The Franco-Prussian War

Cooper Schmidt

The Franco-Prussian War

The Franco-Prussian War, also known as the Franco-German War, was a 6-month conflict between France and the German Confederation led by the state of Prussia, one of the most powerful states of the time. This article discusses: the causes of the war, the most important battles of the war, and the aftermath of the war.

Causes

The Causes of the war were mainly the unification of the German Confederation (A union of European states consisting of Germany, Prussia, Duchy of Saxony, etc) under Otto von Bismarck. The French thought these reasons made The German Federation a threat because of the multiple military victories that their members have achieved.               

(Flag of the German Confederation)                 Another Reason the French thought that Prussia and their German allies were a threat was because of Prussia's victory during the Austro-Prussian war, which made the French leaders worry that the Prussians alone could overtake them, and put France under German control and/or Influence.

(Flag of the German Confederation)

Battle of Mars-la-Tour

The Deployment of French soldiers for the war was about 2,000,000 men with an initial strength of about 900,000 men, and a Prussian deployment for the war was about 1,500,000 men with an Initial strength of 940,000 men. One important battle of the war was the Battle of Mars-la-Tour, fought on August 16, 1870 near the village of Mars-la-Tour in north-eastern France. The Prussians had a  starting force of about 80,000 men and 210+ cannons, whereas the French had a force of 80,000 men and Zero cannons. One corps of Prussian soldiers (Later to be reinforced by two more Corps of Prussian soldiers) encountered the entire French army of the Rhine. Surprisingly The Prussian soldiers were able to push the French back to the fortress of Metz. The battle resulted in 15,799 casualties for the Prussians and 17,007 casualties for the French

Battle of Gravelotte

The Largest and most important battle of the war however was the Battle of Gravelotte on August 18, 1870. The battle was fought by Prussia and the Duchy of Saxony with a strength of about 188,332 men and 732 guns against the French, who had a strength of 112,800 men and 520 guns. This battle took place the day after the battle of Mars-la-Tour and was fought 6 miles from the fortress of Metz. The Prussians and Saxons had intercepted the French retreat and were now closing in, to complete the destruction of the French forces. The German forces under King Wilhelm I (Grandfather of Kaiser Wihelm II) were the Prussian First and Second armies. The Prussian First army, under the command of General Karl Friederich von Stienmetz sent the VII and VIII corps to engage the French in repeated assaults, backed by artillery, and cavalry. All of the assaults failed however, due to French infantry and mitrailleuse volley cannons. On the Prussians' left however, The Prussian guard attacked St. Privat at 16:50, or 4:50 pm. With help from the Prussian II and Saxon XII corps of Prince Friedrich Karls Second Army. The Prussian Guards were able to conquer St. Privat at 20:00 or 8:00 pm. With this Victory, the forces were sent to the right wing of the battle. The battle ended the next morning when the exhausted French army retreated to Metz. Metz would be sieged two months later, and the French were forced to surrender.

                                                    Siege of Paris

The Franco-Prussian war ended when the Prussians and other German Confederation forces began an offensive known as the Siege of Paris, that lasted from September 19, 1870 to January 28, 1871. The German side of the siege consisted of a combined force of Prussia, Saxony, Baden, Bavaria, Württemberg, and Germany. The Confederacy’s forces consisted of 240,000 soldiers, whereas the French side consisted of a total of 400,000 military personnel. In January, Otto von Bismarck ordered the city to be bombarded with over 12,000 shells over 23 nights, to break the morale of the French. The battle concluded the Franco Prussian war, defeating Napoleon III and putting an end to the Second French Empire. 

                                                                 Aftermath

The Aftermath of the war saw many countries adjust their military systems to match that of the Germans, after seeing their unexpected victory, and also had great influence on military thinking over the next forty years. The total casualties of the war resulted in 144,642 soldiers dead, missing, or wounded on the German side and 756,285 dead, missing, or wounded on the French side.  Wilhelm I, the German leader at the time, became the Kaiser or Emperor of the German Empire.