USS Monocacy Incident
Encyclopedia
The USS Monocacy Incident was an attack on the American
gunboat
in January of 1918 by Chinese
soldier
s along the Yangtze River
. It was one of many incidents at the time involving armed Chinese men firing on foreign vessels
. The attack on Monocacy occurred in January 1918, just after the Yangze Patrol was released from internment upon China's declaration of war on Germany
. Though America and China were allies
, skirmishes between armed Chinese and foreigners became more and more common and would continue long after World War I. Lieutenant
Harvey Delano of Monocacy received news that Chinese soldiers had fired on several foreign vessels in the area so in response, bags of coal were piled on deck to provide cover for the sailors on patrol.
(200 tonne
) Monocacy was fired on from both sides of the river by Chinese troops ashore. Delano quickly ordered his men to alter course and raise the largest American flag aboard. The first shot struck the jackstaff
and was followed by a volley from an estimated 200 rifles. Two shots hit the bridge, so at 09:01 the Americans returned fire with small arms
. Chinese forces were spread out for 2 miles (3.2 km) along the river and their shots increased as the Americans continued on, but by 09:05 most of the rifles were silent, except for some sporadic sniping. Chief Yeoman
Harold LeRoy O'Brien was hit by one of these sporadic shots and fell to the deck dead. Because of this, the skipper ordered his men to return fire with the battery of 6-pounders at 09:25, and five minutes later all was quiet. After shooting only six or seven shells and about 3,000 bullets, the attackers retreated. Monocacy was hit about eighty times and two American sailors were wounded by Chinese fire, one of them seriously. During the engagement, a Japan
ese steamer was heading downriver and was fired on, but the Americans prevented her from being damaged by providing covering fire. The incidents of Chinese troops firing on foreign vessels were quickly brought to the attention of the western population of China. Protests broke out in Shanghai, which ultimately forced the Chinese government to make an apology and pay $25,000 to the United States. The money was eventually given to the wife of Chief Yeoman O'Brien and the affair was settled. Both of the wounded sailors received $500.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
gunboat
Gunboat
A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies.-History:...
in January of 1918 by 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...
soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
s along the Yangtze River
Yangtze River
The Yangtze, Yangzi or Cháng Jiāng is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the...
. It was one of many incidents at the time involving armed Chinese men firing on foreign vessels
Background
At the beginning of World War I, the European nations with flotillas on the Yangtze withdrew their vessels to reinforce their fleets in Europe. This left the Yangtze Patrol with the only western naval presence on the river. China was initially a neutral power during the war, as was the United States. But when the American government declared war on Germany in 1917, a now belligerent flotilla of American ships occupied the neutral Chinese waters. As a result, the Yangzte Patrol was interned at ShanghaiShanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
. The attack on Monocacy occurred in January 1918, just after the Yangze Patrol was released from internment upon China's declaration of war on Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Though America and China were allies
Allies of World War I
The Entente Powers were the countries at war with the Central Powers during World War I. The members of the Triple Entente were the United Kingdom, France, and the Russian Empire; Italy entered the war on their side in 1915...
, skirmishes between armed Chinese and foreigners became more and more common and would continue long after World War I. Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
Harvey Delano of Monocacy received news that Chinese soldiers had fired on several foreign vessels in the area so in response, bags of coal were piled on deck to provide cover for the sailors on patrol.
Incident
While steaming through the river roughly 50 miles (80.5 km) north of Chenglin at exactly 09:00 on January 17, the 200 long tonLong ton
Long ton is the name for the unit called the "ton" in the avoirdupois or Imperial system of measurements, as used in the United Kingdom and several other Commonwealth countries. It has been mostly replaced by the tonne, and in the United States by the short ton...
(200 tonne
Tonne
The tonne, known as the metric ton in the US , often put pleonastically as "metric tonne" to avoid confusion with ton, is a metric system unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. The tonne is not an International System of Units unit, but is accepted for use with the SI...
) Monocacy was fired on from both sides of the river by Chinese troops ashore. Delano quickly ordered his men to alter course and raise the largest American flag aboard. The first shot struck the jackstaff
Jackstaff
A jackstaff is a small vertical spar in the bow of a ship, on which a particular type of flag, known as a jack, is flown. It is from this that the term Union Jack derives ....
and was followed by a volley from an estimated 200 rifles. Two shots hit the bridge, so at 09:01 the Americans returned fire with small arms
Small arms
Small arms is a term of art used by armed forces to denote infantry weapons an individual soldier may carry. The description is usually limited to revolvers, pistols, submachine guns, carbines, assault rifles, battle rifles, multiple barrel firearms, sniper rifles, squad automatic weapons, light...
. Chinese forces were spread out for 2 miles (3.2 km) along the river and their shots increased as the Americans continued on, but by 09:05 most of the rifles were silent, except for some sporadic sniping. Chief Yeoman
Yeoman
Yeoman refers chiefly to a free man owning his own farm, especially from the Elizabethan era to the 17th century. Work requiring a great deal of effort or labor, such as would be done by a yeoman farmer, came to be described as "yeoman's work"...
Harold LeRoy O'Brien was hit by one of these sporadic shots and fell to the deck dead. Because of this, the skipper ordered his men to return fire with the battery of 6-pounders at 09:25, and five minutes later all was quiet. After shooting only six or seven shells and about 3,000 bullets, the attackers retreated. Monocacy was hit about eighty times and two American sailors were wounded by Chinese fire, one of them seriously. During the engagement, a Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese steamer was heading downriver and was fired on, but the Americans prevented her from being damaged by providing covering fire. The incidents of Chinese troops firing on foreign vessels were quickly brought to the attention of the western population of China. Protests broke out in Shanghai, which ultimately forced the Chinese government to make an apology and pay $25,000 to the United States. The money was eventually given to the wife of Chief Yeoman O'Brien and the affair was settled. Both of the wounded sailors received $500.