Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1900-06-29
A Forgotten Victory in China.

few days ago by 80 ships Of war, repre-
senting the allied powers Of Europe.
recalls much earlier. and relatively
much greater victory, won single
| handed by the old United States navy
| ~ canton. 1t was in 1856 and the ex-
ploit has not been given the place it
deserves in history. II should not he
| forgotten for 1t forms a glorious chap
for in the achievements Of our national
arms. The Boston Journal publishes
an interesting story of the affair, to
which we are indebted for these facts.
Commander Foote with the sloop-of-
war Portsmouth, was at Canton in
November, 1856. engaged in protecting
the lives and property of American
residents. one day the Portsmouth
was wantonly fired at from the great
forts on the Canton river, and Com
mander Foote's demand for an apology
for the insult was ignored by the
Chinese authorities. 1t would never
do to permit this to pass unavenged.
| for one aggression would lead to
another. Commander Foote, most
kindly humane, Christian officer. knew
the Chinese we'll He knew that prompt
| chastisement was both merciful and
| imperative. With the sanction of
| Commodore Armstrong. commanding
our Asiatic squadron. he prepared to
punish the affront to our flag with the
best means available.
These Canton forts in their day
We're just as formidable as the Taku
| forts are now They were four in
number. built of ponderous granite.
eight feet thick. They mounted in all
one hundred and seventy-six pieces of
heavy artillery. and had about five
| thousand soldiers in their garrison.
Commander Foote had no thirty-two
ships Of war at hand for their destruc
| ton. What force does the reader really
think that ne led to the attack? There
was the steam sloop-of-war san
Jacinto, which five years afterWard
became internationally famous i'll the
| Trent affair: there was the Ports
mouth. sailing sloop-of-war OF
| twenty guns. ana the Lcvant, another
ana a smaller slolp-hcr name y
| trophy Of one Of our naval victories
over Great Britain. These three ships
Ill told carried not more than sixty
guns ana perhaps seven hundred
officers ana mon. But they We're
| Americans. ana that before, As well As
! since meant a great deal
First Commander Footr bombarded
| the Chinese Publications with his
smooth-borc broadsidcs. After he had
considerably battered the walls and
dcmoralizcd the gunncrs by fire as
rapid ana as accurate as that which
| forty-two years later, Dewey's squad
ron was to pour upon another enemy
| 4 thousand miles away Foote put
two hundred ana cighty-seven Of his
sailors and marines into his boats ana
| CODlN IONtu llIlOu9H "a At''ii ~ ''''~
| ana shell toward these Chinese forts,
| with their five thousand men and one
hundred ana scventy-siX cannon. The
water was shoal; the heavy boats
grounded far from shore; the blue
| Jackets and marines jumped overheard,
wadcd to the land, formed in four
columns. floundered through rice fields
ana across a creek, ana charged and
took. with cutlass and bayonet, the
first fort. mounting fiftythree guns.
which they promptly turned on the
second fort across the river Then an
army Of Chinese soldiers. sent down
from Canton. appeared. but our Jack
tars worked the captured artillery
with such good Will that this vast
horde retreated ID confusion.
The next day the little Yankee
battalion took to its boats again. and
advanced to attack the other fortiiicd-
tions. One Of the san Jacinto's boats
wa struck by a sixty-four pound shot
THE Chinese. We're using heavy
calibres-which killed three and
wounded seven Of its oarsInen. The
launch Of the Portsmouth was sunk.
but the other boats simply cheered.
dashed on and boarded the next fort.
which was handsomely captured, with
it, forty-one guns and its supporting
batteries The third fort promptly
yielded and on the next day, Nov. y.
the fourth and last fort. mounting
thirty-cight guns, was also captured.
Twelve Americans were killed and
twenty eight wounded in these en-
counters Four hundred Chinese dead
were found upon the field; their
wounded were innumerablc.
Until Dewey fought his Xtraordi-
nary battle at Manila. this three days
victory at Canton stood as the most
remarkable warliko triumph won by
tn Caucasians in tn FIR East. There
are participants in this splendid affair