The Battle of Weissenburg took 
place on August 4th, 1870.

In search of supplies, General 
Douay of the French 2nd Division
scouted forward into the town of
Weissenburg.  The small town 
consisted of several factory 
buildings and was dominated by 
the nearby Schloss Geissberg 
Castle.  Since his scouts 
reported no enemy threat, 
Douay's men soon began their 
routine of resupply.  

Around 7 a.m., the lead elements
of the Bavarian 2nd Corps began 
to arrive in the area.  Soon 
skirmish fire began to break out
and General Douay ordered his 
men to occupy the town and 
castle.  By 8:30 a.m., the 
Bavarians began to attack in 
full force. The Bavarians were 
hampered by the fact that most 
of their troops were still 
several miles behind the lead 
units. 

For two hours the Bavarians 
struggled to gain the castle 
heights but finally acknowledged
that they were making no headway
and pulled back.  Around noon, 
the Prussian 9th Division of the
5th Corps arrived.  This time, 
the Germans concentrated their 
efforts to capture the town.  
In the ensuing struggle General
Douay was killed and the French 
were driven out of Weissenburg. 
Following the fall of the town, 
the Prussian 9th Division 
attempted to sieze the castle 
but failed, taking heavy losses.
 By nightfall the men of the 
leaderless French 2nd Division 
began to withdraw and the castle
garrison surrendered soon 
after. 