North German Confederation The Battle of Saarbrücken was the first major engagement between the French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia during the Franco-Prussian War.

[9] Moreover, Napoleon III who had assumed command of the new Army of the Rhine which consisted of almost 100,000 men was pressured by many to launch an offensive against the North German Confederation.

[9] The II and III Corps led by General Charles Frossard and Marshal François Bazaine managed to cross the Saar River by 2 August 1870, they encountered small Prussian detachments at the outskirts of the town but was not delayed in their attempts to seize the garrison.

After the battle, Napoleon III wrote a telegram to his wife, Empress Eugénie de Montijo which read: "Louis has received his baptism of fire; he was admirably cool and a little impressed.

The French seizure of Saarbrücken nonetheless proved the reliability and accuracy of the Chassepot Rifle compared to its Dreyse counterparts which would later contribute to Germany's heavy casualties during the early months of the war.