The Battle of Villersexel took place on 9 January 1871 as part of the
Franco-Prussian War. Elements of the
French ''
Armée de l'Est'' under General
Bourbaki engaged
August von Werder
Karl Wilhelm Friedrich August Leopold Graf von Werder (12 September 1808 – 12 September 1887) was a Kingdom of Prussia, Prussian general.
Life and career
Early life and assignments
Werder was born in Schloßberg near Norkitten in the Pr ...
's German forces. It resulted in a French victory.
Background
In the turmoil and confusion following the capitulations at
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 ...
and the continued
besiegement of Paris, the remaining French armies faced major supply difficulties which restricted their movements. The ''Armée de l'Est'' was tasked with reaching and assisting
Belfort
Belfort (; archaic german: Beffert/Beffort) is a city in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in Northeastern France, situated between Lyon and Strasbourg, approximately from the France–Switzerland border. It is the prefecture of the Terri ...
, where Colonel
Denfert-Rochereau still held out.
Battle
Werder's
XIV Corps 14 Corps, 14th Corps, Fourteenth Corps, or XIV Corps may refer to:
* XIV Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars
* XIV Corps (German Empire), a unit of the Imperial German Army prior to and during World ...
caught up to Bourbaki in the evening of 9 January at
Villersexel, where a French detachment had taken positions the evening before. Prussian troops, filing through an unguarded pass, rapidly overwhelmed the positions surrounding the bridge over the
Ognon. By 13:00h the
château
A château (; plural: châteaux) is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaking regions.
Now ...
fell to the Prussians. However, the French lines at
Esprels,
Autrey-le-Vay
Autrey-le-Vay () is a commune in the Haute-Saône department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France.
See also
*Communes of the Haute-Saône department
The following is a list of the 539 communes in the French department ...
, and, to the east,
Villers-la-Ville, successfully checked the Prussian attack.
Around noon Werder ordered two brigades of the
Baden Field Division, which were marching towards
Athesans, to reinforce the Prussians at Villersexel. Arriving late, they would only be lightly engaged during the battle.
A French counterattack organized by Bourbaki pressed steadily forth in the afternoon and recaptured the château after confused street fighting. Fighting continued into the night until the retreat of the Prussians at 03:00h. Bourbaki continued his march on 13 January, while Werder fell back some 20 kilometers north along the Lisaine.
Results of the Battle
Though the French sustained heavier losses they managed to drive the Prussian armies from their barricades.
The Chateau des Villersexel, then known as
Château des Grammont, was destroyed during the battle. The Château was later rebuilt. The village, also burned, was particularly affected in its lower part to Ognon.
Image:Battle of Villersexel area map.jpg, A map of the area around Villersexel at the time of the battle
Image:Bataille de Villersexel - 07.jpg, View of destruction to the village
Image:Bataille de Villersexel - 05.jpg, Artillery placements at the ruins of the Château
Image:Bataille de Villersexel - 06.jpg, View of destruction in the lower portion of the village
Footnotes
References
* Colonel Rousset, ''Histoire générale de la Guerre franco-allemande'', Vol. 2, édition Jules Tallandier, Paris, 1911.
* Général Pierre Bertin, " 1870-1871 Désillusions dans l'Est" Cêtre Besançon Editions, 2007.
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Battle of Villersexel
Conflicts in 1871
Battles of the Franco-Prussian War
Battles involving France
Battles involving Prussia
Villersexel
History of Haute-Saône
January 1871 events