The Military Revolution of Year II, 1794 between Flanders and the Moselle

The campaign of 1794 is first and foremost that of Year II (21 September 1793 – 20 September 1794). Unprecedented in its scale of men, challenges and materiel, it mobilises the efforts of the young Republic. It is also a period in which grand operational plans mature; the "système général" will be their synthesis and the matrix for the major campaigns to come.

The armies of 1794 are also the breeding ground for the great figures of the Empire. Among them are the future commanders of the Army of Germany: Colonels Soult, Bernadotte and Ney in Jourdan's Army of Sambre and Meuse, as well as the ill-fated circle around Moreau — MacDonald, Souham and Vandamme — all of whom would pay more or less dearly for their proximity to Bonaparte's rival. On the Coalition side, Arthur Wellesley, the future Duke of Wellington, catches a glimpse of the Low Countries, while Mack, the future loser of 1805, is already chief of staff. Among all these names, Lazare Carnot, architect and "organiser of victory", is perhaps the best-known revolutionary figure, yet his role as an operational commander is less well understood. The overall system takes shape under his direction, and he will oversee its execution through to the breakthrough into Germany.

It is indeed from this angle — the articulation between the "conception and execution" of operations — that the present work sets out to give pride of place to narrative.

Written by two practitioners of military affairs, this work attempts to show how, on the northern frontier, the campaign of 1794 decided the fate of a nation and brought about a revolution in the conduct of war — the foundation upon which the Napoleonic battles to come would be built.

Preface by Professor Martin MOTTE