155 years ago today, on September 2, 1870 (August 7, 1870 in the lunar calendar), France was defeated in the Battle of Sedan. On September 2, 1870, France was defeated in the Battle of Sedan. On the same day, French Emperor Napoleon III met with German Prime Minister Bismarck and formally signed the surrender document. Napoleon III, French Marshal McMahon, 39 generals and 100,000 soldiers were all captured by the Prussian army. In the Battle of Sedan, the French army killed 17,000 people and captured 103,000 people. The German army suffered only 9,000 casualties. Comment: The Battle of Sedan was the largest battle in the Franco-Prussian War. The defeat of the French army and the capture of Napoleon III accelerated the demise of the Second French Empire.