Army of the Rhine (1791–1795)


The Army of the Rhine was formed in December 1791, for the purpose of bringing the French Revolution to the German states along the Rhine River. During its first year in action, under command of Adam Philippe Custine, the Army of the Rhine participated in several victories, including Mainz, Frankfurt and Speyer. Subsequently, the army underwent several reorganizations and merged with the Army of the Moselle to form the Army of the Rhine and Moselle on 20 April 1795.

Revolutionary Wars

The Army of the Rhine was one of the main French Revolutionary armies operated in the Rhineland theater, principally in the Rhine River valley, from 1791 to 1795. At its creation, the Army of the Rhine had 88,390 men. It was formed on 14 December 1791, to defend France's eastern frontier in conjunction with two other armies, the Army of the North and the Army of the Center. These armies were subdivided, fresh forces were raised and gradually grew until, by 30 April 1793, eleven armies encircled France on its coastal and the land frontiers. In October 1792, a portion of the army was used to form the Army of the Vosges but these units rejoined the Army of the Rhine on 15 March 1793.

Song of Glory

In the first months of fighting, victories for France were few. Although Custine had succeeded in driving the ecclesiastical authorities from the Swiss village of Porrentruy by 27 April 1792, this singular victory was accomplished largely through the enterprises of a local uprising assisted by some advanced guard and it was the last French victory for several weeks: subsequently, the borders of France had been assaulted by the Habsburgs and their allies. At Mons, Tournay, Bavay, Rumégies, Florennes 28 May 1792, and La Glisuelle, a village north of Maubeuge, Austrian skirmishers repeatedly defeated French forces.
Although much of the spring and summer of 1792 action continued throughout in the border regions with Belgium, the cities along the Upper Rhine, especially the city of Strasbourg, felt under threat of invasion by the Habsburg armies massing on the east side of the Rhine River. On 25 April 1792, Philippe Friedrich Dietrich, mayor of Strasbourg, asked a guest, Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle, to compose a song to rally against the Habsburg threat. That evening, Rouget de Lisle wrote "Chant de guerre pour l'Armée du Rhin", and dedicated the song to Marshal Nicolas Luckner, a Bavarian in French service. The melody soon became the rallying call to the Revolution: Allons enfants de la Patrie /Le jour de gloire est arrivé!. It was renamed "La Marseillaise".

Successes under Custine's command

The French government ordered Luckner to take command of the Army of the North, and Custine replaced him as overall commander of the Army of the Rhine in Spring 1793. Under his experienced command, the Army took several important positions on the Rhine, including at Speyer, Mainz, Limburg and Frankfurt.

Final reorganization

On 29 December 1794, the left wing of the Army and the right wing of the Army of the Moselle combined to form the Army besieging Mainz. The rest of the Army of the Moselle united with the Army of the Rhine on 20 April, to form the Army of the Rhine and Moselle. This army united with the Army of Sambre-et-Meuse to form the Army of Germany on 29 September 1797.

Principal battles

1793 Order of Battle

In its five-year history, the Army had several Orders of Battle. This is the OOB at the beginning of the 1793 campaign.

Right wing

Positioned at Bingen.

Cavalry

Commanders

Stability of command of the Army of the Rhine reflected the overall chaos of the French Revolutionary governments, especially in the years 1791–1794. Four of the generals serving in those years were guillotined.
DateName
14 December 1791 – 6 May 1792Nicolas Luckner
7 May – 20 July 1792Alexis Magallon de la Morlière
21 July – 25 December 1792Armand Louis de Gontaut *
26 December 1792 –14 March 1793,Étienne Deprez-Crassier, interim and subordinate to Adam Philippe Custine, who commanded this and the Army of the Moselle
15 March – 17 May 1793Custine, also commander of the Army of the Moselle until l9 April; he was removed from command of both armies on 29 July 1793, tried and executed in August.
18–29 May 1793Dominique Diettmann, interim and subordinate to Jean Nicolas Houchard*
30 May – 17 August 1793Alexandre de Beauharnais, provisionally and subordinate to Houchard.
18 August – 29 September 1793Charles Hyacinthe Leclerc de Landremont, interim to 23 August, then provisionally
30 September – 1 October 1793Louis Dominique Munnier
2–26 October 1793Jean Pascal Raymond Carlenc
27 October 1793 – 13 January 1794Jean-Charles Pichegru, subordinate to Lazare Hoche
14 January 1794 – 10 April 1795Claude Ignace François Michaud, during his absences, Jean Philippe Raymond Dorsner
4 December 1794 – 13 February 1795Jean-Baptiste Kléber, subordinate to the Army of Mainz
14 February – 29 April 1795François Ignace Schaal, subordinate to Army of Mainz
11–16 April 1795,Jean-Baptiste Kléber
17–19 April 1795Jean-Charles Pichegru, during assembly of the Armies of the Rhine and Moselle

Other incarnations

An army of the Bourbon Restoration bore this name. In 1815 during the Hundred Days the V Corps – Armée du Rhin under the command of General Jean Rapp, was cantoned near Strassburg, and fought holding actions against contingents of Russians and Austrians, the largest of which was the Battle of La Suffel on fought on 28 June 1815.
This name was also used for the French military forces posted to Germany during the Occupation of the Rhineland, following the First World War.

Related people

People known to have served in this Armée include: