Battle of Canton (1856)
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The Battle of Canton was fought between British and Chinese forces at the city of Canton (
Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...
),
Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...
province, China on 23 October to 5 November 1856 during the
Second Opium War The Second Opium War (), also known as the Second Anglo-Sino War, the Second China War, the Arrow War, or the Anglo-French expedition to China, was a colonial war lasting from 1856 to 1860, which pitted the British Empire and the French Emp ...
.


Battle

On 23 October, British operations began with the attack on four forts known as the Barrier Forts in the
Pearl River The Pearl River, also known by its Chinese name Zhujiang or Zhu Jiang in Mandarin pinyin or Chu Kiang and formerly often known as the , is an extensive river system in southern China. The name "Pearl River" is also often used as a catch-a ...
. The ''
Coromandel Coromandel may refer to: Places India *Coromandel Coast, India **Presidency of Coromandel and Bengal Settlements ** Dutch Coromandel *Coromandel, KGF, Karnataka, India New Zealand *Coromandel, New Zealand, a town on the Coromandel Peninsula *Coro ...
'' and '' Barracouta'' captured the forts with slight opposition, the first shot in the war being fired from the ''Coromandel''. Rear-Admiral Michael Seymour, commander-in-chief of British forces in China, reported no British casualties and four or five Chinese killed due to an "ill-judged resistance". Afterwards, Seymour proceeded to Canton, where he found the ''
Encounter Encounter or Encounters may refer to: Film *''Encounter'', a 1997 Indian film by Nimmala Shankar * ''Encounter'' (2013 film), a Bengali film * ''Encounter'' (2018 film), an American sci-fi film * ''Encounter'' (2021 film), a British sci-fi film * ...
'' moored off the city near the
Canton Factories The Thirteen Factories, also known as the , was a neighbourhood along the Pearl River in southwestern Guangzhou (Canton) in the Qing Empire from to 1856 around modern day Xiguan, in Guangzhou's Liwan District. These warehouses and stores were th ...
.Behan 1859, pp. 71–72 He sent the ''
Sampson Sampson may refer to: Military * , several Royal Navy ships * , several US Navy ships * Sampson-class destroyer, a World War I US Navy class * Sampson Air Force Base, near Seneca Lake, New York, closed in 1956 * SAMPSON, a multi-function radar ...
'' and ''Barracouta'' to secure the free navigation of Blenheim Reach along the river. Both ships took possession of the Blenheim and Macao Forts without resistance. British sailor William Kennedy described the scene at the city:
The river was alive with every kind of craft, from the little
sampan A sampan is a relatively flat-bottomed Chinese and Malay wooden boat. Some sampans include a small shelter on board and may be used as a permanent habitation on inland waters. The design closely resembles Western hard chine boats like th ...
, propelled by a single oar in the stern, to the heavy trading junk with her single iron-wood mast and mat sails. Numerous flower-boats belonging to wealthy mandarins were moored off the town, conspicuous by their gaudy paint, and crowded with laughing girls, who kept up an incessant chatter as they peeped out at the foreign devils!
The next morning, Seymour proceeded down Macao Reach where he met the ''Barracouta''. The Dutch Folly Fort opposite the factories and Bird's Nest Fort were taken quiet possession of, as were afterwards the two Shameen Forts commanding the passage. The captured guns were rendered unserviceable. A detachment of
Royal Marines The Corps of Royal Marines (RM), also known as the Royal Marines Commandos, are the UK's special operations capable commando force, amphibious light infantry and also one of the five fighting arms of the Royal Navy. The Corps of Royal Marine ...
was landed to protect the factories, later reinforced by another party and some bluejackets (sailors). Advanced posts and field guns were stationed at the most important points, and barricades placed across the streets to guard against a surprise attack. On 25 October, Chinese forces attacked the pickets but were repulsed by the Marines with a loss of 14 Chinese killed and wounded. On 26 October, operations were temporarily halted, being a "day of rest" on Sunday. At 1 pm on 27 October, the ''Encounter'' opened fire from its
stern The stern is the back or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite the bow, the foremost part of a ship. Ori ...
pivot at Governor
Ye Mingchen Ye Mingchen (21 December 1807 – 9 April 1859) was a high-ranking Chinese official during the Qing dynasty, known for his resistance to British influence in Canton (Guangzhou) in the aftermath of the First Opium War and his role in the beginni ...
's compound (
yamen A ''yamen'' (''ya-men''; ; Manchu: ''yamun'') was the administrative office or residence of a local bureaucrat or mandarin in imperial China. A ''yamen'' can also be any governmental office or body headed by a mandarin, at any level of govern ...
) in Canton, and continued until sunset at intervals of five to ten minutes. At the same time, the ''Barracouta'' in Sulphur Creek shelled the Chinese troops on the hills at the back of the city. The British warned the inhabitants within the vicinity to evacuate themselves and their property, which was done later that evening. On 28 October, the British resumed offensive operations from the Dutch Folly, where they placed two guns in position. The shelling of the city walls, aided by a
conflagration A conflagration is a large fire. Conflagrations often damage human life, animal life, health, and/or property. A conflagration can begin accidentally, be naturally caused (wildfire), or intentionally created (arson). A very large fire can produc ...
of a large portion of houses in the line of attack, helped open a clear passage between the Dutch Folly and the city walls for further operations. The next morning, the British resumed firing earlier than expected after the Chinese mounted guns opposite the Dutch Folly. At 2 pm, a detachment of about 400 marines and seamen, aided by the Dutch Folly guns, breached the city wall. After blowing up one of the gates, they took possession of the city, and after inspecting the house and premises of the governor, re-embarked at sunset and retired to their respective quarters. Seymour reported that the Chinese troops offered little resistance "beyond a scattered fire from the streets and houses", from which two British were killed and twelve wounded.Behan 1859, pp. 81–82


Aftermath

After receiving no concession from Commissioner Ye, the British re-opened fire on the morning of 30 October to maintain the breach. The bombardment continued daily to 5 November from the ''Encounter'', ''Sampson'', and Dutch Folly, targeting the government buildings in the city and the forts in the rear of it. After Chinese war junks gathered under the protection of the nearby French Folly Fort, the British captured the fort on 6 November.Behan 1859, p. 98


Gallery

File:Canton River, 26 May 1841.jpg, Map of the forts leading to Canton File:Interior of the Dutch Folly Fort, 1857.jpg, Interior of the Dutch Folly Fort File:The Conflagration in the suburbs, Canton, 1857.jpg, Conflagration in the city


Notes

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References

*Behan, T. L., ed. (1859).
Bulletins and Other State Intelligence for the Year 1857
'. Part 1. London: Harrison and Sons. *Kennedy, William (1900).
Hurrah for the Life of a Sailor! Fifty Years in the Royal Navy
'. Edinburgh: William Blackwood and Sons. *
Papers Relating to the Proceedings of Her Majesty's Naval Forces at Canton
'. London: Harrison and Sons. 1857. 1856 in China Canton 1 Canton 1856 Canton 1856 Canton October 1856 events November 1856 events