Battle of Buzenval (1870)

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The (First) Battle of Buzenval took place on 21 October 1870 during the siege of Paris in the Franco-Prussian War. Following the collapse of the French field armies and the encirclement of Paris, Governor Louis-Jules Trochu authorised a limited sortie to test Prussian positions west of the capital. General Auguste-Alexandre Ducrot, commanding the French 14th Army Corps, was tasked with probing the sector around Rueil, the Château of Malmaison, the hamlets of La Jonchère and Buzenval (in present-day Rueil-Malmaison), held by elements of the Prussian V Corps, parts of the IV Corps and detachments of the Guard Corps. the hamlets of Malmaison, la Jonchère, and the château of Buzenval.

Ducrot advanced with several columns supported by a strong reserve. After an extended artillery preparation, French infantry pushed forward, turning Malmaison, crossing the ravine of Saint-Cucufa and reaching the slopes of La Jonchère and the outskirts of Buzenval. Local gains were made in the Malmaison park, the Jonchère heights and the woods of Saint-Cucufa, but Prussian fire from fortified houses and woodland positions halted the advance.