This is a detailed siege plan of Kehl, documenting the French operations following the crossing of the Rhine during the 1797 campaign of the War of the First Coalition (an V of the French Revolutionary calendar).
The map depicts the fortified town of Kehl, located on the eastern bank of the Rhine opposite Strasbourg, which served as a critical bridgehead for French operations into southwestern Germany. It focuses on the siege works established after French forces successfully crossed the Rhine and temporarily secured the position, followed by Austrian counteroperations and the subsequent struggle for control of the site.
The plan shows the arrangement of French siege lines, trenches, artillery batteries, and approaches constructed during the operation, along with the defensive works of the fortress and surrounding terrain. The Rhine River, its banks, and crossing points are carefully represented, emphasizing the strategic importance of controlling this passage for operations in the Upper Rhine theater.
These events are part of the wider operations of the Army of Rhin-et-Moselle under Jean Victor Marie Moreau, whose forces conducted repeated crossings and withdrawals across the Rhine during the shifting front of the late Revolutionary Wars. The siege reflects the constant struggle for control of bridgeheads that defined campaigning in this region.
As a cartographic document, the plan combines tactical detail with operational context, illustrating how engineering works, river geography, and fortified positions shaped the outcome of Rhine campaigns. It provides a precise visual record of one of the key contested crossing points in the 1796–1797 German theater.
