The Battle of Amoy was fought between

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 Qing forces at Amoy (present-day

Xiamen Xiamen ( , ; ), also known as Amoy (, from Hokkien pronunciation ), is a sub-provincial city in southeastern Fujian, People's Republic of China, beside the Taiwan Strait. It is divided into six districts: Huli, Siming, Jimei, Tong'an ...

) on

Xiamen Island Xiamen Island, alternately known as Amoy Island from its Hokkien pronunciation, is an island in southeastern Fujian, China, on the Taiwan Strait. It is administered by the People's Republic of China as the Huli and Siming urban districts of th ...

Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its cap ...

, in the Qing Empire on 26August 1841 during the First Opium War. The British captured the forts at Xiamen and on nearby

Gulangyu Island The Gulangyu, Gulang Island or Kulangsu is a pedestrian-only island off the coast of Xiamen, Fujian Province in southeastern China. A UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site, the island is about in area, and is reached by an 8-minute ferry ride fro ...

(formerly Kulangsu Island).

Battle

Before the engagement, Qing forces prepared defenses along the shores of Xiamen and built batteries on

. The British began the battle by bombarding the island's batteries for two to four hours (sources vary), with little effect. Land forces then disembarked their transports and took the batteries with little resistance. The day was noted as being very hot and fatiguing to the men. Qing forces withdrew and the city fell the next day. A garrison force of 550 men, mostly from the 18th, and three ships — the '' Druid'', ''

Pylades In Greek mythology, Pylades (; Ancient Greek: Πυλάδης) was a Phocian prince as the son of King Strophius and Anaxibia who is the daughter of Atreus and sister of Agamemnon and Menelaus. He is mostly known for his relationship with his cou ...

'', and the '' Algerine''— were left moored at Gulangyu to defend Xiamen.''Frontier and Overseas Expeditions From India'', vol. 6, p. 382 Commander John Elliot Bingham (late first lieutenant of HMS ''Modeste'') wrote a detailed first-hand account of the battle from a British perspective.

British order of battle

Ships: Wellesley, 74 ; Blenheim, 74 ;

Blonde Blond (male) or blonde (female), also referred to as fair hair, is a hair color characterized by low levels of the dark pigment eumelanin. The resultant visible hue depends on various factors, but always has some yellowish color. The color can ...

, 44; Druid, 44 ; Modeste, 18 ; Cruizer, 18 ; Pylades, 18 ; Columhine, 16 ; Bintinch, 10 ; Algerine, 10 ; Sesostris, 4 ; Phlegethon, 4 ; Nemesis, 4 ; Queen, 4

Gallery

File:Storming of Amoy.jpg, Storming of Xiamen by the British fleet File:Taking of Amoy.jpg, Taking of Xiamen File:This View of the Capture of Amoy on the Coast of China.tif, Capture of Xiamen, plate 1 File:View of the Capture of Amoy, Plate 2.tif, Plate 2 File:View of the Capture of Amoy, Plate 3.tif, Plate 3

References

Citations

{{reflist, 30em

Bibliography

*Bingham, John Elliot (1843).
Narrative of the Expedition to China from the Commencement of the War to Its Termination in 1842
'. Volume 2. London: H. Colburn. *''Frontier and Overseas Expeditions From India''. Vol. 6 (Expeditions Overseas). Calcutta: Superintendent Government Printing. 1911. *Hall, William Hutcheon; Bernard, William Dallas (1846).
The Nemesis in China
' (3rd ed.). Henry Colburn. * Luxemburg, Rosa (1913) ''The Accumulation of Capital'' eprinted Routledge, 2013 *MacPherson, Duncan (1843).
Two Years in China
' (2nd ed.). Saunders and Otley. 1841 in China

Amoy Xiamen ( , ; ), also known as Amoy (, from Hokkien pronunciation ), is a sub-provincial city in southeastern Fujian, People's Republic of China, beside the Taiwan Strait. It is divided into six districts: Huli, Siming, Jimei, Tong' ...

August 1841 events Amphibious operations involving the United Kingdom