The Battle of Coulmiers was fought on 9 November 1870 between French and Bavarian forces during the Franco-Prussian War, ending in French victory.

The struggle

The

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 ...

, under General D'Aurelle de Paladines, surprised a Bavarian army under

Ludwig Freiherr von und zu der Tann-Rathsamhausen Ludwig Samson Heinrich Arthur Freiherr von und zu der Tann-Rathsamhausen (18 June 181526 April 1881) was a Bavarian general. Early life Born in Darmstadt, on the day of Waterloo, Ludwig was a descendant from the old family of von der Tann, whi ...

at the village of

Coulmiers Coulmiers () is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France. History This was the site of the defeat of the Prussian Army in the Battle of Coulmiers, November 9, 1870. See also *Communes of the Loiret department The following i ...

, west of

Orléans Orléans (;"Orleans"
(US) and artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during si ...

detachment shelled the Bavarian camp with percussion-fused shells, causing panic in the camp and causing the Bavarian garrison to retreat in disorder during a direct

bayonet A bayonet (from French ) is a knife, dagger, sword, or spike-shaped weapon designed to fit on the end of the muzzle of a rifle, musket or similar firearm, allowing it to be used as a spear-like weapon.Brayley, Martin, ''Bayonets: An Illustr ...

charge by French

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

. Forcing the Bavarian forces into retreating from the battlefield led to one of the very few French victories in the war.

Aftermath

The news of Coulmiers was relayed to besieged Paris and caused great excitement in the city, prompting the

Government of National Defense The Government of National Defense (french: Gouvernement de la Défense nationale) was the first government of the Third Republic of France from 4 September 1870 to 13 February 1871 during the Franco-Prussian War. It was formed after the proclam ...

within the city to launch "the Great Sortie" against the Prussian siege lines around the city. At the same time, the

stopped its march towards Paris, conforming to the wishes of General D'Aurelle, who argued that his raw, badly-supplied men needed time to rest. Despite an urging

Léon Gambetta Léon Gambetta (; 2 April 1838 – 31 December 1882) was a French lawyer and republican politician who proclaimed the French Third Republic in 1870 and played a prominent role in its early government. Early life and education Born in Cahors, Ga ...

, Aurelles locked himself into Orleans. Coulmiers's victory would not be exploited and reinforced German troops would eventually retake Orleans.

References

* Colonel Rousset, ''Histoire générale de la Guerre franco-allemande'', tome 2, édition Jules Tallandier, Paris.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Coulmiers

History of Loiret 1870 in France Conflicts in 1870