[105] Citing the need to acquire more ammunition and the distance from the supply trains, Bazaine issued an order on the night of 16–17 August for his army to fall back closer to Metz. [86] At 1845, the opposing cavalry masses collided in a struggle involving 5,000 horsemen and 40 squadrons. [69] They advanced to secure the ground east and north of it and had to endure only French shell fire. Two Prussian corps encountered the entire French Army of the Rhine in a meeting engagement and, surprisingly, successfully forced the Army of the Rhine to retreat into the fortress of Metz. [9] Friedrich Karl had already made clear in an 1100 telegram to royal headquarters that reports from III Corps had convinced him that the French were retreating toward the Meuse with full speed and the Second Army would have to hurry to cut them off. Westfälischen Infanterie-Regiments Nr.57 lieutenant Ernst Weinhagen, 8. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). [95], Around 1800, Bazaine ordered the 2nd brigade of the Voltigeurs of the Guard to take secure the 989 height. [6] The divisions of the corps marched off at 1700, the men not having had time to eat. Henty. The Battle of Mars-La-Tour was fought on 16 August 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War, near the town of Mars-La-Tour in northeast France. [63][66] At Tronville, two batteries of X Corps artillery under Baron von der Goltz were joined by two divisional batteries and they concentrated a highly successful fire on Grenier's French artillery. [57] Two brigades of Forton's French cavalry division, some 3,100 men,[58] attempted to counter-charge into Bredow's flank and rear, but were partially dispersed by Canrobert's infantry, who gunned down any cavalrymen they could see without discrimination. Corrections? Duel of Eagles is a medium-complexity wargame on the Battle of Mars-la-Tour, in the Franco-Prussian War. Use base defense to protect effectively against attacking opponents. At 0900 on 16 August, they engaged the French army near Vionville, east of Mars-la-Tour. [58] Of the 800 horsemen who had started out, only 420 returned. [50] 5th Infantry Division's 10th Brigade advance on Rezonville from the south reached the Metz-Verdun road but was then thrown back by overwhelming French infantry firepower, which killed or wounded nearly all officers of the brigade. Create an alliance or join an alliance to play in a team with a group of players from around the world. [101], The battle ended at 2100 after twelve hours. [18] By 0930, the German cavalry could not support their artillery, as French infantry had by now formed up and were advancing on Vionville, subjecting the Germans to their fire. [54], Noting that "it will cost what it will", von Bredow took care to organize the brigade, consisting of the 7th Cuirassiers, 13th Dragoons, and 16th Uhlans. [111] Following the consumption of another 2,740 rounds at Gravelotte on 18 August, the corps restocked on 20 August by completely emptying its five artillery ammunition columns, as well as two more assigned to it from other corps. [43] The 3rd Lancers at Rezonville was ordered to attack the Prussian pursuers but did not charge home because "no definite object of attack had been pointed out to them". Background. [28] The heavy German artillery fire forced the French to support 2nd Army Corps with guns from the army reserve. The operations of the Cavalry in the Gettysburg Campaign, by Lieutenant-Colonel George B. Davis by [89] The German regiments succeeded in imposing themselves on the French flank and rear and the entire French cavalry force disintegrated in a rout, fleeing toward Bruville with dust clouds rising behind them. [78], Meanwhile, half of 19th Infantry Division under General Emil von Schwartzkoppen reached Tronville and Kraatz requested that they attack the French right wing to the north-east. [48] The cavalry did enable the forward movement of German artillery to more advantageous positions. [65] The roar of cannon fire had caused X Corps commander General von Voigts-Rhetz to investigate it and upon arriving in Tronville, reports from his chief of staff Caprivi and the ongoing battle convinced Voigts-Rhetz to move his entire corps at once to support III Corps at 1130. The Battle of Mars-La-Tour (also known as the Battle of Vionville or Battle of Rezonville) was fought on 16 August 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War, near the village of Mars-La-Tour in northeast France. Battles of Mars-la-Tour and Gravelotte, (Aug. 16–18, 1870), two major engagements of the Franco-German War in which the 140,000-man French Army of the Rhine, under Marshal Achille-François Bazaine, failed to break through the two German armies under General Helmuth von Moltke and were bottled up in the fortress of Metz. [101], A battle that took place during the Franco-Prussian War, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Battle_of_Mars-la-Tour&oldid=1013493407, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 21 March 2021, at 22:33. [77] They did gain a position on the slope of the height and defeat French attempts to throw them back. [4], Meanwhile, Prince Friedrich Karl on 14 August ordered his III and XII Corps to cross the Moselle on 15 August and advance to the Seille, while his four other corps followed behind them. [29], Accompanied by Alvensleben, 6th Infantry Division and the corps artillery began moving from Arnaville to Mars-la-Tour at 0500. [21], III Corps marched up from the Moselle valley on the morning of 16 August. [60] On the German left, General von Barby's 11th cavalry brigade was holding its ground north of Tronville. One Prussian corps, reinforced by two more later in the day, encountered the entire French Army of the Rhine in a meeting engagement and, surprisingly, forced the Army of the Rhine to retreat toward the fortress of Metz. [89] After their complete victory in the greatest and most important cavalry battle of the entire Franco-Prussian War, the Prussian cavalry regiments reformed their ranks and withdrew toward Mars-la-Tour, having defeated the threat to the Prussian left flank. [60] The battle west of Rezonville around the Metz-Verdun road evolved into an artillery duel. Yes indeed, the French remained in their positions, but the Germans did not retire, and spent the night a few hundred meters away. Map of the Battle of Vionville, 16 August 1870, (c1872). It is now preserved in the museum of Gravelotte. [60] The French and German artillery exchanged shell fire at first and when Grenier's Division from 4th Army Corps arrived, the French began to advance at 1445. [84] The Germans used the gained time and space to deploy more artillery batteries to reinforce their left flank. Tactically, the Battle of Rezonville - Mars-la-Tour (August 16, 1870) ends in a bloody draw. [30][31] The divisional artillery batteries under Major General von Bülow moved up and formed a gun line by 1030, bombarding the French infantry between Vionville and Flavigny and softening them up for the German infantry assault to come. [67] By 1600, III and X Corps had 210 guns supporting them on the battlefield. It was fought about 6 miles (9.7 km) west of Metz, where on the previous day, having intercepted the French army's retreat to the west at the Battle of Mars-La-Tour, the Prussians were now closing in to complete the destruction of the French forces. Battles of Mars-la-Tour and Gravelotte. Mars La Tour is an introductory-level wargame with plenty of meat on the bone for the seasoned grognard, inspired by Mark Herman’s recent Gettysburg. [101] The French withdrew during the night. Moltke was forced to send his troops directly against the excellent French position, and only the conservatism of Bazaine permitted Moltke to turn what initially seemed a draw into a victory. The Battle of Mars-la-Tour/Vionville, 16th August 1870 Following the battle of Borny-Colombey on the 14th of August things were looking increasingly bad for the French. [61] French counter-battery fire forced the advanced Prussian batteries, which had nearly exhausted their ammunition stocks, to abandon their positions and restock on ammunition south-west of Vionville. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/event/Battles-of-Mars-la-Tour-and-Gravelotte. [19] This was only accomplished by 0700, after which the division was told by 5th Infantry Division of French cavalry positions near Rezonville. [43] The Cuirassiers of the Guard moved to attack, forming up in two lines of two squadrons with the fifth as reserve. [66], Prince Friedrich Karl did not become aware of the precariousness of III Corps struggle until 1400, when a report from Kraatz informed him of the situation. The German loss of more than 20,000 men at Gravelotte exceeded the 13,000 French casualties, but the Germans had accomplished their purpose of trapping the French Army. [105], Bazaine believed he had fought equal forces on 16 August and would have to deal with an immensely superior enemy on 17 August. Privat (18 August), was the largest battle during the Franco-Prussian War. [31][30] Believing that he faced the French rearguard, Alvensleben ordered 6th Infantry Division to move north past Mars-la-Tour and block the French retreat to the west. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. One Prussian corps, reinforced by two more later in the day, encountered the entire French Army of the Rhine in a meeting engagement and, surprisingly, forced the Army of the Rhine to retreat toward the fortress of Metz. The southern sector of the French line, situated behind a deep ravine and prepared trenches, virtually pulverized the German assaults directed against it. [20], The French responded with great force. [54] With all his infantry and artillery committed and largely spent, only his cavalry could stop Canrobert's onslaught. [7][12] Thanks to Moltke's bungling, the French had fifteen divisions against only four German ones; the German III and X Corps should have been wiped out on 16 August, with eight more German divisions available for destruction the next day. [98] Led by artillery batteries, the Prussian advance was stopped by the fire of a concentration of 54 guns of the French Imperial Guard under General Charles-Denis Bourbaki, compelling the Prussian batteries to fall back after a brief response. [66] Bazaine's order was a great help to Alvensleben's III Corps. It was followed by the Count de Mac-Mahon’s abortive attempt to rescue Bazaine, which ended in Mac-Mahon’s crushing defeat at Sedan. [81] Some 300 exhausted Prussians, having marched 27 miles and attacked the French immediately on arrival, were captured by the French. [65] Kraatz ordered his division to reinforce that position immediately. “ C’est le general soldat qui a gagné la bataille de Solferino.” A clash between French and Prussian cuirassiers at Mars – la … [22] Its advance guard, the 9th Infantry Brigade under General von Döring, arrived at Gorze at 0900, where 6th Cavalry Division had already re-deployed. [61] Four French divisions, two from 3rd Army Corps, Grenier's from General Landmirault's 4th Army Corps and Trixier's from 6th Army Corps, were now massed against the German left flank and poised to outflank it. The Germans were not aware, early on the 18th, that the French lay on their right flank as they deployed parallel to the road from Mars-la-Tour to Metz, facing north. [10], The French were, in fact, not retreating at full speed; the cavalry actions with the Germans, the blocking of roads by supply trains and the spread-out dispositions of the French corps, convinced the Army of the Rhine's commander Marshal François Achille Bazaine to delay the retreat from 0400 until noon 16 August. [77] Apart from these relatively modest successes and failures, III Corps situation was stable by 1700. [110] After the Battle of Gravelotte on 18 August, the Prussians trapped Bazaine in the city on 19 August, and the Siege of Metz ensued, concluding with the surrender of the French Army of the Rhine on 27 October. The Battle of Mars-la-Tour was fought on August 16 th, 1870 and is considered to be one of the more remarkable battles of military history. [3] At 1800 on 14 August, Moltke ordered the Second Army under Prince Friedrich Karl to prepare to cross the Moselle and send all available cavalry to the area between Metz and Verdun to ascertain the French movements. He was intercepted on August 16 by the German general Constantine von Alvensleben’s III Corps of 30,000 men near Vionville, east of Mars-la-Tour. [104] The Germans were amassing all available forces to defeat any French attack on 17 August. The Battle of Mars-La-Tour on 16 August 1870, Franco-Prussian War ID: 2AEXXWW (RM) [61] Fire from French skirmisher swarms and mitrailleuses overwhelmed Barby's cavalry at 500-meters range and the Germans fell back slowly on Tronville. [27] German losses were heavy, with the fusilier battalion commander Major Herwarth von Bittenfeld killed and the 2nd Battalion's commander Major von Bünau wounded. [66] As a result, most of Lebouef's troops did not fight at all on 16 August. [49] As the 6th Prussian Infantry Division advanced on Rezonville, it was subject to flanking infantry and artillery fire by Canrobert's 6th Army Corps to the north along the so-called Roman road, forcing the Prussian division to halt its attack and front north. The aggression and skill of the Prussians prevailed over Bazaine's gross indecision. [16] More German batteries followed and opened up with their guns, throwing the entire French brigade into savage disorder. [72][66] He rode 14 miles (23 km) with his staff to the battlefield, gaining the Rezonville plateau at 1600 to the cheers of his troops. [51] Out of ammunition and largely destroyed, the 10th Brigade retreated to Vionville and Flavigny. [21] The German artillery batteries at Vionville were now subject to artillery and skirmisher fire and were sent fleeing. [34] Finding both villages controlled by substantial numbers of Frenchmen, he concentrated all the force at his disposal to capture them. Battles of Mars-la-Tour and Gravelotte, (Aug. 16–18, 1870), two major engagements of the Franco-German War in which the 140,000-man French Army of the Rhine, under Marshal Achille-François Bazaine, failed to break through the two German armies under General Helmuth von Moltke and were bottled up in the fortress of Metz. [6] The divisions reached their positions near midnight, sleeping only for a short while. Arnould. [109] III Corps suffered 44.0% of the German casualties and lost 6,955 officers, men and surgeons, including 1,863 killed or dead of wounds, 4,889 wounded and 203 missing. Battle of Mars-la-Tour The Battle of Mars-La-Tour was fought on 16 August 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War, near the village of Mars-La-Tour in northeast France. [49] The Prussians suffered heavy losses from the French guns. This was realised for Eagle of Empires miniatures. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. [69] The 40th Brigade deployed at Tronville at 1630. [112] Some of the front-line infantry battalions of III Corps at Mars-la-Tour were the first German infantry formations to face significant ammunition shortages during the war. It shows the 2e Hussards at the battle of Mars-La-Tour aka Rezonville, as it charged through the Schleswig-Holsteinisches Dragoner-Regiment Nr. This is a chit-pull game. A retirement from Metz to link up with French forces at Châlons, was ordered on 15 August and spotted by a Prussian cavalry patrol under Major Oskar von Blumenthal. [95] A French attempt to exploit their success was repulsed as the Prussian infantry fired by file. The Battle of Mars-La Tour {The Battle Begins} [32][33] French infantry fire inflicted casualties on the German artillerymen, who lacked infantry support of their own. [10] X Corps under General Konstantin Bernhard von Voigts-Rhetz and two cavalry divisions would assist III Corps in the offensive toward the Metz-Verdun roads. The Battle of Mars-La-Tour was fought on 16 August 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War, near the town of Mars-La-Tour in northeast France. [93] Despite relentless French fire and considerable casualties, the Regiment captured the height (970) but was then driven back by French reserves at 1730. [44][45] The French lost 230 men and 243 horses, and the rest fled as a helpless remnant. [34] Two German regiments, the 35th and 64th, launched a flawless attack on Vionville, throwing their companies forward in well-organized bounds, using ravines and woods to cover their approach, gaining fire superiority at 300 meters and assaulting the village from the north, west and south at 1130. In what would become known as "Von Bredow's Death Ride", the cavalrymen rode out from Prussian lines at 1400, von Bredow using the depression north of Vionville and gun smoke to mask movements from French observers until the very last moment. 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