ValmySeptember 20, 1792

Valmy, one of history's most significant battles, was hardly a battle at all. On the Prussian side, Brunswick was opposed to the war, opposed to campaigning in the wet autumn weather, and opposed to fighting a major battle with his Austrian allies detached and French fortresses to his rear. On the French side the armies of Demouriez and Kellerman had just linked up and were not a well-coordinated team, although all they had to do was stand their ground. After preliminary maneuvers, some bombardment, and an abortive French attack attempt, the Prussians started forward, but their attack was called off when the French, contrary to previous meetings in the campaign, did not break and run in panic. When continued bombardment failed to shake the French, the Prussians withdrew. Accounts of the casualties vary widely but were under a thousand on each side. Many commentators of the day saw little significance in the action, but Goethe, who observed the battle as a civilian on the side-lines, said, "From this place and from this day forth commences a new era in the world's history, and you can all say that you were present at its birth."