 After resting his troops on 15 December, Courbet again assaulted the defences of Sơn Tây on the afternoon of 16 December.This time the attack was thoroughly prepared by artillery, and delivered only after the defenders had been worn down.At 5 p.m. a Foreign Legion battalion and a battalion of marine fusiliers captured the western gate of Sơn Tây and fought their way into the town.