Journals of Field-Marshal Count von Blumenthal for 1866 and 1870-71

16 August 1870

Battle of Mars-la-Tour

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On the 15th Bazaine continues his retreat on Verdun. To intercept this movement the Second Army is now swung round, pivoting its right upon Metz. Thus brought to bay, Bazaine forms up facing south, on the line Mars-la-Tour-Gravelotte.

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On the 16th occurred the Battles of Vionville, Rezonville, and Mars-la-Tour, resulting in the French being completely thrown off their line of retreat on Verdun.

18 August 1870

Battle of Gravelotte

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IT will be remembered that at the outbreak of the war of 1870 the frontier dividing Germany from France ran in a line from Luxembourg (Luxembourg, Belgium, and Switzerland being neutral States) to a point about ten miles south-east of Landau on the Rhine, thence to Basle, the Rhine itself between these two points constituting the boundary. The political situation, as well as a mistaken belief in France's preparedness for war — ' down to the last gaiter button ' — led the German Headquarters Staff to expect an invasion of German territory, and it was thought that in all probability a French army, based on Strass- burg and Metz — these being fortresses of great strength — and having its right flank protected by the river, would cross the frontier somewhere about Carlsruhe and invade Rhenish Prussia. Such a movement, if successful, would, it was expected, sever Bavaria from her North German allies, and at least have the effect of neutralizing her army. The massing of French troops at Metz (150,000), at Strassburg (100,000), and at Chalons in support (50,000), clearly pointed to this as France's intention. To oppose such an irruption Germany had moved up her field armies to the neighbourhood of the frontier fortresses, Coblenz, Mainz, and Mannheim, with the intention of offering direct opposition to any incursion on that front of her dominions, and of protecting herself indirectly by threatening their com- munications should the French advance on the Danube or Main.

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An advance over the Rhine, the three armies to concentrate on German soil near Call, offered many temptations. It would turn the Vosges Mountains — a formidable barrier — by threaten- ing the defender's communications, and it would threaten the communications of both Metz and Strassburg with the capital.

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On the 18th Bazaine is defeated at the Battle of Gravelotte, and makes good his retreat into Metz with the remnant of his army.

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It is a conclusive proof of the inferiority of their Generals, and of the general demoralization of the French Army that this comparatively strong force should not have been able to break through the thin investing line of Prussians. Had Bazaine, during one of the nights immediately succeeding the Battle of Metz, tried to break through us with the whole of his army in a southerly direction, as I thought he would, there would have been nobody to stop him. But per- haps he did not know that the two Prussian armies

1 September 1870 (capitulation 2 September)

Battle of Sedan (1870)

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August 29th. — MacMahon commences crossing the Meuse at Monzou. Being hard-pressed by both these armies, his army, in great disorder, moves down the Meuse to Sedan, thus abandon- ing all idea of helping Bazaine.

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September 3rd— The Battle of Sedan and fall of the Empire.

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In the afternoon General von Moltke was with me. He came in rubbing his hands, with a sardonic smile on his face, and said, ' Now we have them in a mouse-trap.' Later on in the evening arrived a communication from him saying that it would be better to attack the enemy somewhat earlier than my dispositions already published had provided for, so as to prevent him slipping out of the mesh. Orders were therefore given in the night to rush the bridges in the dark, and to press forward immediately with the Eleventh and Fifth Army Corps in the direction of the Mezieres- Sedan road, and then to attack the enemy trying to retreat westwards. Officers were sent out in every direction, and I wrote to the Crown Prince of Saxony to ask him not to press his advance too rapidly, in order that we might have time to close the net.

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There was also for the Crown Prince and myself a somewhat unpleasant surprise, namely, the letter written by the King of Prussia to the Queen after the Battle of Sedan. The battle is very shortly described therein, and nothing whatever is said of the presence of the Crown Prince's army ; in fact, one would suppose that it was not there at all, when the truth is that it was the Third Army which struck the decisive blow. I have now been through three cam- paigns, and have grown quite accustomed to having the operations, in which I have had the luck to be successful, depreciated; but it pains me to see the doings of the Crown Prince intentionally minimized. It was so at Koniggratz, and now in all our three fights ; and I feel sure that this will always be the case. It shall not deter me, however, from carrying out my task to the uttermost, with loyalty and success if possible, trying as it is at times.