Medal from 1870 with 4 Clasps

[1870/71]

Hello all,

so this is my second post here

This medal was from a member of my Family (maybe my great grandfather?).

The Medal was silver but you can see the brass thru it - i dont know why someone made the medal silver.

It hast 4 Clasps:

1st: Vionville - Mars - La - Toure
2nd: Gravelotte - St. Privat
3rd: Metz
4th: Le Mans

What kind of medal was it? Are the Clasps for fights?

Thanks Mina

[Don D.]

Nice. The bars suggest a 3rd or 10th Army Corps guy.

[1870/71]

Thanks Don!

So i can make now a little Reaserach

[Don D.]

Not much to go on.

[1870/71]

Yes but i can take a look where he was and what kind of battle he fought.

[Dave Danner]

Almost every unit that qualified for these four clasps also qualified for one or more others, usually BEAUNE LA ROLANDE, BEAUGENCY-CRAVANT and/or ORLEANS. My list is incomplete, but the only units I have which qualified for these four clasps and only these four are:

- I. Batailon, Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 24 (the regiment's other battalions qualified for the ORLEANS clasp)
- II. Batailon, Infanterie-Regiment Nr. 56 (the regiment's other battalions qualified for the BEAUNE LA ROLANDE and ORLEANS clasps).

So your ancestor could have been in one of these two battalions, or could have been in another unit and personally missed some of the other battles for which his unit qualified, perhaps due to illness or wounds.

Here are some short descriptions of what these clasps were for from my late, lamented website:

• VIONVILLE-MARS LA TOUR - August 16, 1870: Attempting to cutoff the French retreat from Metz, advance elements of the 2nd Army unwittingly stumble upon numerically superior French forces (the Army of the Rhine under Marshal Bazaine) to the west of Metz (120,000 French against 66,000 Germans). The battle ends in a draw after the French fail to capitalize on their advantage, allowing the Prussians to cut off the French route of withdrawal. The initial fighting was by the 6th Cavalry Division and the Brandenburgers of the III Corps, joined by X Corps and elements of XI Corps.
• GRAVELOTTE-ST. PRIVAT - August 18, 1870: The French Army of the Rhine under Marshal Bazaine (II, III, IV and VI Corps with the Guards Corps in reserve) is attacked by the 1st Army (VII and VIII Corps) under Gen. von Steinmetz and 2nd Army (III, IX, X, XII (Saxon) and Guards Corps) under Prince Friedrich Karl von Preußen. The initial attacks were by the XII, Guards, IX, VIII and VII Corps, with the III and X in reserve. After bloodily repulsing the Germans along the entire front during much of the day the French right flank at St. Privat is finally turned from the north by the Guards and the Saxons. The French army retreats back into Metz where it would remain until its surrender in October.
• METZ - August 19 - October 27, 1870: After victories at Vionville-Mars la Tour and Gravelotte-St. Privat, the Germans surrounded Metz. The city would be under siege until capitulating on 27 October, when 150,000 French troops went into captivity.
• LE MANS - January 10-12, 1871: Prince Friedrich Karl von Preußen's 2nd Army (III, X and XIII Corps, 18th Division of IX Corps, and 4 cavalry divisions (1, 2, 4 and 6)), moved out to take Le Mans on 6 January. The 2nd Army of the Loire, with 150,000 troops in 3+ corps (XVI, XVII, and XXII, plus other formations and Breton irregulars) defended the city. The French fought hard in and around the city, but the Breton irregulars reportedly broke and ran at the first sign of the enemy, creating widespread panic. The French commander, Gen. Chanzy, disengaged on the 12th and withdrew his forces to Laval to reorganize.

Regards

[Don D.]

Excellent information Dave.

[1870/71]

Thank you very much Dave!