The Battle of Beaune-la-Rolande on 28 November 1870 was a battle of the Franco-Prussian War, won by Prussia. In an attempt to relieve the Siege of Paris, French

General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

Crouzat's XX Corps launched an attack against three

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...

n brigades resting in Beaune-la-Rolande. These brigades were from the Prussian

X Corps 10th Corps, Tenth Corps, or X Corps may refer to: France * 10th Army Corps (France) * X Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars Germany * X Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army * X ...

which was detailed to guard the flanks and rear of the force besieging Paris and provide early warning of any French counter-attacks. The French committed a force of 60,000 men, largely conscripts of the

Garde Mobile {{italic title The ''Garde mobile'' ("Mobile Guard"; also called ''Garde nationale mobile'' though it had nothing to do with the '' Garde nationale'') was intended to be the body which would in effect conscript all who had been able to avoid milit ...

, and 140 guns against the Prussians' 9,000 men and 70 guns, mostly drawn from regular troops. Despite the overwhelming superiority of numbers the French attack failed to take the village and was ultimately forced to retreat by Prussian reinforcements. Prussian losses amounted to 817 soldiers and 37 officers with the French losing around 8,000 men and 100 taken

prisoner A prisoner (also known as an inmate or detainee) is a person who is deprived of liberty against their will. This can be by confinement, captivity, or forcible restraint. The term applies particularly to serving a prison sentence in a prison. ...

. The French XX Corps changed its plan of attack, bypassing the village, but was unsuccessful at relieving the siege of Paris, which surrendered on 28 January 1871 and ended the war. The battle is notable for demonstrating the fragility of a conscript army when faced with seasoned, regular troops even when numerically superior, and for the involvement of

impressionist Impressionism was a 19th-century art movement characterized by relatively small, thin, yet visible brush strokes, open composition, emphasis on accurate depiction of light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passag ...

painter

Frédéric Bazille Jean Frédéric Bazille (December 6, 1841 – November 28, 1870) was a French Impressionist painter. Many of Bazille's major works are examples of figure painting in which he placed the subject figure within a landscape painted '' en plein air'' ...

and

electrical engineer Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

Alexander Siemens Alexander Siemens (22 January 1847 – 16 February 1928) was a German electrical engineer.Obituary ''Journal of the Institution of Electrical Engineers,'' 66 (1928), 1242–3 Siemens was born in Hanover, then a kingdom within the German Conf ...

Background

The

n army had begun its invasion of France in August and was already laying siege to Paris. The recently appointed General Aurelle and his

Army of the Loire An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

ordered the XX Corps under General Crouzat to the

Orléans Orléans (;"Orleans"
(US) and Prince Friedrich Karl, which was posted to Beaune-la-Rolande to provide early warning of a French relief force for Paris. The three Prussian brigades at Beaune-la-Rolande were under the command of

Konstantin Bernhard von Voigts-Rhetz Konstantin Bernhard von Voigts-Rhetz (16 July 1809 – 14 April 1877) was a Prussian general who served in the Austro-Prussian War and the Franco-Prussian War. Biography Voights-Rhetz was borned in Seesen in the Duchy of Brunswick, then part o ...

and were resting after pursuing retreating French forces. The nearest reinforcements were ten miles away at

Pithiviers Pithiviers () is a commune in the Loiret department, north central France. It is one of the subprefectures of Loiret. It is twinned with Ashby-de-la-Zouch in Leicestershire, England and Burglengenfeld in Bavaria, Germany. Its attractions incl ...

under General

Constantin von Alvensleben Reimar Constantin von Alvensleben (26 August 1809 – 28 March 1892) was a Prussian (and later Imperial German) general. Born at Eichenbarleben in the Province of Saxony, Alvensleben entered the Prussian Guards from the cadet corps in 1827. ...

. General Crouzat had a force of between 31,000 and 60,000 men and 140 artillery pieces against the Prussian 9,000 to 12,000 men and 70 guns. The French force were equipped with the

Chassepot rifle The Chassepot (pronounced ''SHAS-poh''), officially known as ''Fusil modèle 1866'', was a bolt-action military breechloading rifle. It is famous for having been the arm of the French forces in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–1871. It replac ...

which had almost double the effective range of the Prussian Dreyse and also held the element of surprise. With this in mind an attack was launched at 11.30am against the village which was protected only by a small walled churchyard and a six-foot wall along its south side, the French committed two brigades (6000 men) to this charge.

Battle

First attack

The Prussians, coming under heavy French artillery fire, withdrew all bar 13 companies of infantry (1,200 men) from the village and awaited the assault. Opening fire at 200 paces, the French assaults were halted at the edge of the village, its roads now protected by barricades. The most successful attack was made by the 3rd

Zouave The Zouaves were a class of light infantry regiments of the French Army serving between 1830 and 1962 and linked to French North Africa; as well as some units of other countries modelled upon them. The zouaves were among the most decorated unit ...

Regiment which left 700 dead and wounded men on the field before breaking. Every one of General Crouzat's staff officers were killed or wounded whilst encouraging the attack.

Second attack

A second attack was sent at 1.30pm with the Prussians running low on ammunition. The defenders held their fire until the French were almost upon them, unleashing a volley which was followed by half an hour of frenzied close combat before the French were repulsed once more. The remaining Prussian forces, including all of the artillery which had pulled back from the village, were reformed at nearby Romainville where they joined with reinforcements from Alvenleben's unit under Wolf Louis Anton Ferdinand von Stülpnagel and attacked the French on the eastern side of the village, finally driving the attackers off.

Third attack

Crouzat, determined to take the village, ordered one more attack after dark. This attack was delivered straight along the road into the village and came close to breaching the outer defences but was again driven back by the concentrated volleys of Prussian fire. The French had lost heart for the battle and the majority of the men refused their officers' orders to close with the enemy, discharged their rifles at the enemy and ran away.

Aftermath

Analysis

Military analysts were shocked at the news of the defeat of 60,000 men by 9,000 and many attempts were made to explain why it could have happened. The low morale of the French forces is often cited; the majority were recent conscripts of the

and had seen a string of defeats, German occupation of their land and the siege of the capital. Aurelle was known to be a harsh commander who, for the twenty days preceding the battle, did not permit his troops to be

billet A billet is a living-quarters to which a soldier is assigned to sleep. Historically, a billet was a private dwelling that was required to accept the soldier. Soldiers are generally billeted in barracks or garrisons when not on combat duty, alth ...

ed in towns or villages, instead forcing them to bivouac and live off the land. This was intended to improve discipline and harden up the troops but simply reduced their morale. It is cited as one of the first occasions where the fragility of a large recently conscripted army was demonstrated. The

could only be relied upon when defending a fortified position and were almost useless for an attack launched in the style of the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fre ...

. However, almost the entire French regular army was already lost at the battles of Sedan and

Metz Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand ...

. This was one of the primary reasons that the Prussians were victorious in the Franco-Prussian War following a string of unexpected French reverses, of which Beaune-la-Rolande was the most spectacular. A

sortie A sortie (from the French word meaning ''exit'' or from Latin root ''surgere'' meaning to "rise up") is a deployment or dispatch of one military unit, be it an aircraft An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to flight, fly by gaining supp ...

from Paris was intended to coincide with the battle but this was delayed until November 30, news of the delay not reaching Aurelle until after the battle due to poor winds for the

hot air balloon A hot air balloon is a lighter-than-air aircraft consisting of a bag, called an envelope, which contains heated air. Suspended beneath is a gondola or wicker basket (in some long-distance or high-altitude balloons, a capsule), which carries ...

s used as messengers. Upon receiving news of this sortie the Army of the Loire wheeled to the right to bypass Beaune-la-Rolande and march on Paris.

Casualties

French casualties amounted to around 8,000 soldiers killed and wounded and 100 taken prisoner.North Otago Times article on battle
/ref> The Prussians lost 817 soldiers and 37 officers killed. The French

painter

, serving as an enlisted man in the 3rd Zouaves, was killed in action at Beaune-la-Rolande whilst leading his unit in the first attack, his officer having been injured.

, the German

who founded the

Society of Telegraph Engineers and Electricians The Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE) was a British professional organisation of electronics, electrical, manufacturing, and Information Technology professionals, especially electrical engineers. It began in 1871 as the Society of Tel ...

, also fought in the battle as a private in the Prussian army, received a wound and was awarded the

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia es ...

for courage.Obituary ''Journal of the Institution of Electrical Engineers'', 66 (1928), 1,242–3

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beaune-la-Rolande

Battle of Beaune-la-Rolande The Battle of Beaune-la-Rolande on 28 November 1870 was a battle of the Franco-Prussian War, won by Prussia. In an attempt to relieve the Siege of Paris, French General Crouzat's XX Corps launched an attack against three Prussian brigades resting ...

Conflicts in 1870 Battles involving France Battles of the Franco-Prussian War Battles involving Prussia Beaune-la-Rolande History of Loiret November 1870 events