ABSTRACT
The defeats of 6th August were not in themselves catastrophic. One army corps had, it was true, been overwhelmed by superior numbers after a magnificent defence, but the other had merely withdrawn successfully from an untenable position after inflicting severe punishment on the enemy. While Steinmetz attacked the French left flank, he could contain their centre with a weak screen and fall heavily on their right. The French saw no cause for dissatisfaction in their work on the 14th August. For the first time they had fought as an army, and fought apparently with success. So von Redern’s squadrons stayed where they were, observing the French cavalry; and Forton, finding himself separated from the infantry by several uncomfortable miles, fell back on Vionville. The battle fought between Gravelotte and St Privat on 18th August differed from the previous engagements of the war, in kind as well as in scale.
