Battle of Mars-la-Tour
Mars-la-Tour, Meurthe-et-Moselle, France
What happened
The Prussian Second Army under Prince Friedrich Karl fought the French Army of the Rhine under Marshal Bazaine. During the Franco-Prussian War, a Prussian corps ran into the whole French army as it retreated toward Metz. Fighting raged all day around the villages of Vionville and Rezonville. Late in the afternoon, Prussian cavalry under von Bredow made a famous charge, and neither side was driven from the field.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It was a draw on the battlefield but a Prussian strategic victory. Bazaine failed to escape west toward Verdun.
What came next
Two days later came the Battle of Gravelotte, and the French army was trapped in Metz. It surrendered on 27 October 1870.
Did you know?
Von Bredow's charge is described as perhaps the last successful cavalry charge in Western European warfare.
Timeline
- 16 August 1870The Battle of Mars-la-Tour.
- 18 August 1870The Battle of Gravelotte.
- 19 August 1870Bazaine is trapped in Metz.
- 27 October 1870The French army in Metz surrenders.