier drivers (the "equipages du train"). [25] Phipps, p.131, Vol. I quotes Napoleon. Napoleon considered Dumouriez had been too audacious: ... And that from me should count for much, for I consider myself as the most audacious man in war who perhaps has ever existed; and most certainly I should not have remained in the position of Dumouriez, so dangerous would it have seemed to me. I could only explain his maneuver to myself by saying that he could not dare to retreat. He must have considered there was more peril in retreating than in remaining." Phipps continues:..I must believe the great master of war to be right, but he may have underrated the marvellous confidence of Dumouriez." [26] Brunswick already had a 6-day head start! [27] His file in the Vincennes archives reads: "A very intelligent and well informed officer." It may have taken almost 35 years for Kellermann to become a major general but, in the French army of the time, that was quite an achievement for a man not of noble birth. [28] Kellerman had to wait 14 years for his baton. More Battle of Valmy September 20, 1792 Introduction I. The French Army and the Revolution II. The French Revolutionary Army of the Northeast at the Beginning of the War in 1792 III. Battle of Valmy IV. Conclusions and the Aftermath of Valmy Back to Empire, Eagles, & Lions Table of Contents Vol. 2 No. 2 Back to EEL List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1993 by Emperor's Headquarters This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com