By 1747, the war was coming to an end, but the French were still interested in acquiring more influence in Italy, and so dispatched an army under the command of Belle-Isle to capture Colle dell'Assietta from the Sardinians. The French army organised into thirty-two battalions, encountered fortified Sardinian positions at the Susa Valley, and launched wave after wave of fruitless assaults on their fortifications. The French divided their forces into four columns and launched several assaults personally led by Belle-Isle. They were all repulsed with heavy casualties inflicted, and Belle-Isle himself was killed, whereupon a retreat was ordered. The Sardinians suffered only light casualties, while the French had over a fifth of their force killed or wounded. The Sardinian victory proved to be the last major battle in the Italian campaign of the war.