Battle of Verdun

Overview

The Battle of Verdun was fought between 29 August and 2 September 1792 between French Revolutionary forces and a Prussian army during the opening months of the War of the First Coalition. The Prussians were victorious, gaining a clear westward path to Paris.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battle of Verdun entry presents a conflict between the structured facts, which describe an 1792 engagement during the French Revolutionary Wars between a French garrison of 4,000 under Colonel Beaurepaire and a Prussian force of 40,000 under the Duke of Brunswick, and the supplied overview, which describes the 1916 First World War battle. The structured facts record no outcome. The disparity in force sizes — 4,000 French against 40,000 Prussians — indicates the garrison at Verdun faced an overwhelming Prussian advance during the opening campaign of the War of the First Coalition. The fall of Verdun in 1792 opened the road toward Paris and contributed to the political crisis in France that accelerated the September Massacres and the proclamation of the Republic.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (3)