WI: Battle of Valmy works out into a total French Victory

[taylortjc]

Title says it, but a short description for those of you who dont know about the battle of Valmy in 1792.

Valmy was the start of a new age of warfare as in from this point on wars are mostly fought over differing points of idealogly. The peasant/citizen armies of Frances new revoluntiary government fought a action against the Prussian who invaded on the cause of helping the french monarchy and realizing Frances weakness.

I call it a action because it was hardly a battle, mostly cannon bombarding and a small Prussian attack on the French right flank.

But what if General Kellerman was more agrresive this day? What if instead of falling back in a orderly array he ordered a stand or even a attack on the Prussians led by Brunswick?

Long term/short term ramifications?

 

[carlton_bach]

A shock for the Prussians, certainly. I'm not sure it will have too much effect inside France - the victiories are a bit later, but they'll come. But having the Prussian army defeated could lead to an earlier rethinking of their approach. What is a 'total' victory in this event? simply having to relinquish the field andtaking casualties would probablybe shrugged off as stuff that happens in war. A disorganised retreat? Abandoning the supply train and guns? Loss of control over days? The death of the commanding general and/or most other senior officers? Encirclement and surrender? I suspect any of these would force a reconsideration of the qualities of the French forces vis-a-vis the allies'.

Kellerman is still a bad name for an Emperor. Just saying.

 

[Admiral Matt]

I don't think the republicans were quite up to carrying the assault outside of France yet. In some ways that makes a big win (whatever that entails) more risky than an indecisive result - it gives the attacking powers a chance to recognize the scale of force they'd actually need to march on Paris.