The fortress of Sedan experienced a decisive battle between the Prussian troops and those of French Emperor Napoleon III. On September 1st, 1870, the armies of marshal de Mac Mahon suffered a heavy defeat. Surrounded, the Emperor decided to put an end to hostilities and surrendered with 84,000 men. He became a prisoner of the Prussian army and remained in captivity for six months at the castle of Wilhelmshöhe in Westphalia. The defeat of Sedan resulted in the annexation of Alsace-Moselle and the establishment of a German general government for Alsace and Lorraine. Ultimate consolation for the French people, the fortress of Sedan never surrendered.