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Battle of Ganghwa | |||||||
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Part of the Korean Expedition | |||||||
A map of the Corean Forts, Unknown author | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
United States | Joseon | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
John Rodgers Winfield Schley | Eo Jae-yeon † Eo Jae-sun † | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
651 troops 6 howitzers 1 frigate 2 sloops-of-war 2 gunboats | 300 troops 40 artillery pieces 6 forts 4 shore batteries | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
3 killed 10 wounded 1 gunboat damaged | 243 killed 20 captured (later released) 40 artillery pieces captured 5 forts destroyed 1 fort damaged 4 shore batteries destroyed |
The Battle of Ganghwa was fought during the 1871 United States expedition to Korea, a conflict between Joseon and the United States. In May of that year, five Asiatic Squadron warships set sail from Japan to ascertain what happened to the crew of the SS General Sherman as well as to establish a trade treaty with the Hermit Kingdom similar to the one Commodore Perry had pressured Japan into adopting in the early 1850s. When American forces arrived in Korea, the originally peaceful mission turned into a battle when guns from a Korean fort suddenly opened fire on the Americans. The battle to capture Ganghwa Island's forts was the largest engagement of the conflict.
The United States Navy expedition involved over 1,400 personnel, 542 sailors, 109 marines and six 12-pounder howitzers made up the landing party. Frigate USS Colorado, the sloops USS Alaska and USS Benicia and the gunboats USS Monocacy, and USS Palos were assigned to the operation, all together mounting 85 guns under the command of Rear Admiral John Rodgers and Commander Winfield Scott Schley. Korean forces included the six Selee River Forts, of various sizes, and four shore batteries with over 300 men and dozens of artillery pieces. While negotiations were going on at Inchon, on June 1, 1871, two of the U.S. vessels, the Palos and USS Monocacy, were tasked to reconnoiter the waters of the Han River estuary. Parts of Ganghwa Island and several of its forts faced the estuary. Foreign vessels were forbidden entrance to the Han River because the river's course provided direct access to Joseon's capital city of Hanyang (modern Seoul), which could potentially be fired upon by any armed foreign vessels. It is possible that the U.S. naval vessels were unaware of this fact. Joseon forces stationed on the island had orders to fire at foreign vessels that appeared to be readying to enter the Han, and so at the approach of the two American ships into controlled waters, the USS Palos was engaged by one of the forts; the Palos and USS Monocacy returned fire and silenced it (the Bombardment of the Selee River Forts). Rear Admiral Rodgers demanded an apology from the Joseon government and set a time limit of 10 days for receipt of the apology. None came, and so nine days later the U.S. expedition carried out Rogers' threat and assaulted Ganghwa Island.
The battle began on June 10, when the American squadron arrived of Point Du Conde and began bombarding the fort there. The shore party was landed by boats which immediately launched an attack on Fort Du Conde which was taken without serious resistance. Next, the Americans proceeded north a short distance where they captured Fort Monocacy, skirmishing with bodies of Korean troops along the way. After the fall of Fort Monocacy, the Americans rested for the night and became the first western military forces to camp on Korean soil. On June 11, the main engagement occurred, the five warships began bombarding the four remaining forts while the shore party attacked from land. About 300 Koreans, armed with matchlock rifles, swords, and clubs held Fort McKee which was the heart of Korean defenses. The cannons of the USS Monocacy blasted the Korean citadel's walls, and the Americans then charged up the ramparts. The Koreans, running low on ammunition, began throwing rocks and slinging their swords, fatally injuring Lieutenant Hugh McKee, who was stabbed by a spear as he led the charge. One by one the Americans climbed over the fort's walls. Fierce close-quarters combat ensued but lasted only fifteen minutes until the fort was secure. [1]
In the end, 243 Koreans were counted dead (350 according to Korean sources), twenty captured and a few wounded. Over forty cannons ranging from two to 24-pounders were also taken and within the next few days the forts were dismantled, with the exception of Fort Palos, on the other side of Ganghwa Straits. Corporal Charles Brown captured a large sujagi, and received the Medal of Honor for doing so. Under heavy fire, Carpenter Cyrus Hayden planted the American flag on top of the Korean fort, an act which earned him the medal as well. Private James Dougherty personally shot and killed the Korean commander General Eo Jae-yeon; he and six others were also awarded the Medal of Honor. Only three Americans were killed and ten were wounded. USS Monocacy was grounded on rocks off Fort McKee during the battle, but she was re-floated and sustained only slight damage.
Although the battle was a military victory for the American forces, the Koreans refused to sign a trade treaty with the United States until 1882.
The opening episode of Mr. Sunshine features of the Battle of Ganghwa Island, one of the characters, Jang Seung-gu, fought in the battle as a teenager and witnessed his father killed in the fighting. [2]
The United States expedition to Korea, known in Korea as the Shinmiyangyo or simply the Korean Expedition, was an American military action in Korea that took place predominantly on and around Ganghwa Island in 1871.
The General Sherman incident was the destruction in 1866 of the American merchant ship SS General Sherman in the Taedong River during an unsuccessful and illegal attempt by the ship's crew to open up trade with the isolationist Joseon dynasty of Korea. With the rapid increase in Western imperialism in Asia during the 19th century, Asian nations came under increasing pressure to end their isolationist policies. Despite China and Japan being forcibly opened to foreign trade by Western powers, Korea maintained its isolationism.
Hugh Wilson McKee was an American naval officer in the 1870s who participated in the United States expedition to Korea in 1871.
The Asiatic Squadron was a squadron of United States Navy warships stationed in East Asia during the latter half of the 19th century. It was created in 1868 when the East India Squadron was disbanded. Vessels of the squadron were primarily involved in matters relating to American commerce with China and Japan, though it participated in several conflicts over 34 years of service until becoming the Asiatic Fleet in 1902.
The first USS Colorado, a 3,400-long-ton (3,500 t), three-masted steam screw frigate, was launched on 19 June 1856, by the Norfolk Navy Yard. Named after the Colorado River, she was sponsored by Ms. N. S. Dornin, and commissioned on 13 March 1858, with Captain W. H. Gardner, in command. She was the fifth of the Franklin-class frigates, which were all named after US rivers, except for Franklin.
The Yangtze Patrol, also known as the Yangtze River Patrol Force, Yangtze River Patrol, YangPat, and ComYangPat, was a prolonged naval operation from 1854 to 1949 to protect American interests in the Yangtze River's treaty ports. The Yangtze Patrol also patrolled the coastal waters of China where they protected U.S. citizens, their property, and Christian missionaries.
The Mediterranean Squadron, also known as the Mediterranean Station, was part of the United States Navy in the 19th century that operated in the Mediterranean Sea. It was formed in response to the First and Second Barbary Wars. Between 1801 and 1818, the squadron was composed of a series of rotating squadrons. Later, squadrons were sent in the 1820s to the 1860s to suppress piracy, primarily in Greece and to engage in gunboat diplomacy. In 1865 the force was renamed the European Squadron.
The Japan–Korea Treaty of 1876 was made between representatives of the Empire of Japan and the Korean Kingdom of Joseon in 1876. Negotiations were concluded on February 26, 1876.
The first USS Monocacy was a sidewheel gunboat in the United States Navy. She was named for the Battle of Monocacy.
William F. Lukes was a United States Navy sailor and a recipient of America's highest military decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in the 1871 Korean Expedition.
The first USS Palos was a 4th rate iron screw tug in the United States Navy during the late 19th century. She was named for Palos de la Frontera in Spain, the place where Christopher Columbus started the first voyage to America.
The Ganghwa Island incident or the Japanese Battle of Ganghwa was an armed clash between the Joseon dynasty of Korea and Japan which occurred in the vicinity of Ganghwa Island on September 20, 1875.
The French Intervention to Korea was an 1866 punitive expedition undertaken by the Second French Empire against Joseon Korea in retaliation for the execution of seven French Catholic missionaries. The encounter over Ganghwa Island lasted nearly six weeks. The result was an eventual French retreat, and a check on French influence in the region. The encounter also confirmed Korea in its isolationism for another decade, until Japan forced it to open up to trade in 1876 through the Treaty of Ganghwa.
Ganghwa County (Korean: 강화군) is a county in the city of Incheon, South Korea. The county is composed of Ganghwa Island, and the minor islands around it.
The first USS Alaska was a wooden-hulled screw sloop of war, built at the Boston Navy Yard and named for the then-newly acquired territory. The ship was launched on 31 October 1868 and sponsored by Miss Grace Hull, the daughter of Mayor Liverus Hull of Charlestown, Boston. Alaska was commissioned on 8 December 1869, with Commander Homer C. Blake in command.
Myeonje baegap (면제배갑, 綿製背甲) was a soft bulletproof vest invented during the Joseon in 1867.
The Sujagi is a flag with the hanja 帥, pronounced su in Korean, that denotes a commanding general. The whole term literally means, "Commanding general flag". Only one sujagi is known to exist in Korea. The color is a faded yellowish-brown background with a black character in its center. It is made of hemp cloth and measures approximately 4.15m x 4.35m.
Rear Admiral George Henry Cooper was an officer in the United States Navy. During his long naval career, he served on the African Slave Trade Patrol, and fought in the Second Seminole War, the Mexican War, the American Civil War, and the Korean Expedition, and rose to command of the North Atlantic Squadron.
Eo Jae-yeon was a Korean general who lived during the late Joseon Dynasty. He served as the inspector in the Hoeryong region in 1866 and led the army of Ganghwado Island against the United States military during the U.S. expedition to Korea in 1871.
This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships .