Tage-Buch der Feldzüge des Kriegs gegen Frankreich in den Jahren 1792 bis mit 1796

 

Tage-Buch der Feldzüge des Kriegs gegen Frankreich in den Jahren 1792 bis mit 1796

This rare early nineteenth-century military chronicle, titled Tage-Buch der Feldzüge des Kriegs gegen Frankreich in den Jahren 1792 bis mit 1796 (Diary of the Campaigns of the War Against France in the Years 1792 to 1806), was published in 1818 by J. H. Decker in Colmar. The book was authored by Count Franz Josef Graf Desfours zu Mont (1765–1823), a prominent general in the Austrian imperial military who commanded a Moravian-Silesian sharpshooter (Jäger) battalion during the conflict.

The book documents the author's direct observations and strategic experiences during the War of the First Coalition, which was the inaugural phase of the sprawling French Revolutionary Wars. Following the 1789 revolution, a coalition of European monarchies—most notably including the Holy Roman Empire, Austria, and Prussia—sought to contain and dismantle the newly declared French Republic. Desfours' account covers the intensive five-year span from the initial outbreaks of violence in 1792 up through the exhaustive campaigns of 1796. Written from the perspective of a high-ranking Austrian officer on the front lines, the text offers an invaluable day-to-day log of troop movements, logistical crises, battlefield maneuvers, and the evolving nature of combat as old-regiment tactics collided with the mass-conscription armies of revolutionary France.

Beyond its immense value to military history, this specific work occupies an incredibly famous niche in the history of printing and art preservation. Published in 1818, the book is illustrated with over two dozen fold-out maps, tactical plans, and scenic vistas drawn by J. A. Boillot. These plates were printed by the pioneering master printmaker Godefroy Engelmann at his workshop in Mulhouse. Because Engelmann was one of the earliest figures to introduce Alois Senefelder’s newly invented lithography technique to France and the Alsace region, this book is recognized as an "incunabula of lithography"—a term reserved for the rarest, earliest examples of early lithographic printing. Complete institutional copies containing all 26 original plates are extraordinarily rare, with even the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF) possessing an incomplete copy.

Desfours’ chronicle remains a premier source for researchers analyzing the ground-level realities of late eighteenth-century European warfare. It merges raw, personal campaign data with highly sophisticated topographical illustrations. For modern scholars, it bridges two distinct worlds by serving simultaneously as an authoritative primary text on the defense of the Holy Roman Empire against revolutionary ideals, and as a prized artifact celebrating the infancy of modern printmaking technology.

Vertreibung der Franzosen aus Franckfurt, von den Preusisch u. Hessischen Truppen d. 2. Decbr. 1792

 

Vertreibung der Franzosen aus Franckfurt, von den Preusisch u. Hessischen Truppen d. 2. Decbr. 1792

Expulsion of the French from Frankfurt by Prussian and Hessian troops, December 2, 1792. In the process, 1,158 Frenchmen were taken prisoner, including 68 officers and 190 wounded.

1. Frankfurt did not deserve what Custine did to it, but now the King of Prussia, Brunswick, and the Hessians advance.

2. To rescue you, the Allerheiligen Gate is already being shelled.

3. Look how the Cavalry rushes here, so indefatigably!

4. See how the Frenchman runs,

5. and hides inside barrels out of fear,

6. Throws his weapons away,

7. and lies stretched out wounded and dead,

8. How cannons and provisions are taken away from them,

9. General and officers come to surrender themselves.

10. How the insignia are stripped off, which are called "National".

11. The trumpeter sounds the summons.

12. Prussian and Hessian fire bang after bang.

13. How the artisan apprentices rush to open the gate, and at the commander's station...

14. Secure the two artillery pieces firmly, so that neither is lost.

15. But how the Frenchman rages, shelling the city from the rampart,

16. Ruining houses and monasteries—blessed is the people that enjoys peace!

Publisher:
[J.M. Will] (Augsburg)

Publication date:
1792

A historical battle print (estampe) depicting the expulsion of French Revolutionary forces from Frankfurt am Main by Prussian and Hessian troops on December 2, 1792, during the early phase of the War of the First Coalition. The scene illustrates the Allied recapture of the city following its brief occupation by French forces under General Adam Philippe de Custine during the Revolutionary campaigns along the Rhine.

The composition shows French troops in retreat through the streets of Frankfurt while Prussian and Hessian units advance to secure the city. The engraving emphasizes military order and discipline among the advancing Allied forces, contrasted with the disorder of the withdrawing French columns. Urban architecture frames the action, reinforcing the strategic and symbolic importance of Frankfurt as a key Rhine crossing and political center.

Published in Augsburg by the workshop of J. M. Will, this print reflects contemporary German visual propaganda and documentary-style military illustration during the Revolutionary Wars. It serves both as a commemorative image of the 1792 campaign and as a visual record of one of the early confrontations between Revolutionary France and the First Coalition.

Darstellung des Treffens an der Suffelbach bey Strasburg. Der Grossh. Hessischen Truppen Wegnahme der franzœs. Position von Lampertheim u. Mundolsheim am 28ten Juny 1815

 

Der Grossh. Hessischen Truppen Wegnahme der franzœs

A historical battle painting depicting the engagement at the Suffelbach near Strasbourg on June 28, 1815, during the final days of the Napoleonic Wars. The scene shows the Grand Duchy of Hesse troops in action as they advance against French positions at Lampertheim and Mundolsheim in the aftermath of the Battle of Waterloo and the Allied invasion of France.

The composition illustrates the intensity of the fighting, with infantry formations maneuvering across open terrain, officers directing troop movements, and skirmishers engaging in close combat amid the fields and villages north of Strasbourg. The painting captures the atmosphere of urgency and collapse during the closing phase of the 1815 campaign, as Allied forces pressed into French territory.

Organisation et tactique des trois armes: I fascicule — La cavalerie de 1740 à 1789

 

La cavalerie de 1740 à 1789

by Lieutenant-Colonel Édouard Desbrière and Captain Maurice Sautai
Berger-Levrault & Cie, Paris & Nancy, 1906

Serving as the introductory volume to the French Army General Staff's acclaimed series on the history of the French cavalry, this work examines the organization, administration, tactics, and evolution of the mounted arm from 1740 to the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789. Although it predates the French Revolutionary Wars, the volume provides the essential historical foundation for understanding the dramatic changes that transformed the cavalry during the Revolution and the War of the First Coalition.

Drawing upon official military regulations, archival records, correspondence, and contemporary military treatises, Lieutenant-Colonel Édouard Desbrière and Captain Maurice Sautai trace the development of the Royal French cavalry under the Ancien Régime. The authors examine regimental organization, recruitment, officer training, equipment, uniforms, remounts, administration, and battlefield tactics, while also exploring the reforms introduced during the reigns of Louis XV and Louis XVI in response to the lessons of the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War.

The volume provides detailed analysis of cavalry doctrine, operational employment, and the evolution of heavy cavalry, dragoons, hussars, and chasseurs à cheval, demonstrating how these pre-Revolutionary institutions shaped the mounted forces inherited by the French Republic. Richly documented and illustrated with maps and tactical sketches, it establishes the military and organizational context necessary for the three succeeding volumes covering the Revolutionary period.

Organisation et tactique des trois armes: II fascicule — La cavalerie pendant la révolution, du 14 juillet 1789 au 26 juin 1794

 

La cavalerie pendant la Révolution : du 14 juillet 1789 au 26 juin 1794

by Lieutenant-Colonel Édouard Desbrière and Captain Maurice Sautai
Berger-Levrault & Cie, Paris & Nancy, 1907

A foundational study of the French cavalry during the opening years of the French Revolution, this volume examines the dramatic transformation and near collapse of the mounted arm from the outbreak of the Revolution on July 14, 1789, through June 26, 1794. The first volume in the French Army General Staff's acclaimed Organisation et tactique des trois armes series on Revolutionary cavalry, it explores the period the authors characterize as la crise—a time of political upheaval, organizational disruption, and military reorganization.

Drawing upon official military archives, regulations, correspondence, and campaign reports, Lieutenant-Colonel Édouard Desbrière and Captain Maurice Sautai analyze the profound effects of the Revolution on the cavalry, including the emigration of aristocratic officers, shortages of experienced leaders and trained horsemen, the difficulties of recruiting and equipping new regiments, and the administrative challenges that accompanied the transition from the Royal Army to the armies of the French Republic.

The volume examines the organization, training, equipment, remount system, tactics, and battlefield employment of French cavalry during the campaigns of 1792–1794, highlighting its role in reconnaissance, screening, pursuit, and combat. It also explores the reforms that gradually restored the effectiveness of the mounted arm despite severe shortages of horses, matériel, and experienced personnel during the Republic's most critical years.

Organisation et tactique des trois armes: III fascicule — La cavalerie pendant la Révolution: la fin de la Convention (du 19 juin 1794 au 27 octobre 1795)

 

La cavalerie pendant la Révolution: la fin de la Convention (du 19 juin 1794 au 27 octobre 1795)

by Lieutenant-Colonel Édouard Desbrière and Captain Maurice Sautai
Berger-Levrault & Cie, Paris & Nancy, 1908

A comprehensive study of the French cavalry during the final phase of the National Convention, covering the period from June 19, 1794, to October 27, 1795. Written by Lieutenant-Colonel Édouard Desbrière and Captain Maurice Sautai for the Historical Section of the French Army General Staff, this volume forms the third installment in the acclaimed Organisation et tactique des trois armes series and remains one of the definitive works on Revolutionary-era cavalry. The book includes 20 maps and tactical sketches that illustrate the organization and operations of the mounted arm.

Drawing extensively upon official military archives, regulations, campaign reports, and contemporary correspondence, the authors examine the reorganization of cavalry regiments, recruitment, training, equipment, remounts, logistics, and command structure during the closing months of the Convention. The volume analyzes cavalry operations in the campaigns of 1794 and 1795, including reconnaissance, screening, pursuit, charges, and cooperation with infantry and artillery, while highlighting the growing professionalism of the Republican mounted forces.

Beyond its operational history, the book explores the administrative and tactical reforms that restored the effectiveness of the French cavalry after the upheavals of the Revolution. It demonstrates how the experience gained during this period prepared the mounted arm for the successful campaigns of the Directory and ultimately the celebrated cavalry of the Napoleonic era.

La cavalerie sous le directoire, Édouard Desbrière & Maurice Sautai Berger-Levrault & cie

 

La cavalerie sous le directoire

by Édouard Desbrière & Maurice Sautai
Berger-Levrault & Cie, Paris & Nancy, 1910

A definitive study of the French cavalry during the Directory (1795–1799), this volume examines the organization, administration, reforms, and battlefield employment of the mounted arm during the closing years of the French Revolutionary Wars. Written by Lieutenant-Colonel Édouard Desbrière and Captain Maurice Sautai as part of the French Army General Staff's acclaimed Organisation et tactique des trois armes series, the work is one of the most authoritative references on Revolutionary-era cavalry.

Drawing extensively upon official military archives, regulations, orders, and campaign reports, the authors analyze the reorganization of the cavalry under the Directory, including changes to regimental structure, strength, recruitment, training, equipment, remounts, and administration. The volume also examines the tactical employment of cavalry in the campaigns of the Armies of the Sambre-et-Meuse and the Rhine-et-Moselle during 1796, the Army of Italy in 1796–1797, the Army of the Rhine in 1797, the Army of Egypt, and the final campaigns of the Directory in 1798–1799.

Illustrated with maps and tactical sketches, the book provides detailed accounts of cavalry operations, reconnaissance, charges, screening actions, pursuit, and cooperation with infantry and artillery. It highlights the evolution of French cavalry doctrine and demonstrates how the reforms of the Directory transformed the mounted arm into an increasingly effective force, laying the groundwork for the celebrated cavalry of the Napoleonic era.