Before This Happened The French Had Taken Extreme Measures Against The
King Of Annam, Of Which State Tonquin Is The Northern Province.
The king
of that country, by name Tuduc, who had become submissive to the French,
died in July, 1883, and after his death the Annamese, perhaps encouraged
by the difficulties of the French in Tonquin, became so hostile that it
was determined to read them a severe lesson.
Hue was attacked and occupied
a month after the death of Tuduc, and a treaty was extracted from the new
king which made him the dependent of France. When the cold season began in
Tonquin, the French forces largely increased, and, commanded by Admiral
Courbet, renewed operations, and on December 11 attacked the main body of
the Black Flags at Sontay, which they had reoccupied and strengthened.
They offered a desperate and well sustained resistance, and it was only
with heavy loss that the French succeeded in carrying the town. The
victors were somewhat recompensed for their hardships and loss by the
magnitude of the spoil, which included a large sum of money. Desultory
fighting continued without intermission; Admiral Courbet was superseded by
General Millot, who determined to signalize his assumption of the command
by attacking Bacuinh, which the Black Flags made their headquarters after
the loss of Sontay. On March 8, he attacked this place at the head of
12,000 men, but so formidable were its defenses that he would not risk an
attack in front, and by a circuitous march of four days he gained the
flank of the position, and thus taken at a disadvantage the Black Flags
abandoned their formidable lines, and retreated without much loss, leaving
their artillery, including some Krupp guns, in the hands of the victors.
At this stage of the question diplomacy intervened, and on May 11 a treaty
of peace was signed by Commander Founder, during the ministry of M. Jules
Ferry, with the Chinese government.
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