Battle during the Franco-Prussian War
The siege of Soissons which took place from September 11 to October 16, 1870, was an episode of the Franco-Prussian War of which ended with the surrender of the city.
Background.
Soissons had already fallen to the Prussians in 1814 during the Napoleonic Wars. After the Battle of Sedan, the Maas Group of Germany has continued on in its way to Paris, and the money infantry of Corps No. IV of Prussia, a portion of the general Army Group, this came before the siege of the fortress Soissons on September 11, 1870. The Soissons defended the city and rejected Major von Wittich's offer to withdraw from the German General Staff. The topography of the area suggested that to lay siege to the fortress, the Germans needed to be well prepared. As the advance to Paris needed to be expedited, the formations of the Prussian IV Corps were ordered out of the area for the time being, and Soissons was placed under German supervision until the General. On September 6, the bridges that connected to Villeneuve-Saint-Germain, Saint-Mard, Missy-sur-Aisne and Condéare were destroyed and the Vauxaillon and Vierzy tunnels are blocked. On September 9, the presence of white cuirassiers 4th corps commanded by General Alvensleben is reported in the district of Soissons. The Germans sent their troops to the Wailly bridge was it was not yet destroyed.
Fortifications.
Located at the junction of major roads and railways from Paris to Reims, as well as that of Paris to Laon by Villers-Cotterets, its location was considered important. However, the mountains which dominated the city being devoid of fortified works, make it a real bottom of a basin, a real shell nest.
The fortifications of Soissons consisted of a continuous wall covered with 11 bastions. This enclosure was casemated in various places, but not enough to shelter the garrison. It was based on the Aisne to the North and to the South and it formed a quadrilateral of approximately 1,200 meters by 800 meters. The Saint-Vaast suburb was not included in this quadrilateral, but also formed an enclosure also leaning on the Aisne, to the east, and was covered with 3 bastions .
A military dam, built on the river, near and upstream of the stone bridge, and a diversion from the Depression, allowed most of the ditches to be submerged and the bottom of the two valleys to be flooded.
Only a portion of the ditches, that of the southwest, because of its higher position, couldn't be flooded. With the exception of this point, the place of Soissons could not be taken by force, but it was unable to withstand a siege in a good condition for long.
On the eve of the war, Soissons was considered the key to Paris, but nothing had been done to put this stronghold in the state of the strategic importance attributed to it.
Garrisons.
At the time of the declaration of war, the garrison of Soissons consisted of 3 battalions of the 15th line infantry regiment, under the orders of Colonel Théodore Eugène Fraboulet de Kerléadec. There were, however, no artillerymen or artillery teams.
On July 20, the 15th RIL left Soissons to join the Army of the Rhine.
The July 22 arrival of brigades spoiler Sonnay and Colin of 3 E Division 6 th Army Corps of the Army of the Rhineunder the orders of General Lafond de Villiers who joined theAugust 2ndthe Châlons camp.
From August 2 to 10 the place is absolutely without garrison.
On August 11, under the Decree of July 17, 1870 which called the mobile guards under the flags, the 2nd mobile battalion of the Aisne ( district of Soissons ) garrisoned there.
On August 12, arrival of 1st Battalion of mobile Aisne (district of Château-Thierry)
On August 17, arrives 6 th battalion of mobile Aisne (district of Vervins)
At about the same date, the depot battalion of the 15th line infantry regimentarrived from Laon. This was made up of 2 companies of 800 men each with barely 10 officers to command them. They were reinforced by elements escaped from Sedan which formed 2 additional companies.
The August 20 arriving from the 1st battery of the 8th artillery regiment .
On August 27, starting from 1st battalion of mobile Aisne for Villers-Cotterets and Paris 
That same day, the government recalled former soldiers aged 25 to 35, who were armed with old piston rifles, and created the rural national guards. These were transformed into marching regiments. Thus the 2 battalions of Soissons formed the 17th marching regiment .
At the start of the siege the city was defended by 4,425 men:
1 engineering section of Exéa's division (30 men)
1 battery piece of the 8th artillery regiment (115 men)
Northern Mobile Artillery (230 men)
12th North Mobile Artillery Battery
13th North Mobile Artillery Battery
16th North Mobile Artillery Battery
Soissonnais volunteer battery (50 men)
Deposit Company of the 15th Line Infantry Regiment
2nd Battalion mobile Aisne (1,200 men)
6th battalion of mobile Aisne (1,200 men)
With the total workforce about 550 men:
1 company of firefighters
1 company of volunteer national guards
About 15 gendarmes
122 artillery pieces of which only 51 were really usable.
It was this improvised troop, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel de Noue, made up largely of volunteers who lacked everything (armament, equipment, instruction, discipline), and whose officers, non-commissioned officers and corporals appointed to haste without prior choice, having no notion of the profession of soldier, but who were of an unfailing good will who were responsible for defending this stronghold.
Siege.
Prelude.
Ignoring the city, the German army continued its march towards Paris, walking through the local roads of the region, leaving aside the obstacles which it did not want to seize until later in order not to slow down its march. This march made the trip faster since, from Sedan to Paris, the Germans did not meet any French soldiers, only two fortified towns were on their way, Laon and Soissons.
September.
The city of Laon, commanded by General Thémérin, had for a garrison of only a battalion and a battery of artillery of the mobile guard. However, on September 8, a strong detonation coming from the direction of Laon had been heard in Soissons. It was the powder keg that had blown. At September 10, a parliamentary dragoon officer of the 12th army corps, looked at the Porte Saint-Martin to request the surrender of the place. Colonel de Noue, commander of the place, categorically refused. The long German columns continued to march around Soissons towards Paris and the city was thus surrounded. On September 14, a group of German cavalrymen attempted a reconnaissance on the Porte de Reims. They are driven out by cannon and rifle fire. The same day a second parliamentarian demanded the surrender of the place. In response to a new refusal, the Germans fired 3 cannon shots on the city from the heights of Sainte-Geneviève. On September 18, warned by an inhabitant, a platoon of national guards in Venizel were surprised. On the same day, a detachment of about twenty Prussians were dispatched; one was killed, the others are taken prisoner. On September 22, 42 national guards carried out a coup de main against some German riders accompanying about sixty horses confined to Beugneux; 1 officer and 2 German soldiers were killed, 18 were taken prisoner and 50 horses captured.
On September 24, 40 National Guards and 15th line fire on the Prussian cavalry in The Cottage in Venizel. Alerted, a Prussian battalion, soon joined by 3 battalions of the landwehr, force the National Guards to fall back after a hard fight on the hill of Villeneuve. The French lost 2 officers, 8 wounded and 16 missing and the Prussians 2 dead and 15 wounded. Following this engagement, the Grand Duke of Mecklenburg, Frederick Francis II of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, sent the following telegram from Reims to the Ministry of War in Berlin:
“On Saturday, we had a serious engagement under the walls of Soissons, after a four-hour fight, we forced the enemy to return to the city after having suffered great losses, the commander of the place asked for an armistice for bury his dead, we refused him. Signed: Duke Mecklenburg ” .
A parliamentarian again summoned Colonel de Noue to give him back the city, and faced with a new refusal, the German troops made their arrangements to completely invest the place, by installing grand guard positions, by positioning battalions, mainly, on the Sainte-Geneviève plateau, in Billy-sur-Aisne and Venizel and by building shelters and defense works.
From September 25, the Prussian positions were bombarded by the French cannons. However, this did not prevent the Prussians from extending their supply lines and managed to occupy the station, which had been abandoned by the French which was Belleu, the left bank of the Crisis as far as Vauxbuin. and Presle. On September 26, 200 men of the 15th line accompanied by 100 men of 2 e Battalion mobile Aisne, went out to chase the Prussians in the suburb of Reims and burn their shelters. Unable to flush out the Germans, the attackers returned to the square after losing 2 dead and 2 wounded while the enemy lost 8 men. On September 27, fire was set in the foundry and part of the houses in the Faubourg Saint-Crépin in order to dislodge and drive away the Germans who were too close to the city walls, while many soldiers who had escaped from Sedan still arrived in the place. On September 28, the garrison tried to occupy the suburb of Reims and the station which was stopped by the Prussians after 2 hours of fighting.
October.
On October 1, Lieutenant-General von Selchow arrived in front of Soissons to lead the siege, with reinforcements made up of 7 infantry battalions, 4 cavalry squadrons, 2 field artillery batteries and 2 pioneer companies. He established his headquarters at Carrière-l'Évêque located behind Belleu and on the hill. He extended and reinforced the line of investment on the left bank of the Aisne and brought it as close as possible to the French outposts. The Maison-Rouge farm was occupied as well as the cemetery blocking the road to Compiègne through which the French troops had been able to leave until then. The right bank was occupied by 2 companies of landwehrand a squadron of white cuirassiers. The infantry positioned themselves at Crouy and at Clémencin and behind the Laon railway embankment and the cavalry at La Perrière in order to monitor the roads to Chauny and Laon. On October 3, a food convoy made up of 18 cars managed to enter the square after the French troops stationed in Soissons had opened the passage to Crouy:
"To ensure the entry of supplies, Colonel Carpentier left with 6 companies taken in the two battalions of the mobile guard, and moved to the heights of Vauxrot. After having made the position clear and having settled down, he directed a company on Terny which brought the convoy into the place. To make the move, and clear the road of Laon, Ballet captain came out with 3 companies of the 15 th line . Lieutenant Ferté of the 1re company is focused on the farm St. Paul, Lieutenant Garnier of 2 th company on Clamecy Captain Felon, recruitment of the Aisne, with 3 e company supported this offensive movement, which took place with a remarkable whole. The enemy flushed out by a very strong fire, withdrew in disorder on the village of Crouy, pursued by about twenty skirmishers who took 6 prisoners, including 1 wounded. Our soldiers then occupied the ridges of the railroad embankment until they arrived in town. The losses are 1 killed and 3 wounded. Soissons on October 3, 1870. Signed De Noue, commandant of the place."
On October 5, by order of Colonel de Noue, the Vailly bridge was destroyed. “By order of the superior commander, the Vailly bridge must be destroyed. The guardian of the bridge, under penalty of treason, will have to let the order be carried out, if he warns the enemy, he will be brought before a council of war and shot. Soissons October 4, 1870. Signed De Noue. "
On October 6, informed of the destruction of the bridge, a detachment of around forty German cavalrymen entered Vailly and proceeded to arrest the mayor M. Mennessier and the councilor general of the canton M. Legry who were accused of "act Criminal expected and punished by the 4 th paragraph of the Royal Order of 21 July 1867 and