Battle of Buzenval (1870)

Battle of Buzenval
	Part of the Siege of Paris (1870–1871) and the Franco-Prussian War
	; Defence of the Longboyau Gate, château of Buzenval, 21 October 1870, by Alphonse de Neuville
Date	21 October 1870
Location	Rueil-Malmaison, France48°53′50″N 2°11′30″E / 48.89722°N 2.19167°E
Result	German victory
Belligerents
North German Confederation; Prussia	French Republic
Commanders and leaders
Hugo von Kirchbach	Auguste Ducrot; General Berthaut; General Martenot; General Noël; Colonel Cholletou;
Units involved
Elements of V Corps, IV Corps and Guard Corps detachments	Elements of 14th Army Corps
Strength
Unknown	6,000 infantry; 1 cavalry squadron; 30 guns; Reserves: 4,600 infantry, 2 squadrons and 46 guns
Casualties and losses
c. 400 men incapacitated	443 total; 32 killed (2 officers); 409 wounded or missing (26 officers)
	Buzenval Location of the battle in the present-day Ile-de-France region, of France

The (First) Battle of Buzenval took place on 21 October 1870 during the siege of Paris in the Franco-Prussian War. Following the collapse of the French field armies and the encirclement of Paris, Governor Louis-Jules Trochu authorised a limited sortie to test Prussian positions west of the capital. General Auguste-Alexandre Ducrot, commanding the French 14th Army Corps, was tasked with probing the sector around Rueil, the Château of Malmaison, the hamlets of La Jonchère and Buzenval (in present-day Rueil-Malmaison), held by elements of the Prussian V Corps, parts of the IV Corps and detachments of the Guard Corps. the hamlets of Malmaison, la Jonchère, and the château of Buzenval.

Ducrot advanced with several columns supported by a strong reserve. After an extended artillery preparation, French infantry pushed forward, turning Malmaison, crossing the ravine of Saint-Cucufa and reaching the slopes of La Jonchère and the outskirts of Buzenval. Local gains were made in the Malmaison park, the Jonchère heights and the woods of Saint-Cucufa, but Prussian fire from fortified houses and woodland positions halted the advance.

By late afternoon Prussian counterattacks and the lack of support for the forward columns forced Ducrot to order a withdrawal. The sortie failed to disrupt the encirclement of Paris and ended in a German victory. French losses amounted to more than four hundred men, while German casualties were unknown.