Battle of Langfang
Encyclopedia
The Seymour Expedition, also known as the First Intervention, was an attempt by a multi-national military force to march to Beijing
and protect the diplomatic legations and foreign nationals in the city from attacks by Boxers
in 1900. Seymour's force was defeated by the Chinese
army and forced to withdraw to Tianjin
, or Tientsin.
, anti-foreign rural mass movement. Their objective was to rid China of foreign (Western) influence. In May and early June 1900 they advanced on Beijing. The Qing
government of China was equivocal about the Boxers, fearing that they might become anti-Qing. The Boxers were a serious threat to Western and Japanese citizens and Chinese Christians living in Beijing, Tianjin, and other areas of northern China.
The diplomatic Legations (Embassies) in Beijing requested that marines be sent to protect them and more than 400 from eight countries arrived in Beijing on May 31. However, as the threat from the Boxers increased, it became apparent that additional soldiers were needed. On June 9, Sir Claude Maxwell MacDonald
, the British Minister, cabled Vice Admiral Edward Hobart Seymour
, commander of the British Navy's China fleet, that the situation in Beijing "was hourly becoming more serious" and that "troops should be landed and all arrangements made for an advance to Peking [Beijing] at once."
On receipt of MacDonald's message, Seymour assembled within 24 hours a force of more than 2,000 sailors and marines from from Western and Japanese warships and prepared to embark for Beijing from Tianjin, 75 miles away, by train. His force consisted of 916 British, 455 Germans, 326 Russians, 158 French, 112 Americans, 54 Japanese, 41 Italians, and 26 Austrians. Seymour's Chief of Staff was Captain John Jellicoe
. The Commander of the Americans in the expedition was Captain Bowman H. McCalla
.
The diplomats in Beijing anticipated that Seymour would arrive there on June 11, but he didn't. Shortly thereafter, all communications were cut and the Seymour Expedition disappeared in the interior of China. Acting without the Chinese Imperial court's permission, they had, in effect, launched an invasion. The Chinese response was decisive.
unopposed although Chinese General Nie Shicheng and thousands of his soldiers were camped there. The next few days went slowly as Seymour had to repair railroad track and fight off Boxer attacks as his trains advanced. On June 14, several hundred Boxers armed with swords, spears, and clumsy gingals attacked Seymour twice and killed five Italian soldiers. The Americans counted 102 Boxer bodies left on the battlefield at the end of one battle. Seymour continued to repair track and advance very slowly. Han Chinese General Nie let Seymour's army slip pass in trains, because Ronglu deliberately issued contradicting orders, which left Nie confused. However, the Muslim forces were not "confused", and immediately set out attacking the foreigners.
General Dong Fuxiang, along with his Chinese Muslim Braves, prepared to ambush the invading western army. Generals Ma Fuxiang
and Ma Fulu
personally planned and led the attack, with a pincer movement around the European force. On June 18, Dong Fuxiang's troops stationed at Hunting park in southern Beijing, attacked at multiple points including LangFang. The forces included cavalry at 5,000 men, armed with modern magazine rifles. The Muslim General Ma Haiyan
, and his sons Ma Qi
and Ma Lin (warlord)
, also took part in the fighting.
On June 18, Seymour's army was suddenly attacked by several thousand well-armed Chinese Imperial soldiers – who had not opposed Seymour's passage a few days early. The foreign troops, especially the Germans, fought off the attack, reportedly killing hundreds of Chinese at a loss of seven dead and 57 wounded. However, the need to care for the wounded, a lack of supplies, and the likelihood of additional Chinese attacks forced Seymour and his officers to decide to retreat to Tientsin. The unexpected attack on Seymour by the Chinese army was prompted by an allied European and Japanese attack on the Dagu Forts two days previously. As a result of the attack in Dagu, the Chinese government had decided to resist Seymour's army and kill or expel all foreigners in northern China.
During one of the battles at Langfang, Boxers armed with swords and spears charged the British and Americans, who were armed with guns. At point blank range, one British had to empty four bullets into a Boxer before he stopped, and the American Captain Bowman McCalla reported that single rifle shots were not enough: multiple rifle shots were needed to halt a Boxer.
Casualty estimates for the Allied force at the original engagement on June 18 varies. One source puts it at 374. This estimate does not include losses at the other engagements on later days.
The Muslim troops led by Dong Fuxiang defeated Seymour. The westerners decided to abandon the railway, and withdraw to Tianjin. The Chinese Muslim Cavalry continued to open fire on the western army, using artillery, and Chinese resistance continued throughout villages along the way. The Chinese Muslims put up stubborn resistance, and poured rifle fire at the western forces. They began bombarding the westerners with shells on June 17.
The other Han Chinese forces then began to attack the Allied force after their initial uncertainty. The westerners struggled to locate the Chinese guns, which were superior to the Allied artillery. Their accuracy was excellent, and Chinese shells tore straight through the western military headquarters, and through a dining hall when officers were eating. Chinese snipers shot at any foreigner who showed himself on the streets, rifle fire poured out of loopholes constantly, the westerners found that they could not dislodge the Chinese snipers.
The Times noted that "10,000 European troops were held in check by 15,000 Chinese braves". Chinese artillery fire caused a steady stream of casualties upon the western soldiers. During an engagement on the 11th, heavy casualties were inflicted on the French and Japanese, the British and Russians lost some men. The Chinese won a major victory, and forced Seymour to retreat back to Tianjin by June 26, and Seymour's western army suffered heavy casualties.
Seymour's retreat down the Hai River was slow and difficult, covering only three miles the first day. Additional casualties included Jellicoe who suffered a near fatal wound. By June 22, the soldiers were out of food and down to less than 10 rounds of ammunition per man – except for the Americans who had brought ample ammunition. But, "there was no thought of surrender," said Lt. Wurtzbaugh. "The intention was to fight to the last with the bayonet."
Seymour's 2,000 soldiers might have perished along the river except for good luck. On June 23, six miles from Tianjin, Seymour came across the Xigu
fort and arsenal which inexplicably was nearly undefended by Chinese soldiers. The foreign soldiers took refuge in the arsenal which contained a wealth of arms and ammunition and some food. Realizing their mistake in leaving the arsenal undefended, the Chinese army attempted to dislodge Seymour, now well-armed, but were unsuccessful.
A Chinese servant of the British slipped through to Tianjin and requested rescue for Seymour. Two thousand allied soldiers marched out of the city to the arsenal on June 25 and next day escorted Seymour's men back to Tianjin. The Chinese did not oppose their passage. A missionary reported their arrival in Tianjin. "I shall never forget to my dying day, the long string of dusty travel-worn soldiers, who for a fortnight had been living on quarter rations, and fighting every day…the men were met by kind ladies with pails of tea which the poor fellows drunk as they had never drunk before – some bursting into tears." Seymour's casualties were 62 dead and 232 wounded.
) by the Chinese army and it took more than a month after Seymour's rescue to organize another larger and better equipped army to defeat the Chinese and march on Beijing to relieve the siege.
The Chinese military victories shattered the western claim that a foreign army could occupy China without opposition from the Chinese.
The Boxers charged the foreigners with swords, spears, rifles, and gingalls; most of them were boys and common peasants, rather than professional troops, taking up arms against the invaders. The Boxers sometimes faked death and then sprang back up at the troops to attack; an Allied soldier, Bigham, said they had no "fear" or "hesitation".
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
and protect the diplomatic legations and foreign nationals in the city from attacks by Boxers
Boxer Rebellion
The Boxer Rebellion, also called the Boxer Uprising by some historians or the Righteous Harmony Society Movement in northern China, was a proto-nationalist movement by the "Righteous Harmony Society" , or "Righteous Fists of Harmony" or "Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists" , in China between...
in 1900. Seymour's force was defeated by the Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
army and forced to withdraw to Tianjin
Tianjin
' is a metropolis in northern China and one of the five national central cities of the People's Republic of China. It is governed as a direct-controlled municipality, one of four such designations, and is, thus, under direct administration of the central government...
, or Tientsin.
Background
The Boxers were an anti-ChristianChristian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
, anti-foreign rural mass movement. Their objective was to rid China of foreign (Western) influence. In May and early June 1900 they advanced on Beijing. The Qing
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
government of China was equivocal about the Boxers, fearing that they might become anti-Qing. The Boxers were a serious threat to Western and Japanese citizens and Chinese Christians living in Beijing, Tianjin, and other areas of northern China.
The diplomatic Legations (Embassies) in Beijing requested that marines be sent to protect them and more than 400 from eight countries arrived in Beijing on May 31. However, as the threat from the Boxers increased, it became apparent that additional soldiers were needed. On June 9, Sir Claude Maxwell MacDonald
Claude Maxwell MacDonald
Colonel Sir Claude Maxwell MacDonald GCMG GCVO KCB PC was a British diplomat, best known for his service in China and Japan.-Biography:...
, the British Minister, cabled Vice Admiral Edward Hobart Seymour
Edward Hobart Seymour
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Edward Hobart Seymour, GCB, OM, GCVO , was a Royal Navy officer who became Commander-in-Chief, China Station.- Early life :...
, commander of the British Navy's China fleet, that the situation in Beijing "was hourly becoming more serious" and that "troops should be landed and all arrangements made for an advance to Peking [Beijing] at once."
On receipt of MacDonald's message, Seymour assembled within 24 hours a force of more than 2,000 sailors and marines from from Western and Japanese warships and prepared to embark for Beijing from Tianjin, 75 miles away, by train. His force consisted of 916 British, 455 Germans, 326 Russians, 158 French, 112 Americans, 54 Japanese, 41 Italians, and 26 Austrians. Seymour's Chief of Staff was Captain John Jellicoe
John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe
Admiral of the Fleet John Rushworth Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe, GCB, OM, GCVO was a British Royal Navy admiral who commanded the Grand Fleet at the Battle of Jutland in World War I...
. The Commander of the Americans in the expedition was Captain Bowman H. McCalla
Bowman H. McCalla
Rear Admiral Bowman H. McCalla was an officer in the United States Navy, who was noted for his roles in the Spanish-American War and putting down the Boxer Rebellion.-Biography:...
.
The diplomats in Beijing anticipated that Seymour would arrive there on June 11, but he didn't. Shortly thereafter, all communications were cut and the Seymour Expedition disappeared in the interior of China. Acting without the Chinese Imperial court's permission, they had, in effect, launched an invasion. The Chinese response was decisive.
The Advance toward Beijing
Seymour commandeered five trains in Tientsin, or Tianjin, and departed for Beijing with his entire force the morning of June 10. The first day the soldiers travelled twenty five miles without incident, crossing a bridge at Yancun over the Hai RiverHai River
The Hai River , previously called Bai He , is a river in the People's Republic of China which flows through Beijing and Tianjin before emptying into the Yellow Sea at the Bohai Gulf.The Hai River at Tianjin is formed by the confluence of five rivers, the Southern Canal, Ziya...
unopposed although Chinese General Nie Shicheng and thousands of his soldiers were camped there. The next few days went slowly as Seymour had to repair railroad track and fight off Boxer attacks as his trains advanced. On June 14, several hundred Boxers armed with swords, spears, and clumsy gingals attacked Seymour twice and killed five Italian soldiers. The Americans counted 102 Boxer bodies left on the battlefield at the end of one battle. Seymour continued to repair track and advance very slowly. Han Chinese General Nie let Seymour's army slip pass in trains, because Ronglu deliberately issued contradicting orders, which left Nie confused. However, the Muslim forces were not "confused", and immediately set out attacking the foreigners.
General Dong Fuxiang, along with his Chinese Muslim Braves, prepared to ambush the invading western army. Generals Ma Fuxiang
Ma Fuxiang
Ma Fuxiang . Ma, a Dongxiang muslim leader, had a military and political career which spanned the Qing dynasty through the early Republic of China and illustrated the power of family, the role of religious affiliations, and the interaction of Inner Asian China and the national government of...
and Ma Fulu
Ma Fulu
Ma Fulu , a Hui, was the son of General Ma Qianling, and the brother of Ma Fucai, Ma Fushou, and Ma Fuxiang. He joined the martial arts hall and attended military school. In 1895, he served under general Dong Fuxiang, leading loyalist Chinese Muslims to crush a revolt by rebel Chinese Muslims and...
personally planned and led the attack, with a pincer movement around the European force. On June 18, Dong Fuxiang's troops stationed at Hunting park in southern Beijing, attacked at multiple points including LangFang. The forces included cavalry at 5,000 men, armed with modern magazine rifles. The Muslim General Ma Haiyan
Ma Haiyan
Ma Haiyan was a muslim General of the Qing Dynasty. Originally a Salar rebel, he defected to Qing government during the Dungan revolt and helped crush revolt Dungans.He was the father of Ma Qi and Ma Lin...
, and his sons Ma Qi
Ma Qi
Ma Qi was a Chinese Muslim warlord in early 20th century China.-Early life:His grandfather Sa-la Ma , is a Salar. He was born in 1869 in Daohe, now part of Linxia, Gansu, China. His father was Ma Haiyan...
and Ma Lin (warlord)
Ma Lin (warlord)
Ma Lin, , chairman of the government of Qinghai ; brother of Ma Qi. A Muslim born in 1873, Linxia, Gansu, China, he mainly succeeded to the posts of his brother, being general of southeastern Gansu province, as well as councillor of the Qinghai provincial government and acting head of the...
, also took part in the fighting.
On June 18, Seymour's army was suddenly attacked by several thousand well-armed Chinese Imperial soldiers – who had not opposed Seymour's passage a few days early. The foreign troops, especially the Germans, fought off the attack, reportedly killing hundreds of Chinese at a loss of seven dead and 57 wounded. However, the need to care for the wounded, a lack of supplies, and the likelihood of additional Chinese attacks forced Seymour and his officers to decide to retreat to Tientsin. The unexpected attack on Seymour by the Chinese army was prompted by an allied European and Japanese attack on the Dagu Forts two days previously. As a result of the attack in Dagu, the Chinese government had decided to resist Seymour's army and kill or expel all foreigners in northern China.
During one of the battles at Langfang, Boxers armed with swords and spears charged the British and Americans, who were armed with guns. At point blank range, one British had to empty four bullets into a Boxer before he stopped, and the American Captain Bowman McCalla reported that single rifle shots were not enough: multiple rifle shots were needed to halt a Boxer.
Casualty estimates for the Allied force at the original engagement on June 18 varies. One source puts it at 374. This estimate does not include losses at the other engagements on later days.
The Retreat
Seymour turned his five trains around and headed back toward Tianjin. But, he found the bridge across the Hai River he had crossed a few days before now destroyed by the Boxers or the Chinese army. Seymour and the other officers then had a decision to make for the army: to cross the river by boat and walk 18 miles to Tianjin along the railroad or follow the river 30 miles to Tianjin. The sailors, perhaps more comfortable near water, chose to follow the river – although the railroad route was shorter and ran through open country. Along the heavily-populated river banks were Boxer-infested villages every one-half mile.The Muslim troops led by Dong Fuxiang defeated Seymour. The westerners decided to abandon the railway, and withdraw to Tianjin. The Chinese Muslim Cavalry continued to open fire on the western army, using artillery, and Chinese resistance continued throughout villages along the way. The Chinese Muslims put up stubborn resistance, and poured rifle fire at the western forces. They began bombarding the westerners with shells on June 17.
The other Han Chinese forces then began to attack the Allied force after their initial uncertainty. The westerners struggled to locate the Chinese guns, which were superior to the Allied artillery. Their accuracy was excellent, and Chinese shells tore straight through the western military headquarters, and through a dining hall when officers were eating. Chinese snipers shot at any foreigner who showed himself on the streets, rifle fire poured out of loopholes constantly, the westerners found that they could not dislodge the Chinese snipers.
The Times noted that "10,000 European troops were held in check by 15,000 Chinese braves". Chinese artillery fire caused a steady stream of casualties upon the western soldiers. During an engagement on the 11th, heavy casualties were inflicted on the French and Japanese, the British and Russians lost some men. The Chinese won a major victory, and forced Seymour to retreat back to Tianjin by June 26, and Seymour's western army suffered heavy casualties.
Seymour's retreat down the Hai River was slow and difficult, covering only three miles the first day. Additional casualties included Jellicoe who suffered a near fatal wound. By June 22, the soldiers were out of food and down to less than 10 rounds of ammunition per man – except for the Americans who had brought ample ammunition. But, "there was no thought of surrender," said Lt. Wurtzbaugh. "The intention was to fight to the last with the bayonet."
Seymour's 2,000 soldiers might have perished along the river except for good luck. On June 23, six miles from Tianjin, Seymour came across the Xigu
Great Hsi-Ku Arsenal
The Great Hsi-Ku Arsenal , was a Qing Dynasty Imperial Arsenal that stored munitions, rifles, and millions of rounds of ammunition. In addition tons of rice and medical supplies were stored there. The facility was guarded by Qing Imperial troops using rifles and German made field guns mounted as...
fort and arsenal which inexplicably was nearly undefended by Chinese soldiers. The foreign soldiers took refuge in the arsenal which contained a wealth of arms and ammunition and some food. Realizing their mistake in leaving the arsenal undefended, the Chinese army attempted to dislodge Seymour, now well-armed, but were unsuccessful.
A Chinese servant of the British slipped through to Tianjin and requested rescue for Seymour. Two thousand allied soldiers marched out of the city to the arsenal on June 25 and next day escorted Seymour's men back to Tianjin. The Chinese did not oppose their passage. A missionary reported their arrival in Tianjin. "I shall never forget to my dying day, the long string of dusty travel-worn soldiers, who for a fortnight had been living on quarter rations, and fighting every day…the men were met by kind ladies with pails of tea which the poor fellows drunk as they had never drunk before – some bursting into tears." Seymour's casualties were 62 dead and 232 wounded.
Assessment
The Seymour Expedition was "a serious failure." On the basis of their historical ineffectiveness, Seymour underestimated his Chinese opponent, trusting that he could push through to Beijing quickly with little or no opposition. Instead, "Seymour's expedition became a large moving target for the Boxers and Imperial troops. The would-be rescuers now required rescue themselves." The Western and Japanese soldiers and civilians in Beijing were subjected to a 55-day siege (see Siege of Beijing Legation QuarterSiege of Beijing Legation Quarter
The Siege of the International Legations occurred during the Boxer Rebellion in the Chinese city of Beijing . Nine hundred military personnel and civilians, largely from Europe, Japan, and the United States, and about 2,800 Chinese Christians took refuge in the Beijing Legation Quarter and survived...
) by the Chinese army and it took more than a month after Seymour's rescue to organize another larger and better equipped army to defeat the Chinese and march on Beijing to relieve the siege.
The Chinese military victories shattered the western claim that a foreign army could occupy China without opposition from the Chinese.
The Boxers charged the foreigners with swords, spears, rifles, and gingalls; most of them were boys and common peasants, rather than professional troops, taking up arms against the invaders. The Boxers sometimes faked death and then sprang back up at the troops to attack; an Allied soldier, Bigham, said they had no "fear" or "hesitation".