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Battle of Ganghwa
Part of theKorean Expedition
A map of the Corean Forts, Unknown author
Date June 10–11, 1871 Location Ganghwa Island Result American victory
Belligerents
United States	Joseon
Commanders and leaders
John Rodgers Winfield Schley	Eo Jae-yeon † Eo Jae-sun †
Strength
651 troops 6 howitzers 1 frigate 2 sloops-of-war 2 gunboats	300 troops 40 artillery pieces 6 forts 4 shore batteries
Casualties and losses
3 killed 10 wounded 1 gunboat damaged	243 killed 20 captured (later released) 40 artillery pieces captured 5 forts destroyed 1 fort damaged 4 shore batteries destroyed

TheBattle of Ganghwa was fought during the1871 United States expedition to Korea, a conflict betweenJoseon and theUnited States. In May of that year, fiveAsiatic Squadron warships set sail fromJapan to ascertain what happened to the crew of theSSGeneral Sherman as well as to establish a trade treaty with theHermit Kingdom similar to the oneCommodore Perry hadpressured Japan into adopting in the early 1850s. When American forces arrived in Korea, the originally peaceful mission turned into a battle when guns from a Korean fort suddenly opened fire on the Americans. The battle to captureGanghwa Island'sforts was the largest engagement of the conflict.

TheUnited States Navy expedition involved over 1,400 personnel, 542sailors, 109marines and six 12-pounderhowitzers made up the landing party. Under the command ofRear AdmiralJohn Rodgers andCommanderWinfield Scott Schley, thescrew frigateUSS Colorado, thescrew sloopsUSS Alaska andUSS Benicia, and thegunboatsUSS Monocacy andUSS Palos were assigned to the operation, altogether mounting 85 guns. Korean forces included the sixSelee River Forts, of various sizes, and fourshore batteries with over 300 men and dozens of artillery pieces. While negotiations were going on atInchon, on June 1, 1871, two of the U.S. vessels, thePalos and USSMonocacy, were tasked to reconnoiter the waters of theHan Riverestuary. Parts of Ganghwa Island and several of its forts faced the estuary. Foreign vessels were forbidden entrance to the Han River because the river's course provided direct access to Joseon's capital city of Hanyang (modern Seoul), which could potentially be fired upon by any armed foreign vessels. It is possible that the U.S. naval vessels were unaware of this fact. Joseon forces stationed on the island had orders to fire at foreign vessels that appeared to be readying to enter the Han, and so at the approach of the two American ships into controlled waters, the USSPalos was engaged by one of the forts; thePalos and USSMonocacy returned fire and silenced it (theBombardment of the Selee River Forts). Rear Admiral Rodgers demanded an apology from the Joseon government and set a time limit of 10 days for receipt of the apology. None came, and so nine days later the U.S. expedition carried out Rodgers's threat and assaulted Ganghwa Island.

The battle began on June 10, when the American squadron arrived offPoint Du Conde and began bombarding the fort there. The shore party was landed by boats which immediately launched an attack onFort Du Conde which was taken without serious resistance. Next, the Americans proceeded north a short distance where they capturedFort Monocacy, skirmishing with bodies of Korean troops along the way. After the fall of Fort Monocacy, the Americans rested for the night and became the first western military forces to camp on Korean soil. On June 11, the main engagement occurred, the five warships began bombarding the four remaining forts while the shore party attacked from land. About 300 Koreans, armed with matchlock rifles, swords, and clubs heldFort McKee which was the heart of Korean defenses. The cannons of theUSSMonocacy blasted the Korean citadel's walls, and the Americans then charged up the ramparts. The Koreans, running low on ammunition, began throwing rocks and slinging their swords, fatally injuringLieutenantHugh McKee, who was stabbed by a spear as he led the charge. One by one the Americans climbed over the fort's walls. Fierce close-quarters combat ensued but lasted only fifteen minutes until the fort was secure.^[1]

In the end, 243 Koreans were counted dead (350 according to Korean sources), twenty captured and a few wounded. Over forty cannons ranging from two to 24-pounders were also taken and within the next few days the forts were dismantled, with the exception ofFort Palos, on the other side ofGanghwa Straits.CorporalCharles Brown captured a largesujagi, and received theMedal of Honor for doing so. Under heavy fire,CarpenterCyrus Hayden planted the American flag on top of the Korean fort, an act which earned him the medal as well.PrivateJames Dougherty personally shot and killed the Korean commanderGeneralEo Jae-yeon; he and six others were also awarded the Medal of Honor. Only three Americans were killed and ten were wounded. USSMonocacy was grounded on rocks off Fort McKee during the battle, but she was re-floated and sustained only slight damage.

Although the battle was a military victory for the American forces, the Koreans refused to sign a trade treaty with the United Statesuntil 1882.

The opening episode ofMr. Sunshine features of the Battle of Ganghwa Island, one of the characters, Jang Seung-gu, fought in the battle as a teenager and witnessed his father killed in the fighting.^[2]

• 
  A posed photograph of a council of war of United States Navy officers off Korea aboard the Asiatic Squadron flagship USS Colorado in preparation for the June 1871 United States expedition to Korea
• 
  Officers of the USS Colorado, sitting at left front is Lt Hugh McKee
• 
  American servicemen after capturing Fort Dŏkjin (Fort Monocacy) on June 10
• 
  Korean casualties, after the attack on Fort Sondolmok (Fort McKee)
• 
  Sujagi flag, captured at Fort McKee in the attacks on the Salee River Forts, June 10 and 11
• 
  A "Corean" [sic] official bearing the first despatches on board the Colorado, 06/1871
• 
  Officers and crew of theUSSMonocacy

• Battle of Santiago de Cuba
• List of Medal of Honor recipients

 This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.

• Boot, Max (2002)."3. Empire Emerging: From Korea, 1871, to Somoa, 1899".The Savage Wars Of Peace: Small Wars And The Rise Of American Power. New York: Basic Books. pp. 56–59.ISBN 978-0-465-03866-4.OCLC 248251538.
• Chang, Gordon H. (March 2003). "Whose "Barbarism"? Whose "Treachery"? Race and Civilization in the Unknown United States-Korea War of 1871".Journal of American History.89 (4):1331–1365.doi:10.2307/3092545.ISSN 0021-8723.JSTOR 3092545.OCLC 5545717223.
• Duvernay, Thomas (2020).Sinmiyangyo: The 1871 Conflict Between the United States and Korea. Irvine, CA: Seoul Selection.ISBN 978-1-62412-137-1.OCLC 1223098593.Partial preview atGoogle Books.
• Nahm, Andrew C. (1989).Korea: Tradition & Transformation: A history of the Korean people. Elizabeth, NJ: Hollym.OCLC 1285646542 – via Internet Archive.

• 1871 in Korea
• Amphibious operations involving the United States
• Battles involving Joseon
• Battles involving the United States
• Conflicts in 1871
• History of United States expansionism
• June 1871
• Korea–United States relations
• Military expeditions of the United States
• Ganghwa County
• History of Incheon
• Attacks on military installations in Korea
• United States Marine Corps in the 18th and 19th centuries

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