April 18th, 1864 - The Assault on Dybbøl

Conflict: Schleswig-Holstein War (1848-1851)

Combatants: Danish vs. Prussians

Location: Denmark

Outcome: Prussian victory

When a Prussian army under Count Helmuth von Moltke moved to take the duchies of Schleswig and Holstein from the Danish, Christian IX pulled his troops back into the fortress of Dybbøl. On April 18th of 1864, the Prussian army launched a final assault on the fortress. Danish casualties exceeded 5,000 men while the remaining soldiers escaped to the island of Als. The Prussians lost about 1,000 soldiers.

Escalade of Dybbøl Fort by unknown author

Points of Interest:

• Christian IX was forced to surrender claims to the Schleswig and Holstein duchies. This expansion of Prussia territory would lead to the Seven Weeks' War with Austria two years later.

• Count Helmuth von Moltke was the uncle of Helmuth Johannes Ludwig von Moltke who would serve as Germany's Chief of General Staff during World War I.

Field Marshal Count Helmuth von Moltke by an unknown photographer

Christian IX of Denmark by an unknown photographer

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Sources:

Dupuy, R. Ernest & Dupuy, Trevor N. (1993). The Harper's Encyclopedia of Military History. New York: HarperCollins.

Eggenberger, David (1985). An Encyclopedia of Battles: Accounts of Over 1,560 Battles from 1479 B.C. to the Present. New York: Dover Publications, Inc.