René Bittard des Portes, E. Dentu, Paris, 1896
This historical study examines the formation, operations, and eventual dissolution of the Army of Condé, the principal royalist émigré force that fought against Revolutionary France during the 1790s. Based on state archives, émigration memoirs, and unpublished documents, the work provides one of the most comprehensive accounts of this counter-revolutionary military body.
The book traces the origins of the Army of Condé in 1791, when French royalist officers and nobles who had fled the Revolution organized armed resistance in coordination with Coalition powers. It follows the army’s participation in campaigns along the Rhine and in eastern France, where it operated alongside Austrian and other German forces during the War of the First Coalition.
A central focus is the leadership of the Louis Joseph de Bourbon, Prince of Condé, under whom the force fought in several Coalition operations between 1792 and 1797. The study details the army’s organization, recruitment from émigré nobility and volunteers, and its dependence on Austrian logistical and strategic support.
The work also explores the political dimension of the émigré army, including its role as a symbol of monarchical restoration and its complex relationship with Allied governments, particularly Austria. It describes the difficulties faced by the corps, such as shortages of supplies, internal tensions, and the challenges of maintaining cohesion while operating outside France.
By the end of the Revolutionary Wars, the Army of Condé gradually lost its operational significance and was ultimately disbanded in 1801, following the changing political landscape in Europe. The book concludes by assessing its historical role as both a military formation and a political instrument of the French royalist cause.
