Tonkin Campaign: French forces capture the Sơn Tây citadel

Background. Following the defeat and death of French naval captain Henri Rivière at the Battle of Paper Bridge on 19 May 1883, the French government sent substantial reinforcements to Tonkin. Rivière's successor, General Alexandre-Eugène Bouët, attempted to destroy the Black Flag Army in the summer and autumn of 1883. Although the Black Flags suffered losses at the Battle of Phủ Hoài and the Battle of Palan, the French failed to defeat them decisively, setting the stage for the December campaign.

Command and Context. The campaign was conducted by the Tonkin Expeditionary Corps against Liu Yongfu's Black Flag Army and allied contingents. On 16 December 1883, the day Sơn Tây was captured, Admiral Courbet was replaced as commander of the Tonkin Expeditionary Corps by General Charles-Théodore Millot. This change resulted from strong reinforcements sent in November 1883, which expanded the corps into a two-brigade army division.

Aftermath. The absence of the Black Flags from the battlefield following the Sơn Tây campaign was an important factor in the defeat of China's Guangxi Army in the Bắc Ninh campaign in March 1884. Liu Yongfu stood on the sidelines during the Bắc Ninh Campaign, angered that his Chinese and Vietnamese allies had done little to support the Black Flag Army at Sơn Tây.