The Battle of Escape Creek was a naval engagement fought between the United Kingdom's
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...
and the
Qing Chinese naval force on 25–27 May 1857 during the
Second Opium War.
Commodore
Commodore may refer to:
Ranks
* Commodore (rank), a naval rank
** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom
** Commodore (United States)
** Commodore (Canada)
** Commodore (Finland)
** Commodore (Germany) or ''Kommodore''
* Air commodore ...
Charles Elliot
Admiral Sir Charles Elliot (15 August 1801 – 9 September 1875) was a British Royal Navy officer, diplomat, and colonial administrator. He became the first Administrator of Hong Kong in 1841 while serving as both Plenipotentiary and Chief Su ...
's squadron chased the war-junks at Escape Creek (present-day
East River
The East River is a saltwater tidal estuary in New York City. The waterway, which is actually not a river despite its name, connects Upper New York Bay on its south end to Long Island Sound on its north end. It separates the borough of Quee ...
) and then, once the British ships were grounded as the river narrowed, they chased them in the ships' boats until all the junks had been overhauled.
Gallery
File:Map of Canton River.jpg, Map of Canton area showing Escape Creek near the top
File:Map of Escape Creek.jpg, Map of the engagements
File:Attack on the junks.jpg, Attack on the junks
File:Burning of 27 junks taken in Escape Creek.jpg, Burning of 27 captured junks
References
{{reflist
Bibliography
*Behan, T. L., ed. (1859).
Bulletins and Other State Intelligence for the Year 1857'. Part 2. London: Harrison and Sons.
Further reading
*Cooke, George Wingrove (1861).
China and Lower Bengal' (5th ed.). London: Routledge, Warne, & Routledge. pp. 15–18.
1857 in China
Escape Creek
Escape Creek
Escape Creek
Escape Creek
Escape Creek
Escape Creek
Escape Creek
May 1857 events