Battle of Macao Fort

Battle of Macao Fort
Part of the Second Opium War

Map of the battle
Date4 January 1857
Location
Pearl River, Guangdong, China
23°4′12″N 113°15′29″E / 23.07000°N 113.25806°E / 23.07000; 113.25806
Result British victory
Belligerents
 United Kingdom Qing China
Commanders and leaders
Michael Seymour Ye Mingchen
Strength
4 sloops
3 pinnaces
1 gig
1 cutter		 70+ junks[1] (many armed with stinkpots)
30+ row boats
Casualties and losses
1 killed[2]
6 wounded[3]		 Unknown

The Battle of Macao Fort was fought between British and Chinese forces in the Pearl River, Guangdong, China on 4 January 1857 during the Second Opium War. Macao Fort was located on an islet about 3 miles (4.8 kilometres) south of Canton (Guangzhou).

  • Larger map of the Canton River, showing Macao Fort
    Larger map of the Canton River, showing Macao Fort
  • Macao Fort, c. 1841
    Macao Fort, c. 1841
  • The Union Jack on the fort, 1857
    The Union Jack on the fort, 1857
  • Watercolour sketch of the fort, 1858
    Watercolour sketch of the fort, 1858

References

  1. ^ Further Papers Relating to the Proceedings of Her Majesty's Naval Forces at Canton. London: Harrison and Sons. 1857. pp. 27–31.
  2. ^ Kennedy, William (1900). Hurrah for the Life of a Sailor: Fifty Years in the Royal Navy. Edinburgh: William Blackwood and Sons. pp. 66–67.
  3. ^ Allen's Indian Mail. 3 March 1857. 15 (311): 137.

Further reading