Battle of Villersexel Battle of Villersexel The Battle of Villersexel took place on 9 January 1871 as part of the Franco-Prussian War. Elements of the French "Armée de l'Est" under General Bourbaki engaged August von Werder's Prussian forces. It resulted in a French victory. In the turmoil and confusion following major reverses and capitulations at Sedan, Paris, and Metz, the remaining French armies faced major supply difficulties which restricted their movements. The "Armée de l'Est" was tasked with reaching and assisting Belfort, where Colonel Denfert-Rochereau still held out. Werder's Prussians caught up to Bourbaki in the evening of 9 January at Villersexel, where
Franco-Prussian War increased the military power of Germany. The first was a reorganization of the army that integrated the regular army and the "Landwehr" reserves. The second was the provision for the conscription of every male Prussian of military age in the event of mobilization. Thus, despite the population of France being greater than the population of all of the German states that participated in the war, the Germans mobilized more soldiers for battle. At the start of the Franco-Prussian War, 462,000 German soldiers concentrated on the French frontier while only 270,000 French soldiers could be moved to face them, the French