The Battle of Sedan - 1 September 1870

Some history that I wish to share with you!

It was on this day 140 years ago that a great battle was waged on the European continent, resulting in the termination of one empire while adding to the building blocks of a new one, whose republican progeny survives among us today.

The Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871 occurred as a result of complicated circumstances that fostered a mistrust and mutual dislike between the Gallic culture and the Prussian juggernaut, set into motion through minor misunderstandings.  The conflict seemed inevitable, as the balance of power began to shift in Europe after the 1866 Austro-Prussian War, in which Prussia and her allied German states defeated the Austrian Empire and her allies, which included all of the German states south of the Main River.  The French Empire was particularly alarmed at the resultant Prussian hegemony and was anxious to avoid a united Germany that included the south German states, which would further enhance Prussian power and influence.

Fueled by this national angst between the French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia, the cauldron eventually exploded.  The casus belli appeared in the form of a vacant Spanish Throne, the acceptance of a Hohenzollern candidate to fill the vacancy, and the importunate attitude of certain French ministers who insisted that the Prussian monarch be held accountable for the Hohenzollern candidacy, which was considered a threat to imperial interests.  This affair resulted in the French war parties gaining the high ground, and they declared war on Prussia on 19 July 1870.

The French Empire initiated combat operations by crossing the North German Confederation border on 2 August 1870, where they forced a Prussian army unit to withdraw from the town of Saarbrücken, and which the French forces promptly occupied.  This was to be one of their few successes, as Prussia and her allied German states subsequently crushed the French Army by employing better organization, the mobility of a vast railway network, and superior Krupp artillery.

On 1 September 1870, two Prussian armies, consisting of 200,000 men, trapped and encircled the 120,000 strong French Army of Châlons at Sedan, located near the French-Belgian border.  The Army of Châlons was under the personal command of Napoleon III, Emperor of the French, while the Prussian units were under the direct command of William I, King of Prussia.

Napoleon III, Emperor of the French

William I, King of Prussia

Because of poor tactical decisions by the French commanders and the high maneuverability of the Prussian forces, the French found themselves unable to move their units, forcing them to fight defensively in unfortified positions.  General Auguste-Alexandre Ducrot described the French predicament quite plainly and accurately: 

     “Nous sommes dans un pot de chambre, et nous y serons emmerdes.” (We are in the chamber pot, and were about to be shat upon.)

The advanced Prussian artillery was a key factor in the battle, and while the French forces initiated breakout attacks throughout the day, the Prussians held their ground, while the French position became untenable.  Outnumbered and nearly surrounded, the French Emperor finally surrendered his Army on 2 September, while he and one of his marshals went into captivity along with the entire command.

Napoleon and Bismarck after Sedan

With Napoleon’s capture at Sedan, a Third French Republic was soon declared, ending the Second French Empire and its hopes for glory.  The event, of course, provided delight in Berlin, which celebrated the dominance of Prussian military organization, discipline, and technological innovations.  However, the war would last many more months, concluding with the Prussian capture of the French capital after a lengthy siege, but not before the German sovereigns declared William I to be German Emperor, initiating the unified state that we call Germany.

The German sovereigns proclaim William as German Emperor in the Palace of Versailles

Until 1919, the Battle of Sedan was commemorated every year in Prussia as Sedantag, but ceased to exist as an unofficial holiday with the end of the German Empire.