The Third Battle of Taku Forts () was an engagement of the
Second Opium War, part of the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
and
French 1860 expedition to
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
. It took place at the
Taku Forts
The Taku Forts or Dagu Forts, also called the Peiho Forts are forts located by the Hai River (Peiho River) estuary in the Binhai New Area, Tianjin, in northeastern China. They are located southeast of the Tianjin urban center.
History
The ...
(also called Peiho Forts) near
Tanggu District
Tanggu District () was a district in the Tianjin municipality, now part of the Binhai New Area. It is on the Hai River where it enters the Bohai Sea, and is a port for Tianjin, which is about upriver. The Tianjin Economic-Technological Devel ...
(
Wade-Giles: Pei Tang-Ho), approximately 60 kilometers (36 mi.) southeast of the city of
Tianjin
Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popu ...
(Tientsin).
Background
![James Hope Grant, 1853](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/James_Hope_Grant%2C_1853.jpg)
The aim of the allied French-British expedition was to compel the Chinese government at
Peking
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
to observe the trade treaties signed between their governments at Tianjin (Tientsin) in 1858, which included allowing the British to continue the opium trade in China. Lt-Gen.
Sir Hope Grant was the British commander with Lt-Gen.
Charles Cousin-Montauban, Comte de Palikao
Charles Guillaume Marie Appollinaire Antoine Cousin-Montauban, 1er Comte de Palikao (; 1796–1878) was a French general and statesman.
Biography
Montauban was born in Paris. As a cavalry officer he saw much service in Algeria, but he was still o ...
in charge of the French. The allied force consisted of 11,000 British including ~1,000 cavalry, as well as 6,700 French troops.
[ The Taku Forts were defended by 7,000 Qing troops including some 2,000 cavalry. At least forty-five ]artillery
Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...
pieces were among the Chinese defenders.
A year earlier, a similar attempt had been made to steam up the river but the Qing forces had made a barrier across the river resulting in the Battle of Taku Forts (1859) that was a disaster for the Anglo French force.
Following that humiliation, Captain Fisher of the Corps of Royal Engineers
The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is heade ...
and three British ships, ''Cruiser'', ''Forester'', and ''Starling'' were left behind to survey the area, on land as well as along the coast. The reports would determine the strategy for the next attempt. The conclusion of the Indian Mutiny had also released troops to reinforce the Hong Kong station.
Battle
Not wanting to have a repeat of the 1859 disaster, on 30 July 1860 the Anglo-French army began landing at Beitang to the north of the Forts. A few days later a reconnaissance
In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities.
Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...
force moved towards the Taku Forts for close observation, two British soldiers were wounded by bullets from a Chinese jingal
The wall gun or wall piece was a type of smoothbore firearm used in the 16th through 18th centuries by defending forces to break the advance of enemy troops. Essentially, it was a scaled-up version of the army's standard infantry musket, operati ...
. The whole force was ashore by 7 August and a few days later on 12 August, the allied force advanced.[
Pushing back enemy forces in front of them, including ~2,000 cavalry, the Anglo French expedition arrived at the Forts.] There were four, two on the north and two on the south side. The French wanted to attack the southern forts, but the survey by Fisher indicated that the key was the main northern fort. On 17 August his plan was adopted.[
Five batteries were established during the night of 20–21 August with ]fascine
A fascine is a rough bundle of brushwood or other material used for strengthening an earthen structure, or making a path across uneven or wet terrain. Typical uses are protecting the banks of streams from erosion, covering marshy ground and so ...
s made using the straw walls and roofs of nearby barracks.[
# Battery - 6 x French field-pieces and 1 x 8-inch gun
# Battery - 3 x 8-inch mortars this battery platform was made from coffin lids which were thick.
# Battery - 2 x 32-pounders and 2 x 8-inch howitzers
# Battery - 2 x 8-inch guns
# Battery - 6 x ]Armstrong gun
An Armstrong gun was a uniquely designed type of rifled breech-loading field and heavy gun designed by Sir William Armstrong and manufactured in England beginning in 1855 by the Elswick Ordnance Company and the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich. Such g ...
s
Opening fire next morning, it took four hours to crush the fort's artillery. Then the major assault took place on the main Chinese fort, attacking as two columns, one British and one French.[
Heavy fighting ensued as the attackers crossed several Chinese ditches and spiked ]bamboo
Bamboos are a diverse group of evergreen perennial flowering plants making up the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family. The origin of the word "bamboo" is uncertain, ...
palisades.
The Anglo-French force initially attacked the main gate of the fortifications, but it was found there were two wet ditches and many spikes. An engineer managed to cut the ropes holding up the drawbridge,[ but it was too heavily damaged by artillery to be effectively used as a route. The main attack was therefore made against the walls using the ladders.][ The French column managed to get onto the parapet first.][ The first British officer to enter the fort was ]Lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations.
The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...
Robert Montresor Rogers, who was later awarded the Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...
for his bravery that day. He was closely followed by a private
Private or privates may refer to:
Music
* " In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation''
* Private (band), a Denmark-based band
* "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorde ...
, John McDougall who was also awarded the Victoria Cross. Lt Burslem, Pte Lane, Pte Lennon and Ensign Chaplin of the 67th Foot Hampshire Regiment were also awarded the Victoria Cross for actions of bravery. Resistance continued inside the fort for three and a half hours before the fort was cleared of defenders.[
During the fighting, fourteen British soldiers were killed and Lieutenant Rogers was severely wounded. Forty-six other men were also wounded. The French forces suffered 158 casualties.][ Over 100 Qing defenders were killed, many more wounded and forty-five guns captured.
A flag of truce arrived by boat from a southern fort, the envoy was not permitted to negotiate so the Anglo British force advanced, two fresh regiments, The Buffs and the 8th Punjab Infantry, being brought up to attack the second northern fort in heavy rain.][ Little resistance was offered and it was quickly captured. The two southern forts were untenable and capitulated.][
Southern Chinese coolies served with the French and British forces against the Qing: "The Chinese coolies entertained in 1857 from the inhabitants of South China, renegades though they were, served the British faithfully and cheerfully before Canton, and throughout the operations in North China in 1860 they likewise proved invaluable. Their coolness under fire was admirable. At the assault of the Peiho Forts in 1860 they carried the French ladders to the ditch, and, standing in the water up to their necks, supported them with their hands to enable the storming party to cross. It was not usual to take them into action ; they, however, bore the dangers of a distant fire with the greatest composure, evincing a strong desire to close with their compatriots, and engage them in mortal combat with ther bamboos.—(Fisher.)"]
Aftermath
Seven awards of the Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...
were made for Gallantry on 21 August to soldiers of the 44th Regiment of Foot and the 67th Regiment of Foot (see List of Victoria Cross recipients by campaign
The Victoria Cross (VC) is a military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of armed forces of some Commonwealth countries and previous British Empire territories. It takes precedence over all other orders, decorati ...
).
The battle was one of the last major engagements of the Second Opium War. The river route to Peking
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
was now open, the Chinese authorities capitulated all 22 forts along the river as far as Tianjin
Tianjin (; ; Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Tientsin (), is a municipality and a coastal metropolis in Northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the nine national central cities in Mainland China, with a total popu ...
, including that town.[ The army would march to the Battle of Palikao. The fighting ended with the allied occupation of Peking on 13 October 1860 and the Chinese acceptance of the trading treaties.
]
References
;Footnotes
;Bibliography
*Bartlett, Beatrice S. ''Monarchs and Ministers: The Grand Council in Mid-Ch'ing China, 1723–1820.'' Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1991.
*Ebrey, Patricia. ''Chinese Civilization: A Sourcebook.'' New York: Simon and Schuster, 1993.
*Elliott, Mark C. "The Limits of Tartary: Manchuria in Imperial and National Geographies." ''Journal of Asian Studies'' 59 (2000): 603–46.
*Faure, David. ''Emperor and Ancestor: State and Lineage in South China.'' 2007.
External links
TAKU FORTS 1860
{{DEFAULTSORT:Taku Forts 1860
Battles of the Second Opium War
Naval battles of the Opium Wars
August 1860 events
1860 in China
1860 in France
1860 in the United Kingdom
Conflicts in 1860