China War 1860

         

Taku Forts and Pekin

Both the King’s Dragoon Guards and the Queen’s Bays found on arrival in Calcutta in 1857 that there were only enough horses to mount one heavy cavalry regiment.  Although the KDG had arrived first, Colonel Campbell of the Bays had traveled overland, in advance of his regiment, and as he was the cousin of the Governor- General, he had managed ‘to obtain the promise of horses’ for the Bays.  In addition the men of the KDG were considered to be, the heaviest of the heavies so there was said to be difficulty in obtaining suitable mounts for them.  The KDG were not pleased and one officer wrote, ‘The Bays did not arrive for a fortnight, and then in a sticky state, and so when cavalry was urgently needed up country, the KDG were ordered down to Madras.’  They were then posted on to Bangalore and Arcot.  Lt Colonel Charles Foster was the commanding officer having just joined the KDG as the regiment embarked, and a reputation for being cold and austere.

Colonel Thomas Pattle In 1860 the British and French Governments went to war with China for the third time to secure satisfactory trading facilities.  The trade consisted in most part of an opium traffic, which undermined the health of the Chinese people and which the Chinese authorities were anxious to stop.  In 1858 a British naval squadron with Royal Marines attempted to capture the Taku forts at the entrance to the Pei-Ho River, and were ignominiously defeated.  Such a blow to European prestige could not be allowed, and the British and French Governments assembled a combined force of 10,000 British and 7,000 French troops to be dispatched to China.

Lt Col R.J. Sayer

The King’s Dragoon Guards were stationed at Bangalore in the Madras Presidency.  On 1 March 1860 the strength of the regiment was increased by fifty-eight men from the 12^th Lancers, who were returning to Britain, and on that day orders arrived for a wing of the regiment to proceed on service to China.  On 2 March 14 officers 312 men, together with 313 troop horses, marched to Madras for embarkation.  The colonel, Lt.Colonel Pattle was appointed to command of the cavalry brigade being prepared for China, so the four KDG troops were commanded by Lt Colonel Sayer.  The other regiments forming the brigade were Probyn’s and Fanes Horse.  The first two troops of the KDG arrived in Hong Kong on 15 May, but the last two did not reach there until 19 and 29^th June, and the following KDG details the middle of July.  Luckily all three cavalry regiments had all brought their horses with them from India, all in excellent condition, for it proved extremely difficult to secure adequate horseflesh in China.

The troops re-embarked at Hong Kong, sailing for North China, where the British force was assembled at Talienwan Bay on the Manchurian peninsula, which afforded an excellent anchorage for the fleet.  The cavalry made their camp at Odin Bay a few miles to the south.  On then 13 July there was an inspection for the benefit of the newly arrived Lord Elgin of the Foreign Office, and the French General de Montauban, General Sir Hope Grant wrote:

General Sir Hope Grant

"I was glad to show off the other day to General Montauban our Artillery and Cavalry force, and I am sure you would be pleased with their appearance.  There were about 1,000 men on parade; handsome, fine looking fellows, well dressed and turned out, and their horses in beautiful condition.  General Montauban stated that it was a sight to see in Paris or London, but one did not expect to see so far from home."

The KDG embarked on 23 July, leaving at Odin Bay some details under command of Major Slade.  The fleet gathered in the gulf of Pechilli and approached the Chinese coast.  The landing was made by the 1^st Division, followed by the cavalry brigade, opposite the town of Pehtang; the KDG in the Sirius, Frank Flint, Eastern Empire and Harry Moore, each carrying between 60 and 80 horses and men, landed 13 officers and 313 NCOs and men, with 339 horses, on 5 and 5 August; an officer of the Royal Scots was stuck by ‘the workmanlike way in which the blue-jackets landed the horses of the cavalry brought in by the gunboats, with whips and slings on their little foreyards.  A horse fully accoutred was hoisted up, swung over the jetty, and dropped ashore on its legs before it knew what was being done to it.

 

 

On the 9 August Grant sent a reconnoitering party of 50 KDG, B and F Troops, and two squadrons of Probyn’s Horse, under the command of Major Probyn.  They were to report on the state of the country to the north of a causeway which carried the road from Pehtang to the Taku Forts, since the country on either side of the causeway was proving to be very marshy. 

Probyn had strict orders not to be drawn into action, although several bodies of Tartar horse were seen hovering in the distance.  After a long detour the cavalry got within a mile of the Chinese positions and found that the going was practicable for all arms, and water was plentiful.  Wolseley, the assistant quartermaster general of the force, noted:

"The 10^th was rainy, and on the 11^th we had some slight showers, but when the day broke (on the 12^th), although the weather was looking threatening, yet the rain did not come down.  So the exodus from Pehtang, with all its detestable odours began.  It was arranged that the 2^nd Division should move along the track reconnoitered by the cavalry on the 9^th, and turn left of the enemy’s position, whilst the 1^st Division and the French advanced along the causeway to the enemy’s front should take their works.  All the cavalry were to accompany the 2^nd…. Division Immediately the 67^th (Hampshires) has cleared the ground; the cavalry will follow in the following order; KDG., Fanes Horse, Probyn’s Horse, and 3 guns of Stirlings Battery."

The waggons stuck in the mud and progress was slow, particularly by the heavy cavalry.  The advance was delayed.  Wolseley commented: "It was painful to see the cavalry horses struggling on knee deep with their heavy accoutred burdens".  Grant reported:

Tartar Soldier

"This force at last got over.  It was attacked by a large body of Tartar cavalry, some 3,000, who in the most daring way came up to the guns.  Our cavalry were let loose upon the Tartars, and they had a hand-to-hand fight, cutting down about 70 or 80.  The enemy behaved very gallantly and under better rulers would make excellent troops."

As soon as the infantry deployed, a mass of Tartar cavalry trotted forwarding loose order.  Sweeping right round the cavalry brigade, they began to threaten the rear.  With a loud yell the KDG, Probyn’s and Fanes charged and scattered the enemy, cutting down numbers of them.  As the 1st Division advanced a large force of Tartar, some 2,000 or 3,000, rode with wild cheers straight at them.  The KDG, Probyn’s, and Fanes again charged, but the Tartars were no longer prepared to stand and beat a hurried retreat.  The KDG had one trooper slightly wounded.

The next Chinese position was at Tangku, on the Pei-Ho River, which was carried by the infantry.  Grant now closed up on the Taku Forts, which were assaulted with great bravery on 21 August by the 44^th (Essex) and 67^th (Hampshire) regiments.  The casualties had been heavy, 17 men killed, and 19 officers and 153 men wounded.  The Chinese retreated up the Pei-Ho River towards Tientsin and Peking.  It seemed to Grant that with the capture of the Taku Forts, the opening up of the Pei-Ho river and the signing of the terms of capitulation, the campaign must be at an end.  But it soon became clear that the peace negotiations were merely a Chinese ploy to gain time, and to entice Lord Elgin, the Foreign Office plenipotentiary, to Pekin.  Bowlby the Times correspondent wrote: ‘Received an invitation from Lord Elgin to go to Peking.  We can only take up to 1,000 men, of whom it is arranged that the KDG.s shall form 300, Probyn gives 100, Fane 100, and 50 picked men from each regiment, with a battery.  With the collapse of the negotiations, it was decided to advance on Tungchow.

On 8^th September The King’s Dragoon Guards and Fanes Horse moved out in advance of the infantry.  The country was excessively difficult for troops to advance along, and very dangerous for horses as the fields were full of millet, which when cut, formed very sharp stalks in the ground, and injured them severely.  By 13 September 20 of the KDG and some 50 sowars had reached Hosiwu, about halfway to Tungchow.  On the 17^th Mr. Parkes of the Foreign Service, Mr. Loch, Private Secretary to Lord Elgin, and Colonel Walker of the Queen’s Bays, and quartermaster general of the cavalry brigade, set out for Tungchow to prepare the way for Lord Elgin.  They were escorted by Lt Anderson of Fanes Horse with 25 of his sowars, together with 5 KDG troopers.  The same day the Allied force marched from Matow, and on the 18^th left there for Chang-Kia-Wan.  Advancing a few miles the troops came up against a large Chinese army, stretching across a front of 5 miles, and barring the way forward.  Grant at once halted the troops and ordered the baggage to concentrate in the last village, and sent a KDG officer to close up the rearguard for its protection.

Loch suddenly galloped back into lines with the news that Parkes’s party with the 5 KDG.s and 4 of Fanes sowars had left Tungchow at 5am. that morning to mark out the area of the Allied camp in front of Chang-Kia-Wan, and had passed large bodies of Chinese troops.  Parkes, arriving in Chang_Kia Wan, had left Colonel Walker to watch these movements and returned to Tungchow, taking with him only Private Phipps, of the KDG’s, to demand an explanation from the Chinese.          

Grant was in a difficult position, with his envoys and their escort behind the Chinese lines.  He sent out his cavalry to both flanks, with strict orders not to become involved.  He took up a position on a mound, some 400yards from the Chinese lines, where he could clearly see the red coats of Colonel Walkers KDG escort moving about in the midst of the greyclad Chinese.  After 2 or 3 hours of waiting, there was astir in the Chinese lines and Colonel Walker and his escort were seen to be galloping through the surrounding Chinese and heading for the Allied lines.  Immediately the Chinese opened fire with their artillery along the length of the position.  General Montauban, whose French troops were on the right of the line, charged with the 2^nd Chasseurs de Vincennes, while the Spahis of his escort supplemented by a squadron of Fanes Horse swept around the position, charging three times and doing great execution.

Colonel Walker arrived with only a commissary and only two of his KDG troopers.  He related how having been shown an unsatisfactory campsite without water in the midst of the Chinese troops, he was left to wait.  The attitude of the Chinese around the party started to change.  A group crowded around Walker and one man tilted Walkers scabbard so that the sword came out, which was immediately seized.  A Chinese officer had the sword returned.  Then Walker observed a French officer, with a deep sabre cut on his head, crying out for help.  He held out his hand to lead him away and the surrounding Chinese rushed at them, dragged the Frenchman down, pulled Walkers sword out of his scabbard and tried to pull him off his horse.  Walker trying to rescue his sword cut his hand badly, and shouted to his companions to ride for their lives.  As the party spurred their horses the Chinese opened fire from every side, wounding two of the men and killing one horse.

The Allied artillery, returning the Chinese fire, soon began to silence the Chinese batteries and scatter their infantry.  The Tartar horse, meanwhile had gathered in great numbers on the Allied left flank.  Probyn’s Horse, numbering about 106 sabres charged them without hesitation, soon backed by the KDG who chased the fleeing Chinese for several miles.  On 20 September the cavalry probed forward and found that the Chinese had taken up a strong position in front of the Yang-Liang canal, which connected Peking with the Pei-Ho river, and which could only be crossed by two bridges, one wooden, the other at –Palichao-marble.  While the infantry attacked frontally, the cavalry were to make a wide sweep to the left to drive the Chinese right flank onto its center, forcing them to retreat over the two bridges.  The King’s Dragoon Guards set out from Chan-Kia-Wan at daybreak on the 21 September, but after two miles they had to halt to give the French time to come up.  Lord Elgin with his escort of KDG joined Grant surveying the Chinese position.  As the troops arrived and took up position, in the words of Grant’s report:

"The King’s Dragoon Guards and Fanes Horse, with Probyn’s regiment in support, now advanced to the charge; the first named taking a bank and a ditch on their way, and attacking the Tartars with the utmost vigour, instantly made them give way.  Fanes men followed in pursuit, and on reaching the margin of the road jumped into it over an interposing high bank and ditch.  The front rank cleared it well; but the men in the rear, unable to see before them owing to the excessive dust, almost rolled into the ditch. Wolsely also witnessed the charge."

Our cavalry, which had been slowly moving forwards, went straight at them, Fanes horse and the King’s Dragoon Guards in the first line, Probyn’s regiment in support behind.  The Tartar cavalry had halted behind a deep wide ditch, upon seeing our troops advancing towards them, from which position they delivered a volley as our cavalry reached it.  The horses of the irregulars are always ridden in short standing martingales, which effectively prevent their jumping well; so when our line reached the ditch, but very few of the irregulars got over it at first, as many of their horses, unable to pull up, tumbled in one over the other.  The King’s Dragoon Guards, however, got well in among the Tartars, riding over ponies and men, and knocking both down together like so many ninepins.  The irregulars were soon after them, and in the short pursuit, which then ensued, the wild Pathans of Fanes Horse showed well fighting side by side with the powerful British Dragoons.  The result was most satisfactory.  Riderless Tartar horses were to be seen galloping about in all directions, and the ground passed over in the charge was well strewn with the enemy.

Sidney Herbert, in reporting this charge to the Queen wrote:

"The charge of the King’s Dragoon Guards was an act of horsemanship most remarkable.  The Tartars were posted on an elevated mound with a deep ditch in front, and the Horse had not only to clear the ditch, but also to lead up the height at the same time.  Only one man was unhorsed.  The Sikh cavalry tried to do it, but upwards of 30 saddles were immediately empty.  On looking at this and another obstacle with a deep drop, which the KDG passed, he (Grant) says it is impossible to conceive how cavalry could do it."

The casualties for the KDG was; Captain Bradbury wounded, Private Webster killed, Privates Napier and Davis severely wounded, Privates Lawrence, Hughes, Ductat, Mason and Pollett slightly wounded, (although Pollett later died of his wounds).  Eight horses were missing.

On the 6^th October 1860 the cavalry resumed the advance on Peking.  Grant reported:

"We halted the night about three miles east of the north east angle of Peking, and in the morning resumed our march in a north westerly direction, so as to pass along the northernmost face of the city, out of gunshot of the walls, and attack Sankolinsin’s army, which was supposed to be encamped directly in our front.  The country about here is not good for cavalry, from the great number of trees, villages and hollow roads: I accordingly dispatched the Cavalry Brigade, with two six pounders with mounted detachments, with orders to advance on the road leading to the Emperor’s Palace at Yeun Ming Yeun, and with a view to cutting off the enemy’s retreat in that direction."

Swinoe of the Foreign Service was attached to the cavalry brigade:

"I found the Brigade halted and awaiting the signal for a general march.  I reported myself to Brigadier Pattle, commanding and rode by his side as the troopers advanced through the pretty wood-abounding country of this neighborhood.  The Cavalry were advancing to the northwest, when the vedettes reported large bodies of Tartars moving north.  The Brigade was halted, and a squadron was sent, but the Tartars sighted its approach and made off."

Grant reported:

"The French, anxious to join us in our advance, struck off to their right, finished on the Summer Palace without meeting any opposition, and occupied it till about nightfall.  The Cavalry Brigade had reached the Palace about two hours before this, and were there waiting for us to join them; on their way they saw a body of the enemy’s cavalry, but were unable to come with them.  The French General de Montauban offered to show Pattle and his officers over the Summer Palace, and they were astonished to see how thoroughly the French had looted the place."

The hostages whom the Chinese had seized around Chang-Kia-Wan had been abominably treated.  Now that the Allies were before Peking, the Chinese began to release some of the survivors, who reported their treatment.  Private Phipps of the KDG, one of the escort, had been seized, and on arrival in Peking he was paraded through the streets and then taken to the Summer Palace.  He was thrown onto his face, and his hands and feet were tied together behind him; the ropes were pulled as tight as possible, and then soaked in water to make them shrink further.  He and the others were placed in a kneeling position and kicked over onto their backs.  If they tried to move they were beaten and forced back so that all their weight rested on their bound hands, which, with the circulation cut off, soon became swollen and black.  They were then carried into a courtyard, with a Chinese soldier allotted to each prisoner, where they were left exposed to the sun and rain for three days and nights without any food or water.  If they moved they were kicked and beaten.  When they pleaded for food dirt was forced into their mouths and they were kicked about the head.  At the end of the third day, a little food was handed out, and irons were placed on their hands and feet.

On the afternoon of the fourth day, the prisoners were split into four parties, Pte Phipps being taken in a cart with Bowlby, the times correspondent, a French officer and four Sikhs.  Phipps spoke a little Hindustani, but the Sikhs spoke no English; however, two of the Sikh sowars survived and testified:

"Another cart with us containing Daffadar Mahomed Bux, a French officer, very tall and stout, with a brown beard, and a Dragoon named Phipps.  We were taken into the fort, and for 3 days were out in the open and cold.  They then pulled us into an old kitchen and kept us there for three or four days.  Mr. Bowlby died the second day after we arrived.  The next day the Frenchman died.  Two days after Jawalla Singh died.  Four days afterward Phipps, King’s Dragoon Guards, died; for 10 days he encouraged us in every way he could."

On the 14^th October a cart brought the coffins of the dead prisoners.  They were found to be in such a fearful state of decomposition that not a feature was recognizable, and it was only by the tattered garments that the doctors that the doctors made them out to be the remains of 11 dead prisoners, including Pte Phipps.  Wolseley commented:

"Up to the day of his death, he (Phipps) never lost heart, and always endeavored to cheer up those around him when any complained or bemoaned their cruel fate.  Even to the last moments of consciousness he tried to encourage them with words of hope and comfort.  All honour to his memory: he was brave when hundreds of brave men would have lost heart.  Nothing except the highest order of courage, both mental and bodily, will sustain a man through the miseries of such barbarous imprisonment and cruel torture as that which Private Phipps underwent patiently, his resolute spirit living with him up to the very last moments of his existence."

Grant and Lord Elgin determined to bury the prisoners with full military honours and to burn the Summer Palace as a punishment for the prisoner’s treatment.  On the 18 October the KDG marched to the Summer Palace, where separate buildings were allotted to parties for destruction.  Sidney Herbert informed Queen Victoria:  The Peace Treaty would never have been obtained had the Summer Palace not been burned, but its destruction greatly alarmed them, and gave additional force to the threat to destroy the Palaces at Peking.  Grant decided to evacuate Peking, and get his troops back to Hong Kong before the Chinese winter set in.  The KDG left for Tiensin on 7 November, where they embarked their dismounted men in the steamer Atlanta.  The China Medal was issued to all who had taken part, with two bars inscribed ‘Taku Forts and Peking’, and the regiment was allowed to bear both engagements as battle honours on its standard.  Brigadier Pattle and Colonel Sayer were awarded the C B for their services.      

 

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