Battle of Villiers
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Villiers was the largest of the French sorties from besieged Paris
during the Franco-Prussian War
.
and hearing of the surrender of Metz
, morale began to drop in Paris. Attempting to boost moral in the city, General Louis Jules Trochu
decided to attempt a breakout which could possibly then link up with the French Army of the Loire.
led 80,000 men towards the villages of Champigny
and Brie
on the east bank of the Marne River
. This section of the German lines was held by the Württemberg Division of the Prussian 3rd Army. On the 29th the Marne had flooded and a French reconnaissance attack turned into a disaster when 1,300 troops were lost. The main attack was to come the next day followed by a series of diversionary attacks. French artillery drove German advance units from the villages of Brie and Champigny and allowed Ducrot's troops to cross the Marne on pontoon bridges. Ducrot established a bridgehead on the opposite bank of the river at the two villages and advanced up a plateau towards Villiers
. The Württemberg Division was so well entrenched that the French artillery did little to dislodge them and the attack stalled. Ducrot called on his III Corps, which had crossed the Marne north of Brie to assault Villiers from the north. The III Corps hesitated too long to attack to be of any use and now Ducrot was fighting a defensive battle.
was annoyed with the lack of energy in which Albert of Saxony, commanding the Army of the Meuse, had shown in sending reinforcements to the Württemberg Division. Moltke ordered General Eduard von Fransecky
to move with his II Corps to the threatened area and assume command of all operations there. Fransecky however had not been notified in time to do anything about the fight on the 30th. December 1 the two armies called a truce and buried their dead. On December 2 a similar situation faced the Germans as had at the battle of Le Bourget
. Fransecky did not feel that a counterattack was necessary since the main German line had not been broken yet, just as he had at Le Bourget, Albert pushed for a counter attack anyway. Fransecky's attack was so rapid that it quickly took Champigny. The French were then rallied and a stalemate ensued for the rest of the day. The situation worried Moltke enough to cause him to draw up plans in case the French would renew their attack the following day and succeed in breaking through. Ducrot however had no intention of renewing the fight. His troops had suffered greatly in the cold and even though he received word that the Army of the Loire was moving towards Paris, he withdrew back into Paris by December 4.
to sue for peace with Prussia.
Siege of Paris
The Siege of Paris, lasting from September 19, 1870 – January 28, 1871, and the consequent capture of the city by Prussian forces led to French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War and the establishment of the German Empire as well as the Paris Commune....
during the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
.
Background
After the French defeat at the battle of Le BourgetBattle of Le Bourget
The Battle of Le Bourget was part of the siege of Paris during the Franco-Prussian War, fought between 27 and 30 September 1870.-Background:...
and hearing of the surrender of Metz
Siege of Metz
The Siege of Metz lasting from 19 August – 27 October 1870 was fought during the Franco-Prussian War and ended in a decisive Prussian victory.-History:...
, morale began to drop in Paris. Attempting to boost moral in the city, General Louis Jules Trochu
Louis Jules Trochu
Louis Jules Trochu was a French military leader and politician. He served as President of the Government of National Defense—France's de facto head of state—from 4 September 1870 until his resignation on 22 January 1871 .- Military career :He was born at Palais...
decided to attempt a breakout which could possibly then link up with the French Army of the Loire.
French attack
On November 30 Auguste-Alexandre DucrotAuguste-Alexandre Ducrot
Auguste-Alexandre Ducrot was a French general. Ducrot served in Algeria, in the Italian campaign of 1859, and as a division commander in the Franco-Prussian War....
led 80,000 men towards the villages of Champigny
Champigny
Champigny may refer to several communes in France:*Champigny, Marne*Champigny, Yonne*Champigny-en-Beauce, in the Loir-et-Cher département*Champigny-la-Futelaye, in the Eure département*Champigny-le-Sec, in the Vienne département...
and Brie
Brie
Brie is a historic region of France most famous for its dairy products, especially Brie cheese. It was once divided into two sections ruled by different feudal lords: the western Brie française, corresponding roughly to the modern department of Seine-et-Marne in the Île-de-France region; the...
on the east bank of the Marne River
Marne River
The Marne is a river in France, a right tributary of the Seine in the area east and southeast of Paris. It is long. The river gave its name to the départements of Haute-Marne, Marne, Seine-et-Marne, and Val-de-Marne....
. This section of the German lines was held by the Württemberg Division of the Prussian 3rd Army. On the 29th the Marne had flooded and a French reconnaissance attack turned into a disaster when 1,300 troops were lost. The main attack was to come the next day followed by a series of diversionary attacks. French artillery drove German advance units from the villages of Brie and Champigny and allowed Ducrot's troops to cross the Marne on pontoon bridges. Ducrot established a bridgehead on the opposite bank of the river at the two villages and advanced up a plateau towards Villiers
Villiers
-Places:In Canada* Villiers, Ontario, a small settlement near PeterboroughIn France* Villiers, Indre, in the Indre département* Villiers, Vienne, in the Vienne département* Villiers-Adam, in the Val-d'Oise département...
. The Württemberg Division was so well entrenched that the French artillery did little to dislodge them and the attack stalled. Ducrot called on his III Corps, which had crossed the Marne north of Brie to assault Villiers from the north. The III Corps hesitated too long to attack to be of any use and now Ducrot was fighting a defensive battle.
German counterattack
The French attack did manage to bring some amount of excitement to the Prussian high command. Chief of Staff Helmuth von MoltkeHelmuth von Moltke the Elder
Helmuth Karl Bernhard Graf von Moltke was a German Field Marshal. The chief of staff of the Prussian Army for thirty years, he is regarded as one of the great strategists of the latter 19th century, and the creator of a new, more modern method of directing armies in the field...
was annoyed with the lack of energy in which Albert of Saxony, commanding the Army of the Meuse, had shown in sending reinforcements to the Württemberg Division. Moltke ordered General Eduard von Fransecky
Eduard von Fransecky
Eduard Friedrich Karl von Fransecky was Prussian general who served in the Austro-Prussian War and the Franco-Prussian War.-Biography:...
to move with his II Corps to the threatened area and assume command of all operations there. Fransecky however had not been notified in time to do anything about the fight on the 30th. December 1 the two armies called a truce and buried their dead. On December 2 a similar situation faced the Germans as had at the battle of Le Bourget
Battle of Le Bourget
The Battle of Le Bourget was part of the siege of Paris during the Franco-Prussian War, fought between 27 and 30 September 1870.-Background:...
. Fransecky did not feel that a counterattack was necessary since the main German line had not been broken yet, just as he had at Le Bourget, Albert pushed for a counter attack anyway. Fransecky's attack was so rapid that it quickly took Champigny. The French were then rallied and a stalemate ensued for the rest of the day. The situation worried Moltke enough to cause him to draw up plans in case the French would renew their attack the following day and succeed in breaking through. Ducrot however had no intention of renewing the fight. His troops had suffered greatly in the cold and even though he received word that the Army of the Loire was moving towards Paris, he withdrew back into Paris by December 4.
Aftermath
The fighting had been costly for both sides. The French over lost 9,000 troop while the Germans lost over 3,000. The Army of the Loire was defeated at the Battle of Orléans and Ducrot urged Tochu and Foreign Minister Jules FavreJules Favre
Jules Claude Gabriel Favre was a French statesman. After the establishment of the Third Republic in September 1870, he became one of the leaders of the Opportunist Republicans faction.- Early life :...
to sue for peace with Prussia.