In the Battle of the Lisaine, Degenfeld commanded the right wing of the German position at Frahier from January 15 to 17, 1871. He was forced to vacate Chenebier on January 16 when the Eastern Army tried to encompass his position. General von Degenfeld was able to hold his position against numerically far superior opponents for a period of about ten hours. The next day, reinforcements under General Keller managed to recapture the old position on the Lisaine in a counter-attack. For his work during the war, Degenfeld received the Commander's Cross of the Military Karl-Friedrich Merit Order as well as both classes of the Iron Cross.