Battle of Canton (1857) 1857
Recorded location from Wikidata; battle sites are often approximate.
Key facts
| Date | 28 December 1857 – 31 December 1857 | Wikidata |
|---|---|---|
| Year | 1857 | Wikidata P580 (start time) |
| Era | 19th century (1800–1913) | derived from year |
| Location | China | Natural Earth (modern borders) |
| Continent | Asia | Natural Earth |
| War / conflict | Second Opium War | Wikidata P361 |
| Participants | United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland | Wikidata P710 |
| Coordinates | 23.1265, 113.2580 | Wikidata P625 |
About the battle
The Battle of Canton (Chinese: 廣州城戰役) was fought by British and French forces against Qing China on 28–31 December 1857 during the Second Opium War. The British High Commissioner, Lord Elgin, was keen to take the city of Canton (Guangzhou) as a demonstration of power and to capture Chinese official Ye Mingchen, who had resisted British attempts to implement the 1842 Treaty of Nanking. Elgin ordered an Anglo-French force to take the town and an assault began on 28 December. Allied forces took control of the city walls on 29 December but delayed entry into the city itself until 5 January. They subsequently captured Ye and some reports state they burnt down much of the town. The ease with which the allies won the battle was one of the reasons for the signing of the Treaty of Tientsin in 1858.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Battle of Canton (1857) (revision 1370436104), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; formatting and citations removed. No text added.
Nearby battles
- Second Battle of Guangzhou 1929 · 1 km
- Battle of Canton (1856) 1856 · 2 km
- Battle of Canton (March 1841) 1841 · 2 km
- Battle of Canton (May 1841) 1841 · 2 km
- Capture of the French Folly Fort 1856 · 3 km
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Other battles of the Second Opium War
- Battle of Canton (1856) 1856
- Battle of the Barrier Forts 1856
- Battle of the Bogue (1856) 1856
- Capture of the French Folly Fort 1856
- Battle of Escape Creek 1857
- Battle of Fatshan Creek 1857
- Battle of Macao Fort 1857
- Battle of Taku Forts (1858) 1858
- Battle of Palikao 1860
- Battle of Taku Forts (1860) 1860
All 11 battles of the Second Opium War →
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