Battle of Spicheren 1870
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 6 August 1870 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1870 | Wikidata P585 (point in time) |
| Era | 19th century (1800–1913) | derived from year |
| Location | France | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Europe | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Franco-Prussian War | Wikidata P361 |
| Coordinates | 49.1500, 6.0167 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Spicheren (also known as the Battle of Forbach) was fought on 6 August 1870 during the Franco-Prussian War. German forces won a victory compelled the French to withdraw to the defenses of Metz. The battle was the second of three critical French defeats. General Helmuth von Moltke the Elder had originally planned to keep François Achille Bazaine's army around the Saar until he could attack it with the 2nd Army in front and the 1st Army on its left flank, while the 3rd Army closed towards the rear. The aging General Karl Friedrich von Steinmetz made an overzealous, unplanned move, leading the 1st Army south from his position on the Moselle. He moved straight toward the town of Spicheren, cutting off Prince Frederick Charles from his forward cavalry units in the process.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Spicheren (revision 1370274594), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Battle of Gravelotte 1870 · 5 km
- Battle of Fort Driant 1944 · 9 km
- Battle of Mars-la-Tour 1870 · 12 km
- Siege of Metz (1552) 1553 · 12 km
- Siege of Metz (1814) 1814 · 12 km
- Battle of Metz 1944 · 12 km
Other battles of the Franco-Prussian War
- Battle of Amiens (1870) 1870
- Battle of Bazeilles 1870
- Battle of Beaugency (1870) 1870
- Battle of Beaumont 1870
- Battle of Beaune-la-Rolande 1870
- Battle of Bellevue 1870
- Battle of Borny–Colombey 1870
- Battle of Buzancy 1870
- Battle of Buzenval (1870) 1870
- Battle of Chevilly 1870
All 47 battles of the Franco-Prussian War →
Browse more: battles in France · Europe · 19th century battles