Plan de la bataille de Wattignies 1793

 

Plan de la bataille de Wattignies 1793

Lallemand, cartographe

This is a military map (plan de bataille) depicting the Battle of Wattignies (16–17 October 1793), one of the key engagements of the War of the First Coalition during the French Revolutionary Wars.

The plan illustrates the battlefield near Wattignies in the Austrian Netherlands (present-day Belgium), where French forces of the Army of the North launched a coordinated attack against Coalition troops under Austrian command. The engagement is especially associated with Jean-Baptiste Jourdan, who helped lead the French offensive that ultimately forced the lifting of the siege of Maubeuge.

As a cartographic document, the map shows troop dispositions, terrain features, villages, roads, and key tactical positions used during the two-day battle. It typically highlights French attack columns, Austrian defensive lines, and the movements that shaped the final French breakthrough on 17 October.

The Battle of Wattignies is considered significant because it marked a stabilization of the French northern frontier after earlier Coalition advances. It demonstrated the growing effectiveness of Revolutionary armies and contributed to the broader reversal of Coalition momentum in 1793.

A map of the present seat of War on the Northern part of France, including the Netherlands part of Germany 1793

 

A map of the present seat of War on the Northern part of France, including the Netherlands part of Germany

Histoire de l'armée de Condé pendant la Révolution française (1791-1801)

 

Histoire de l'armée de Condé pendant la Révolution française (1791-1801)

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 Based on state archives, émigration memoirs, and unpublished documents, the work provides one of the most comprehensive accounts of this counter-revolutionary military body.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.

Campagnes du corps sous les ordres de son altesse sérénissime Mgr le Prince de Condé

Campagnes du corps sous les ordres de son altesse sérénissime Mgr le Prince de Condé

 Armand François Hennequin d’Ecquevilly, Le Normant, Paris, 1818

This work is a detailed memoir and campaign history of the émigré Army of Condé, written by Armand François Hennequin d’Ecquevilly, who served within the royalist forces during the French Revolutionary Wars.

The book chronicles the operations of the Army of Condé, a force composed of French royalist émigrés who fought alongside Coalition powers against Revolutionary France. It follows the army’s formation in the early 1790s and its participation in campaigns along the Rhine frontier, where it operated in coordination with Austrian and other German Allied forces.

A central focus of the work is the leadership of the Louis Joseph de Bourbon, Prince of Condé, under whose command the émigré corps took part in various Coalition operations during the War of the First Coalition. The narrative describes marches, engagements, sieges, and the difficulties faced by royalist troops fighting in exile, including issues of supply, coordination with Allied commanders, and morale.

The book also provides insight into the broader political and military context of the émigré forces, including their reliance on Austrian and other Coalition support, and their hopes of restoring the French monarchy through military intervention. It reflects both the operational realities of the campaigns and the ideological motivations of the royalist cause.

La campagne de l'Argonne (1792): thèse présentée à la Faculté des lettres de Paris par Arthur Chuquet

 

La campagne de l'Argonne (1792)

Arthur Chuquet, L. Cerf, Paris, 1886

This scholarly thesis by Arthur Chuquet provides a detailed study of the Argonne campaign of 1792, one of the critical phases of the opening year of the French Revolutionary Wars. It focuses on the Allied invasion of France by Prussian and Austrian forces and the French defensive operations in the rugged Argonne region.

The work reconstructs the strategic situation following the Coalition advance into northeastern France, after the capture of border fortresses such as Longwy and Verdun. It examines the French efforts to block the invasion routes through the Argonne passes, where terrain, supply difficulties, and command decisions played a decisive role in shaping the campaign.

A major emphasis is placed on the maneuvering of both armies as the Prussian-led forces under the Duke of Brunswick attempted to force their way through the forested and fortified corridors toward the interior of France. The thesis analyzes French defensive deployments, the coordination between different French armies, and the eventual Coalition decision to abandon the direct advance.

The study culminates in the events leading up to the Battle of Valmy (20 September 1792), showing how the Argonne operations directly contributed to the stalling of the invasion and the stabilization of Revolutionary France in its first major existential crisis.

La Belgique sous la domination française (1792-1815). Dumouriez dans les ci-devant Pays-Bas autrichiens.

 

Volume 1

Volume 2

This historical work examines the French occupation and administration of Belgium (the former Austrian Netherlands) from the outbreak of the Revolutionary Wars in 1792 through the end of the Napoleonic period in 1815. It places particular emphasis on the early Revolutionary phase under the command of Charles François Dumouriez, who led the French Army during the invasion and initial conquest of the Austrian Netherlands.

The book focuses on the political and military transformation of the region after French victories in 1792–1794, when the territory shifted from Habsburg control to French Revolutionary administration. It examines Dumouriez’s campaigns in the Low Countries, including the advance that followed the Battle of Jemappes, as well as the complex relationship between military conquest and revolutionary political goals.

A major theme is the interaction between occupying French forces and the local population in the “ci-devant Pays-Bas autrichiens,” exploring how revolutionary institutions, reforms, and administrative changes were introduced. The study also considers resistance, collaboration, and the gradual integration of the region into the French Republic and later the Empire.

Although the book spans the entire period up to 1815, its strongest focus is on the early 1790s, when Dumouriez and subsequent French generals established control over Belgium during the War of the First Coalition. It situates these operations within the broader context of Revolutionary expansion and the collapse of Habsburg authority in the region.

Révolution et la guerre. Hoche à l’armée de la Moselle. Les généraux du Directoire

 

Révolution et la guerre. Hoche à l’armée de la Moselle

Edmond Lenient (attributed), Millot frères, Besançon, 1920

This historical work examines the intersection of the French Revolution and military operations through the career of Lazare Hoche, with particular emphasis on his command of the Army of the Moselle and the broader evolution of French leadership under the Directory.

The first part of the book focuses on Hoche’s role during the Revolutionary Wars, especially his operations on the northeastern frontier where the Army of the Moselle played a key role in the campaigns against Coalition forces along the Rhine. It highlights his organizational reforms, operational planning, and efforts to restore discipline and effectiveness within the Revolutionary armies during a period of intense political instability.

A second major theme is the transition from Revolutionary command structures to the military leadership of the Directory period (1795–1799). The work discusses how generals such as Hoche, Jourdan, Moreau, and others shaped French military strategy during the later stages of the Revolutionary Wars, particularly in campaigns against Austria and its allies.

The book places strong emphasis on the relationship between politics and military command, showing how Revolutionary ideology, internal dissent, and government oversight influenced operational decisions. It also traces the gradual professionalization of the French officer corps during this period.