The Battle of the Bogue was fought between British and Chinese forces at the

Humen The Humen, also Bocca Tigris or Bogue, is a narrow strait in the Pearl River Delta that separates Shiziyang in the north and Lingdingyang in the south near Humen Town in China's Guangdong Province. It is the site of the Pearl River's discharge ...

strait (Bogue),

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 12–13 November 1856 during the Second Opium War. The British captured the forts in the Wangtong Islands on 12 November and the forts in Anunghoy Island the next day.

Background

Before the battle, Rear-Admiral Michael Seymour, commander-in-chief of British forces, sent a summons to the Chinese commander of the Bogue forts:

The British Admiral wishes to spare life, and is not at war with the Chinese; and as it is necessary for him to hold possession of the Bogue Forts, until the conduct of the Viceroy Yeh can be referred to the Emperor of Pekin, one hour will be given for the purpose of clearing out; if this offer is at once accepted, boats will be permitted to pass to and from the main land and the Wantungs. In this case, the forts will remain uninjured, ready to be returned in the same state to the Chinese when these differences are over; and the rebels will neither be allowed to pass the Bogue Forts, nor to enter them whilst in our possession.

After an hour, Seymour received an answer; the Chinese commander could not give up the forts because he would "lose his head" and must therefore fight.

Battle

On the 12 November, the British squadron attacked the two Wangtong Island forts, which were fully manned and had over 200 guns mounted. Stinkpots were thrown at the British who first entered the forts. The Chinese, who stood to their guns up to the moment of the British entering the

embrasure An embrasure (or crenel or crenelle; sometimes called gunhole in the domain of gunpowder-era architecture) is the opening in a battlement between two raised solid portions (merlons). Alternatively, an embrasure can be a space hollowed out ...

s, had boats ready to escape. The forts were captured after what Seymour called a "considerable, though ill-directed" resistance of about an hour.''Papers'' 1857, p. 100 The British casualties were one killed and five wounded on board HMS ''Nankin''.''Bulletins'' 1859, pp. 105–106 On the 13 November, the British attacked and captured the Anunghoy forts, which mounted 210 guns. Seymour reported that although "some resistance" was offered, there were no British casualties.

Gallery

File:Plan of attack on the Bogue in 1856.JPG, Map of the battle File:Interior of Anunghoy.jpg, Interior of the Anunghoy forts after their demolition by the ''Nankin'' and ''Calcutta'' File:Interior of Anunghoy forts.jpg, Second sketch of Anunghoy

Notes

{{reflist

References

*
Bulletins and Other State Intelligence for the Year 1857
'. Part 1. London: Harrison and Sons. 1859. *Clowes, William Laird (1903).
The Royal Navy: A History from the Earliest Times to the Death of Queen Victoria
'. Volume 7. London: Sampson Low, Marston and Company. *
Papers Relating to the Proceedings of Her Majesty's Naval Forces at Canton
'. London: Harrison and Sons. 1857.

External links

1856 in China Bogue the Bogue 1856 Military history of Guangdong Bogue November 1856 events