battles of Rezonville/Gravelotte

Rezonville/Gravelotte, battles of (1870), the decisive engagements of the Franco-Prussian war. They arose as Marshal Bazaine's Army of the Rhine, over 160, 000 strong, retreated through Metz and across the Moselle towards Châlons, where the defeated French right wing was being reconstituted. Two German armies were involved, Steinmetz's First, advancing on Metz, and Prince Frederick Charles's Second, moving to its south.

On 16 August most of Bazaine's force was ready to move off for Verdun. Forton's cavalry division was at Mars la Tour and Vionville, with Frossard's II and Canrobert's VI Corps around Rezonville. Le Boeuf's III Corps was at Verneville and the Guard at Gravelotte, while Ladmirault's IV Corps marched up from Metz. Bazaine's sloth confused Moltke ‘the Elder’, the German COS. The right wing of Second Army—Rheinbaben's cavalry at Puxieux, Voigts-Rhetz's X Corps at Thiaucourt, and Alvensleben's III Corps, marching up from Gorze—had no idea that it faced the main French force. Rheinbaben shelled Forton out of Mars la Tour at about 09.00, but when Alvensleben arrived he realized what he was dealing with. Recognizing that only determined action would deter an attack, he engaged II Corps, taking Flavigny and Vionville, but was soon fought to a standstill.

Early in the afternoon Alvensleben sent Bredow's cavalry brigade charging north of the Verdun road. It overran VI Corps' gun-line, and helped assert moral superiority over Bazaine. Yet French infantry made good progress towards Verdun, and it was more Bazaine's failure to inspire his corps commanders than German resistance that stopped them. A cavalry mêlée north of Mars la Tour ended the day. The Germans lost almost 16, 000 men to almost 14, 000 French, but cut the Verdun road. Bazaine, worried about ammunition shortages, ordered his exasperated men to fall back to restock.

The French adopted a strong position above Gravelotte, with II and III Corps to the south, IV in the centre, VI in the north at Saint-Privat, and the Guard in reserve. On the 18th Moltke sent Second Army to the north while First Army pushed in from Gravelotte. Steinmetz's assault was a bloody failure, and further north the Prussian Guard, attacking VI Corps, lost over 8, 000 men in an early demonstration of the effectiveness of the breech-loading rifle in defence. Bazaine neither counter-attacked the shaken First Army, nor committed the Guard in time to reinforce Canrobert, eventually outflanked by the Saxon Corps. When Canrobert's men broke they took the Guard with them, and Bazaine had to retire on Metz. The Germans lost over 20, 000 and the French at least 12, 000 men, but the battle sealed Bazaine's fate: he capitulated in October.

— Richard Holmes