Conflict: Franco-Prussian War
Combatants: French vs. Prussians
Location: France
Outcome: Prussian victory
In September of 1870, the Prussians delivered a crushing blow against France at the Battle of Sedan. Eighty-three thousand French regulars and Napoleon III himself were forced to surrender. The Second Republic collapsed and the Siege of Paris began shortly thereafter. With half of the French regulars captured and the other half tied up by the Prussians at Metz, Frenchmen flocked to form civilian militias to continue the fight.
One of these militia armies, commanded by General Antoine Chanzy, occupied a position in Le Mans 117 miles south of Paris. A Prussian army under command of Fredrick Karl, a nephew of King Wilhelm I. Although they greatly outnumbered their enemy, the untrained French civilians were no match for the professional soldiers of the Prussian army. Chanzy attempted to take the offensive but was badly mauled. With 10,000 casualties and a wavering, broken army, Chanzy was forced to retreat. The French forces did, however, remain cohesive and continued to threaten the Prussian foothold in the Loire Valley.
Points of Interest:
In 1858, Fredrick Karl visited France and studied the French army. Upon his return to Prussia, he passed his observations on in a lecture in to his fellow officers much to the consternation of the French.
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Sources:
Dupuy, Trevor N., Johnson, Curt, & Bongard, David L. (1992). The Harper's Encyclopedia of Military Biography. New York: Castle Books (HarperCollins).
Dupuy, R. Ernest & Dupuy, Trevor N. (1993). The Harper's Encyclopedia of Military History. New York: HarperCollins.
Eggenberger, David (1985). An Encyclopedia of Battles: Accounts of Over 1,560 Battles from 1479 B.C. to the Present. New York: Dover Publications, Inc.
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