Battles Fought Flashcards
(8 cards)
What happened during the occupation of Saarbrücken?
Napoleon III (1808-1873) was under the pressure of his ministers and generals to launch an attack before Prussia could attack first. The French attacked on 2nd August, forcing the Prussian defenders back with their superior Chassepot rifles with longer range as compared to the Dreyse needle gun. However, prussian general, Helmuth von Moltke massed three armies to push the invaders back.
What happened at the Battle of Spicheren?
The battle of Spicheren on 5th August was one of the critical French defeats. The French had decided to take up defensive positions in this town as they were unable to continue attacking the Prussians. The Prussians had more men than the French but the general defending Spicheren, General Frossard did not know that. He treated the oncoming attacks as light skirmishes and did not call in reinforcements. By the time he realised that, it was too late. He thought he would be outflanked by the Prussians and retreated. Prussian casualties were high in this battle as the result of the long range accurate Chassepot rifles the French soldiers were issued.
What happened at the Battle of Mars-La-Tour?
The French were eventually besieged at Metz, and the generals ordered some of the French soldiers to pull out of Metz to join another French army but the retreating soldiers were spotted by a Prussian cavalry patrol. The next day, the Prussian III Corps attacked the retreating French army. Although the Prussians were outnumbered four to one, they managed to rout the French army and block off any retreat to the West. The besieged French army had no choice but to engage III Corps into a battle. The French cavalry charges shattered III Corps, losing over half of its soldiers. On 16th August, the French had a chance to sweep away the Prussian defence and to escape Metz. The Prussians had attacked the French advance guard, thinking that it was the rearguard of the retreat of the French Army of the Meuse. Despite this misjudgment the Prussians held the entire French army for the whole day. Outnumbered 5 to 1, the bravery of the Prussians prevailed over indecision by the French. The French had lost the opportunity to win a decisive victory.
What happened at the Battle of Gravelotte?
The Battle of Gravelotte was the largest battle in the Franco-Prussian war. The Prussian were closing in to destroy the remaining French soldiers besieged at Metz. The French were dug in in rifle pits and trenches with concealed Mitrailleuse positions. Prussian General Steinmetz, with the VII and VIII corps attacked the positions backed by artillery fire. However, the first attack was repelled by the French and Steinmetz and his army had to retreat. The Prussian Guards attacked the French-held St. Privat and also was pinned down by French fire from rifle pits and trenches. The Second Army under Prince Frederick Charles used its artillery to destroy the French position at St. Privat. His XII Corps took the town of Roncourt and helped the Guard conquer St. Privat, while Eduard von Fransecky’s II Corps advanced across the Mance ravine. The next morning, the French Army of the Rhine retreated to Metz. A grand total of 20,163 German troops were killed, wounded or missing in action during the August 18 battle. The French losses were 7,855 killed and wounded along with 4,420 prisoners of war (half of them were wounded) for a total of 12,275.
What happened at the Siege of Metz?
After their defeat, the French retreated to Metz, where they were besieged by over 150 000 Prussian troops. Marshal Bazaine, the general garrisoning Metz, was surprisingly inactive, and had drawn many criticisms by historians. It was stated with derogatory irony that his occupation at that time was writing orders on hygiene and discipline, as well as playing dominoes. At this time, Napoleon III and MacMahon formed the new French Army of Châlons to march on to Metz to help Bazaine. Napoleon III personally led the army with Marshal MacMahon. The Army of Châlons marched towards the Belgian border to avoid the Prussians before striking south to link up with Bazaine. The Prussians took advantage of this manoeuvre and caught the French in a pincer grip. Moltke left the Prussian First and Second Armies besieging Metz. Three corps detached from them to form the Army of the Meuse under the Crown Prince of Saxony. With this army and the Prussian Third Army, Moltke marched northward and met with the French at Beaumont on 30 August. After a sharp fight in which they lost 5,000 men and 40 cannons, the French withdrew toward Sedan. Having reformed in the town, the Army of Châlons was isolated by the converging Prussian armies. Napoleon III ordered the army to break out of the encirclement immediately.
What happened at the Battle of Sedan?
On 1 September 1870, the Army of Châlons attacked the surrounding Prussian Third and Meuse Armies. The French hoped to launch a combined infantry and cavalry attack against the Prussian XI Corps. However, Prussian artillery killed many French soldiers and the Prussians had reinforcements. The struggle in the conditions of encirclement was impossible for the French as their front was decimated by artillery fire. The French cavalry, commanded by General Margueritte, launched three attacks on the nearby village of Floing where the Prussian XI Corps was concentrated. Margueritte was mortally wounded leading the first charge and died four days later, and the French sustained heavy losses in the next two charges.
What happened at the Siege of Paris?
Prussian forces sieged Paris on 19 September 1870. As the French were blockaded, the new French government established several large armies in the French provinces to help defend France. These new troops marched towards Paris and attacked the Prussians from various directions at the same time. Armed French civilians created a guerilla force and called themselves the Francs-tireurs to attack Prussian supply lines. Bismarck wanted to bombard the city as he wanted to end the war as soon as possible. He feared a change in the international situation unfavourable to Prussia. Therefore, Bismarck insisted on the early start of the bombardment, despite the objections of the military command. Senior military figures such as the Crown Prince and Moltke were opposed to the bombardment on moral grounds. Nevertheless, in January, the Prussians fired some 12,000 shells (300–400 daily) into the city.
What happened during the signing of the armistice?
On 26 January 1871, the Government of National Defence in Paris negotiated an armistice with the Prussians as Paris was starving and Gambetta’s armies experiencing one disaster after another. Bismarck agreed to end the siege and allow food convoys to immediately enter Paris, on condition that the Government of National Defence give several key fortresses outside Paris to the Prussians. Without the forts, the French Army would no longer be able to defend Paris. Although public opinion was strongly against any form of surrender to the Prussians, the Government could not hold the city for much longer, and that Gambetta’s provincial armies would probably never break through to help Paris. Favre signed the surrender two days later at Versailles. On 28 January, a truce was concluded as the Paris garrison had run out of food and fuel supplies and surrendered. The French National Guard retained its weapons, and Prussian troops occupied the forts of Paris to prevent the hostilities from resuming. However, the military still operated in the area of the Bourbaki army. The French had no reliable information about the outcome of the struggle, and excluded this area from the truce, and hoped for a successful outcome of the struggle. The Prussians did not discourage the French. At Bordeaux, Gambetta received word from Paris on 29 January that the Government had surrendered. Furious, he refused to surrender. A member of the Government, Jules Simon, arrived from Paris on 1 February to negotiate with Gambetta. Another group of ministers arrived in Bordeaux on 5 February and the following day Gambetta surrendered the provincial armies to the Government of National Defence, which ordered a cease-fire across France.
