While Brussels has fallen to German soldiers, in France, the soldiers of the Empire and the Republic were once more fighting in the city of Mulhouse. The nearby town of Dornach became the theater of heavy combats the 19th of August. Supported by artillery and helped by a regiment of sappers, France finally win the fight in Mulhouse. Hundreds of casualties are reported both sides and around a thousand German soldiers are made prisoners.
Generally, the French forces are pushing on in Lorraine. But several divisions are falling back behind the Meuse river. The 19th and 20th of August, the battle of Sarrebourg. On the 19th, the first fights between French and Germans around Sarrebourg are unsuccessful and even create a dangerous situation for the French divisions, which could easily be flanked. On the 20th, the offensive is a failure, many soldiers are pushed back by the Germans. However, the retreat of soldiers in the mountainous zone of the Vosges became an advantage as these troops were able to contain any German attempts to break them.
Further North, the second French army is attacking the town of Morhange and its surroundings against the forces of the Crown Prince of Germany. Starting on the 19th, this offensive will prove to be a serious defeat on the 20th. For many officers and even soldiers, the German army has not defeated the French army but just repelled the offensives of Lorraine. The armies retreated around Nancy, one of the Germans main objective.