Week 11: Monday, April 3
Battle of Gravelotte-St. Privat (August 18, 1870): During the bloodiest battle of the Franco-Prussian War, outnumbered French forces occupying a strong position inflicted enormous losses on attacking German units, thus expressing the power of new breech-loading rifled small arms. For example, the Prussian Guards Division suffered somewhere around 8,000 casualties (almost half their number) in 20 minutes—and their attack stalled about 800 meters short of the French line. Ultimately, Prussian and Saxon units captured the village of St. Privat (which served as an anchor for the right flank of the French army) after a vicious street battle and succeeded in turning the French line. In this painting by Alphonse de Neuville, a prominent French artist who often treated military subjects, Saxon forces are stamping out the French defenders of St. Privat who have made a last stand in the village cemetary. French forces were compelled to retreat to Metz where they were besieged and eventually captured some months later. Total German casualties amounted to over 20,000 men while the French suffered over 12,000 killed, wounded, and captured. The expression "the front" was first employed while describing this battle.
ANNOUNCEMENT: As mentioned in the syllabus and elsewhere on this web site, I will be showing Breaker Morant on Tuesday, April 4, at 7:30 PM in Gadbois 4. It's a good movie with some fighting, some explosions, and other things I dare not mention for fear of giving the end away. It's also a part of this class. Be there.
Everyone is responsible for the following questions from the textbook.
1) According to the textbook, what was the "triple revolution" in military affairs that occurred in Europe during the mid-19th century? How did it affect warfare?
2) The text asserts, "this flood of reforms in military affairs needed but one vital ingredient in order to transform the nature of warfare." What was that ingredient, why was it necessary, and what did it do?
3) The text describes two debates that occurred during this period, one concerning the "essence of national strategy" and the other relating to the command and control of armies. Very briefly describe the positions of those on either side of these two debates.
Half the class will be responsible for Grimsely's article. The other half is responsible for Showalter's. Look below for your name to see which article you are responsible for.
Mark Grimsley, "Surviving Military Revolution: The U.S. Civil War" (Avery to LeBeau)
Yes, you have more questions than they do, but their question is harder.
4) Mark Grimsely claims the United States stood at the forefront of a military revolution during the American Civil War. What were the non-military sources of this military revolution?
5) According to Grimsely, in what ways was the American Civil War a modern war?
6) What two elements did the North eventually master that gave it an "asymmetric" advantage and provide the means of victory?
Dennis Showalter, "The Prusso-German RMA, 1840-1871" (Matisoff to Wills)
4) According to Showalter, what were the most important elements of the "Prusso-German Revolution in Military Affairs"? How did these elements relate to one another? In other words, how did one element make the others necessary so that all worked together in a coherent system?
Edouard Dubrulle (1848-1887), my great-great-grandfather fought at Gravelotte-St. Privat with the 70th Line Regiment (Levassor-Sorval's 4th Division) in Canrobert's VI Corps. In civilian life, he was a mécanicien (a machinist) who worked at a coal mine in Noeux-les-Mines in Northern France. Positioned just south of St. Privat, Edouard witnessed the heavy fighting that took place around the village in the late afternoon. He later wrote that he would remember the battlefield at Saint Privat "for the rest of my life—one could not see anything more terrible and more grandiose in its horror."
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Copyrighted by Hugh Dubrulle, 2006.