The Washington times., 1894-10-07
KOREA, THE HERMIT KINGDOM
American Guns Opened 1t to the In
fluences Of Civilization.
ADVANCES MET WITH HOSTILITY
But a Good Thrashing Brought the Koreans
to Reason-Then Japan Stepped in and
Secured Advantages - Finally Admiral
schufeldt Successfully Negotiated Treaty,

It is necessary to go back to the year 1866
in order to trace the history of Americas re-
lations with Korea and the general opening
up of the country TO the influences of Western
civilization.
At that time Korea was the "Rermit King
dom" in more than name. The present King
had ascended the throne couple ofyears be-
fore, but, being a mere boy, the government
was wholly III the hands of his regent father.
who was bitter hater both of foreigners
and of change. Some French missionaries,
who had brayed the law of the country and
boldly advanced into the native cities, were
horribly massacred in 1866, and a French ex-
pedition sent TO chastise the Koreans as
cended the Seoul River and attacked several
ports, but lost so heavily that the expedition
sailed away without having accomplished
the end aimed at, and left the Korean sol
diers with the impression that the foreigners
could not fight and that the Korean was in
vincible
In the same year an American schooner,
the General sherman, chartered by British
trader. sailed for China on an experimental
voyage of trade and discovery. The vessel
entered the Ta-Tong River and never re-
turned. but was burned by patiyes and those
on board slaughtered to the last man. On
the news of the massacre being received,
Commander. now Rear Admiral r. w. Schu-
fcldt visited the peninsuiar with the man-of-
war Nachusett on a mission OF inquiry. No
satisfaction, however, was obtained, and
similar mission, under Commander Febiger,
OF the Shenandoah. dispatched a few months
later. proved equally barren. Finally, in 1871,
the Asiatic squadron. consisting OF the flag
shin (plorn1n tho a slr In and Rppi-
cia, with the gunboats Monocacy and Palos,
were dispatched. under Rear Admiral Rodgers,
to Korean waters.
II was intended to secure a treaty for the
protection of Americans shipwrecked on the
coast OF Korea, to inquire into the Gen. Sher-
man affair, and to obtain, If possible. a treaty
of commerce. Peaceful negotiations, how
ever, proved to be impossible. Tho natives
garrisoned the forts along the river and re-
pared 10 make things hot for the foreigners
should they attempt TO ascend the river
toward the capital.
ATTACKED BY KOREAN BATTERIES.
survey expedition under Capt Homer
Blake, consisting of the Monocaey and Palos,
with four steam lauches. was sent up the
river When they were close to Kang-wa
Island the Korean batteries, containing eighty
guns suddenly opened fire upon them. The
flames, discharging in few seconds about
800 shots. One account says that these
rasped the water like hailstorm. The vet
Grams of the civil war had never known such
rapid firing. Yet only one American was
wounded.
Fortunately the order to fire had been given
few seconds late. the American vessels were
already out OF the line of fire, and as the
guns OF the natives were fastened on logs,
they could not be manipulated and were OF no
further use. The answering fire from the
gunboats and launches soon cleared the fort
OF its defenders, and week later punitive
expedition was landed, in order TO teach the
Koreans necessary lesson. The force. com
posed of $40 men. was led by Commander L.
A. Kimberly, the Acknowledgement being
Lieut.-Commander W. Scott Schley. who was
afterward TO win fame as the rescuer of Lieut..
Greedy
The first battery which was attacked unex-
pectedly in the rear was taken without diff
Guilty: the works were completely demolished
and the cannon rolled into the river On the
next day the next fort-"Fort MOnOcacy.' as
il was christened-was cleared by shells from
the Monocacys guns. and was then disman-
tied by the landed troops. An advance was
made upon the citadel or principal fort which
was perched on the crest of a rocky hill. The
Koreans were lowering beyond the reach of
our guns in vastly superior numbers. and
We're evidently waiting for an opportunity to
crush the little American army as soon as it
had entered the ravine lying below the fort
To defeat these tactics five howitzers and
two companies of marines were posted as a
rear guard on rising ground. while the main
body moved forward to storm the citadel
The Koreans attacked the howitzers in lGIce
numbers but the excellent practice made by
the American gunners under Master A. V.
Wadhams scattered them effectually and pTe-
vented any large body of them from getting
into close quarters with our men.
JAPAN SAW HER OPPORTUNITY.
Presently, upon a signal previously agreed
upon, the firing from the Monocacv ceased
and amid hail of bullets from the enemy,
our men sprang up the steep incline to at
tack the citadel They swarmed over the
ramparts or through the breaches, and in a
twinkling they were at close quarters with
the defending garrison. The Koreans fought
stubbornly to the last without asking for
quarter, and were all of them slain. After
that the remaining subsidiary forts were soon
captured. and fifty flags and 4Sl pieces of ar
tillery fell into the hands of the conquerors
The citadel was named Fort Mckee. in honor
of the young officer who was first over the
parapet.
The defeat of 1871 probably rendered the
Koreans more ready to treat peaccably with
foreigners than they were before In any
ease the hour ior opening up the country was
at hand. The process began in 1876, when Il
treaty was made with Japan. party of
japanese sailors, while landing for water ON
kang-wa Island were mistaken for Americans
or Frenchmen and were fired upon by neigh
boring fort. Japan saw her opportunity and
her feet demanded as an indemnity that GER
tain privileges in trade be granted her. This
was the first step toward the opening Of the
country to foreign intercourse. The Korean
japanese treaty of 1876, the first entered into
by the Koreans, was concluded on the basis of
free trade, only small amount of tonnage
dues on shipping being payable. In subsc-
quent convention, in 1877, the privilege was
granted Japan of opening three coaling sta
tions OF the coast: in 1879 the harbor of Gesan
and. later. Chemulpo were thrown open to
japanese commerce, all other nations being
excluded from the benefits granted to Japan
In the meantime China, which has always
regarded Korea as a dependency of her en-
pira. began to grow jealous Of the increasing
influence of Japan and to counteract this
hold of her inveterate enemy encouraged. if
NOT actually instigated, foreign powers to
follow in the footsteps of Japan in conclud-
ing treaties with the "hermit Kingdom and
it was with her help that Admiral Schufeldt
led the way and successfully carried through
treaty between the United States and Korea
in 1882. Later on commercial treaties were
also negotiated by Great Britain, Germany,
France, Russia, and Italy.
-a -
Rochefort's Strange Shift.
French journalists are not now allowed to
say anything about anarchists which may dis
raia so ha1 1Ilfhn 70