, 1860-11-19
:. J.: r! THE 7: ffn1!NEs:E E! WAR: -*
fnfareAtinE Account, Of the Capture of
-.. =: a.. the Taku Forts. -, IN

T.: ,.'..s~. s.'4 - -.-..-.--.-r -: IN
=, :.: 49," [ooe7espondonce OIL tho Ghina NALL
H. 'e' :: - ''' :'s'. rE1naio, Ally. &c, 1850.
My last to you wa. dated, think, August o,
when we were pi.giny 1t out tinPehItanes, amid
mud; filth, stenches; 'crowding; rohfusion and
httapnh tl:at fo!eiely RECALLED 49 .rsory, and
|. worst days. Uut two short weeks: have clare-
I'd, and already the:wluac ofthe Ta&u forts are
| Ia our possession, the cntrcnchc1 camp Of the
Tarta1s ut SiuS:lo has been taken, and their
cavalry totally Dispersed; tic fortified town Of
essa :sa nea. r 1i
| all their :haggagc~ and eatuipmcnt- has been
marched aeross some fifteen fniics'o 'of mud and
! swamp aid br6uslt In beat ppon the mouth
ofstho Polio. Which is now opened forever to
our ships. Ere this, some Of our troops arc
boats are lying quietly ut anchor OF IT. and in
"a few days rGorc, J. Doubt not. sthc ;Chincsc
4ificulty'' NIL hate need Enthusiastically solved
by tho submissive reception: .of,ouT Plenipo-
.sslai ta IA; fs = Rskia tie e'othesef the Sun
~ XaxaEei;: mus. aoH:coasa toIle grand at
tack OF. the 21st, and. here must gira large
1uccd .6f p{atse t6 our gallant allies" WHO
certainly did their part bravely In It. On the
cErning Of the ADtl,, Tie 2l ditisioH nlo.d4put4
and took up position in fnnt Of the sa!d fort,
hut just t'onc of.rauge, while working; parties
:7crc thrown out to erect batteries for the siege
train, and accommodating parties examined the
intervening gronnd rs clusely :as t'ossiblc, in
.tatlcr TO select the nthf lav6ablo points for
attack. -:
The Chinese evidently had some .jinkling Of
:ers Of nrtfalls from the walls OF Tic fort, in
order to discover whcre cur. hen were and
what they were about but whether lit was
that they either could not max q Ilap out or
ail NIT consider Tile. work they WcfS engaged
in as ntItctinE them at altserqusly, thtsy only
fired pnc or fwo CHS during the night At
daylreak ,lext morning the 1ivisipn ihcn al .
raneeas some four or live Of our batteries hav-
tfS> got Into position, d-I>ourins. iu tre-
1nendous HEE. upt4p -tl.t fort with precision;
willie the tnlautsy-t6at is 10 say, one wing Of
Seventh and Ono Kindred md secpnd KcEi-
.ncnt of ofFr:nri.--.adsanced, the Butt, t.e 9th
CT wing Of the Forty-Fourth, aid il Puhjaubce
regiment remainnssin reserve, lie Chincse r..
plying with great eririt, but litllc= appat2H4|
/ kill; almost al their sheits bursting Ehort, h4!
right places, On a.ris u; at long low rnl-
bankncnt, about 500 yards from tts: fort, the
infantry we're laltets and made to lar, down,
while TIC batteries were alladyanecu torauges
varying from 500 to 600 yards, and opened
still more telling fire. exploiting two= I'D mensc
hour nearly sileacius the cncmy's: bly, guns.
The infantry then advanced aEair, half Of
the French regiment aud tho win. 0f: t1c 9Th >,
heins thrown out as sharpsEootefs, arlllc one
win; Of 1ks koyal Marines adyaaccdsSit ID seal
ing ladders and pontoons, and the other wing
As tfcstofuling party got close, the fire poured
into the fort fruin our BATTERIES besdne abso-
: mtclyterriic- Five or six shot pr shell went |
flying into It every tM{nutc, and tho enemy |
!. could not show themselves above the parapct.
Through the 1oopholts. hpMcfcr, they kept up |
fra Swf.
EpDndcd 70 q-by cur sharasssootczs., Occasion
ally. loo, bic g4n f{oIp the eoutl, side sent |
round Slot 1imi1P Ia among the cip1lnlnE par
ty, but tho tremendous explosions ulat had /
taken place inside the. fort, aud. thei terrible
fire they had been. subjected to, had probably |
sSatss wt.s, consequently ft:wii aid tpetmeen.
?9a yea; e: 70 sstss o. s:t osi ts
Eighteen fit in ,sid1 Ii aid about cight 9r tet
feet deep, The first one desapded, moreover, b!
= strons, abattAs, tie setoadi BY sha1p stakes
on both sitles,: Gu arriving. at the firat ditch,
Ereat difficulty was, ot course, expcriencel IN
er1 8 fee - st an.
der Col Mahn, and: tne noysl MeTnlef, under
ditch, and ticy shortly itttct tpaae i bridge
qyef the second7 ! heliere, with the sstron.est
Of the acall,.:; ladders ;: =: -;
= The lighter ladders were tlicn planted tgainst |
thc wall, and over thcv went. some or the |
Frrneh; and come o{: tIe s;ixtvesyepth-cc
IN tIrs,. believe closely followed, however
tie slor1nins part. Tie French adopted ]
. novel inside, of. getting in:5. They g6&
up some o( 1ieir -GGiuosc coolies anh nude |
them stand in the ditch, Jdirrr.: sea3iux lad
dcrs up povcrt heads against tic sxail, and |
10 at ones erositd Tho 5ccond ditch and rot 10
tlia top 5f tne:w:n, ::::. :: -
The Tartars fought bfayclg. cYcn afGtg our |
msicaiochs @ Is es aud ss I an 5aSoetsa
numbers. They ht}any lied, however, through |
the embrasurcs on The southern side Of: th.
fort, and cndeavosed to make their, eseane 10 |
the next fort, ABOUT half .nlilc p,t, fAx with
succcsB, however, tic greater: uunhcN, bling
shot In the attempt. :--::::: e
Qurloss In killed: aai wounded amounted |
f. ful, ~ n,an being left dead v1 hheh field
:; Fl officers aud 1GI i4ep wounded. Or these, Il.
officers and H5 ncn bc3ou, To the 44tl, s ;of,i-
;ccis md 23 men 10 LIS Royal .Mari,es, toll |
GERS and about 90 men, to The 9Th, ind The i
rest to the Roya1 Engineers and Atil{erv. The ;!
French left about 10 dcad on the field, he i
leset and lad upwards. of lpO. eFoundsd1 The |
1aEta1s must hayclaBs i should think, 1t lent |
SM1. .Thci.. dead bodies wefe. lrinr three
Aeepdn soile psrta pf The fort, and wlerr they
attempted 70 estape tlg ground :waE covered |
with thrir bodies: -: -: i Il