AUVERGNE MONUMENT

At the top of the hillside of Auvours, stands a monument commemorating the last battle of the 1870-1871 war, which opposed the 17th and 21st elements of the French corps to the 9th and 10th corps of the Prussian army. The inhuman battle of January 11, 1871, under snow and a freezing cold of -12°C, saw the two armies engage in violent fighting. At the cost of many casualties, General Gougeard at the head of his men took back the Auvours plateau from the enemy before stalling under orders from the general staff. After his death in 1886 and according to his wishes, he was buried under the monument where about a hundred French and Prussian fighters are buried, in the place where he led the charge on 11 January 1871.