Marine Amphibious Landing in Korea, 1871

[TomSea]

Marine Amphibious Landing in Korea, 1871

The American Minister to China, Frederick Ferdinand Low, was instructed in 1870 to secure a treaty for the protection of shipwrecked mariners and, should the opportunity seem favorable, to obtain commercial advantages in Korea.1 He sailed from Nagasaki for Boisée Island (Chagyakto) on the Salée (Yom) River in May 1871 on board the USS Colorado,flagship of Rear Admiral John Rodgers then commanding the Asiatic Squadron, The squadron boasted a fleet of nine ships mounting 97 guns; a meager force to guard the lives and property of American citizens over the vast expanse of water and coastline that comprised the Asiatic Station of 1871.

The “Hermit Kingdom” had been under the domination of China for many centuries, refusing intercourse with the world. Her inhabitants were popularly believed in the West to be “far superior to the Chinese in mental and physical resources.” 2 A treaty of amity with Korea appeared necessary in view of her central location amidst the trade routes of the East and the brutal treatment accorded foreigners who were shipwrecked off her coast. In 1866, the American ship General Sherman carrying foreign notions for trade with Korea was grounded off the Korean coast and her crew massacred. This event, coupled closely with the expulsion of a French punitive expedition, showed evidence of vigorous anti-foreign sentiment, manifested by tablets erected throughout the country which warned:

    “The barbarians from beyond the seas have violated our borders and invaded our land. If we do not fight we must make treaties with them. Those who favor making a treaty sell their country.” 3

The American expedition first appeared off the coast of Korea on 23 May 1871 at Eugenie Island (Ipp’a-do), also known as Roze Roads for the French admiral who had led the expedition to Korea in 1866. It moved on to a new anchorage near Boisée Island on the 29th where it arrived the following day. From this rendezvous, all operations against the Kangwha forts were directed.

Continued: http://www.navyhistory.org/marine-amphibious-landing-in-korea-1871/