Volume 56 of the series From Musket to Maxim 1815-1914 presents a military history account of two important battles in the early stages of the Franco-Prussian War of 1870. On 4 August 1870, the French division under General Abel Douay was surprised by Bavarian and Prussian troops at Wissembourg and almost completely destroyed. Two days later, MacMahon's I Corps was severely defeated by the Germans in one of the decisive battles of the war at Wörth. This defeat led to the irreparable division of the French Imperial Army, which was to have fatal consequences for Napoleon III. The author provides a concise and well-structured account of these two important events. The complete battle orders of the French and German forces are included. A series of maps illustrate the course of the fighting.
