This is only forgotten in the past 60 years , at one time the Franco Prussian War was one of the most written about wars of the 19th century. That said I wish more content was available on the war on youtube.
The fact remains that Bazaine gave misleading reasons to justify a retreat towards Metz to all his officers on August 16th, stating that the army was lacking ammunition as well as replenishment, which was grossly incorrect. On August 18th he betrayed, if not sacrificed, Canrobert's 6th Corps, again in order to justify a swift retreat towards Metz. At the same time he dispatched false and incorrect information to McMahon on breaking out northwards towards Montmedy, thus causing further calamity for the remaining French army. Most likely Bazaine anticipated that the war through negotiation would be brought to a swift termination, and that he himself, by staying in Metz, would remain "undefeated" in the eyes of the public, regardless of who would end up governing France in the post war state. Bazaine was a traitor because he didn't abide by Napoleon's orders to retreat swiftly to Verdun, and because he made no sincere attempt to defeating the German first and second Army on August the 18th.
From what I have read, the Prussian artillery was primarily Krupp breech loading artillery. The French used a mix of both breech loading Reffye and older muzzle loading rifles La Hitte models.
The French had a (secret) weapon that, at times, caused a lot of casualties to their opponents: a manually operated multibarreled machine gun - the Reffye mitrailleuse or volley gun. The French used it as if is was artillery, grouped into batteries. Maybe it could have been more devastating had they used more modern tactics: individual, lower to the ground, less visible etc. Also the machine gun crews weren't exactly well trained on them. The Reffye mitrailleuse was a bit TOO secret... Prussian artillery was excellent, better than their French counterparts. The Prussian Dreyse breechloading needle gun was very advanced when it was first introduced several decades earlier, however the French Chassepot needle rifle was better now. In the end, Prussian artillery defeated the French rifles, cannon and machine guns.
Why the totaly wrong name Franco- Prussian war? In german language it is Deutsch- Französischer Krieg ( german- french war) , which is more correct. After 1867 the armies of Bayern, Württemberg, Baden and partly Hessen- Darmstadt had been independent, but secretly allied with Prussia / North German Federation, but they changed equipment and training into prussian style. The armies of larger northern states ( for example Sachsen or Oldenburg) who could field one or more regiments kept existing ( the regiments could keep name and regimental flag), while the troops of small states, which could only field one vor two battailons hat been disbanded and integrated in prussian army, while the non prussian full regiments ,only' came under command of prussian staff. This means, that the ,prussian' army in reallity had been also the troops of free towns, principalities, duchies and perhaps also the troops of smaller grandduchies ( Mecklenburg- Strelitz or Sachsen- Weimar - Eisenach). After 1871 the situation was different, only four german armies remained, the prussian army ( including all soldiers from grandduchies, duchies, principalities, free town and imperial territory Alsace- Lorraine), bavarian army ( three Corps), saxon army ( two Corps) and württembergian army ( one Corps). All non prussian regiments could after 1871 keep nane and flag, saxon and württembergian army had been allways under prussian staff, bavarian army only in wartime, also bavarian army had the privilege, to use uniform jackets in bavarian blue and not prussian blue like other german soldiers.
