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Army of the Rhine (1791–1795) facts for kids

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Army of the Rhine
A French fusilier carries his long muzzled musket. He wears a blue jacket and white shirt and trousers; his cartridge belt is strapped across his chest and he wears a tricorn hat with a red revolutionary cockade.
Fusilier of a French Revolutionary Army
Active 1791–95, 1797–98, 1799–1801
Country Kingdom of France (until 1792)
French First Republic French Republic (from 1792)
Allegiance Kingdom of France
First Republic
March Chant de guerre pour l'Armée du Rhin
Disbanded 20 April 1795
Commanders
Notable
commanders		 Nicolas Luckner
Adam Philippe, Comte de Custine


The Army of the Rhine (in French: Armée du Rhin) was a French army created in December 1791. Its main goal was to bring the ideas of the French Revolution to the German states along the Rhine River.

In its first year (1792), under the command of Adam Philippe Custine, the Army of the Rhine won several important battles. These included victories at Mainz, Frankfurt, and Speyer. Later, the army was reorganized several times. On April 20, 1795, it joined with the Army of the Moselle to form the Army of the Rhine and Moselle.

Armée du Rhin (page 1)
How French Armies were organized, 1791–1793

What was the Army of the Rhine?

The Army of the Rhine was one of the main French Revolutionary armies. It fought in the Rhineland area, mostly in the Rhine River valley, from 1791 to 1795. When it was first formed on December 14, 1791, it had about 88,390 soldiers.

Its job was to protect France's eastern border. It worked alongside two other armies: the Army of the North and the Army of the Center (which later became the Army of the Moselle). Over time, these armies grew and split into more groups. By April 30, 1793, France had eleven armies protecting its borders.

The Birth of a Famous Song

In the early months of fighting, France didn't win many battles. The Austrian armies and their allies were attacking France's borders. There were many defeats in places like Mons, Tournay, and Bavay.

Meanwhile, cities along the Upper Rhine, especially Strasbourg, felt threatened. Austrian armies were gathering on the other side of the Rhine River. On April 25, 1792, the mayor of Strasbourg, Philippe Friedrich Dietrich, asked a guest named Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle to write a song. The song was meant to inspire the soldiers and people against the Austrian threat.

That very evening, Rouget de Lisle wrote "Chant de guerre pour l'Armée du Rhin" (which means "War Song for the Army of the Rhine"). He dedicated it to Marshal Nicolas Luckner, a Bavarian who served France. The song quickly became a powerful rallying cry for the Revolution. Its famous lines are: Allons enfants de la Patrie (Arise, children of the Fatherland) and Le jour de gloire est arrivé! (The day of glory has arrived!). This song was later renamed "La Marseillaise" and became France's national anthem.

Victories under General Custine

After Marshal Luckner moved to command the Army of the North, General Custine took over the Army of the Rhine in the spring of 1793. Under his experienced leadership, the army captured several important places along the Rhine. These included Speyer, Mainz, Limburg, and Frankfurt. You can see more details about these battles in the chart below.

How the Army was Reorganized

On December 29, 1794, parts of the Army of the Rhine and the Army of the Moselle combined. They formed the army that was besieging Mainz. The rest of the Army of the Moselle then fully joined with the Army of the Rhine on April 20, 1795. This new combined force was called the Army of the Rhine and Moselle.

Later, on September 29, 1797, this army merged again with the Army of Sambre-et-Meuse. Together, they formed the Army of Germany.

Key Battles of the Army of the Rhine

The Army of the Rhine fought in many important battles between 1792 and 1795. Here are some of the main ones:

Battles of the Army of the Rhine.
1792–1795
Date Battle Victor Commander
28 April 1792 Battle of Porrentruy France Adam Philippe Custine
21 October 1792 1st Mainz French Custine
30 September 1792 Capture of Speyer French Custine
21 October 1792 Capture of Frankfurt French Custine
10 November 1792 Limburg French Custine, Houchard commanding the advanced guard.
2 December 1792 Frankfurt am Main Coalition Custine, GdB van Helden commanding the garrison force
14 April–23 July 1793 2nd Mainz Coalition Alexandre de Beauharnais
13 October 1793 1st Wissembourg Coalition Jean Pascal Carlenc
20 August–23 December 1793 Landau French Louis Lazare Hoche (Army of the Moselle)
Jean-Charles Pichegru (Army of the Rhine)
18 November–22 December 1793 Haguenau French Pichegru
18–22 December 1793 Fröschwiller French Hoche
26–29 December 1793 2nd Wissembourg French Hoche and Pichegru
23 May 1794 2nd Kaiserslautern Prussian-Saxon Claude Ignace François Michaud
23 May 1794 Battle of Schifferstadt French Michaud
12–13 July 1794 Schänzel French Laurent de Gouvion Saint-Cyr
17–20 September 1794 3rd Kaiserslautern Prussian-Saxon François Ignace Schaal
25 December 1794 Battle of Mannheim bridge French Martial Vachot

Who Commanded the Army of the Rhine?

The leadership of the Army of the Rhine changed often. This showed how unstable the French Revolutionary governments were, especially from 1791 to 1794. Some generals who commanded the army during these years faced severe consequences from the government.

Commanders-in-Chief of the Army of the Rhine
1791–1795
Italics indicates general faced severe consequences from the government
Date Name
14 December 1791 – 6 May 1792 Nicolas Luckner
7 May – 20 July 1792 Alexis Magallon de la Morlière (temporary)
21 July – 25 December 1792 Armand Louis de Gontaut (also called "Biron") *
26 December 1792 – 14 March 1793, Étienne Deprez-Crassier, temporary and under Adam Philippe Custine
15 March – 17 May 1793 Custine, also commander of the Army of the Moselle until April 19; he was removed from command of both armies on July 29, 1793, and executed in August.
18–29 May 1793 Dominique Diettmann, temporary and under Jean Nicolas Houchard*
30 May – 17 August 1793 Alexandre de Beauharnais, temporary and under Houchard.
18 August – 29 September 1793 Charles Hyacinthe Leclerc de Landremont, temporary
30 September – 1 October 1793 Louis Dominique Munnier (temporary)
2–26 October 1793 Jean Pascal Raymond Carlenc (temporary)
27 October 1793 – 13 January 1794 Jean-Charles Pichegru, under Lazare Hoche
14 January 1794 – 10 April 1795 Claude Ignace François Michaud, with Jean Philippe Raymond Dorsner filling in sometimes
4 December 1794 – 13 February 1795 Jean-Baptiste Kléber, under the Army of Mainz
14 February – 29 April 1795 François Ignace Schaal, under the Army of Mainz
11–16 April 1795, Jean-Baptiste Kléber (temporary)
17–19 April 1795 Jean-Charles Pichegru, during the joining of the Armies of the Rhine and Moselle

Other Armies with the Same Name

The name "Army of the Rhine" was used again later in history:

People Connected to the Army of the Rhine

Many notable people served in this army, including:

See Also

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