GRAVELOTTE, grivlot, Battle of, one of the most severely contested and most im portant conflicts of the Franco-German War (q.v.). It is named after a village of Lorraine, seven miles west of Metz, but is also called by the French the battle of SAINT PIUVAT, and of GRAVELOTTE and REZONVILLE. After the disas trous defeats at Worth and at Forbach on 6 Aug. 1870 the French in two armies, one under MacMahon and one under Bazaine, retreated along the line of the Moselle, their object be ing to join forces at Chalons. To prevent this the first German army under Prince Frederick Charles intercepted Bazaine by a circuitous march, forced upon him the battle of Courcelles and Mars-la-Tour and compelled him to keep within touch of Metz. On 18 August the armies of Prince Frederick Charles and Stein metz, numbering about 211,000 troops under the command of King William, attacked the position. Bazaine had taken a very strong posi tion with about 111,000 men around Gravelotte on a ridge of hills to the west of Metz, and fronting westward. His line extended from Rancourt and Saint Privat on the north through Amanvillers and Chatel to Rozerieulles. The Germans were not well informed as to the exact position of the French, believing the lat ter's right to be at Amanvillers, whereas it ex tended fully three miles further north to Ran court. A flanking movement against the French
right was determined on by the Germans, joined with a frontal attack on the left and centre. The flanking movement was delayed because the French right was three miles further north than had been expected and the frontal attacks, which were launched at noon about Verneville, were checked. A cavalry charge by the Ger mans was also repulsed. The Germans carried the heights of Moscon, Saint-Hubert and Point du-Jour during the afternoon, but the battle was undecided until about 7 o'oclocic, when the flanking movement on the French right was finally carried out. The Prussian Guards and Saxon troops took Saint Privet and drove the French right from its position, while the French centre and left were checked from breaking through at Gravelotte. The Germans lost over 28,000 men and the French over 12,000; the latter were forced to retreat into Metz, which was immediately invested by Prince Frederick Charles, and capitulated two months later on 27 October. Consult Bleibtren, C., 'Die Schlachten urn Metz> (Metz 1910), and Erb, F. E. H., (L'Artillerie dam les batailles de Metz, 14-18 mitt' (Paris 1906).