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Campaign of the Main

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Campaign of the Main
Part of Austro-Prussian War of 1866

The area of the river Main
Date1 – 26 July 1866
(25 days)
Location
Hesse, Baden and Bavaria
Result Prussian victory
Belligerents
  •  Bavaria
  •  Württemberg
  • Hesse Hesse-Kassel
  •  Baden
  • Hesse-Darmstadt
  • Nassau
  •  Austria
    • Commanders and leaders
    Strength
    3 divisions:
    50,000 soldiers, thereof 41,000 infantry,
    4,000 cavalry,
    121 cannons    		 VIIth corps (Bavaria):
    4 divisions and corps-reserve:
    52,000 soldiers,
    144 cannons

    VIIIth corps:
    4 divisions (Württemberg, Baden, Hesse-Darmstadt, Austria / Nassau / Hesse-Kassel):
    48,000 soldiers,[1]
    136 cannons
    Casualties and losses
    411 dead; 2498 wounded; 153 missed[2]

    VIIth corps: 339 dead; 2114 wounded; 1604 missed[3]

    VIIIth Korps: 402 dead; 1439 wounded; 2444 missed[4]

    The Campaign of the Main (in German: Mainfeldzug) was a campaign of the Prussian army in the area of the river Main against the allies of Austria in Southern Germany during the Austro-Prussian War of 1866.

    Preliminary campaign

    While the greater part of the Prussian troops marched to Bohemia, where they defeated the Austrian and Saxon troops on 3 July 1866 at Königgrätz (Sadova), another part of the Prussian troops invaded the Kingdom of Hanover. After the surrender of Hanover on June 29th these troops were grouped under the name Mainarmee (German for: Army of the Main) and pushed southward towards the river Main against the South-German allies of Austria.

    Course

    The allies of Austria had formed the VIIth and VIIIth Federal Corps of the German Confederation. Both corps had advanced northward to support Hanover. When Hanover surprisingly surrendered the VIIth Corps, built by the Bavarians, stood in Thuringia. The VIIIth Corps, built by troops of Hesse, Baden and Wuerttemberg, stood north of Frankfurt. At first the Prussians attacked the VIIth Corps. The Bavarian troops lost combats at Hünfeld and Dermbach on 4 July and withdrew to the river Franconian Saale. [5] But the Prussians followed quickly across the mountains of the Rhön and beat the Bavarians in the battle of Kissingen and Hammelburg on 10 July. [6] [7] [8]

    Now the Bavarians retreated to Würzburg while the Prussians turned westward against the VIIIth Corps which protected Frankfurt. The Prussians crossed the Spessart, defeated the Hessians at Laufach/Frohnhofen on 13 July and the Austrian and Hessian troops at Aschaffenburg on 14 July. Now the VIIIth Corps abandonned Frankfurt, moved south across the Odenwald and then turned eastward to meet the Bavarians at the river Tauber. The Prussians occupied the now undefended Frankfurt on 16 July and then followed the VIIIth Corps along the left bank of the Main. [9][10] In the combat of Hundheim (23 July), the battles of Werbach, Tauberbischofsheim (both 24 July) and Gerchsheim (25 July) the VIIIth Corps was defeated by the Prussians. [11] [12] At 25 July the Prussians also clashed with the Bavarians again at Helmstadt and the following day at Rossbrunn. This combats were also won by the Prussians. [13] The allied troops retreated to Würzburg. The Prussians followed and began to bombard the fortress of Würzburg on 26 July. But soon a truce was negotiated after the news had reached the Bavarian headquarters, that the Prussians and the Austrians had signed their Armistice of Nikolsburg at the same day. At last Würzburg was occupied by the Prussians. [14][15][16]

    In a separate operation the 2nd Prussian reserve corps marched into Bavaria at the north-east on 23 July and occupied Hof, Bayreuth (28 July) and at last Nuremberg (31 July). [17][18]

    Consequences

    The German Confederation was abolished. Prussia annected Hannover, Nassau, Hesse-Kassel and Frankfurt and small parts of Hesse-Darmstadt and Bavaria. Bavaria, Württemberg, Baden and Hesse-Darmstadt remained independent, but had to sign military alliances with Prussia.

    References

    1. ^ 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, p. 39 (Stand am 24. Juli 1866) online
    2. ^ Österreichs Kämpfe im Jahre 1866. Vom K.und K. Generalstab. Bureau für Kriegsgeschichte, 5. Band: Wien 1869; p. 32–173
    3. ^ Antheil der königlich bayerischen Armee am Kriege des Jahres 1866, bearbeitet vom Generalquartiermeister-Stabe, München 1868, Beilage III, S. XVIII/XIX digitalised
    4. ^ s. Alexander von Hessen
    5. ^ Michael Embree: Too Little, Too Late: The Campaign in West and South Germany, June-July 1866. Published by Helion & Comany, Solihull, West Midlands, England, 2015, ISBN 978-1-909384-50-7. p. 68-88
    6. ^ Theodor Fontane: Der deutsche Krieg von 1866. Der Feldzug in West- und Mitteldeutschland. Berlin 1871. p. 41-154 digitalised
    7. ^ Antheil der königlich bayerischen Armee am Kriege des Jahres 1866: Bearbeitet vom Generalquartiermeister-Stabe. Mit 3 Beilagen und 6. Plänen. München 1868. p. 26-140 digitalised
    8. ^ s. Embree p. 89-124
    9. ^ s. Fontane p. 155-200
    10. ^ s. Embree p.125-154
    11. ^ s. Fontane 201-254
    12. ^ s. Embree p. 154-186
    13. ^ s. Antheil p. 140-159
    14. ^ s. Antheil p. 159-208
    15. ^ s. Fontane p. 255-265
    16. ^ s. Embree 187-194
    17. ^ s. Antheil p. 209-223
    18. ^ s. Fontane p. 266-287
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