Siege of Marsal | |||||||
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Part of Franco-Prussian War | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
French Empire | Bavaria[1] | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Unknown |
Jakob von Hartmann[4] Friedrich von Bothmer[2] | ||||||
Units involved | |||||||
Unknown | II Corps | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
600 troops and 60 – 70 artillery pieces [2][5] | Brigade Infantry No. 7,[2] Brigade Trade cavalry and 7 artillery reserves[6][7] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
16 officers and several hundred soldiers were captured , 61 artillery pieces, 8,000 rifles and a significant number of supplies were captured[7][8] | Unknown |
The siege of Marsal was a battle of the Franco-Prussian War on August 13 to 14[8][3] between the French Empire and the combined German forces of Prussia and Bavaria in Marsal.[9] Under the command of Lieutenant General Jakob von Hartmann,[4] after replacing the Prussian 4th Cavalry Division, II Corps of the Kingdom of Bavaria forced the surrender of the French Empire's defenses,[3][8] after a brief resistance by the French troops stationed at the fortress.[10] Marsal fell to the German army in the same period as the French fortresses of Lichtenberg, La Petite-Pierre and Vitry.[11] With the quick victory of the Bavarian army at Marsal,[3] the road from Dieuze to Nancy was open to the Germans. In addition, the siege also brought the Germans a lot of raw materials for the war,[8] as well as hundreds of prisoners[1] (including some officers of the French army).[8]
On the day and night of , the 4th Bavarian Division under the command of Lieutenant General Friedrich von Bothmer began his march to La Petite-Pierre. On their way to the heights of the Mecleuves, they were ordered to march through Fort Marsal to Lunéville. Earlier, on 13 August , the Prussian cavalry had reached Marsal, but were unable to force the fortress to surrender[8] and were unable to capture Marsal.[2] Faced with this situation, the forces of the Bavarian II Corps (including reserve artillery forces ) - part of the German Third Army by Prince Friedrich Wilhelm replaced the Prussian cavalry to proceed the blockade on Marsal. On August 14, a German detachment arrived at Marsal.[7][8][12][13] Under the command of Von Bothmer, the Bavarian army opened fire,[2] and agreement was made between the Germans and the French garrison. In the process,[8] a brief German bombardment destroyed a French artillery depot. The German infantry also advanced and took control of a number of fortifications.[2] The German artillery attack influenced the conclusion of the German-French agreement: the French defense at Marsal ended with the defenders of the fortress surrendering to the Germans.[2][8]
During the campaign of 1870 - 1871, Marsal, along with Lichtenberg, were two French fortresses that fell to the German army after only a shelling.[8] The defenders of Marsal fortress are reported to have fired a single shot when the fortress was besieged by the Bavarians.[7]