Battle of Zhapu
British map of the Battle of Zhapu, first published in 1903
| date | May 18, 1842 |
|---|---|
| place | Zhapu , China |
| output | British victory |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
|
|
|
| Troop strength | |
| 8 warships 2220 infantry |
7,000 soldiers |
| losses | |
|
13 dead, |
Approx. 1200 casualties |
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At the Battle of Zhapu , during the First Opium War , British troops captured the strategically important coastal city of Zhapu in Hangzhou Bay on May 18, 1842.
background
After a series of eighteen months of military defeat, Emperor Daoguang formulated a dual strategy. After a military victory, which should be achieved by General Yijing , he planned peace negotiations, which his Plenipotentiary Qiying should lead. The Chinese leadership, especially Yijing, viewed the withdrawal of the British from Ningbo as a separate military victory. He also reported untruthfully to the emperor about successful battles for the island of Zhoushan .
On the British side, there was a change in leadership, as Charles Elliot was to be replaced by Henry Pottinger, who had arrived in Asia . Elliot's subordinate officers Hugh Gough and William Parker independently planned an offensive operation on Zhapu so as not to allow the Chinese opponent to rest for reorganization. The aim of the operation was to disrupt the inland lake and river trade by occupying strategically important coastal towns.
The small town of Zhapu was located at the northern entrance to Hangzhou Bay, the lake entrance to Zhenjiang Province . Before the war, 7,000 Qing soldiers were stationed in the city due to its strategic location. The Zhapu garrison, like the rest of the Qing military, suffered from chronic underfunding, which forced many soldiers to earn extra income in addition to their military activities. In July 1840, an artillery bombardment by the British had already taken place near Zhapu, in which six Chinese soldiers had been killed. By the end of 1841, all the major port cities south of Zhapu had already been targeted by British attacks.
The only fortification at Zhapu was the city wall itself. The garrison was equipped with sixty cannons, eleven of which were made of bronze. This was a significantly smaller artillery stock than the garrisons previously attacked by the British. After the evacuation of Ningbo on May 7, 1842, the British sent a fleet of seven conventional warships and four steam-powered ships with around 2,000 ground troops to the north. The fleet reached the waters off Zhapu on May 17, 1842.
course
The British attack began on May 18, 1842. As in previous battles, the British carried out a bombardment from the sea, while ground troops were landed at the same time to attack the defenders from the flank. The majority of Chinese troops fled the battlefield as a result. Units from the Eight Banners stationed in Zhapu , however, offered fierce resistance in the city and a nearby temple with hand-to-hand weapons and handguns. However, the Chinese defenders could not withstand the fire superiority of the British.
consequences
The battle became one of the most costly battles of the First Opium War for the British, with nine dead and 55 wounded. British soldiers and officers reported mass suicides by Banner soldiers and their relatives living in the city for fear of dishonoring their capture. Contemporary Chinese sources portrayed the many civilian deaths as a British massacre. Statistics on Chinese war deaths are not available for either the military or the civilian population. The defeat terrified Yijing, who was on his way to Zhapu at the time of the battle. On May 28, 1842, the British evacuated the conquered city in order to move on to their next target Wusong near Shanghai .