Battle of Langensalza ( 1866 ) The Battle of Langensalza was fought on 27 June 1866 near Bad Langensalza in what is now modern Germany , between the Kingdom of Hanover ( Hanoverians ) and the Prussians . The Hanoverians won the battle but were then surrounded by a larger and reinforced Prussian army , and , unable to link up with their Bavarian allies to the south , they surrendered . This marked the demise of the Hanoverian Army and the annexation of Hanover into the burgeoning kingdom of Prussia as it systematically unified Germany into the modern nation state . Background . After declaring that he felt “ trapped , like a fox indoors … ( with ) no choice but to bite my way out , ” Prussia ’ s King Wilhelm I initiated the Austro - Prussian War to conquer and unite a majority of the Germanic principalities . Many small German states existed prior to 1866 , and , in anticipation of war , they allied themselves with either Austria or Prussia depending on their desires and goals . Most kingdoms surrounding Prussia allied with Austria in fear of losing their autonomy to the Prussian state . This in turn boxed Prussia against the Baltic Sea , prompting the King to make the above “ trapped fox ” statement . King George V of Hanover believed he could negotiate independently with the Austrians and Prussians , wasting time when he could have strengthened his forces by joining other German states . When he finally attempted to do so , it was too late . In a show of the Hanoverian naïveté , George ' s Foreign Minister declared that Bismarck would never break federal law , which insisted on maintaining a six week interval before invading another land . On 15 June 1866 , King Wilhelm ordered Hanover , Saxony , and Kassel to disarm at once , effectively beginning the war with Austria ’ s allies . On 16 June , Prussian forces began moving against all three German states , with those of General August Karl von Goeben approaching Hanover . Battle . Hanover began in an excellent position as the Prussian attack happened to occur during Hanoverian summer exercises and their army was already mobilized . Realizing the vast size of the total Prussian force , King George directed his 19 , 000 man army under General Alexander von Arentschildt to quickly withdraw and march south to link up with Bavarian allies . Prussia pressed 40 , 000 total troops into Hanover , which then split into four detachments under Generals Falckenstein , Goeben , Flies , and Beyer . General von Falckenstein , recognizing the absence of an army to fight , marched unopposed into the Hanoverian capital , north of the marching Hanoverians . General Helmuth von Moltke , the Prussian theater commander , also ordered Goeben to the north , and in turn deployed Beyer to the Hanoverians ’ south and Flies , with 9 , 000 troops , quickly marched around to the west . This formed a box around the Hanoverian army with Prussia itself forming the Eastern side . Moltke ordered Flies to hold fast and intercept Hanoverians trying to break through westward as Falckenstein ’ s force performed the main Prussian assault from the north . In direct defiance of his orders , General Flies gathered his detachment and directly attacked the Hanoverian army . Following a feint toward Thamsbruck to the North , the Prussian forces under Flies made a concentrated assault toward Merxleben . The much larger Hanoverian force and artillery fire drove them back toward the actual city of Langensalza . Having a force more than twice the Prussian detachment ’ s size , Arentschildt severely routed Flies ’ troops , capturing more than 900 men . Although the Hanoverians attained a decisive victory in the actual battle , the fighting halted their movement and allowed the other Prussian forces from the north and south to converge on the battle site . Out of options , King George and the Hanoverians pulled back to the East , further from their Bavarian allies . Pinned down against the Harz Mountains and out of options , King George surrendered in Nordhausen two days after the battle . Aftermath . The Battle of Langensalza was a near disaster in the Hanoverian campaign for the Prussians . It wiped out Flies ’ detachment of troops and could have allowed an avenue of escape for the Hanoverian army . At the same time , this battle provided just enough time for the northern and southern Prussian contingents to link up at the battle site , which ultimately forced Hanoverian surrender . Langensalza was an important aspect of the Austro - Prussian War as it led to a quick Prussian occupation of Hanover , both taking the Austrians by surprise and greatly weakening their position in the war . The Prussians also quickly overran Kassel and Saxony at the same time they were attacking Hanover . All together these small states could have contributed more than 100 , 000 good troops to Austria ’ s cause , but they were destroyed before they could unite and fight jointly . If the Hanoverians had successfully reached other allies on the Austrian ' s side , the Austro - Prussian War may have gone very differently . Another long lasting result of the Battle of Langensalza is the use of the " Red Cross " by medical personnel . Created by the First Geneva Convention in 1864 , the Red Cross began an international humanitarian aid group . This organization , which would later greatly expand in size , was originally very small . Involving just thirty trained volunteer nurses from Gotha , the first actual combat mission of the Red Cross occurred on the Prussian side at Langensalza . Although Austria and Hanover were not involved at the time , in 1866 Prussia was a member of the Red Cross Convention . Prussian medical personnel worked on the battlefield wearing the sign of the Red Cross on their arms and providing critical aid to wounded soldiers . Their legacy continues today in the form of the International Red Cross . Notes . 1 . Wawro , p . 74 2 . Friedjung , p . 206 - 207 3 . Malleson , p . 119 4 . Dupuy , p . 80 5 . Malleson , p . 125 6 . Wawro , p . 80 7 . Bucholz p . 122 8 . Friedjung , p . 207 9 . Bucholz , p . 123 10 . Bad - Langensalza Site ( Internet )