Garnier Expedition

Garnier Expedition
Part of the French conquest of Vietnam
Lieutenant Garnier is killed by the Black Flags near Hanoi on 21 December
Date 5 November 1873 – 6 February 1874 Location Tonkin, Northern Vietnam Result French victory Treaty of Saigon
Belligerents
France	Vietnam Black Flag Army
Commanders and leaders
Francis Garnier † Charles Esmez Adrien Balny d'Avricourt † Henri Bain de la Coquerie Edgard de Trentinian Marc Hautefeuille Édouard Perrin Georges Bouxin Jean Dupuis	Emperor Tự Đức Nguyễn Tri Phương (POW) (DOW) Nguyễn Lâm † Phan Đình Bình (POW) Đặng Siêu (POW) Phan Thanh Liêm (POW) Phan Thanh Tong (POW) Hoàng Kế Viêm Nguyễn Vũ (POW) Liu Yongfu
Strength
270 men 180 marines and sailors[1] 90 mercenaries[2] Two gunboats	Hanoi: 7,000[1] Hưng Yên: Unknown Phu Ly: 800[3] Hải Dương: 2,000[3] Ninh Bình: 1,700[1] Nam Định: 5,000[4] Sơn Tây: 2,000[5] Black Flag troops: 600[5] Total: 15,000+
Casualties and losses
French force: 5 killed 11+ wounded Dupuis' men: Unknown, at least 1 killed	Hundreds killed Hundreds wounded Thousands captured

The Garnier Expedition was a French expedition in Tonkin between November 1873 and January 1874. Lieutenant Francis Garnier, who had been sent by France on the demand of Vietnamese Imperial authorities to bring back Jean Dupuis, an unruly French trader who was causing trouble in Hanoi, instead decided to side with Dupuis and captured the city of Hanoi, the capital of the Tonkin region.

Following the capture of the city, Garnier and his small force launched themselves in a lighting military campaign that resulted in the conquest of most of the Tonkin region within three weeks. Garnier was eventually killed in action while repulsing an attack on Hanoi on 21 December, but his men nonetheless remained in control of the region.

However, the campaign had not been planned or even allowed by the French government and a treaty was signed in 1874, which gave back all the conquered cities to Vietnam in exchange for a very favourable trade agreement and the installation of a French resident in Hanoi, as well the official recognition of all French possessions in Cochinchina.