Sedan
a fortified town of France, department of Ardennes, on the Meuse, 10 miles E. S. E. of Mezières. Sedan has been long celebrated for its woolen manufactures, consisting principally of fine black cloths and cassimeres. Here, Sept. 1-2, 1 1870, a battle was fought between the French, French, under Napoleon III., and the Prussians, under King William and the crown prince, in which the former being defeated, the emperor, while still at the head of an army of more than 100,000 men, surrendered himself and his troops, along with the strong and well-appointed fortress of Sedan to the Prussians. In the World War the Germans occupied Sedan until the closing days of the Meuse- Argonne offensive, when it was occupied by French troops. Pop. about 22,000.