Battle of Valmy

Battle of Valmy, battle fought on September 20, 1792, at the village of Valmy, near the town of Sainte-Menehould in north-eastern France. The Battle of Valmy took place between a combined Prussian and Austrian force led by the Duke of Brunswick and a French army commanded by General Charles-François du Perier Dumouriez, reinforced by troops under Marshal François Kellermann. The allied force was in fact outnumbered and outgunned by the French army, but opened the attack, relying on the fearsome reputation of the Prussians; after repulsing them, the French counter-attacked. The allied invasion of France was halted, and a retreat was begun that soon turned into a rout. The French victory was a turning point in the French Revolutionary Wars, which had begun five months earlier. The Battle of Valmy marked the first of many victories for the troops of revolutionary France. See also French Revolution.