The Cannonade at Valmy Halts the Invasion of Revolutionary France

In late summer 1792, the survival of the French Revolution appeared deeply precarious. Alarmed by revolutionary upheaval, European monarchs launched the War of the First Coalition, seeking to halt political contagion and restore traditional royal authority. King Frederick William II of Prussia, together with Austrian forces, dispatched an army under the Duke of Brunswick toward Paris. Early engagements in mid-1792 went poorly for the French, allowing coalition forces to press deep into French territory. Brunswick easily took the fortresses of Longwy in late August and Verdun in early September before advancing through the defiles of the Forest of Argonne.

Facing this crisis, French general Charles Dumouriez suspended an intended offensive into the Austrian Netherlands and moved his army to block the passes of the Argonne. General François Kellermann marched from Metz, joined him on 19 September, and placed his troops behind the advancing Prussians. Although Brunswick theoretically held an open road to Paris, exposing his communications and supply lines was too hazardous to attempt. Confronting autumn downpours, muddy terrain, and spreading sickness among his ranks, the Prussian commander turned back to dislodge the French force.