Laukhards Kampagne in Frankreich

"From here and today, a new epoch of world history begins, and you can say you were there" – wrote Johann Wolfgang von Goethe about the so-called cannonade of Valmy in 1792, when revolutionary France repelled the Prussian-Austrian invasion army. The rebellious citizens had won. However, Goethe wrote this famous line 30 years later – in the moment, no one was thinking in terms of world-historical epochs. Rather, they were trying to save their own skin from the chaos.

One who was also "there" was Christian Friedrich Laukhard, a scholar and author like Goethe. But he was not part of the high command, well-fed, with a horse and servant; instead, he served as a simple soldier – often camping in the open, hungry, freezing, soaked, sometimes barefoot. Reading Laukhard allows one to experience war from the perspective of the "common soldier." You don't quite know where you are, lose more comrades to hunger and dysentery than to the enemy, follow nonsensical orders, and doubt the purpose of it all. Laukhard has a certain sympathy for the revolution and is skeptical of propaganda. Those who read Laukhard learn something about the dynamics of war, where hunger leads to looting, violence begets more violence, and in the end, everyone is closest to themselves. Throughout, Laukhard maintains his distinctive perspective, never losing his sometimes mischievous, sometimes sarcastic humor and his ability for sharp analysis. He always keeps in mind what matters most in any circumstance: humanity.