Third Battle of Nanking

Background. Nanjing served as the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom capital, renamed Tianjing, from March 1853. The Taiping regime was weakened by internal conflicts following the failed Beijing campaign and the 1856 Tianjing Incident. Decentralized provincial armies, particularly Zeng Guofan's Xiang Army, defeated the rebels. Zeng's forces recaptured Anqing in 1861 and began besieging Nanjing in May 1862, setting the stage for the final battle.

Siege and Fighting. Zeng Guofan's forces besieged Nanjing starting in May 1862. The younger Hong was inexperienced and powerless during this period. The battle involved protracted street-by-street fighting within the city. When the city fell in July 1864, Qing forces engaged in widespread looting, arson, and killing, causing heavy casualties and destroying large parts of the city, including the Taiping palaces.

Aftermath. The fall of Nanjing in 1864 marked the destruction of the Taiping regime, though the fight was not yet over. After Tianguifu's capture on 25 October 1864, Taiping resistance was gradually pushed into the highlands of Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Fujian, and finally Guangdong. Former Taiping soldiers and commanders were incorporated into Nian ranks as the rebellion lost ground.