Niort et les Deux-Sèvres dans la guerre Franco-Prussienne de 1870-1871
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Step 1: Du Guesclin Cavalry Barracks
It is one of the first 20 barracks built in France in the 1th century for the professional army. It reinforced the strongholds on the Atlantic coast. The first building built in 1734 was inspired by Vauban (1633-1707). In June 1870, the 1st Hussar Regiment joined the Army of the East. It was followed at the end of September by the 7th and 8th Cuirassier Regiments, heavily equipped and armed. The professional army was supplemented by 8 men from the Mobile National Guard who flocked to Niort in August. The 250th Deux-Sèvres Regiment was part of this Guard. Hastily formed and very poorly equipped, it nevertheless joined the Army of the East singing. Niort was secured and defended by the sedentary National Guard. The square in front of the barracks is named after General Chanzy, who commanded the Army of the Loire and fought in extreme conditions.
Step 2: Place Denfert Rochereau
Place Saint-Gelais in 1825, it took its current name by municipal decree in 1878. Pierre-Philippe Denfert-Rochereau (1823-1878), was born in Saint-Maixent-l'Ecole. He was appointed governor of the town of Belfort in 1870. He resisted with his troops the assaults of 30 Prussian soldiers commanded by General von Werder who surrounded the town from November 000, 3. This siege, very trying for the population, lasted one hundred and seven days. On orders from the Government of National Defense, Colonel Denfert-Rochereau left Belfort with his troops on February 1870, 18, without surrendering to the enemy. In order to preserve the memory of this heroic defense, he is nicknamed “the lion of Belfort”.
Step 3: Rue de la Burgonce
Rue de la Burgonce, formerly rue Trigale, was named after a battle that took place on October 6, 1870 in La Bourgonce. This Vosges village, located in a plain surrounded by wooded mountains, is crossed by the road from Saint-Dié to Epinal. The 34th regiment of the Garde mobile des Deux-Sèvres took an active part in this battle. Arriving the day before by train from Epinal, exhausted by lack of sleep and a long march, poorly trained and under thick fog, the mobiles were pushed back by Prussian reinforcements as far as La Bourgonce. This confrontation, which lasted seven hours, was a new defeat for the French. They retreated a few days later into the Doubs, towards Besançon. A monument to the memory of the 97 mobiles from Deux-Sèvres and the francs-tireurs from Neuilly who died in combat is located in Saint-Rémy, in the Vosges, not far from the site of this battle.
Step 4: Rue Villersexel
In the northern district of Niort, rue des Carrières took the name of the town of Villersexel in 1881. Located in Haute-Saône, 45km southwest of Belfort, it is the scene of one of the longest and deadliest battles throughout the campaign. On January 9, 1871, 20 French people were led by General Bourbaki who was to liberate Belfort. They achieved victory against 000 Germans under the orders of General von Werder. The soldiers fight street by street, house by house even in the castle. At 15 p.m., General von Werder ordered the evacuation of the city and left 000 prisoners and 15 wounded and killed. The French take possession of the city at 700 p.m. The 627th regiment of the Garde mobile des Deux-Sèvres assisted in the fighting in reserve. In the snow and destitution, he took refuge in Switzerland. The armistice was signed on January 22, 34.
Step 5: Rue Beaune-la-Rolande
In the northern district of Niort, by municipal decree of May 30, 1881, rue de la Truie-qui-file took the name of Beaune-La-Rolande. This town located northeast of Orléans was the scene of a terrible battle in which the 34th regiment of the Garde mobile des Deux-Sèvres took part. The Army of the Loire of which he was a member received an order from the Republican government by telegram. She must liberate Beaune-la-Rolande, then Orléans and head towards Paris. On November 28 at 7 a.m., the French, who were in a position of strength, launched a deadly shootout. After hours of fighting, they finally attacked and took the houses with bayonets. But, a deluge of fire unleashed by enemy reinforcements decimated the French who retreated. They count 5 dead and injured. It is a defeat while General Crouzat proclaims a victory.
Step 6: Rue de Strasbourg
After their victories at Forbach and Woerth, the Prussian soldiers marched on Strasbourg where they arrived on August 8, 1870. The city, whose defense was commanded by the French general Uhrich, had a wall with bastions in poor condition. Little by little, the Prussians attack the fortifications. The siege lasts 46 days. General von Werder threatens to bomb the city if it does not surrender. On August 23, shell fire targeted the center of the city. On September 28, General Uhrich surrendered. He surrenders his weapons and 17 French soldiers are taken prisoner. On September 000, 11, the Municipal Council of Niort decided to give the name Strasbourg to the rue du chemin bas which is located in the northern district. “The memory of the heroic city which gives everyone such a great example of patriotism” is thus perpetuated in Niort.
Step 7: Place de Strasbourg
This place was formed in 1770 in the northern district of Niort. It bears the name of the Alsatian town besieged by the Prussian armies from August 13 to September 28, 1870. A commemorative monument stands there. It was inaugurated on October 9, 1881 and dedicated “To the memory of the children of Deux-Sèvres who died in the defense of the country, 1870-1871”. Its author is the sculptor Antonin Mercié. The statue, “Gloria Victis” (Glory to the Vanquished), is a model for many monuments in France. It represents the winged Glory which takes with it a soldier, towards Fame and Immortality. Their movement is part of an elliptical dynamic. The artist studied the Italian Renaissance during his training in Rome. The bronze statue is offered by the French Government. A public subscription allows the financing of the base.
Step 8: Alsace-Lorraine Street
Alsace and part of Lorraine (Moselle) were annexed by Germany under the Treaty of Frankfurt on May 10, 1871. After 47 years of German occupation, they were returned to France by the armistice of November 11 1918 which ends the First World War. The Niort Municipal Council decided, on December 20, 1920, to mark their return to the national territory with a strong sign. He chose to give their names to the rue des Douves which connects the Place de Strasbourg and the Place de la Brèche. This new name commemorates “the return to the national home of our dear reconquered provinces”.
Step 9: Place de la Brèche
It is the Mecca of events in Niort. This is where all the soldiers who complete the professional army are reviewed, such as the Mobile National Guard (men who escaped military service), reservist soldiers (active soldiers in reserve) and volunteer soldiers. (Francs-tireurs). On September 11, 1870, Mayor Alfred Monnet presented the flag offered by the city to the Mobile National Guard. He is accompanied by the prefect Amable Ricard and the commanders of the army of Deux-Sèvres. The soldiers shout “long live France!” ".
Step 10: Station
South-east of Niort, the station inaugurated in 1856 was requisitioned for the transport of soldiers, supplies and equipment. On September 23, 1870, 3 men of the 600th regiment of the Garde mobile des Deux-Sèvres boarded three trains, singing. They joined the Eastern army, encouraged by the population and the authorities. The city was declared an evacuation center and on September 34, thousands of injured and contagious patients arrived.
Produced by the City of Niort with the assistance of Agnès Dupont-Brillatz, JeRegarde, guide-lecturer and Marie-Laure Viart, national speaker. The texts are accessible to people with disabilities and non-French speakers.
English translation: Agnès Dupont-Brillatz, Marie-Laure Viart. Photo credit: City of Niort; statue of Denfert-Rochereau in Saint-Maixent-l’Ecole by Baptiste Baujault, 2020 ©M.-L. Viart.