| Battle of Chapu | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the First Opium War | |||||||
 Map of the battle of Chapu | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Qing dynasty | |||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Changxi chapoo | |||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 8,000–10,000 [3] | |||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| Battle of Chapu | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese | 乍浦 之 戰 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 乍浦 之 战 | ||||||
| |||||||
The Battle of Chapu was fought between British and Qing forces at Chapu (present-day Zhapu) on the northern shore of Hangzhou Bay during the First Opium War.
Before the attack, the British commander, Major General Hugh Gough divided his forces into three: a column of infantry on the left (863 men) and right (969 men), with artillery in the centre. Gough accompanied the right column, which landed first on May 16. The remaining troops moved round to the rear of the enemy thereby cutting their communications with Zhapu. Meanwhile, the accompanying steamers began a bombardment of the city's defences. In Gough's own words: "The enemy were completely taken by surprise; as usual, they were unprepared for anything except a frontal attack. They gave way on all sides and took to flight, with the exception of a body of some 300 Tartar troops who seized a small joss-house, and held it with indomitable pluck and perseverance." [6]
Multiple assaults proved necessary to capture the joss-house with casualties suffered on both sides; eventually it fell and after each of the gates had been captured, the city fell to the British. Not without cost and Gough lost one of his most accomplished field commanders Lieutenant Colonel Nicholas Tomlinson who was killed personally leading a breaching party of the 18th (Royal Irish) Regiment of Foot. [7]
The British did not remain in Zhapu long. They captured the city's ordnance and destroyed its arsenals before moving on to attack Wusong. [8]
Hailing, the Manchu commander at Zhenjiang, received the report of Zhapu's surrender on June 18. [9] The Manchus committed mass suicide[ where? ] while the Han Chinese discussed the situation with the British. [4] When hostilities[ which? ] ceased, Chinese official Yilibu returned sixteen kidnapped British soldiers to Gough in "recognition of his courtesy in releasing the Chinese captured at Chapoo".[ clarification needed ]
The First Opium War, also known as the Opium War or the Anglo-Sino War was a series of military engagements fought between Britain and the Qing dynasty of China between 1839 and 1842. The immediate issue was the Chinese enforcement of their ban on the opium trade by seizing private opium stocks from merchants at Canton and threatening to impose the death penalty for future offenders. Despite the opium ban, the British government supported the merchants' demand for compensation for seized goods, and insisted on the principles of free trade and equal diplomatic recognition with China. Opium was Britain's single most profitable commodity trade of the 19th century. After months of tensions between the two nations, the British navy launched an expedition in June 1840, which ultimately defeated the Chinese using technologically superior ships and weapons by August 1842. The British then imposed the Treaty of Nanking, which forced China to increase foreign trade, give compensation, and cede Hong Kong to the British. Consequently the opium trade continued in China. Twentieth century nationalists consider 1839 the start of a century of humiliation, and many historians consider it the beginning of modern Chinese history.
Field Marshal Hugh Gough, 1st Viscount Gough, was an Irish officer of the British Army. After serving as a junior officer at the seizure of the Cape of Good Hope during the French Revolutionary Wars, Gough commanded the 2nd Battalion of the 87th Regiment of Foot during the Peninsular War. After serving as commander-in-chief of the British forces in China during the First Opium War, he became Commander-in-Chief, India and led the British forces in action against the Marathas defeating them decisively at the conclusion of the Gwalior campaign and then commanded the troops that defeated the Sikhs during both the First Anglo-Sikh War and the Second Anglo-Sikh War.
General Sir Charles John Stanley Gough, was a senior British Indian Army officer and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.
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The Battle of the Bogue was fought between British and Chinese forces in the Pearl River Delta, Guangdong province, China, on 23–26 February 1841 during the First Opium War. The British launched an amphibious attack at the Humen strait (Bogue), capturing the forts on the islands of Anunghoy and North Wangtong. This allowed the fleet to proceed further up the Pearl River towards the city of Canton (Guangzhou), which they captured the following month.
The Battle of First Bar was fought between British and Chinese forces at First Bar Island and its surrounding area in the Pearl River, Guangdong province, China, on 27 February 1841 during the First Opium War.
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The Battle of Tzeki, Cixi, or Tsz'kí was fought between British and Chinese forces in Tzeki (Cixi), Zhejiang province, China on 15 March 1842 during the First Opium War.
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The Battle of Chinkiang was fought between British and Chinese forces in Chinkiang (Zhenjiang), Jiangsu province, China, on 21 July 1842 during the First Opium War. It was the last major battle of the war. The Chinese force consisted of a garrison of Manchu and Mongol Bannermen. In command of the British forces was Sir Hugh Gough. Leading one brigade was future British field marshal Sir Colin Campbell. The British capture of this stronghold allowed them to proceed to Nanking. Fought near the confluence of the Grand Canal and Yangtze River, the battle effectively blocked operation of the Caoyun system, a transport network vital for the movement of grain throughout the empire. As a result, the Daoguang Emperor decided to sue for peace and agreed to sign the Treaty of Nanking, which brought hostilities to an end. Mass suicide was committed by the Manchu Bannermen who were defending the city.
Zhapu, alternately romanized as Chapoo or Chapu, is a town under the administration of Pinghu, in the north of Zhejiang Province, China. It is located along the northern shore of Hangzhou Bay in the southeastern part of Pinghu and borders Haiyan County to its south and southeast. The town covers an area of 54.4 square kilometers and has a population of 54,000.
Lieutenant George Phillpotts was an officer of the Royal Navy. He was born in Durham, England in or about 1814.
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Nicholas Ralph Tomlinson (1803-1842) was a British Army Infantry Officer who Commanded Her Majesty's 18th Regiment of Foot during the First Anglo-Chinese War. He was the second son of Vice Admiral Nicholas Tomlinson and his wife Elizabeth who lived in the county of Essex.
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