Battles & Campaigns · 1871
Battle of St. Quentin
Saint-Quentin, Aisne, France
What happened
Goeben marched north to meet Faidherbe's army near Saint-Quentin. About 33,000 Prussians attacked about 40,000 French and decisively defeated them.
Why it matters
The French had been trying to relieve the siege of Paris, and this defeat ended that effort. On the same day, a breakout from Paris at Buzenval also failed.
What came next
No other serious attempts were made to lift the siege of Paris.
Did you know?
Saint-Quentin had seen an earlier famous battle in 1557, when a Spanish army besieged the town.
Timeline
- 3 Jan 1871Battle of Bapaume.
- 10 Jan 1871Péronne surrenders.
- 19 Jan 1871Battle of St. Quentin and failed breakout at Buzenval.
- 10 May 1871Treaty of Frankfurt ends the war.