Siege of Strasbourg
From Open Encyclopedia
{{Infobox Military Conflict
|image=
|caption=
|partof=Franco-Prussian War
|conflict=Siege of Strasbourg
|date=15 August-28 September, 1870
|place=Strasbourg, France
|result=German victory
|combatant1=Baden
Württemberg
|combatant2=France
|commander1=Carl Wilhelm von Werder
|commander2=General UhrichImage:White flag icon.jpg
|strength1=40,000
|strength2=17,000
|casualties1=?
|casualties2=17,000 surrendered
|}}
| Franco-Prussian War |
|---|
| Wissembourg – Spicheren – Worth – Colombey – Strasbourg – Mars-La-Tour – Gravelotte – Metz – Beaumont – Noiseville – Sedan – Bellevue – Amiens – Beaune-La-Rolande – Hallue – Bapuame – Lisaine – St. Quentin – Paris – Belfort |
The Siege of Strasbourg took place during Franco-Prussian War. The siege resulted in the French surrender of the fortress on 28 September, 1870.
Contents |
Background
After the battle of Worth, Crown Prince Frederick detached General Carl Wilhelm von Werder to move south against the fortress of Strasbourg. At the time, Strasbourg (along with Metz) was considered to be one of the strongest fortresses in France. Werder's force was made up of 40,000 troops from Württemberg and Baden which lay just across the Rhine River from Strasbourg. The French garrison of 17,000 was under the command of the 68 year old General Uhrich.
Initial Bombardment
Werder understood the value of capturing the city and ruled out a more humane yet more lengthy siege of starvation and instead decided on a quicker action of bombing the fortifications and the civilian population into submission. On August 23 Werder's siege guns opened fire on the city and caused considerable damage to the city and many of its historical landmarks. The Archbishop of Strasbourg went to Werder to beg for a cease fire and the civilian population even suggested to Uhrich to pay 100,000 francs to Werder each day he did not bomb the city. Urhic refused to relent and soon enough Werder realized he could not keep up such a severe bombardment with the amount of ammunition he had left.
Siege
Werder continued bombing the city this time targeting selected fortifications. The German siege lines moved rapidly closer to the city as each fortress was turned into rubble. On September 11, a delegation of Swiss officials went into the city to evacuate non-combatants. This delegation brought in news of the defeat of the French at the battle of Sedan, which meant no relief was coming to Strasbourg. On September 19 the remaining civilians urged Urich to surrender the city but he refused believing a defense was still possible. However, that same day Weder stormed and captured one of the cities fortifications. This event caused Urich to reconsider his ability to defend the city. On September 27 Urich opened negotiations with Werder and the city surrendered the following day.
Aftermath
The fall of Strasbourg freed Werder's forces for further operations in southeastern France. His next move was against the city of Belfort which was invested in November.
Sources
- Howard, Michael The Franco-Prussian War New York, 1962
