Battle of Mars-la-Tour

Overview

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. One Prussian corps, reinforced by two more later in the day, encountered the entire French Army of the Rhine in a meeting engagement and, following the course of battle, the Army of the Rhine retreated toward the fortress of Metz.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

At Mars-la-Tour on 16 August 1870, a single Prussian corps—later reinforced by two more—encountered the full French Army of the Rhine under Bazaine in a meeting engagement. Despite rough parity in final force sizes and heavier Prussian casualties, the engagement ended with the French Army of the Rhine withdrawing toward the fortress of Metz rather than continuing westward. That retreat proved strategically decisive within the Franco-Prussian War: by falling back on Metz, Bazaine's army effectively allowed itself to be encircled, removing the bulk of France's principal field force from offensive operations. The battle thus set the conditions for the subsequent investment of Metz and, together with the later disaster at Sedan, the collapse of organized French resistance in the opening phase of the war.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (2)