Battle of Gray

Battle of Gray
Part ofFranco-Prussian War
Date October 27, 1870 Location Gray,Haute-Saône,France Result German victory
Belligerents
French Republic	North German Confederation Prussia Baden
Commanders and leaders
Colonel Lavalle	August von Werder Prince Wilhelm of Baden
Units involved
Garde Mobile	A brigade of theXIV Corps
Casualties and losses
15 officers and 500 soldiers taken prisoner	Unknown

TheBattle of Gray(also called Battle of Talmay), fought on 27 October 1870, was a part of theFranco-Prussian Warthat occurred inHaute-SaôneFrance.

Battle

On 22 October 1870, theXIV Corps,mostly composed of troops from theGrand Duchy of Badenunder GeneralAugust von Werderdefeated the Army of the Rhône under GeneralAlbert Cambrielsat theBattle of Ognon.Werder had orders from chief of staffHelmuth von Moltketo march throughDijontoBourges.In engagements atEssertenneandTalmaynear Gray, troops underPrince William of Badenquickly defeated aFrench Armyforce of theGarde Mobileunder Colonel Lavalle, sent to defend theVingeanneriver, and forced them to withdraw from Gray. But a new enemy, the famous Italian general of the French Army,Giuseppe Garibaldi,and his forces were ordered to march to the Gray railroad station. From there, they advanced on Dijon.

On 24 October 1870, the XIV Corps assembled atGray.In the days that followed, its units searched for French troops.

On 27 October 1870, German forces that had already crossed theSaône Riverperformed a reconnaissance towards Dijon after encountering and repelling severalGarde Mobilesoldiers from the forests northwest of Gray. In the direction of the Vingeanne, the German army was already fighting the enemy at several points. Two regiments of soldiers firing muskets of the Regiment Baden 2, with 4-gate fireworks of the 3rd heavy battery, which had sailed fromAutreyto face an attack by several hundred FrenchGarde Mobilesoldiers who had retreated from La Fahy and the Pomilly woods toMornayandSt. Seine L'Eglise.After a skirmish, the Garde Mobile were driven out with the loss of their handheld equipment, and 60 prisoners fell to the Germans.

Further down the area, there were several isolated French outposts. The stronger troops, stationed at the junction ofMirabeauandPontailler-sur-Saône,retreated fromEssertenneand the forest to the west after a minor skirmish with the 2nd battalion of the Baden Guards Regiment. As the army continued through the forest, some German soldiers gained access to the entire military wing, which was not supported by a vertical lineupGarde Mobilemarching from Talmay to L'Eglise Renève. The French were driven back to Vingeanne andTalmay.At Talmay, another German company surrounded all 15 French officers and 430 soldiers. Later, General Werder ordered GeneralGustav von Beyerto conduct further reconnaissance towards Dijon.

Aftermath

As a result of the victory at Gray, German forces captured a large number of French prisoners. Not long after, Lavalle was brought before a French military court.