Jean-Baptiste Kléber was a French military leader of the French Revolutionary Wars. After serving for one year in the French Royal Army, he entered Habsburg service seven years later. However, his humble birth hindered his opportunities. Eventually, he volunteered for the French Revolutionary Army in 1792 and quickly rose through the ranks.
Portrait by Jean-Urbain Guérin, 1798 (Nationalmuseum, Stockholm)
Town Hall of Thann
Portrait by Louis-Léopold Boilly, between 1793–1796
Kléber wounded in front of Alexandria, engraving by Adolphe-François Pannemaker
French Revolutionary Army
The French Revolutionary Army was the French land force that fought the French Revolutionary Wars from 1792 to 1802. In the beginning, the French armies were characterised by their revolutionary fervour, their poor equipment and their great numbers. However, the French Revolutionary Army had become arguably the most powerful army in the world by the mid-1790s, as the French armies had become well-experienced and organized, enabling them to comfortably outfight their enemies.
French line grenadier during the Revolution
The Battle of Valmy (1792) was a decisive victory for the French.
French Revolutionary général, officer d'infanterie legere and soldier of a demi-brigade de ligne.
French Republican soldiers