"From this moment until such time as its enemies shall have been driven from the soil of the Republic, all Frenchmen are in permanent requisition for the services of the armies. The young men shall fight; the married men shall forge arms and transport provisions; the women shall make tents and clothes and shall serve in the hospitals; the children shall turn old lint into linen; the old men shall betake themselves to the public squares in order to arouse the courage of the warriors and preach hatred of kings and the unity of the Republic."

The "levee en masse" as the French called it gave them a massive manpower boost over professional European armies. At first the men weren't particularly effective, but still occupied space and forced enemies to commit troops to oppose them. As they gained veterancy though, and with other innovations like the amalgame (think mentoring for soldiers) the revolutionary army slowly transformed into an unstoppable force.