Siege of Strasbourg

Siege of Strasbourg
Part of the Franco-Prussian War
Strasbourg in ruins after the siege
Date 15 August – 28 September 1870 Location Strasbourg, France Result German victory
Belligerents
Baden Württemberg	France
Commanders and leaders
August von Werder	General Uhrich
Strength
40,000	23,000
Casualties and losses
932	2,500 killed and wounded 17,000 surrendered

The Siege of Strasbourg took place during the Franco-Prussian War, and resulted in the French surrender of the fortress on 28 September 1870.

German Medal 1870 Siege of Strasbourg, Alsace, in the Franco-Prussian War (obverse). On French arms standing Germania l. holding a sword, the double headed Imperial Eagle on a shield at r. In the background a view of Strasbourg.

The reverse of this medal has a part citation of the Rütlischwur featured in the play William Tell (Wilhelm Tell) by Friedrich Schiller. It shows the desire for the unification of Germany that actually became a reality later in 1871 in Versailles as a result of the Franco-Prussian War.

Background

After the Battle of Wörth, Crown Prince Frederick detached General August 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 from Strasbourg. The French garrison of 17,000 was under the command of the 68-year-old General Jean Jacques Alexis Uhrich.

Initial bombardment

Werder understood the value of capturing the city, and ruled out a lengthy siege of starvation. He instead decided on a quicker action, bombarding the fortifications and the civilian population into submission.

On 23 August Werder's siege guns opened fire on the city and caused considerable damage to the city and many of its historical landmarks. The Bishop of Strasbourg went to Werder to beg for a ceasefire, and the civilian population suggested paying 100,000 francs to Werder each day he did not bomb the city. Uhrich refused to relent, and soon enough Werder realized he could not keep up such a bombardment with the amount of ammunition he had.

On 24 August, the Museum of Fine Arts was destroyed by fire, as was the Municipal Library housed in the Gothic former Dominican Church, with its unique collection of medieval manuscripts, rare Renaissance books and Roman artifacts.

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 11 September, 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 19 September the remaining civilians urged Uhrich to surrender the city, but he refused, believing a defense was still possible. However, that same day Werder stormed and captured the first of the city's fortifications. This event caused Uhrich to reconsider his ability to defend the city. On 27 September Uhrich opened negotiations with Werder, and the city surrendered the following day.

Aftermath

The fall of Strasbourg freed Werder's forces for further operations in northeastern France. His next move was against the city of Belfort, which was invested in November.

Sources

• Howard, Michael (1962). The Franco-Prussian War. New York.
• Chrastil, Rachel (2014). The Siege of Strasbourg. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-72886-8.

Coordinates: 48°35′05″N 7°45′02″E / 48.5848°N 7.7506°E