Battle of Wusong
British warships in action with Chinese war junks and coastal batteries off Wusong. Contemporary drawing from 1845.
| date | June 16, 1842 |
|---|---|
| place | Wusong , China |
| output | British victory |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
| 14 warships with 2,000 infantry |
4,700 soldiers 198 cannons 19 war junks |
| losses | |
|
2 dead |
Hundreds of dead and wounded |
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In the Battle of Wusong on 16 July 1842, the captured British Expeditionary Force during the First Opium War coastal defense in Wusong . This cleared the way to Shanghai for the British .
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Wusong was located at the confluence of the Yangtze and Huangpu Jiang rivers and thus controlled access to Shanghai from the sea via the river system. The place was already fortified before the Opium War due to its strategic location. In 1828, Guan Tianpei counted 1,000 soldiers and 231 cannons during an inspection. However, he complained that the artillery consisted mainly of outdated models of too small caliber.
In the course of the Opium War, the Qing military strengthened the defense at Wusong. Earth fortifications had been built on both sides of the river bank. On the west side were 1000 soldiers with 144 cannons. There were just as many soldiers with 20 cannons on the east side. 2000 men with 50 guns were stationed in Baoshan . Furthermore, 700 soldiers were positioned northwest of Baoshan against a flank attack. The coastal defense commander of Jiangnan Chen Huacheng commanded the main position of the coastal defense . The forces in Baoshan were under the command of the newly appointed Governor General of Liangjiang Niu Jian .
Niu Jian was the highest ranking officer in command. He described the Chinese preparation before the battle as adequate and expected a victory for his own strength. Niu had no realistic picture of the technical skills of the British. Before the battle he claimed that the British steam warships had to be pulled ashore by oxen against the river.
The British Expeditionary Force deployed eight conventional warships, six armed steamships, fourteen transport ships and 2,000 ground troops for the attack on Wusong.
course
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The British forces opened the fighting on July 16, 1842 before daybreak. The ships advanced in two groups along the two banks of the river. In the early afternoon, ground troops landed on the west bank. In the ensuing skirmish, the Chinese defenders were defeated and after the death of their commander, Chen Huacheng, fled. The troops in Baoshan were brought in to help by Niu Jian. But their advance ended shortly after leaving the city wall in the artillery fire of the British. Niu Jian fled back to Baoshan and then to Jiading . The Chinese resistance dissolved on the first day of the fighting.
consequences
Chinese sources report 88 deaths in the battle on the west bank. Niu Jian reported around ten deaths for his troops. The defeat in battle was attributed on the Chinese side to the cowardice and failure of Niu Jian. As after the earlier defeats, there was no debate about one's own military inferiority. The British occupied Shanghai without a fight after receiving reinforcements on July 19. The Qing forces had previously fled the city. The British withdrew completely from Shanghai on July 27, except for two blockade ships. The expeditionary force set out for Zhenjiang , its next target.