Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-07-14
This is Not the First Time We Have
Come to Blows.
TO TEACH RESPECT FOR OUR FLAG
Story of the Attack on the Forts
Below Canton
OV Err FORTY YEARS AGO
Written for The Evening Star.

The present conflict with China is the
second time in the history of our inter-
course with the fowery kingdom that we
have had to resort to force Of arms to COM
pei the arrogant ceestials to honor our
nag and to impress upon them our deter
mination to guard the treaty rights Of our
citizens resident there
The story Of that other time is a tale Of
the SOS. when our wooden walls-mostly
sailing ones at that-upheld the dignity Of
Old Glory in the far east and the other out
of-the-way corners of the globe.
Toward the end of October Of 'be the
strife between the British and the Chinese
at Canton had become so acute that 1t be-
came necessary to safeguard our citizens
and consul at that place by the detail of a
guard OF marines and bluejackets and on
the I'D of that month Capt. A. H. Foote of
the U. s. s. Portsmouth, then lying at
Whampoa anchorage, a dozen miles below
Canton. took four of his boats, a howitzer
ana an armed force of eighty men and
roWed up to the city. A couple of DAYS
later Capt. Smith of the u. S. S. Levant,
Just arrived, brought up an additional force
OF SiXty-nine
Starting the Trouble.
On the Goth Of October the British landed
an assaulting party, which was unfor-
tunately accompanied by few enthusiastic
American citizens who incautiously planted
oul flag upon the city walls. That was the
beginning Of our trouble, or, rather that
was Imperial Chinese Commissioner Yeh's
Justlncatlon for the action of the Barrier
forts some days later, and was incidental
iy, so this willy oriental implied, why the
American steamer Kun Fa, while going
through the Macao passage about this time
was fired upon by one of the forts
On the afternoon of the 18th Of Novem-
Der, after consultation at Whampoa with
Commodore James Armstrong-who had
Just arrived in the u. S. steamer San ia
cinto-Captain Foote was fired upon by one
OF the Barrier forts he was on his way
back to Canton to direct the removal Of
the American guard. Grape and round
shot were fired at the boat five times but
fortunately without doing any damage The
Barrier forts. situated about five miles be-
low the city, formed the main defense of
the town and were deemed the key to the
approach. and. in the eyes of the Chinese,
were looked upon as the most formidable
works In the empire. They were four in
number and mounted no fewer than 176
guns, many of them being pieces of s and
1O.5-inch caliber, while the river walls were
massive granite structures six and eight
feet thick.
Active Preparations.
The channel of the Pearl river at the
point Of the forts was narrow and tortuous
and the current decidedly swift. At once
Commodore Armstrong dispatched Com
manders Foote and Bell-the latter COM
handing the San Jacinto-in search of
steamers to tow the Portsmouth and the
Levant of the forts to redress the outrage
upon our flag, the San Jacinto drawing too
much water to get beyond Whampoa-
AT daylight next morning, the 18th of No
Vember, the Kun Fa, without molestation,
proceeded up to Canton to bring back the
marines. seamen, launches and howitzers
belonging to the San Jacinto and the Ports
mouth. In the meantime, Lieutenant Will
Hanson of the San Jacinto in a cutter with
an armed crew. and accompanied by
pilot, was sent to sound out the channel
up to the forts. At noon the lieutenant
returned, reporting that he had sounded
to within less than half a mile of the forts
when he was fired upon three times and
Edward Mullen, his coxswain, was killed
while in the act Of heaving the lead
The Kun Fa succeeded in bringing down
the larger part of the guard from Canton
without mishap, the rest being left at the
consulate under Commander Smith of the
Levant.
Hot Work Ahead.
All Of the crew of the San Jacinto that
could be spared were distributed between
the Portsmouth and the Levant, and Com
mander Bell, in the absence of Commander
Smith. was detailed to assume command
Of the latter vessel. Commodore Arm
strong, accompanied by the fleet surgeon,
repaired to the Portsmouth, on which ship
the commodore hoisted his broad pennant.
With everything snug above, and with
their royals and tOpgallantmasts sent down,
the ships left their anchorage after the
men had finished their dinner and every
thing been done to prepare the ships for
the hot work cut out for them. 1t takes
no very vivid Imagination to picture the
odds those thin wooden walls were going
to face in attacking four strong masonry
forts armed with more than five times the
number Of guns the vessels bore.
The Good Old Portsmouth,
The old Portsmouth, in tow of the Amer
lean steamer Willamette, headed the pro-
cession. with the little Kun Fa bringing
up behind with the Levant in tow Be
fore coming in range the Levant grounded
and remained until after nightfall. In
the meantime, the Portsmouth kept stead
fly on her way alone up the Whampoa
channel. and when within 500 yards of the
nearest fort-it being about 400 p.m.-an-
chored and swung into position to shell
those defenses. Some time before the
Portsmouth came to anchor the forts
opened a brisk and well-directed fire-the
exceptional accuracy was subsequently ex-
planned by the presence in the fort of some
12O disciplined Chinese sailors lately dis
charged from a European man-of-war. 1t
was not until the chips began to fly that
the old ship opened up upon the enemy,
and then for nearly three hours she kept
up rapid and continuous shell fire that
the nearest fort was silenced and the rest
OF them were attacking but feebly when
night closed in. The GOODNESS of Captain
Curry, the merchant skipper of the Will
Jeanette, the unstinted praise of all.
Without any means of defense or retalia-
ton he steamed boldly up stream at the
head of the line, never faltering a moment,
and least Off" from the Portsmouth only
when the ship had come to anchor under
a very heavy fire. For the whole of that
afternoon the Portsmouth stood the at
tack alone, but the men that manned her
guns were fearless, and the tale of car
mage their guns told in that fort was
something fearful. Shell after shell from
her big eight-inch guns tore away great
masses of masonry, dismounted the enemy's
guns and slaughtered whole guns crews
at time. Each discharge made the old
ship tremble as with rage from keel to
truck, but each shell shook the enemy
more Six times the good ship was hulled,
but not dangerously, one shot coming in
through the stern, wrecking a portion of
the captains cabin and MORALLY wounding
one Of the marine guard just the
sci unfortunately swung in position to be
raked. The enemy fired grape shot and
round shot. but no shell, and it is to their
lack of the latter that the Portsmouth
owed her survival. The frightful pounding
the good ship gave that nearest fort, which