Battle of Le Mans
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| Franco-Prussian War |
|---|
| Wissembourg – Spicheren – Worth – Borny-Colombey – Strasbourg – Mars-La-Tour – Gravelotte – Metz – Beaumont – Noiseville – Sedan – Bellevue – Coulmiers –Amiens – Beaune-La-Rolande – Hallue – Bapaume – Le Mans – Lisaine – St. Quentin – Paris – Belfort |
| Loire Campaign |
|---|
| 1st Orléans –Coulmiers – 2nd Orléans – Le Mans |
Background
After the victory at the battle of Orleans, Prince Friedrich Karl marched his army further to the west towards Le Mans. Antoine Chanzy had under his command about 150,000 soldiers stationed in Le Mans. The bulk of the pre-war professional French army had either been captured at the battle of Sedan and the siege of Metz or were bottled up in the siege of Paris. Thus Chanzy's "army" consisted mainly of reservists and hastily conscripted civilians armed with a variety of obsolete civilian rifles or old military muzzle-loaders. Greatly outnumbering the Prussian army, the French conscripts were nonetheless no match for the battle-seasoned Prussians and Friedrich Karl did not hesitate to attack.The battle
The French army was greatly demoralized and ill-equipped. Much of the French ammunition had been soaked in the rain and snow but Chanzy still ordered his forces into trenches prepared before Le Mans. The Prussians hit the French left flank guarded by the Huisne River. The flank was turned and a complete route of the defenders was prevented by the French cavalry posted to the rear to prevent the French from retreting any further. Artillery and a counterattack halted the Prussian attack. A bold Prussian attack was launched on the French right flank and only because the French defenderes fled so quickly did it succeed. Corps commander Jean Bernard Jauréguiberry attempted to rally the broken troops to mount a counterattack but failed to do so. The whole French defense simply dissolved and the stragglers fled back into Le Mans.Results
The battle had completely ended French resistance in the west. Friedrich Karl's supply lines were stretched thin and his army also was exhausted from its campaign along the Loire River that he did not pursue Chanzy. However, Chanzy's army was so demoralized and fatigued after the battle that it ceased to be an effective force and the fighting around the Loire came to an end.Sources
- Howard, Michael The Franco-Prussian War: German Invasion of France, MacMillan 1962 [link] (Note: France had declared this war)
- [History of the Franco-Prussian War]
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