Background
The Battle of Mars-La-Tour (also known as the Battle of Vionville or Battle of Rezonville) was fought on 16 August 1870, during the Franco-Prussian War, near the village of Mars-La-Tour in northeast France.
In the evening of 15 August, Voigts-Rhetz ordered the 5th Cavalry Division under General Paul von Rheinbaben to conduct a reconnaissance-in-force against the French positions near Rezonville. A German battery set up position on nearby height and fired on the surprised French. The French cavalry promptly fled to the east, re-assembling on the Rezonville plateau. By 0930, the German cavalry could not support their artillery, as French infantry had by now formed up and were advancing on Vionville, subjecting the Germans to their fire.
The 6th Cavalry Division was ordered by Alvensleben at to secure the Rezonville plateau. A cavalry brigade under Lieutenant Colonel Rauch that was advancing on the heights, was fired upon from the Bois de Vionville and was forced to retreat after heavy losses. Grüter’s brigade had more success, its cavalry sending French skirmishers fleeing, while its artillery raked French infantry camps near the Bois de St. Arnould.
Marshal François Certain Canrobert’s 6th Army Corps sent two divisions to Vionville and Flavigny. General Charles Auguste Frossard’s 2nd Army Corps sent Bataille’s division to occupy Vionville, Verge’s division to control the heights north of Gorze and Lapasset’s brigade to occupy the Bois de St. Arnould. The German artillery batteries at Vionville were now subject to artillery and skirmisher fire and were sent fleeing. At this stage, the Prussian 5th and 6th Infantry Divisions of III Corps reached the battlefield.[
At 0730 5th Infantry Division began marching along the road from Novéant to Gorze, their objective being Vionville. Its advance guard, the 9th Infantry Brigade under General von Döring, arrived at Gorze at 0900, where 6th Cavalry Division had already re-deployed. Prussian troops began ascending the plateau around 0900. Colonel von Garrelts advanced up the ridge to capture the Bois de Vionvilleand secured the nearby Anconville farm. von Stülpnagel ordered all 24 of his division’s guns into action . The French 1st Infantry Division deployed on the plateau, seeking to outflank the Prussians. To the east, the Prussian Body Guard Regiment advanced directly north from Gorze and slowly pushed back Lapasset’s brigade in the Bois de St. Arnould.
The 10th Infantry Brigade’s advanced to fill the gap and save the now-exposed German artillery. They did succeed in buying time for more German reinforcements to arrive. As the French advanced to destroy the crumbling left wing of the 5th Infantry Division,Colonel von Wulffen moved up the plateau and used fire and bayonets to chase the French back to Flavigny. Other artillery batteries of III Corps near Tronville provided fire support that contributed to the success. The German artillery could now move forward on the left flank. An X Corps detachment of two infantry battalions, two dragoon squadrons and one artillery battery arrived to reinforce 5th Infantry Division, raising its artillery strength to 30 guns and creating a strong position for the German batteries The heavy German artillery fire forced the French to support 2nd Army Corps with guns from the army reserve.
Accompanied by Alvensleben, 6th Infantry Division and the corps artillery began moving from Arnaville to Mars-la-Tour. Alvensleben ordered 6th Infantry Division to move north past Mars-la-Tour and block the French retreat to the west. The divisional artillery batteries under Major General von Bülow moved up and formed a gun line by 1030, bombarding the French infantry between Vionville and Flavigny and softening them up for the German infantry assault to come. The 6th Infantry Division was now in line with Tronville. The 12th Brigade advanced along both sides of the road from Mars-la-Tour to Vionville, while 11th Brigade used the road from Tronville. The place was secured and the French routed. Flavigny was conquered by 1200 through Prussian artillery firepower that reduced the hamlet to a burning rubble from multiple sides. 6th Infantry Division pushed back the French along the road to Rezonville. With Vionville and Flavigny lost and the French 2nd Army Corps retreating toward Rezonville, Bazaine and Frossard.
Once 2nd Army Corps’ defeat became clear, Alvensleben ordered the 6th Cavalry Division to pursue. At the same time, Bazaine moved the Grenadier and Voltigeur Divisions forward to support 2nd Army Corps. 6th Cavalry Division enabled the German artillery pounded the French infantry incessantly, forcing the French to hang back. 5th Infantry Division’s 10th Brigade advance on Rezonville from the south reached the Metz-Verdun road but was then thrown back by overwhelming French infantry firepower. The 10th Brigade retreated to Vionville and Flavigny.
Bazaine saw the arrival of more Prussian forces up the Moselle valley against his left flank as the biggest threat to his position. He re-deployed the Imperial Guard, the Voltigeur Division and the reconstituted remnants of 2nd Army Corps on his left. All other available forces were directed to outflank the Prussian left wing. At 1330, two French divisions advanced against the German left flank to the west of Vionville, with 4th Army Corps on the way. An X Corps demi-brigade had arrived on the battlefield to reinforce the Germans at 1145 and secured the woods near Tronville by 1230. Canrobert moved to re-capture Vionville. By 1400, Alvensleben’s III Corps was facing four deployed French corps. With all his infantry and artillery committed and largely spent, only his cavalry could stop Canrobert’s onslaught. Alvensleben directed 5th Cavalry Division to secure the corps’ left flank with two brigades, while the third heavy brigade under Major-General Friedrich Wilhelm Adalbert von Bredow was ordered to silence Canrobert’s batteries along the Roman road .
Noting that “it will cost what it will”, von Bredow took care to organize the brigade. In what would become known as “Von Bredow’s Death Ride”, the cavalrymen rode out from Prussian lines at 1400, von Bredow using the depression north of Vionville and gun smoke to mask movements from French observers until the very last moment. Erupting into view some 1000 meters from the French lines, the Prussian cavalry charged in line into and through two French gun lines, killing French gunners and scattering Canrobert’s soldiers in all directions. Two brigades of Forton’s French cavalry division attempted to counter-charge into Bredow’s flank and rear, but were partially dispersed by Canrobert’s infantry, who gunned down any cavalrymen they could see without discrimination. General von Bredow’s brigade managed to extricate itself and withdrew to their own lines by 1500. Of the 800 horsemen who had started out, only 420 returned.
The battle west of Rezonville around the Metz-Verdun road evolved into an artillery duel. Grenier’s Division from 4th Army Corps arrived, the French began to advance. Four French divisions were now massed against the German left flank and poised to outflank it.
As the French stood poised to overwhelm the heavily-outnumbered III Corps, X Corps’ 20th Infantry Division under General von Kraatz reached the battlefield near Tronville. Kraatz ordered his division to reinforce the center. General von Voigts-Rhetz moved his entire corps to support III Corps By 1600, III and X Corps had 210 guns supporting them on the battlefield.The French still had superior forces available but did not pursue their attack.
Friedrich Karl decided to fight offensively only with X Corps to the left when it arrived, while III Corps, with the help of X Corps’ 20th Infantry Division, would fight primarily with the artillery. Isolated attacks by French infantry were beaten off by Prussian artillery before the French could even get withing range of the Prussian infantry’s needle guns. III Corps’ situation was stable by 1700.
At 1800, the French crossed the ravine north of the Roman road and advanced on Mars-la-Tour. Voigts-Rhetz’s cavalry launched repeated charges to hold them off and the French retreated back over the ravine. Landmirault’s 4th Army Corps deployed six regiments of cavalry on its left flank west of Bruville and north of Mars-la-Tour. Barby’s cavalry brigade and two more regiments moved to confront them. At 1845, the opposing cavalry masses collided in a struggle involving 5,000 horsemen and 40 squadrons. The German regiments succeeded in imposing themselves on the French flank and rear and the entire French cavalry force disintegrated in a rout. After their complete victory in the greatest and most important cavalry battle of the entire Franco-Prussian War, the Prussian cavalry regiments reformed their ranks and withdrew toward Mars-la-Tour, having defeated the threat to the Prussian left flank.
On the Prussian right, IX Corps under General Albrecht Gustav von Manstein reached the battlefield at 1600. With the full strength of IX Corps deploying at his left by 1900, Prince Friedrich Karl ordered III and X Corps to move on Rezonville. Led by artillery batteries, the Prussian advance was stopped by the fire of a concentration of 54 guns of the French Imperial Guard, compelling the Prussian batteries to fall back. As the strength of the French forces was too great, Friedrich Karl’s general attack on Rezonville was not undertaken.
The battle ended at 2100 after twelve hours. Bazaine issued an order on the night of 16–17 August for his army to fall back closer to Metz. The Prussians did not pursue the French in force.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Mars-la-Tour
The Game
We set up the table per the layout shown in the Bloody Big Battles rules and played the game with the same rules. We have settled on these as the best option to play large battles in the period. They provide the flow and feel we are looking for and are quite easy for new players to comprehend. This makes them perfect! Guess that means I will have to write a review in the future… The table was six foot by four foot (standard for BBB).
The game played out very much like the historical battle. The French were able to make some inroads early, but dogged by the Prussians fire until more Prussians arrived to stabilize the front line. At about that time, the French flanking forces arrived and threaten the Prussian rear. However some deft maneuvering by Prussian reserves were able to stabilize the front. The French tried one last push to break through, but only made minor gains. The scenario ended in a tie (meaning a historical result), so the Prussians still had the field and history would not be rewritten this day!
- Manteuffel