Battle of Fisherman's Wharf in progress

The Battle of Fisherman's Wharf has already been described in detail in this blog, see: http://danshuihistory.blogspot.com/2009/03/blog-post.html

Another scene of the battle is depicted in this painting (artist and date both unknown). The battle started on Oct 8, 1884, first with heavy gun bombardments from French warships [lower right]. Local commander 提督孫開華 was in charge with eight battalions of defense force plus 100 artillery men [upper left]. At 10AM, five companies of French fusiliers marins landed on the beach [loaded landing crafts can be seen approaching the beach] to start the assult: 

Source: http://catalog.digitalarchives.tw/item/00/30/df/a1.html

The light tower [above, top middle], used by the French as a landmark has long since disappeared. It fell into disrepair during the Japanese Colonial rule. In the heydays of the Tamsui Port in the Qing era, the light tower served well but was deemed inadequate during the Japanese rule when large ocean liners visited the port, and a taller, hence more visible one was built next to it.

Here is an old photo (below), structure on the left was the original, one to the right was the new tower, both of which were lost soon after Tamsui ceased to function as a seaport:

Source: http://catalog.digitalarchives.tw/item/00/30/df/a6.html

This photo shows the entrance to the area of the light towers. The tall structure in the background (left) was the new light tower:

Source: http://taipics.com/taipei_danshui.php

The original commercial light tower was the first of its kind in Taiwan, known forever to the locals as 望高樓. A stone tablet recording its purpose, construction and maintenance, and the name list of committee members, dated 嘉慶九年 (1796), can still be seen inside 媽祖宮 the MaZu Temple on Chung Cheng Road today: