Siege of Paris, Franco-Prussian War by Auguste Bry, 1870 (1871). Freezing French soldiers dancing to try to keep warm. After the disastrous defeat of the French at Sedan and the capture of Napoleon III, the Prussians surrounded Paris on 9 September 1870. The city held out despite famine, disease and cold until a bombardment with heavy siege guns led to its surrender on 28 January 1871. From a private collection.