Battle of Hallue The Battle of Hallue was a battle of the Franco - Prussian War on December 23 and 24 , 1870 . The battle was fought between 40 , 000 French under General Louis Faidherbe and 22 , 500 Prussia n troops under Edwin Freiherr von Manteuffel . The French lost heavily in the village lying in front of their position . However , the Prussians were unable to carry the entrenchments on the heights . After the attack was repulsed , the French assumed the offensive , but with no decisive result . One thousand French soldiers were killed , and 1 , 300 were imprisoned . About 927 German troops were killed and wounded . French Northern Army . After the fall of Amiens , on September 27 , 1870 and its occupation by the Prussian Army , the French Northern Army , falls back towards Doullens and Bapaume to built it up its strength again . It receives fresh supply of troops , allowing to turn out three Divisions . General Faidherbe , lately entrusted with the command of this Army , gives at once guiding rules and orders . He sends general " Lecointe " towards Saint - Quentin with mission to act on the " Haute Somme " . Four battalions , including one of light - infantry and a battery of 4 , succeed , on September 9 , in taking possession of Ham and its fortress . Faifherbe , coming on the place , gives order to withdraw an go towards Amiens . On December 17 , the Northern Army , regrouped , comes settling to the Hallue valley from Bavelincourt to Daours . The troops ( about 43000 men ) are divided into two Army Corps : These troops are billeting in all the villages of the valley and outposts settled on a line passing through the woods of Saint - Gratien , Allonville and Querrieu ( La Gorgue ) . Prussian Army . At the same time , general " von der Goeben " , chief commander of the 8th Prussian Corps , sets : Skirmish on Querrieu , December 20th . General - Major " von Mirus " in command of the 6th cavalry Brigade staying in " Amiens " for two days , sends a strong reconnaissance party consisting in a cavalry troop , an infantry battalion and a field artillery battery , to " Querrieu " village . Reaching the " La Gorgue " wood skirt , the party knocks against a French outpost and , sustained by its artillery , joins a lengthy battle . Two French battalions strenuously fight back , so much that general " Du Dessol " launches three companies coming from " Bussy - lès - Daours " to the right flank of the enemy who is constrained to a withdrawal towards the " Alençons " farm , then to " Amiens . In this battle Prussians lose 3 officers and 69 men killed or wounded ; French casualties are of 7 dead and 20 wounded . Battle on the Hallue valley , December 23rd . Succeeding to general " Steinmetz " , general " Manteuffel " , recently appointed at the head of the 1st Prussian Army , arrives in " Amiens " on December 22 and gives offensive order for the next day at 8 a . m . : French dispositions remain unchanged . The battle is going to stretche out a front line of 12 kilometres wide and 4 to 5 kilometres deep , on a snow covered ground and an icy temperature increased by a wind blowing from the north . Arms . Guns . The French are using the " Chassepot " model 1866 , breech - loading gun , with paper cartridges and 11 millimetres bullets . The Prussians are using the " Dreize " created in 1848 , breech - loading gun , with paper cartridges and 15 millimetres bullets . Cannons . The French are using cannons made in bronze dating of the Napoleonic period , loading from the muzzle , and iron inner - tubes ones , model 1858 . They also use " canons à balles " ( machine - guns ) able to project 25 bullets . The Prussians are using " Krupp " breech - loading cannons and shrapnel shells . Prussian offensive . The 8th Prussian Corps starts on its way on December 23 at 8 a . m . The 15th Division has received order to reject French troops beyond the Hallue river , but not to venture on the left bank until the effect of an outflanking motion of the 16th Division , more on the north , will be felt . Therefore , the 15th Division moves towards " Allonville " , followed by three horse field artillery and artillery corps , then turns to " Querrieu " . French outposts withdraw to the river , giving the alarm to the troops located in the back . Battle in the dusk . On 4 p . m . night is about to fall . The Prussians keep under control the right side of the river and " Pont - Noyelles " village . Their turning movement on the north has failed and their troops are threatened by the " Aynes " Brigade of the " Derroja " Division , coming into sight on the south - east of " Contay " , marching to " Beaucourt " . At that time , general " Faidherbe " , gives attack order on all the front line . This attack will continue from 4 to 6 p . m . : Withdrawal movement . On the next day , December 24 at 9 a . m . the French artillery launches a cannonade to " Béhencourt " without any Prussian reply . General " Faidherbe " makes up his mind to retreat . The withdrawal , protected by a line of retarding units , begins at about 2 p . m . The Prussians will only start the pursuit on the following day December 25 ; at that time , the French Army is arriving near " Bapaume " . Memorials . A war memorial named " " Colonne Faidherbe " " was erected in 1875 , on the heights of " Pont - Noyelles " , on the place where general " Faidherbe " directed the last combats . An ossuary contains the bodies of 74 soldiers killed during the battle in and around " Pont - Noyelles " . On every village of the valley , many soldiers ' bodies lie in their communal cemeteries . In the " Querrieu " communal cemetery , a military grave surmounted by a stele and a calvary , erected in 1875 , contains the bodies of 12 unknown French soldiers . Another grave , also surmounted by a stele , contains the bodies of 18 Prussian soldiers ; only the name of one of them is known .