Battle of Keelung The Battle of Keelung ( 2 – 3 June 1895 ) was the first important battle of the Japanese invasion of Taiwan ( 1895 ) , which ended in a Japanese victory . Background . In the wake of China ' s decisive defeat by Japan in the First Sino - Japanese War , Taiwan and the Pescadores Islands were ceded by the Qing Dynasty to Japan under the April 1895 Treaty of Shimonoseki . When the news of the cession reached Taiwan a number of Qing notables vowed to resist the Japanese and proclaimed the establishment of a short - lived Republic of Formosa . This proclmation was swiftly followed by the Japanese invasion of Taiwan ( Traditional Chinese : 乙未戰争 ) ( May – October 1895 ) , a five - month conflict in which the Republican forces fought unsuccessfully to resist Japanese occupation . Japanese landing at Audi , 29 May 1895 . Seven thousand soldiers of the Imperial Guards division , under the command of Prince Kitashirakawa Yoshihisa , left Port Arthur on 22 May , on board fourteen transports . The preparations for the expedition were made in such haste that there was no time to issue the guardsmen with summer uniforms , and they left for the hot and humid climate of Taiwan in the heavy winter clothes they had been wearing against the bitter cold of Manchuria . On 26 May the transports , escorted by the warships " Matsushima " and " Naniwa " , reached the Japanese - owned Ryukyu Islands to the northeast of Taiwan , and anchored off the port of Nakagusuku on the eastern coast of Okinawa . On 27 May the new Japanese governor - general of Taiwan , Admiral Kabayama Sukenori , joined the expedition from Tokyo . In view of the reports that had reached Japan that the leaders of the self - styled Republic of Formosa were making preparations to resist a Japanese landing , Kabayama felt that there was no time to lose . In consequence , he ordered the ships to set sail for Formosa at noon the same day . Kabayama originally intended to land at Tamsui , but at 10 a . m . on 29 May the invasion flotilla met the Japanese steamship " Yokohama Maru " five miles to the south of Agincourt Island , close to the coast of Taiwan , and learned that large Chinese forces had been assembled at Tamsui . He instantly changed his plans , and the Japanese flotilla changed course to the southeast and steered for Samtiao Point ( 三貂角 ) , to the northeast of Keelung . The flotilla anchored off Samtiao Point at 1 p . m . , near the village of Audi ( 澳底 ) , and at 2 p . m . the first Japanese troops began to go ashore . By the end of the day the Japanese infantry and engineers were ashore . A Chinese force of some 500 men approached the landing beach and opened fire , but was soon driven off by the Japanese . Many of the Chinese troops abandoned their uniforms in their flight . On 30 May the artillery and cavalry were landed , and on 31 May supplies of food and ammunition were landed . On the morning of 1 June the invaders set off towards Keelung . Engagement at Ruifang , 2 June 1895 . The first engagement took place on 2 June , at Sui - hong ( Ruifang , 瑞芳 ) , between the Japanese 2nd Infantry Regiment and 500 Chinese soldiers of the Keelung Division , led by General Chung . These were routed by a single charge , and General Chung himself received a bullet as he was being carried to the rear in a sedan chair . The defeated Chinese soldiers told everybody they met that the Japanese soldiers were much stronger and braver than they had expected , and morale in the Chinese forces promptly plunged . The battle for Keelung , 3 June 1895 . The first major battle of the invasion took place on 3 June around the Shih - ch ' iu - ling battery ( Traditional Chinese : 獅球嶺砲台 ) overlooking the port city of Keelung . Eleven years earlier , during the Sino - French War , Chinese forces had bottled up a French expeditionary corps in Keelung for seven months , and the Shih - ch ’ iu - ling battery had been held against the French for most of the war . Now , in 1895 , following a preliminary bombardment by the warships " Matsushima " , " Oshima " , , " Takachiho " and " Chiyoda " , Colonel Kojima ’ s 2nd Battalion , 1st Infantry Regiment routed the fort ’ s garrison and captured the fort with little loss . The other coastal defence batteries — the Ta - sha - wan and Ehr - sha - wan batteries to the east of Keelung and a battery on Palm Island — hardly put up a struggle . Keelung was occupied on the afternoon of the same day , after the Qing commanders fled the city and left the garrison force leaderless . The following description was given by Davidson of the bombardment of the coastal batteries and the subsequent battle for the Shih - ch ’ iu - ling battery : The military attack was not , however , commenced at once ; about two hours being spent in waiting for the arrival of the bulk of the attacking column and reconnoitering the surrounding district . From the position now occupied by the main column , the city of Kelung could be seen below . One slope ran down towards the right and another towards the left , and a single road led down between the two to the city . On the slope to the right stood a high watch - tower , while to the seaward of that was a large fort built to oppose the enemy on sea or shore . To the south of the city were several batteries along the summit of a hill pierced with a railway tunnel , while across the harbor crowing a high hill were the Chinese colors floating over a fort and battery erected there . The bright banners and gaily uniformed Chinese troops could be seen here and there ; and with the knowledge that modern guns of large calibre were mounted in the different forts , it appeared that the day ’ s fight would be a memorable one . The navy was the first to commence active operations . Since early morning , the Japanese squadron , led by the flagship " Matsushima " with Admiral Arichi in command , had been cruising off Kelung . Later in the day steam pinnaces had carefully reconnoitered the enemy ’ s positions , and returning had reported that many Chinese soldiers in white uniforms were crossing the small channel to Palm Island and occupying the fort there . The Japanese troops were now seen to be approaching , and to draw off the attention of the various forts , the fleet fired blank cartridges for some time . The forts did not answer , and at 9 . 13 a . m . the squadron ceased firing . The " Oshima " now arrived , making five vessels altogether , the others being the " Matsushima " , , " Takachiho " and " Chiyoda " . At this time one of the pinnaces brought the information that the Chinese , estimated at 1 , 000 and carrying a large amount of supplies , were approaching Palm Island , and that upon sighting the launch , the Chinese had fired upon it . The " Takachiho " now approached the Palm Island fort and fired . This fort as well as the west side fort answered with several rounds . Upon perceiving this , the men - of - war all formed in line of battle , and at about 10 . 30 o ’ clock , by taking a circular course , the vessels approached one by one to a position some 6 , 000 metres distant and bombarded the fort , firing some fifty rounds altogether . Palm Island fort with its fine modern guns ( one 12 - inch Armstrong , two 10 - inch and two 7 - inch Krupp s ) made but little effort to defend itself , and after firing some 12 rounds ceased altogether . One of the other forts with two 7 - inch guns fired 6 rounds . The shells of one fort invariably went over the Japanese warships , while those from the other as invariably fell short . At noon , Colonel Kojima with the bulk of the column began to march down into the valley in the direction of Kelung . Under ordinary circumstances this would have exposed him to a strong fire , but fortunately it began to rain so heavily that the onward movement was quite concealed . On arriving at the entrance of the town , however , their presence was greeted with a heavy fire from the surprised soldiers . The Japanese returned the fire with a good will , and , a second column supporting them from the heights above , the Chinese soon fell back , retreating into the village , and eventually out along the railway track towards Taipehfu , leaving Kelung in the possession of the column of 500 men . Meanwhile , the fort garrisons still remained to be dealt with . The west side fort , armed with two 7 - inch Krupps , as well as smaller guns , was found the most difficult place to capture . Its very high elevation , commanding a positions with steep slopes on all sides , made it impossible for the Japanese infantry to effect any damage upon it . Even a mountain gun had little or no effect , there being no position from which shells could be thrown into the fort . After a several hours ’ engagement , some six hundred of the garrison seemed about to retreat , and the rapidity of the fire from the fort greatly lessened . The Japanese took advantage of this pause , and a squad of nineteen privates was able to gain entrance to the fort from the rear and was soon followed by a company . The rest of the Chinese garrison immediately fled , and the Japanese flag was raised over the fort . Meanwhile the castle fort near the Custom House with three 7 - inch Krupps and four Krupp field pieces had fallen an easy capture , the troops marching in singing their national song . Palm Island fort with its mammoth guns had given up with scarcely a struggle . The garrison from the east side fort , with two 7 - inch Krupps and one 7 - inch Armstrong , had also evacuated it without returning the Japanese fire . From Chinese sources it would appear that prior to the capture of the village , the Cantonese troops occupying a battery on the hill over the old railway tunnel , made the best fight , but oddly enough it was against their own countrymen instead of the Japanese . It seems that , as the deserting Chinese soldiers from the various Kelung camps attempted to run away by the road passing the encampment , the only road then open , the Cantonese shot and cut them down , killing and wounding about fifty , and driving the others back . The Japanese loss during the engagement was three men killed , one officer and twenty - five men wounded ; and the Chinese had about two hundred and fifty men killed . Considering the great strength of the forts , and the large force of 12 , 000 well equipped Chinese , the Japanese , with forces strikingly inferior in number and unprovided with field artillery , had reason to feel proud of their day ’ s work .