The Sun.
London, England, 1862-07-19 00:00:00

THE ATTACKS ON THE 7AEPINGS.

(From the London Gazette of last night.)
WAR OFFICE, JULY 18, 1862.
Despatches, of which the following are copies,
have been received at the War Office from Briga-
dier General Staveley, commanding her Majesty's
troops in China :
No. 22. Head-quarters, Shanghae, April 19, 1862.
Sir,—ln my letter of the 6th inst. (extract an-
nexed) I reported to the military secretary, for the
information of his Royal Highness the General
Commanding-in-Chief, that, in compliance with the
instructions received from her Majesty's minister
at Pekin, to drive the rebels from the vicinity of
Shanghae, the naval and military force at my dis-
posal made a successful attack, on the 14th instant,
on the entrenched camp of On-katz, two miles
from Shanghae.
2. I have now to report the capture of Tserpoo,
another of the strongholds of the rebels, by a com-
bined English and French naval and military force.
Tserpoo is situated seven miles up a creek run-
ning into the Woosung River, 12 miles above and
on the opposite bank to Shanghae, and is one of
the principal places on that side of the Woosung
River, from whence the rebels devastated the
country. Vice-Admiral Sir J. Hope and the
French Admiral Protet, having placed under my
orders the seamen, troops, and guns detailed in the
margin,* the force, with the regiments under my
immediate command, numbering in all 1,951 men
and 12 guns, as per accompanying return, was con-
veyed in gunboats, and landed at the mouth of the
Tserpoo Creek on the morning of the 17th instant.
By two p.m. the force had arrived in front of
Tserpoo, a long and very strongly entrenched
stockade and partly-walled town. The part
I selected for attack, though composed of
two small bastions and a curtain, each bas-
tion mounting two guns, appeared the easiest
of approach. Having thrown out Captain Burton's
detachment of the 99th Regiment and a company
of French Zephyrs to cover the advance of the guns,
the former took advantage of some good cover
afforded by ruined houses 200 yards from the rebel
works, the English naval and Royal Artillery guns
took up a position on some mounds to the right
rear of the skirmishers, at a distance of 400 yards
from the wall, the French guns being in the left
rear of the covering party. The infantry and small-
arms men of the navy, provided with bridges,
ladders, and axes, being under cover, and in imme-
diate support of the guns. After five rounds of
shell from each gun, all which burst in and over
the works with great precision, the English and
French skirmishers, urged by the spirit of rivalry
which invariably breaks out on such occasions made
a sudden rush at the place, compelling me to cause
the guns to cease firing, and the sth Bombay Light
Native Infantry to dash up to the immediate sup-
port of the skirmishers; and thus, with the assist-
ance of the bridges and axe-parties of the sth Bom-
bay Native Light Infantry and Royal navy, the
difficulties offered by a brisk fire from the rebels,
an abattis of felled trees, two staked ditches, and a
14-feet wall flanked by two bastions, were overcome
with, considering the strength of the place, the
trifling loss noticed in the margin.t
I shall do myself the honour to report by the
next mail the measures contemplated by Sir J.
Hope, Admiral Protet, and myself, for the further
expulsion of the insurgents from the neighbour-
hood.—l have the honour, &c.,
(Signed) C. W. D. STAVELEY, Brigadier
General Commanding in China.
The Right Hon. the Secretary of State
for War, War-office.
EXTRACT OF LETTER ADDRESSED TO THE MILITARY SECRE-
TARY, HORSE GUARDS, DATED SHANGHAE, APRIL 6,
1862, REFERRED TO IN THE FOREGOING DESPATCH.
I have the honour to report for the information
of his Royal Highness the General Commanding-
in-Chief that, in consequence of instructions I re-
ceived from Mr. Bruce, her Majesty's minister at
Pekin, to drive the rebels from the vicinity of Shan-
ghae, I attacked, on the 4th inst., a camp contain-
ing about 9,000 rebels, 12 miles distant from this
place, with a force numbering in all 1,700 men and
12 shell guns, and composed as follows, viz., 400
seamen and marines and 3 guns, placed at my dis-
posal by Vice-Admiral Sir James Hope; 300 sea-
men and 4 guns, placed at my disposal by the
French Admiral Protet ; half a company of Royal
Artillery, with 4 mountain guns and one 24-howit-
zer, under Capt. Bradshaw, R.A.; 70 men of the
99th Regiment, under Capt. Burton; the sth Ben-
gal Native Infantry, under Lieut.-Colonel Stanley ;
and the 22d Punjabees, under Major Stafford; the
latter military forces being under the command of
Lieut.-Col. Moody, RE., the officer in command of
the troops at Shanghae. Colonel Ward of the Im-
perial army, who has been drilling some Chinese,
also assisted with 200 of his men. After about three
quarters of an hour's shelling the rebels bolted from
their stronghold, which consisted of a chain of forts
very strongly stockaded and entrenched; we pur-
sued them for about two miles, and then returned
and burned their camp. The loss of the rebels was
about 300 ; the casualties on our side, one sepoy, of
the sth Bengal Native infantry, killed, and two
privates of the 22d Punjabees, slightly wounded.—
I have, &C., _ _

C. STAVELEY, Brigadier General,
Commanding in China.

P.S. Lieut. Birch, of the 22d Punjabees, who was
my only staff officer, was most active, not only
during the action, but in making preparations for
the expedition.

Head quarters, Shanghae, April 25, 1862.
Sir,—l have the honour to transmit for your in-
formation copy of agreement which has been made
between V ice-Admiral Sir J. Hope,the French Ad-
miral Protet, and myself, for the protection of
Shanghae. The red line on the accompanying plan
shows the limit to the extent of country which we
have thought it necessary to clear of the rebels with
a view to the safety of Shanghae, and to the sup-
plies of provisions for the support of its population.
Mr. Bruce having consented to the evacuation of
Tien-tsin, I have arranged with Vice Admiral Sir
J. Hope that all the troops in the north, with the
exception of a garrison of half a battery of Royal
Artillery, and 5130 men of the 67th Regiment at
Tabu, come to Shanghae to assist in the operations
decided upon in the accompanying copy of agree-
ment. When these troops arrive from the north I
shall have at my disposal men and 22 guns,
as detailed 111 the margin 42,8
a 24
force I consider, as re-
gards the resistance the rebels
may offer, capable,
with the assistance of the two 32-pounder guns,
Royal navy, of effecting
worked by the anything
that may be required in this country, supposing
of
course that the Imperialists occupy and
hold the
places we take for them, and which they have
un-
dertaken to do.—l have, B:c.,
(Signed) C. STAVELEY, Brigadier General.
The Right Hon. the Secretary of State
for War, War Office.

•
Shanglino, April 22.
Pitt:wilt :—Vice Admiral Sir James lope, Bril;a•
dicr Gen. Staveley, Le Contre Amiral Protet,

Agreed.
1. That it is necessary for the defence of Shang'
hae to occupy Kading, Tsing-poo, Sung-Keoug,
Najaor, and Tsaolin, by which means a district of
country will be secured sufficient in extent to afford
the supplies requisite for the support of its nu-
merous population, and to keep the rebels at a dis-
tance, which will preclude the continuance of that

ii. En,li , •
sb.-293 seamen and marines ; 3 12-pounder
howitzers. French.-400 seamen and Zephyrs ; 5 moun-
tain guns.
t Casualties.—Her Majesty's 99th Regiment, 1 private
killed; her Majesty's sth Bombay Native Light Infantry,
1 wounded; 22d Bombay Native Light Infantry, 1
wounded.
v Nati
Total
Cl killed, 2 wounded. Commander
Daverones, aide de a
,t. mp to Admiral Protet, wounded.
Royal Artillery,
officers and men; sth 10 officers, 317 non-commissioned
ad Bengal Native Infantry, 8 European
504 e non-commissioned officers
Liadd
mllenna;t2iv2ed Boffienceg7l Infantry, 10 European and I'2
native officers, and 377 non-
com
23 (lacers and iiraol,ioffic
ers and men ;
31st Regiment' ?3
non-commissioned
ire ri and 329 offi-
cersnon-cora-
and men; 67th Regiment, g
officers
rnissioned officers and men; 99th
78 non-commissioned officers and me: Regiment, 4 officers and
ont
and 23 native officers, and 2,824 non-commissioned 4 European
men. Six 12-pounder Armstrong guns; -7.c:tried officers
2'sth-inch
howitzers ; 6 51-inch mortars ; 2 9-pounder guns ; 1 24.
pounder howitzer—total, !;%`?..