The Maison de la Dernière Cartouche ("House of the Last Cartridge") in the village of Bazeilles, about 4 km from Sedan, commemorates one of the grimly heroic episodes of the Battle of Sedan. On 1 September 1870, a small force of French marines fought a ferocious rearguard action through this building while the rest of the army collapsed around them. The house was preserved almost as it was found, with bullet holes still visible in the plasterwork.
The museum tells the story of the 1870 battle through documents, weapons, uniforms, and the famous de Neuville painting. It is a more intimate and emotionally affecting memorial than the castle's military museum, partly because the scale is so much smaller — this was not a general's war but a sergeant's, fought room by room and stair by stair. Well worth the short detour from Sedan town centre.