An aristocrat of the Ancien Régime, Sorbier joined the Royal Artillery Corps in 1782 and was a part of the La Fère regiment, where he met Napoleon Bonaparte. A captain in 1792, Sorbier is involved in the French Revolutionary Wars, taking part to the fighting in Northern France and on the Rhine. From September 1793 to April 1795, he was suspended, due to his aristocratic ascendancy. However, once he was reintegrated in the army, he was at once promoted to the rank of "chef de brigade" (colonel) and again was a part of the French Army of the Rhine, playing a remarkable part in the battle of Neuwied, on April 18, 1797. As a result, the commander-in-chief, general Lazare Hoche immediately promoted him to brigadier general on the field of battle. Three years later, in 1800, he became a general of division and general inspector of artillery.