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| Battle of Whampoa | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of theFirst Opium War | |||||||
 View of Whampoa Island from Dane's Island | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Qing China | |||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Gordon Bremer Edward Belcher | Unknown | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 1 ship of the line 2 corvettes 1 bomb ketch | 250 troops 25 guns | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 1 killed | 15–20 killed | ||||||
TheBattle of Whampoa was fought between British and Chinese forces at Whampoa Island (modern-dayPazhou Island) on thePearl River near the city ofCanton (Guangzhou),Guangdong, China, on 2 March 1841 during theFirst Opium War.[1]
On 2 March 1841, CommodoreGordon Bremer, commander-in-chief of British forces, sent Capt.Edward Belcher of theSulphur to reconnoitre the Junk River.[a] The ship was towed by three of theWellesley's boats under Lt. Richard Symonds. As they approached the northeast end of Whampoa Island, a Chinesebattery of about 25 guns, which were masked by thick tree branches, opened fire on the ships.[1][3] Lt. Symonds immediately cut the tow line, the boats sailed towards the shore and the boat crews landed. The battery was defended by 250Manchu Tartar troops. They fled for shelter in the neighbouring jungle, but were dislodged by artillery from theSulphur. After the British captured the forts, the guns were destroyed and the works and magazines blown up.[3][4]
Bremer reported 15 or 20 Tartars killed. One British seaman from theWellesley died from wounds after being shot through the lungs withgrapeshot.[3][5][6] Bremer resigned the command of the land forces to Maj. Gen.Hugh Gough, who joined the fleet on board theCruizer.[3] Former Imperial CommissionerLin Zexu wrote in his diary entry for 2 March: "I hear that the English rebel ships have already forced their way to the fort at Lieh-te. Early in the morning I went to talk things over at the General Office in the Monastery of the Giant Buddha."[7]
