The
Battle of Werbach
took place during the
Austro-Prussian War
as part of the
Campaign of the Main
on 24 July 1866 between the Prussian Alliance and the German Federal Army.
History
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After his march into Frankfurt (16 July), the commander of the Prussian Army on the Main,
Eduard Vogel von Falckenstein
, was recalled and replaced by
Edwin von Manteuffel
. The Prussian army was also increased to 60,000 men. From 21 July the Prussians marched from
Frankfurt
towards
Wurzburg
to prevent the unification of the Federal Army. After crossing the Odenwald, there were a series of battles with Baden, Hessian and Wurttemberg units of the
VIII Corps
of the Federal Army on the
Tauber
until 24 July.
The VII Army Corps of the Federal Army was formed by the Bavarian Army. This corps under
Prince Karl of Bavaria
was in the Wurzburg area. Karl of Bavaria was also the commander-in-chief of the federal troops in southern Germany and the aim was to lead the two federal corps into battle against the Prussian Main Army.
Participating organizations
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In the Werbach area met on 24 July 1866 (three weeks after the decisive battle of Koniggratz) the 13th Prussian division with the Oldenburg-Hanseatic Brigade under the command of Major General Ludwig von Weltzien, as well as the Baden division under the command of Prince Wilhelm of Baden.
The 8th Federal Corps, consisting of four divisions under the command of Alexander von Hessen-Darmstadt, was divided into the following places on 24 July:
- The (Wurttemberg) division near Tauberbischofsheim under Lieutenant General
Oskar von Hardegg
- The ( Baden ) Division near Werbach under Lieutenant General
Prince Wilhelm of Baden
- The (Hesse-Darmstadt) Division near Großrinderfeld under Lieutenant General von Perglas
- The (Austrian - Nassau ) division near Grunsfeld - Paimar under Field Marshal Lieutenant
Erwin von Neipperg
The Prussian Main Army consisted of three divisions under
Edwin von Manteuffel
The Order of Battle of the participating associations in a contemporary representation:
-
2nd Division in the VIII Federal Army Corps, 1866
-
Oldenburg.-Hanseat.Brig. Weltzien in the 13th Inf. Div. of the Prussian Main Army 1866
-
Combined Div. Beyer in the Prussian Main Army in 1866
Events at the Tauber
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Tauber Bridge, where the fighting took place in 1866.
The historic Tauber Bridge in 2016 Sign for the battle near Werbach on the Tauber Bridge
On the advance the Prussians advanced to three places on the Tauber: the Goeben division on the right wing to Tauberbischofsheim, the Beyer division in the center to Werbach and the Flies division on the left wing to Wertheim. On the Tauber, the Prussians first met the VIII. Corps, which was already planning to march towards
Aschaffenburg
. On 23 July, there was a
first battle near Hundheim
, but the commander of the VIII Corps,
Prince Alexander of Hesse
, realized too late that he was facing the entire Army of the Main. Shortly after the Oldenburg Brigade arrived in front of Hochhausen, the Avantgarde of the 13th Prussian Infantry Division under
August Karl von Goeben
reached the Wrangel Brigade near
Bischofsheim
and began on 24 July the battle near
Tauberbischofsheim
with the Wurttemberg division of the VIII Army Corps under Lieutenant General
Oskar von Hardegg
.
The combined Prussian division Flies crossed the
Tauber
near
Wertheim
without encountering any resistance . Prince Alexander assumed that this transition would be covered by the Bavarian army corps.
The Battle
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The Baden division stood on 24 July at 12 noon between
Werbach
and
Werbachhausen
on the right bank of the Tauber and also controlled the Tauber crossing at
Hochhausen
, where 2 companies of the 2nd regiment were located. The 3rd regiment was in Werbach itself. The 2nd Infantry Brigade of the Baden Division was deployed with five battalions and two artillery detachments - a total of around 5,000 men.
At 12.30 p.m. the Oldenburg- Hanseatic Brigade under Major General
Ludwig von Weltzien
reached the heights southwest of Hochhausen. After artillery battles near Hochhausen and Werbach, the infantry attack by 3 battalions of the Oldenburg-Hanseatic Brigade on Hochhausen began at 3 p.m. The Oldenburg Brigade had three
Oldenburg
and one
Bremen
infantry battalions, as well as two artillery divisions. The brigade received support from the fusilier battalion of the 8th Rhenish Infantry Regiment No. 70 and two other artillery divisions of the combined Beyer division, so that around 5,000 men were deployed.
The avant-garde of the Beyer division also intervened in the battle with the fusilier battalion of the 8th Rhenish Infantry Regiment No. 70 and an artillery division. The Baden troops evacuated Hochhausen without any resistance worth mentioning. At 4 p.m. the infantry attack on Werbach began, where the Baden troops offered heavy resistance, but ultimately had to retreat in the Welzbach valley. A battery in Wurttemberg near
Impfingen
set fire to Hochhausen, but was soon driven from its position. The Baden division withdrew to the Bavarian
Unteraltertheim
, with the rearguard remaining with
Steinbach
with the Baden army was thus pushed out of the Grand Duchy of Baden.
Aftermath
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Prince Alexander, the commander in chief of the VIII Army Corps, saw his right flank threatened by the withdrawal of the Baden division and sent the Hessian division from
Großrinderfeld
to
Wenkheim
on 24 July.
The VIII Federal Corps united with the VII Army Corps advancing from Wurzburg with the Bavarian troops. On 3 August 1866 an armistice was agreed between Baden and Prussia in Wurzburg. Bavaria had already agreed an armistice on 28 July, Wurttemberg and Hesse on 1 August.
Monuments
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-
Memorial to the Baden soldiers who fell in 1866 in Werbach
-
Memorial for the fallen soldiers of the Oldenburg regiment in the Hochhausen cemetery
-
Grave of the Baden corporal Jakob Heeg in the cemetery in Werbach
Literature
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- Kriegsgeschichtliche Abteilung des Großen Generalstabs Hrsg.:
Der Feldzug von 1866 in Deutschland
, Ernst Siegfried Mittler und Sohn, Berlin 1867, S. 653?657
in der Google-Buchsuche
- Wilhelm von Baden:
Zur Beurtheilung des Verhaltens der badischen Felddivision im Feldzuge des Jahres 1866: nach authentischen Quellen
, Darmstadt und Leipzig 1866, S. 27?35
online in der Google-Buchsuche
- H.v.B.:
Der deutsche Krieg im Jahre 1866: Nach den bis jetzt vorhandenen Quellen von H. v. B. Mit 6 Portraits, 2 Karten, 3 Beilagen und der vollstandigen Ordre de bataille der preußischen, osterreichischen, sachsischen, hannoverschen und westdeutschen Armee
, Verlag von Neumann-Hartmann, Elbing 1867, S. 344?347
online in der Google-Buchsuche
- Alexander von Hessen-Darmstadt
:
Feldzugs-Journal des Oberbefehlshabers des 8ten deutschen Bundes-Armee-Corps im Feldzuge des Jahres 1866 in Westdeutschland
, Eduard Zernin, Darmstadt & Leipzig 1867
online in der Google-Buchsuche
- Theodor Fontane
:
Der deutsche Krieg von 1866
. 2. Band:
Der Feldzug in West- und Mitteldeutschland.
Berlin 1871, S. 210?213
online in der Google-Buchsuche
- Ernst Becker:
Geschichte des 2. Badischen Grenadier-Regiments Kaiser Wilhelm Nr. 110.
Berlin 1877, S. 112?119 und Verlustliste auf S. 170
Digitalisat im Internet Archive
- Adolf Legde:
Geschichte des 2. Badischen Dragoner-Regiments Nr. 21
, Berlin 1893, S. 38?40
Digitalisat im Internet Archive
External links
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References
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