Army of the Rhine (1791–1795)
The Army of the Rhine was formed in December 1791, for the purpose of bringing the French Revolution to the German states along the Rhine River. During its first year in action (1792), under command of Adam Philippe Custine, the Army of the Rhine participated in several victories, including Mainz, Frankfurt and Speyer. Subsequently, the army underwent several reorganizations and merged with the Army of the Moselle to form the Army of the Rhine and Moselle on 20 April 1795.
Fusilier of a French Revolutionary Army
Adam Philippe, Comte de Custine
Adam Philippe, Comte de Custine was a French general. As a young officer in the French Royal Army, he served in the Seven Years' War. In the American Revolutionary War he joined Rochambeau's Expédition Particulière supporting the American colonists. Following the successful Virginia campaign and the Battle of Yorktown, he returned to France and rejoined his unit in the Royal Army.
Custine as general-in-chief of the Army of the Rhine in 1792 (painted posthumously in 1834)
Custine holds a council of war with his staff to plan the breach of the Wissembourg lines. By the artist Frédéric Regamey.
Custine continued the revolution in the German Rhineland through proclamation and the levy of heavy taxes on the conquered territories.
Prior to his execution, Custine met with the Abbe Lotheringen, for his confession and his prayers. He also wrote a letter to his son.
