The Battle of Weissenburg, now known as Wissembourg, took place on 3 August, 1870, and was, in fact, the opening salvo of the Franco-Prussion War.

The German Third Army, under the command of Crown Prince Friedrich Wilhelm was camped south of Landau. It had rained heavily during the night, making the river Lauter flood its banks and making progress very difficult for the combined German troops. Reports state that the French troops inside the strongly fortified town were caught by surprise, some say during breakfast. Losses on the German side included 91 Officers and 1460 men were put out of action, of which 700 were wounded. France recorded 1000 men lost or wounded.