The Yale expositor. (Yale, St. Clair County, Mich.) 1894-current, 1917-09-27


assumed the title of a republic. On the
same day her raw Carmagnole ievies
fought and won the battle Of Valmy,
battle which proved to the doubters-
of whom France herself was one-that
the republican spirit possessed mettle;
that France could not only declare her
self a republic, but could defend and
maintain herself as republic. Valmy,
declares Greasy, set the kings IF Eu-
rope trembling after 18 centuries or
security. Valmy. wrote Goethe, who
watched the battle. commences new
era In the worlds history" Valmy de-
creed there should be that republican
France which fights the battle OF free
dom today.
Valmy was fought in the same re-
sfon which has seen some of the blood
test encounters of the presen. war. 1t
took place In the marshy country OF
the Aisne and the Aube, with the for
est of Argonne, then much heavier
and greater In extent than 1t Is now,
as a prominent strategic feature. Its
victor was Kellerman, father OF the
Kellerman whose brilliant cavalry
charge afterward decided the battle OF
Marengo. Under Napoleon the elder
Kellerman assumed the title Of duke
of Valmy. When he died he desired
that his heart should be buried upon
the battlefield where he had won his
fame.
The army which came against the
crude French republican volunteers In
cluded not only 10000 Prusslans and
$4,000 Austrians, but no less than b.
900 French emigres of the old royalist
days, most of them of noble birth, all
of them skilled In arms and represent
ing the flower of the commissioned
personnel Of the old and formidable
French army. In chief command was
the duke of Brunswick, second only in
military skill to the Great Frederick.
as whose lieutenant he had served.
Heading the emigres was Condo.
Against these Dumouriez, the sixty
year-old veteran who held the chief
French command, could oppose only
a total of some $4,000 men badly or
ganized and disciplined, for the most
part worse differed and shockingly
iuclling in equipment and supplies.
Right battalions were so mutinous
that Dumouriez, under pretense Of
reviewing them, posted them with a
strong force Of cavalry in their rear
and cannon on their TANKS, after
which he informed them that they
were not worthy to be called either
soldiers or citizens. They would do
well, he further informed them, to
do their duty, or the cavalry and the
guns would do duty to them.
The invaders advanced in what
they believed would be only march
Of joy and triumph to Paris in three
columns. In the earlier engage
ments the French fed like sheep. On
one occasion they fled without fir
ing shot. On another a division
of 10000 scurried back before the scat
tering fire of few Austrian skirmish-
ers. To make matters worse, French
underestimate of the enemy's sagacity
left weakly defended an important
pass which an Austrian corps, under
Clarifayt, promptly forced after some
sharp fighting.
Misfortune and the necessity Of
covering an extended front rather
than faulty generalship caused the
separation of DumOuriez and Keller
man who was trying to join him by
a wheeling movement from Metz and
gave opportunity for the invading
force to attempt the overwhelming
of the latter as he stood isolated on
the plateau of Valmy, at dangerous
interval from his chief. The young
king of Prussia, who was with
Brunswicl's forces, Joined with the
emigre French princes in urging an
immediate attack. Accordingly the
right wing of the invading army
moved forward early in the morning
to turn Kellerman's left flank and
cut him off from retreat to Chalons.
DumOuriez, an alert and spry clti-
zen In spite of his years, ordered up
troops to support Kellerman, but these
troops were slow in starting.
The same sort of fog which embar-
raised the opposing forces of the
present war when they FLASHED on
the same ground hung over the bat
tlefield. 1t was ten o'clock when the
tatterdemaliOn French army per-
ceived emerging from the white
mists the countless Prussian cav
airy and the bristling columns of In
fantry now close upon them. The
French, remembering the running
they had found 1t advisable to do In
the preliminary skirmlshlng, were
nervous, and showed 1t. However, Kel-
herman and the youthful Due de Char
tres, youngster of twenty who served
as a general under him, steadied their
men so successfully that they endured
splendldly the pounding of the Prus-
sian artillery which opened on them
from La Lune. The French guns re-
piled with spirit. after which Keller