In 1866, alongside his father, he took part in the Battle of Bezzecca (1866) and the Battle of Mentana (1867); in 1870, during his father's expedition in support to France during the Franco-Prussian War, he fought for the Army of the Vosges, during which he occupied Châtillon and, at Pouilly, during the (Battle of Dijon), captured the sole Prussian flag lost during the war.