Sedan
Bismarck,
the Prussian first minister, had nothing to fear from war with France.
He knew the state of the French army - rag-tag, demoralised and without
proper leadership following the disastrous campaign in Mexico. He knew
too that Paris, for her own selfish reasons, would do what she could
to prevent the unification of the German states. So he manipulated the
diplomats and created an 'incident' - a slight to French honour.
It was the middle of July. Despite the warnings of Adolphe Thiers, an old parliamentary hand, the French parliament approved mobilisation and opened its war chest. Some of France's most important defensive forts were improved and extended. At a speech given on the place de la Bastille, Napoléon III's prime minister became so carried away by his own rhetoric that he declared war on Prussia to an enthusiastic audience of students and working people. Two days later, it became official policy.
Despite many notable acts of bravery and panache - heroism - the French endured a sequence of defeats. Ammunition began to run short. Though their rifles were probably superior to those used by the Prussians, their shot came from a Belgian company controlled by German financiers. Supplies failed to materialise. As Bismarck had hoped, the other German states perceived the French actions as aggression and hurried to Prussia's side.
The army of the French general Mac-Mahon pitched camp near Sedan, close to the Belgian border. His troops were disorganised and desperately in need of resupply. Hard on their heels came a Prussian army of 200,000 men. The Prussians were soon joined by German reinforcements and - what was worse - Mac-Mahon was immediately injured and carried from the field.
Although Napoléon III was present, control of the French army was disputed and contradictory orders issued. The French tried to destroy a bridge on the Meuse but were too late. On 31 August 1870, a Bavarian cavalry battalion crossed the river and made ground to just 5km from Sedan. The following morning at dawn, the Bavarians fought their way into a village in the suburbs of the city. One French general ordered a withdrawal; another ordered that the suburb should be retaken. Meanwhile, in the streets themselves, French civilians joined in the house-by-house resistance, until they too ran out of ammunition.
Another Prussian army crossed the Meuse further to the southwest and marched to encircle the French. Seeing their only avenue of retreat blocked, they launched wave after wave of desperate cavalry and infantry charges, attempting to pierce the blockade, but they failed. (The king of Prussia was especially impressed with the bravery of the French African light horse cavalry.)
Retrenched in disorder within the walls of Sedan - at the mercy of Prussian artillery bombardment - Napoléon III had his troops raise the white flag. A Prussian emissary was sent. The French emperor wrote a letter for him to carry back to his king, but the victors rejected any form of negotiation - only complete and unconditional surrender would suffice.
Napoléon III believed he could bring his personal influence to bear. On 2 September 1870, he set out to meet with the king of Prussia in person. Bismarck intercepted him on the road and obliged him to state his case there and then, in the house of a local weaver.
Bismarck was unmoved - the conditions of surrender were not negotiable. All weapons, goods, vehicles and animals belonging to the French army were to be given over to the victors. The army itself of more than 80,000 men were herded into an al fresco prison between a meander of the Meuse and a stretch of canal. The officers were allowed to leave on condition of swearing an oath not to take up arms again in the future. General Lebrun chose instead to stay with his men in unspeakable conditions. Napoléon III was taken away by train to prison in Hesse.
Two days later, in parliament in Paris, Léon Gambetta announced the end of empire. Later that same day, he proclaimed the birth of a new French republic. The imperial experiment was ended – the consequences of defeat were yet to be felt.
