Evening star., 1900-07-07
TROUBLESOME TAKU,
Always Bears the Brunt of the E,n.
pire's Foreign QuarreIs.


pire's Foreign QuarreIx.
From the London Daily News.
The Taku forts. which defend the mouth
Of the muddy and shallow Pei-Ho river
have already in the past, on three occa-
sions, been the scene Of fighting between
an Anglo-French force on the one hand and
the Chinese on the other. Twice they were
captured by their European assailants:
once they withstood attack, and serious
defeat was inflicted upon the foreign dew
lis by the Chinese soldiery.
The forts at the date Of this fighting
were four in number. the north and small
north forts on the ole side Of the river, and
south and the small south forts on the 9TH
er. They were square structures. in 1858
mounting about 800 guns of all patterns.
with walls of sun-dried mud, surrounded
by two wide bitches full of water, and too
deep to be crossed without swimming. En-
tangiements of sharpened bamboo We're
just below the actual ramparts. and added
little to the difficulty of successful
attack. From the swampy nature of the
banks of the Pei-hO it was by no means
easy to approach the forts on land, while
the depth of water in the river was insult
ficient for anything larger than small
gunboat to steam up under them.
In May, 1858, during our second war with
Chna-a war in which England had the al
lance of France-an Anglo-French squad
ron. under Admirals Sir NJ. Seymour and
Rigault de Genouily. appeared off the
mouth of the Pei-Ho. Six French and five
British gunboats crossed the awkward bar
at the mouth of the river, and May 20
steamed up to the lower pair of forts. the
Cormorant opening a way for the fiotilla
by gallantly ramming at full speed for
midable boom which the Chinese had
thrown across the stream. The vessels then
directed a tremendous fire upon the Chi
nese works. after which stormng parties
We're landed both the northern and
southern banks. who carried the forts with
little trouble. rhrty-four Frenchmen were.
however. killed or wounded by a magazine
explosion in one of the forts. The fiotilla
of gunboats proceeded up stream as soon
as the fighting was over. and on the 26th
reached Tien TSn, where the terrified Chi
nese made peace.
The peace did not. however, last long.
On June 20. 1859. an Anglo-French squad
ron, under Admiral Hope refused pass
age by tie Chinese commander of the
forts. and determined to force a way. Since
1853 the works had been repaired and
much strengthened. the pick of the Chi
nese army had been placed in them, and
the river had been filled with obstacles of
all kinds-booms. strong rafts anchored
across the stream. and sharpened stakes
placed so as to pierce the bottom of any
vessel steaming up stream.
On June % Admiral Hope attempted to
force passage but with success. OF
his eleven gunboats six We're disabled or
compelled to retire. In the Plover one of
the vessels that suffered most. thirty-one
out of a total crew of forty We're killed
wounded in thirty minutes. The admiral
himself was severely wounded and the
losses in officers and men were exceedingly
heavy. 1t was on this occasion that Captain
Tatnall, the American officer who after
ward commanded the confederate from
clad Merrimac in her famous encounter
with the Monitor. came to the aid of the
British with the cry. Blood is thicker than
water!' He rowed off to the British admiral
in the very thick OF the fight. and offered
IN rap ha 6a6 nfYa kfoh
not declined. Some of his men actually
went to one of the British guns. the crew
of which had fallen, and fought 1t for some
minutes. Toward pm Admiral Hope de-
termined to fling his last throw. and TO put
in a landing party to assault the forts.
This was done. but with the most disas-
trous results. The stor.ning party of Eng
lish and French was not strong enough.
and could not sca'e the walls of the forts:
Il was beaten back with a loss of about 400
killed and wounded. in addition to the
ualties incurred in the purely naval attack.
To repair this defeat, in the following
year a force of $4,000 British and French
soldiers and a strong combined squadron
under Admirals Hope and Charner were
dispatched to the Pe!-Ho. The army was
landed to the north of the Taku forts, and
on August 20. 1860. began to lombard them
in conjunction with the fleet. On the follow
ing day the guns had done enough damage
to permit of the forts being stormed, an
operation which was accomplished In the
teeth of a fierce resistance. with loss to
the EngllSh or Il killed ana 1S4 wounded.
That loss would have been far heavier had
the Chinese ammunition been only toler-
able. Sir R. Napier, who was one of the
officers leading the stormers. was actually
hit at quite close quarters by five bullets,
each one of which should have killed him.
AS 1t was, he was merely bruised.
On this occasion 1000 prisoners and near
ly LOO guns were captured by the allies,
whose victorious advance was not arrested
till Pekin had been reached.
An,hltlnu