Battle of Roßbrunn

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Battle of Roßbrunn
Part of Austro-Prussian War
Reitergefecht bei den Hettstädter Höfen.jpg
Cavalry battle at the Hettstädter Höfe
DateJuly 26, 1866
Location
Roßbrunn, Uettingen, Hettstadt
49°47′26.5″N 9°45′14.9″E / 49.790694°N 9.754139°E / 49.790694; 9.754139Coordinates: 49°47′26.5″N 9°45′14.9″E / 49.790694°N 9.754139°E / 49.790694; 9.754139
Result Bavarian Victory, end of the Austro-Prussian War
Belligerents
 Prussia  Bavaria
Commanders and leaders
Eduard von Flies
Ludwig von Korth
Thassilo von Nidda
Hugo von Thile		 Jakob von Hartmann
Maximilian von Feder
Units involved
Flies Division 4th Division
Casualties and losses
101 dead; 715 wounded; 40 missing 94 dead; 632 wounded; 192 missing
Battle of Roßbrunn is located in Germany
Battle of Roßbrunn
Location within Germany

The Battle of Roßbrunn was the last battle of the Main Campaign in the Austro-Prussian War. It took place on July 26, 1866 near Roßbrunn, Uettingen and Hettstadt

Background[]

Prince Karl of Bavaria , the Commander-in-Chief of the West German Army of the German Confederation, planned an offensive of the VII and VIII Federal Corps against the Prussian Army under Edwin von Manteuffel on July 16, 1866 however the VIII. Corps was no longer ready to fight and withdrew towards Würzburg. Prince Karl wanted at least to hold the plateau near Hettstadt and thus Würzburg in order not to weaken Bavaria's negotiating position any further in the upcoming peace negotiations.

The Battle[]

Fighting at Uettingen and Roßbrunn[]

The 2nd combined infantry brigade of the Prussian Flies Division under Major General Ludwig von Korth occupied Uettingen with two battalions late on July 25 and moved into night quarters west of the village with the majority of the battalions.

The Bavarian 2nd Division under Major General Maximilian von Feder and the Bavarian 4th Division under Major General Jakob von Hartmann were set up near Roßbrunn. The entire rest of the Bavarian Army was concentrated behind it between Hettstadt and Waldbrunn.

At 4 a.m., units of the Bavarian 5th Infantry Regiment attacked the Prussians in Uettingen.

Major General von Korth had the Kirchberg stormed on the left flank by the 4th Posensche Infantry Regiment No. 59. to combat units of the Bavarian 5th and 13th Infantry Regiments as well as the 8th Jäger Battalion defended the Kirchberg, but could not hold it and had to retreat to the Hessnert with considerable losses.

The Magdeburg Fusilier Regiment No. 36 under Colonel Hugo von Thile stormed the Osnert on the right flank, with considerable losses (including two battalion commanders). Units of the Bavarian 7th and 10th Infantry Regiments had tried in vain to hold the mountain.

The Prussians succeeded in taking the heights (Kirchberg, Osnert, Heiligenberg) near Uettingen, which dominated the village and the road to Würzburg, after the Bavarians had cleared the Heiligenberg.

An artillery duel took place in the center, although the Prussians were only able to make progress after the two flanking mountains had been captured. Around 10 o'clock the Bavarians vacated their position at Roßbrunn and took up a new position on the Hettstadt plateau.

Cavalry battle at the Hettstädter Höfe[]

Prussian cavalry under Colonel Thassilo von Nidda explored the terrain, with a smaller unit coming into battle with Bavarian cavalry. In the pursuit of the Bavarians, the unit came into the Bavarian infantry fire and suffered considerable losses. Colonel Nidda made a new attack with his whole brigade of eight squadrons and initially threw back the Bavarian cavalry. Thereupon the Bavarians threw four cavalry regiments (Three cuirassier and one ulan regiment) into the battle and put the Prussians to flight. The last battle ended with a victory for Bavaria.[1]

Legacy[]

Several memorials for the fallen soldiers of the Prussian regiments and the Bavarian 4th Division were erected in the Uettingen cemetery [2]

  • Memorial for the fallen of the 5th Royal Bavarian Infantry Regiment and the 8th Royal Bavarian Jäger Battalion

  • Memorial for the fallen soldiers of the Bavarian 2nd Jäger Battalion in the cemetery in Uettingen

  • Memorial for the fallen soldiers of the Prussian Grenadier Regiment No, 11 (2nd Silesian) in the Uettingen

  • Memorial to the fallen soldiers of the Magdeburg Fusilier Regiment № 36 at the Uettingen cemetery

  • Memorial to the fallen soldiers of the 4th Posen Infantry Regiment No. 59 at the Uettingen cemetery

For the fallen soldiers of the royal Bavarian infantry regiments 4, 7 and 10, a memorial in the shape of a cross was erected on the Vogelsberg south of Roßbrunn.

  • Memorial for the fallen soldiers of the Bavarian infantry regiments 4, 7 and 10 on the Vogelsberg near Roßbrunn

Literature[]

  • Österreichs Kämpfe im Jahre 1866. Vom K.und K. Generalstab. Bureau für Kriegsgeschichte, 5. Band, Wien 1869, S. 163–170. online in der Google-Buchsuche
  • Der Feldzug von 1866 in Deutschland. Kriegsgeschichtliche Abteilung des großen Generalstabes, Berlin 1867, S. 676–687. online in der Google-Buchsuche
  • Antheil der königlich bayerischen Armee am Kriege des Jahres 1866. bearbeitet vom Generalquartiermeister-Stabe, München 1868, S. 177–199. online in der Google-Buchsuche
  • August Mels: Von der Elbe bis zur Tauber. Der Feldzug der Preußischen Main-Armee im Sommer 1866. Vom Berichterstatter des Daheim. Mit Karten und vielen Illustrationen. Velhagen & Klasing, Bielefeld & Leipzig 1867, S. 251–263. online in der Google-Buchsuche
  • Theodor Fontane: Der deutsche Krieg von 1866. 2. Band: Der Feldzug in West- und Mitteldeutschland. Berlin 1871. S. 235–254. online in der Google-Buchsuche
  • Emil Knorr: Der Feldzug des Jahres 1866 in West- und Süddeutschland nach authentischen Quellen bearbeitet. 3. Band, Hamburg 1870, S. 230–266. online bei der Bayerischen Staatsbibliothek

References[]

  1. ^ Fontane, S. 251–254.
  2. ^ s. Fontane, Anhang die Denkmäler S. 35–37. online in der Google-Buchsuche

External links[]

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