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Coordinates: 38°58′37.4″N 117°42′19.3″E / 38.977056°N 117.705361°E / 38.977056; 117.705361
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{{Short description|Historic forts in Binhai, Tianjin, China}}
{{redirect|Takou|the village in Burkina Faso|Takou, Burkina Faso}}
{{About|the forts in China|the fort in Alaska, USA|Fort Taku}}
{{Redirect|Takou|the village in Burkina Faso|Takou, Burkina Faso}}
{{More citations needed|date=June 2015}}


{{Chinese
[[File:67th Foot taking fort.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[67th (South Hampshire) Regiment of Foot|67th Foot]] taking the Taku Forts in 1860.]]
|pic=File:Taku_Gun_Platform.jpg
|picsize=250px
|piccap=View looking north from the gun platform.
|order=st
|s=大沽炮台
|t=大沽砲臺
|p=Dàgū Pàotái
|w=Ta Ku P'aoT'ai
|l=Dagu [[artillery battery|batteries]]
|altname=Peiho Forts
|s2=白河碉堡
|t2=白河碉堡
|p2=Báihé Diāobǎo
}}


The '''Taku Forts''' or '''Dagu Forts''' ({{zh|c=大沽炮台|p=''Dàgū Pàotái''|l=Taku [[artillery battery|batteries]]}}), also called the '''Peiho Forts''' (Chinese:白河碉堡; pinyin: ''Báihé Diāobǎo'') are [[fort]]s located by the [[Hai River]] (Peiho River) estuary, in [[Tanggu District]], [[Tianjin]] municipality, in northeastern [[China]]. They are located {{convert|60|km|abbrev=on}} southeast of the Tianjin urban center.
The '''Taku Forts''' or '''Dagu Forts''', also called the '''Peiho Forts''' are [[fort]]s located by the [[Hai River]] (Peiho River) estuary in the [[Binhai New Area]], [[Tianjin]], in northeastern [[China]]. They are located {{convert|60|km|abbr=on}} southeast of the Tianjin urban center.<ref name="WheelerFunk1900">{{cite book|author1=Edward Jewitt Wheeler|author2=Isaac Kaufman Funk|author3=William Seaver Woods|title=The Literary Digest|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xwI8AQAAMAAJ&q=admiral+pei+pei+hsien&pg=PA68|year=1900|pages=68–69}}</ref>


==History==
==History==
The first fort was built during the reign of the [[Ming Dynasty|Ming]] [[Jiajing Emperor|Jiajing]] Emperor between 1522 and 1527. Its purpose was to protect Tianjin from attack by [[wokou]] sea raiders.
The first fort was built during the reign of the [[Ming Dynasty|Ming]] [[Jiajing Emperor]] between 1522 and 1527. Its purpose was to protect Tianjin from attack by [[wokou]] sea raiders.


Later, in 1816, the Qing government built the first two forts on both sides of the Haihe estuary in response to increased concerns about seaborne threats from the West. By 1841, in response to the [[First Opium War]], the defensive system in Dagukou was reinforced into a system of five big forts, 13 earthen batteries, and 13 earthworks. In 1851, Imperial Commissioner [[Sengge Rinchen]] carried out a comprehensive renovation of the forts, building 6 large forts: two on the south of the estuary, called "Wēi" (威-Might) and "Zhèn"(震-Thunder, Tremor, Quake), three to the north, "Hǎi"(海-sea), "Mén"(门-gate) "Gāo" (高-high), and the sixth, the "Shitoufeng" (石头缝-Stone Seam) Fort, was built on a small ridge on the northern shore. Each fort had three large guns and 20 small caliber guns. Forts were constructed of wood and brick with an external curtain of two feet of concrete, the layering designed to avoid [[spalling]] and minimize penetration by artillery rounds. The forts were around {{convert|10|to|15|m}} high, which located as they were in an exceedingly flat landscape, provided a critical vantage point.
Later, in 1816, the Qing government built the first two forts on both sides of the Haihe estuary in response to increased concerns about seaborne threats from the West. By 1841, in response to the [[First Opium War]], the defensive system in Dagukou was reinforced into a system of five big forts, 13 earthen batteries, and 13 earthworks. In 1851, Imperial Commissioner [[Sengge Rinchen]] carried out a comprehensive renovation of the forts, building 6 large forts: two on the south of the estuary, called "Wēi" (威-Might) and "Zhèn"(震-Thunder, Tremor, Quake), three to the north, "Hǎi"(海-sea), "Mén"(门-gate) "Gāo" (高-high), and the sixth, the "Shitoufeng" (石头缝-Stone Seam) Fort, was built on a small ridge on the northern shore. Each fort had three large guns and 20 small caliber guns. Forts were constructed of wood and brick with an external curtain of two feet of concrete, the layering designed to avoid [[spalling]] and minimize penetration by artillery rounds. The forts were around {{convert|10|to|15|m|sp=us}} high, which located as they were in an exceedingly flat landscape, provided a critical vantage point.


===Second Opium War===
===Second Opium War===
[[File:67th Foot taking fort.jpg|thumb|right|[[67th (South Hampshire) Regiment of Foot|67th Foot]] of the [[British Army]] taking the Taku Forts in 1860.]]
In 1856, Chinese soldiers boarded ''The Arrow'', a Chinese-owned ship registered in [[Hong Kong]] flying the British flag and suspected of [[piracy]], [[smuggling]] and of being engaged in the [[opium trade]]. They captured 12 men and imprisoned them. Though the certificate allowing the ship to fly a British flag had expired, there was still an armed response. The [[United Kingdom|British]] and [[France|French]] sent gunboats under the command of Admiral [[Michael Seymour (Royal Navy officer)|Sir Michael Seymour]] to [[Battle of Taku Forts (1858)|capture the Taku Forts]] in May 1858. In June 1858, at the end of the first part of the [[Second Opium War]], the [[Treaties of Tianjin]] were signed, which opened Tianjin to foreign trade.
In 1856, Chinese soldiers boarded ''The Arrow'', a Chinese-owned ship registered in [[Hong Kong]] flying the British flag and suspected of [[piracy]], [[smuggling]] and of being engaged in the [[opium trade]]. They captured 12 men and imprisoned them. Though the certificate allowing the ship to fly a British flag had expired, there was still an armed response. The [[United Kingdom|British]] and [[France|French]] sent gunboats under the command of Admiral [[Michael Seymour (Royal Navy officer)|Sir Michael Seymour]] to [[Battle of Taku Forts (1858)|capture the Taku Forts]] in May 1858. In June 1858, at the end of the first part of the [[Second Opium War]], the [[Treaties of Tianjin]] were signed, which opened Tianjin to foreign trade.


In 1859, after China refused to allow the setting up of foreign legations in Beijing, a naval force under the command of British Admiral [[James Hope (Royal Navy officer)|Sir James Hope]] [[Battle of Taku Forts (1859)|attacked the forts]] guarding the mouth of the [[Peiho river]]. During the action [[Commodore (USN)|US Navy Commodore]] [[Josiah Tattnall]] came to the assistance of the British gunboat [[HMS Plover (1655)|HMS ''Plover'']],– commanded by Lt William Hector Rason, who was killed in the action <ref>memorial paid for by fellow officers is in Eastbourne Parish Church, E Sussex, UK</ref>– offering to take off their wounded. ''Plover''{{'}}s commander, Hope, accepted the offer and a launch was sent to take off the wounded. Later, Tattnall discovered that some of his men were black from powder flashes. When asked, the men replied that the British had been short handed with the bow gun. His famous report sent to Washington claimed "[[Blood is thicker than water]]". This was the first time the British troops needed American assistance after suffering major casualties from the Taku cannon barrage, and the first time that British and American troops fought side by side.
In 1859, after China refused to allow the setting up of foreign legations in Beijing, a naval force under the command of British Admiral [[James Hope (Royal Navy officer)|Sir James Hope]] [[Battle of Taku Forts (1859)|attacked the forts]] guarding the mouth of the Hai River. During the action, [[Commodore (USN)|US Navy Commodore]] [[Josiah Tattnall III]], who later served in the [[Confederate Navy]] during the [[American Civil War]], came to the assistance of the British gunboat {{HMS|Plover|1855|6}}, offering to take off their wounded. ''Plover''{{'}}s commander, Rear Admiral [[James Hope (Royal Navy officer)|James Hope]], accepted the offer and a launch was sent to take off the wounded. Later, Tattnall discovered that some of his men were black from powder flashes. When asked, the men replied that the British had been short handed with the bow gun. His famous report sent to Washington claimed "[[Blood is thicker than water]]". This was the first time the British troops needed American assistance after suffering major casualties from the Taku cannon barrage, and the first time that British and independent American troops fought side by side.{{dubious|Anti-slavery and anti-piracy patrols and Quasi-War|date=June 2017}}


In 1860, an Anglo-French force gathered at Hong Kong and then carried out a landing at [[Beitang, Tanggu District|Pei Tang]] on August 1, and a [[Battle of Taku Forts (1860)|successful assault]] on the Taku Forts on August 21 after which Hospital Apprentice Andrew Fitzgibbon of the [[Indian Army Medical Corps|Indian Medical Establishment]] became the youngest recipient of the [[Victoria Cross]] at the age of 15 years and 3 months.<ref>{{cite web
In 1860, an Anglo-French force gathered at Hong Kong and then carried out a landing at [[Beitang, Tanggu District|Pei Tang]] on August 1, and a [[Battle of Taku Forts (1860)|successful assault]] on the Taku Forts on August 21 after which [[Andrew Fitzgibbon|Hospital Apprentice Andrew Fitzgibbon]] of the [[Indian Army Medical Corps|Indian Medical Establishment]] became the youngest recipient of the [[Victoria Cross]] at the age of 15 years and 3 months.<ref>{{cite web
|title=The Victoria Cross
|title=The Victoria Cross
|accessdate=5 April 2013
|access-date=5 April 2013
|work=archive.iwm.org.uk
|work=archive.iwm.org.uk
|url=http://archive.iwm.org.uk/server/show/ConWebDoc.941
|url=http://archive.iwm.org.uk/server/show/ConWebDoc.941
|author=[[Imperial War Museum]]
|author=Imperial War Museum
|author-link=Imperial War Museum
}}</ref> The forts were severely mauled and General [[Sengge Rinchen]]'s troops were forced to withdraw. On September 26, the force arrived at [[Beijing]] and had captured the city by October 13.
}}</ref> The forts were severely mauled and General [[Sengge Rinchen]]'s troops were forced to withdraw. On September 26, the force arrived at [[Beijing]] and had captured the city by October 13.

===Soldiers and sailors who took part in Taku Forts assaults include===
* [[Nathaniel Burslem]] (VC) - August 21, 1860
* [[Andrew Fitzgibbon]] (VC) - August 21, 1860
* [[Thomas Lane (VC)]] - August 21, 1860
* [[John McDougall (VC)|John Leishman McDougall (VC)]] - August 21, 1860
* [[Robert Montresor Rogers]] (VC) - August 21, 1860
* [[Edward Hobart Seymour]] - August 21, 1860
* [[John Worthy Chaplin]] (VC) - August 21, 1860
* [[Charles Herve Giraud]]- Surgeon 1860


===Boxer Rebellion===
===Boxer Rebellion===
[[File:The Capture of the Forts at Taku.jpg|thumb|''The Capture of the Forts at Taku'' by Fritz Neumann]]

After the [[Battle of Taku Forts (1900)]], most of the forts were dismantled when the [[Eight-Nation Alliance]] Forces invaded China during the [[Boxer rebellion]] (1899–1901). Two forts remain today, one on the southern bank (the former "Wei" fort) and the other on the northern bank of the Haihe (the former "Hai" fort). Dagu Fort (on the southern bank) was repaired in 1988 and opened to the public in June 1997. Land reclamation has left it some considerable distance from the modern shoreline. Its restoration has not returned it to anything like the appearance it would have had when it was an active gun battery (see photo of the aftermath of the 1860 attack), but a number of cannons have been placed in the reconstructed gun embrasures to hint at its former use. An exhibition in Chinese recounts the history of the Opium Wars and the forts' role in them. Unrestored forts are visible to its north from Haifang Road.
After the [[Battle of Taku Forts (1900)]], most of the forts were dismantled when the [[Eight-Nation Alliance]] Forces invaded China during the [[Boxer Rebellion]] (1899–1901). Two forts remain today, one on the southern bank (the former "Wei" fort) and the other on the northern bank of the Hai River (the former "Hai" fort). Dagu Fort (on the southern bank) was repaired in 1988 and opened to the public in June 1997. Land reclamation has left it some considerable distance from the modern shoreline. Its restoration has not returned it to anything like the appearance it would have had when it was an active gun battery (see photo of the aftermath of the 1860 attack), but a number of cannons have been placed in the reconstructed gun embrasures to hint at its former use. An exhibition in Chinese recounts the history of the Opium Wars and the forts' role in them. Unrestored forts are visible to its north from Haifang Road.


==Gallery==
==Gallery==
<gallery>
<gallery>
Image:Upper North Taku Fort.jpg|Interior of Angle of North Fort Immediately after Its Capture, 21 August 1860
Image:Upper North Taku Fort.jpg|Interior of Angle of North Fort Immediately after Its Capture, 21 August 1860
Image:Taku_Gun_Platform.jpg|View looking north from the gun platform. Modern Tanggu in the background. Taku Fort Museum, Tanggu, China.
Image:Taku_fort_model.jpg|Model of the Taku Forts in the Dagukou Fort Ruins Museum, Tanggu, China.
Image:Taku_fort_model.jpg|Model of the Taku Forts in the Taku Fort Museum, Tanggu, China.
Image:Taku_Fort_2006.jpg|View of the gun platform from outside the defensive works.
Image:Taku_Fort_2006.jpg|Looking at the gun platform from outside the defensive works. Taku Fort Museum, Tanggu, China.
Image:TakuFortPlaque.jpg|Dedication plaque at the Dagukou Fort Ruins Museum.
Image:大沽口炮台3.JPG|View from inside the defensive works.
Image:TakuFortPlaque.jpg|Dedication plaque Taku Fort Museum. Taku Fort Museum, Tanggu, China.
</gallery>
</gallery>


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}
*Colin Narbeth, ''Admiral Seymour's Expedition & Taku Forts 1900'' (1980)


==External links==
==External links==
{{Commons category|Taku Forts}}
{{Commons category|Taku Forts}}
* {{cite web
* [http://www.queensroyalsurreys.org.uk/1661to1966/takuforts/takuforts.html TAKU FORTS 1860]
|author=The Queen's Royal Surrey Regimental Association
* Thomas Hahn, Beitang Forts near Tianjin (Including Dagu) [http://hahn.zenfolio.com/p31955500]
|title=TAKU FORTS 1860
|url=http://www.queensroyalsurreys.org.uk/1661to1966/hongkong_china/hkc02_1.shtml
|website=Website of The [[Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment]]
|access-date=June 7, 2015
}}
* {{cite web
|last=Hahn|first=Thomas H.
|title=The Taku and Beitang Forts near Tianjin
|url=http://hahn.zenfolio.com/p31955500
|website=Thomas H. Hahn Docu-Images
|access-date=June 7, 2015
}}

{{Authority control}}


{{coord|38|58|29.50|N|117|42|43.80|E|source:jawiki|display=title}}
{{Coord|38|58|37.4|N|117|42|19.3|E|source:jawiki|display=title}}


[[Category:Military history of China]]
[[Category:Military history of Tianjin]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Tianjin]]
[[Category:Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Tianjin]]
[[Category:Visitor attractions in Tianjin]]
[[Category:Boxer Rebellion]]
[[Category:Boxer Rebellion]]
[[Category:Forts in China]]
[[Category:Forts in China]]

Latest revision as of 22:36, 29 February 2024

Taku Forts
View looking north from the gun platform.
Simplified Chinese大沽炮台
Traditional Chinese大沽砲臺
Literal meaningDagu batteries
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinDàgū Pàotái
Wade–GilesTa Ku P'aoT'ai
Peiho Forts
Simplified Chinese白河碉堡
Traditional Chinese白河碉堡
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinBáihé Diāobǎo

The Taku Forts or Dagu Forts, also called the Peiho Forts are forts located by the Hai River (Peiho River) estuary in the Binhai New Area, Tianjin, in northeastern China. They are located 60 km (37 mi) southeast of the Tianjin urban center.[1]

History

[edit]

The first fort was built during the reign of the Ming Jiajing Emperor between 1522 and 1527. Its purpose was to protect Tianjin from attack by wokou sea raiders.

Later, in 1816, the Qing government built the first two forts on both sides of the Haihe estuary in response to increased concerns about seaborne threats from the West. By 1841, in response to the First Opium War, the defensive system in Dagukou was reinforced into a system of five big forts, 13 earthen batteries, and 13 earthworks. In 1851, Imperial Commissioner Sengge Rinchen carried out a comprehensive renovation of the forts, building 6 large forts: two on the south of the estuary, called "Wēi" (威-Might) and "Zhèn"(震-Thunder, Tremor, Quake), three to the north, "Hǎi"(海-sea), "Mén"(门-gate) "Gāo" (高-high), and the sixth, the "Shitoufeng" (石头缝-Stone Seam) Fort, was built on a small ridge on the northern shore. Each fort had three large guns and 20 small caliber guns. Forts were constructed of wood and brick with an external curtain of two feet of concrete, the layering designed to avoid spalling and minimize penetration by artillery rounds. The forts were around 10 to 15 meters (33 to 49 ft) high, which located as they were in an exceedingly flat landscape, provided a critical vantage point.

Second Opium War

[edit]
67th Foot of the British Army taking the Taku Forts in 1860.

In 1856, Chinese soldiers boarded The Arrow, a Chinese-owned ship registered in Hong Kong flying the British flag and suspected of piracy, smuggling and of being engaged in the opium trade. They captured 12 men and imprisoned them. Though the certificate allowing the ship to fly a British flag had expired, there was still an armed response. The British and French sent gunboats under the command of Admiral Sir Michael Seymour to capture the Taku Forts in May 1858. In June 1858, at the end of the first part of the Second Opium War, the Treaties of Tianjin were signed, which opened Tianjin to foreign trade.

In 1859, after China refused to allow the setting up of foreign legations in Beijing, a naval force under the command of British Admiral Sir James Hope attacked the forts guarding the mouth of the Hai River. During the action, US Navy Commodore Josiah Tattnall III, who later served in the Confederate Navy during the American Civil War, came to the assistance of the British gunboat HMS Plover, offering to take off their wounded. Plover's commander, Rear Admiral James Hope, accepted the offer and a launch was sent to take off the wounded. Later, Tattnall discovered that some of his men were black from powder flashes. When asked, the men replied that the British had been short handed with the bow gun. His famous report sent to Washington claimed "Blood is thicker than water". This was the first time the British troops needed American assistance after suffering major casualties from the Taku cannon barrage, and the first time that British and independent American troops fought side by side.[dubiousdiscuss]

In 1860, an Anglo-French force gathered at Hong Kong and then carried out a landing at Pei Tang on August 1, and a successful assault on the Taku Forts on August 21 after which Hospital Apprentice Andrew Fitzgibbon of the Indian Medical Establishment became the youngest recipient of the Victoria Cross at the age of 15 years and 3 months.[2] The forts were severely mauled and General Sengge Rinchen's troops were forced to withdraw. On September 26, the force arrived at Beijing and had captured the city by October 13.

Boxer Rebellion

[edit]
The Capture of the Forts at Taku by Fritz Neumann

After the Battle of Taku Forts (1900), most of the forts were dismantled when the Eight-Nation Alliance Forces invaded China during the Boxer Rebellion (1899–1901). Two forts remain today, one on the southern bank (the former "Wei" fort) and the other on the northern bank of the Hai River (the former "Hai" fort). Dagu Fort (on the southern bank) was repaired in 1988 and opened to the public in June 1997. Land reclamation has left it some considerable distance from the modern shoreline. Its restoration has not returned it to anything like the appearance it would have had when it was an active gun battery (see photo of the aftermath of the 1860 attack), but a number of cannons have been placed in the reconstructed gun embrasures to hint at its former use. An exhibition in Chinese recounts the history of the Opium Wars and the forts' role in them. Unrestored forts are visible to its north from Haifang Road.

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Edward Jewitt Wheeler; Isaac Kaufman Funk; William Seaver Woods (1900). The Literary Digest. pp. 68–69.
  2. ^ Imperial War Museum. "The Victoria Cross". archive.iwm.org.uk. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
  • Colin Narbeth, Admiral Seymour's Expedition & Taku Forts 1900 (1980)
[edit]

38°58′37.4″N 117°42′19.3″E / 38.977056°N 117.705361°E / 38.977056; 117.705361