1856. December - April. 1857. Persian War in which a few Naval officers were employed.

1857. January. Unsuccessful attack by Chinese on Macao Fort.

1857. January. Squadron repulsed junks in Macao Channel.

1857. January the numbers were 15,500.

1857. Wednesday 6th May. Good Conduct Badges - By Order-in-Council the grant of Good Conduct Badges, which had been given to Seamen and Marines on Monday 15th January 1849, was extended to Sergeants. The Army had granted them on Saturday 8th July 1848. Promotion - Again the subject of retirement and promotion was dealt with by Order-in-Council Saturday 13th November 1858. This did not much alter the 1854 order but laid down that General Officers; Commandants and Staff were not to hold their appointments for more than five years, and that Commandants were to be retired at 60 years of age.
The growth of the RM Artillery had led to the creation of an additional 2nd Commandant to superintend the Artillery duties (Order-in-Council Monday 2nd February 1857) and also an additional QMS.(Sic)  (H. E. Blumberg.  Devonport January 1934.)

Calcutta - The detachment under Colonel Lemon RMLI of two Captains (S Little and T V Cooke), six Subalterns (Cobb, Inglis, A D Smith, Sparshott and two others), 22 Sergeants, 5 Drummers, 273 Corporals and Privates, with Colour-Sergeant Prettyjohns, VC as Sergeant-Major, which left England on Thursday 12th March for special service in China, were diverted to Calcutta, where they landed on 1st September, but were retained as garrison at Calcutta in Fort William and did not proceed up country.

On Friday 16th October they were reinforced by Captain Foote and 66 Royal Marines from HMS Sans Pareil, who however re-embarked on Friday 30th October and Colonel Lemon's detachment left Calcutta for China on 4th $September in the troopship Assistance. Their presence had released troops urgently required for service up country.

HMS Shannon and Pearl had also been sent from England to reinforce the China Squadron, but on arrival at Hong Kong, after disembarking their supernumerary RMA (1 officer and 25 other ranks) they were sent back to render assistance; they arrived in the Hooghly on Thursday 6th August and landed their Brigades, whose names have passed into history.

HMS Shannon's Brigade under Captain Sir William Peel included Captain T C Gray and Lieutenant William Stirling RMLI with 17 RMA and about 45 RMLI and was about 450 strong all told, with heavy guns and rocket tubes.

Further - They left Calcutta for Allahabad in the river steamer Chunar on Tuesday 18th August, with a flat in tow carrying six 88 pdrs, two 24 pdr howitzers and two field pieces. They arrived at Allahabad on Wednesday 2nd September and were joined on the 20th by a second detachment from HMS Shannon under Lieutenant Vaughan, making them all told 570.

The troops were concentrating at Cawnpore and were being pushed up in detachments. A detachment of the Naval Brigade, 104 Officers and Men, escorting the siege train, left Allahabad on Sunday 25th October, the second detachment under Captain Peel followed on Wednesday 28th with a wing of 53rd Regiment, a detachment of RE and various regiments under Colonel Powell CB. This detachment reached Fathpur - about half way – at midnight on the 31st, where information was received that about 4000 mutineers were occupying a strong position at Kajwa, 24 miles North-West of Fathpur. Colonel Powell decided to attack, and at 5 am on lst November set out with a detachment of about 530 men, including 103 Officers and Men of the Naval Brigade under Captain Peel, with two 9 pdr guns. At 3 pm on Monday 2nd November the enemy were sighted in position. Colonel Powell attacked at once, the 53rd in front, the Naval Brigade forcing back the enemy's left so that he was forced to face to left. Powell was killed, and the command devolved on Peel.

Peel gave them no time to rally and posting a strong force to secure his new position, he carried his troops round the upper end of the embankment and cut them in two, drove them from this position and captured their camp and two guns. Pursuit was impossible as there was no cavalry, and the infantry had 40.

Thursday 12th November - on the Alumbagh, which was held by a force of 950 men left by General Sir Henry Havelock in the first relief. After a short opposition it was relieved, and the force halted next day. On Saturday 14th they moved to Dilkusha Park and the enemy after some resistance was driven out over the crest to the Martiniere and retired across the canal to the city. The GOC was making arrangements to secure the ground won, when the enemy delivered a counterattack, which was soon defeated; but as the troops were settling down into bivouac, the mutineers at 5 pm made a fresh attack, which the British - who were now lining the Canal – repulsed. The Naval Brigade during the fight was posted on some high ground to the left of the bridge between the Martiniere plain and the Hazratgani main street and brought a heavy fire to bear on the enemy who were massed in this angle of the Canal and crushed them out.

On the 15th arrangement were made for the main advance to the Residency. The baggage was stored in Dilkusha Palace under cover of a strong rearguard. On 16th the advance was continued, the first point of attack being the Sikanderabagh. It is not possible here to describe all the operations, but only to indicate the part taken by the Naval Brigade and the Royal Marines. The Sikanderabagh and the Barracks were carried with great gallantry, but the troops now found themselves held up by the Shah Najif, which was a largs mosque situated in a garden, enclosed by a high loopholed wall, nearly square and very strong; also, between it and the plain was a fringe of jungle and enclosures. The afternoon was going on, and the GOC considered it essential to secure this point.

General Adrian Hope with his Brigade was at hand, "Captain Peel brought up his 24 pdrs, mortars and rocket frames and placed them in battery against the Shah Najif in an oblique line, with their left resting on the village. The musketry fire of the enemy was very severe and interfered seriously with the fire of the guns; Major Barnston's Provisional Battalion tried to clear the fringe of jungle and enclosures but was unsuccessful, and after three hours' battering the Shah Najif was still unsubdued. The narrow lane leading up from the rear was crowded and confusion reigned; some of the houses were alight; reinforcements and ammunition had the greatest difficulty in getting forward. At 4 pm the enemy brought up a heavy gun to bear from the opposite bank of the river, and the first shot blew up one of the Naval ammunition waggons, and their musketry caused Captain Peel to withdraw his men from one gun. The position was critical, retreat was impossible, and it was necessary for the infantry to do with the bayonet what the artillery had failed to do."

43 The GOC addressed the 93rd in this sense; Middleton's Battery RA passed Peel's guns on the right, got as close as possible, and opened with grape shot; Peel redoubled his fire44; the 93rd formed in open column on the plain and rushed on, Sir Colin leading them himself; but there was no breach or scaling ladders, so they halted and commenced a musketry fire. Two of the Naval guns were brought up to within a few yards of the wall and shot as fast as they could but could make no impression. The rocket frames were brought up and threw in a fire which, just skimming the top of the wall, plunged into the interior of the building and searched it out. Under cover of this the guns were drawn off.

Meanwhile Sergeant Paton of the 93rd had discovered a hole in the wall and General Adrian Hope with some of the 93rd got through about 50 yards on the right and officers and men were pushed through; the sappers enlarged the hole and supports rushed in and, gaining the gate, threw it open. The enemy appear to have been panic-stricken by the rockets, as they gave up the struggle just as victory seemed certain for them. The troops bivouacked on the ground won. On the next day the attack was made on the Mess House, which was carried under cover of the fire of the Naval guns from early morning till 3 pm.

The Mess House was actually carried by Captain Wolseley, who also continued his pursuit and carried the Moti Mahal as well. Though the intervening space was exposed to fire from the Kaisar Bagh, Generals Sir Colin Campbell and Sir James Outram met, and the relief was effected. The main point was how to withdraw the garrison with the women, children, sick and wounded, etc. It is impossible here to describe all the movements necessary, but on the 20th the Artillery and Naval guns commenced a heavy fire on the Kaisar Bagh, which they maintained all that day, also on the 21st and 22nd, and by evening of the latter day the breaches in the wall invited assault, but this was not intended, as the bombardment was to cover the withdrawal. The women and children safely reached the Dilkusha Park and during night of 22nd/23rd all the troops were withdrawn to the same place. On the evening of the 24th the convoy had reached the Alumbagh, and Outram - who had been forming the rearguard - re-joined on the 25th. 43. Malleson 44 From reminiscences of an old Marine in the Globe and Laurel, 1904. We know the RM were there.

41 Cawnpore - On the 27th a garrison having been left in the Alumbagh, Sir Colin arrived at the Banni Bridge to find that the garrison at Cawnpore were engaged in a desperate fight with the mutineers and the Gwalior Contingent. At Cawnpore there were 9 guns worked by a detachment of the Naval Brigade. On 26th November General Windham fought a very serious action, in which two 24 pdrs and two 24 pdr howitzers of the Naval Brigade were engaged; two of the pieces were for a time in the hands of the enemy but were recovered by the 34th Madras Native Infantry. Windham was only saved from disaster by the arrival of Sir Colin on the evening of the 28th.

During the night of the 27th/28th, the convoys and troops were arriving from Lucknow. The Naval Brigade with the heavy guns, after a 30-mile march, only reached the ground an hour before sunrise. The mutineers had brought down their heavy guns to try and break the bridge of boats. The Naval Brigade was only allowed one hour for rest and food and were then sent to a point above the bridge where they could fire on the enemy's guns. The guns from Cawnpore entrenchment were also turned on the same point. For some time, the artillery duel seemed equal, but gradually the British guns asserted their superiority and the Cavalry and Horse Artillery with Adrian Hope's Brigade were sent across, and by evening of the 30th the convoy was safely across on the Cawnpore side, though the rebels were still holding the town.

On 3rd December the convoy of women-and children with the wounded was dispatched to Allahabad. Allowing time for the convoy to get away, Sir Colin Canpbell determined to fight on 0th December The Naval Brigade took part in this battle, which is outside the scope of this History. It resulted in a great victory and dispersed tow enemy's troops and the dangerous 3walior Contingent. Captain Gray, RM , appeared to have been wounded in this battle. On 31st December the mutineers sent down a party to destroy the suspension bridge over the Kali Nuddi at Fathgarh (Futtegurh), but a party of Adrian Hope's Brigade with two 21 pdrs and one 8-inch howitzer of the Naval Brigade under Lieutenant Vaughan was sent on and saved the bridge and repaired it. They were soon after counterattacked by the rebels, but the main body was coming up, and a very severe defeat was inflicted on the rebels.

The next operation in which the Shannon's Brigade was engaged was the capture of Lucknow. The two 24 pdrs and two 6-inch howitzers of the Naval Brigade accompanied the force; the operations are outside the scope of this history, but it must be mentioned that in reconnoitring for a position for his guns in order to breach the Martiniere on 9th March 1858, Sir William Peel was severely wounded. Lucknow was in British hands by 19th March and on 1st April the Naval Brigade started for Cawnpore and Calcutta; on 2nd March Captain Peel had been created KCB and ADC to the Queen, but on 27th April at Cawnpore he succumbed to an attack of smallpox and died there.

In the London Gazette of 5th January 1853, Captain Gray and Lieut Stirling RM are mentioned in despatches, and Capt Gray is also mentioned in the London Gazette of 16th January 1858 as wounded and in the Gazette of 25 May 1858 he is mentioned as "deemed deserving of honourable mention" for service at Lucknow. A telegram from HMS Pylades dated Calcutta 7th September 1858 says; NCOs of Shannon's Brigade served during the whole of that Brigade's campaign in Provinces; Commander J W Vaughan RN and Lieutenant Stirling RM bear the highest testimony to their zeal and gallantry in the execution of their duties." 45 Chatham Division Sergeant Leo Hinder and Artillery Company Sergeant George. Young of HMS Shannon were mentioned in dispatches. Gorakhpur - We must now turn to the proceedings of the Pearl's Brigade. This Brigade of 125 men under Captain Sotheby, which included Lieutenant F G Pym RMLI with 5 RMA and about 25 RMLI, were attached to a column under Colonel Rowcroft, which had been organised to clear the rebels out of the districts of Benares and the East of Oudh.

The Column also consisted of 50 Bengal Police and 359 Nepalese troops with four 12 pdr howitzers. It was to move to Tirhut along the Gandah towards Gorakhpur. Leaving their camp at Mirwa, they attacked a force of 1,200 sepoys and 4,000 armed irregulars at Sohunpore on 26th December 1857. The enemy were occupying a strong position at a village, covered in front by a tank with high trees and on the right by a tope of trees. Colonel Rowcroft halted at a distance of half a mile and rode forward to reconnoitre; he decided to turn the enemy's left, which was done with great success. Captain Sotheby managed the Artillery.

"The Minie Rifles of the Royal Marines directed by Lieutenant Pym produced a striking effect." 46 The attack commenced at 11 am and by 1.30 pm the enemy was beaten back, pursued, and driven across the Gandah. "Rowcroft followed up his victory the 45 RMO Papers. 46 Malleson. 42 next day by crossing the river and destroying the houses of the leading rebels." 47 The Nepal Army in the meantime had turned the rebels out of Gorakhpur on 6th January 1858. On 17th February, Captain Sotheby, with a force of 130 Seamen and Marines and with 50 Nepalese and 35 Sikhs, when escorting the boats up the River Gagra assisted by the river steamer Jamna, attacked and captured the Fort of Ghandepur.

Phoolpore - On 19th February the Nepal Army reached Barari and that evening Rowcroft'a force arrived within four miles and landed on the right bank. On the morning of the 20th he was joined by a Nepal Brigade and six guns; the boats were brought up, so that the Nepalese could cross at Phoolpore, but as that place was in enemy hands, Rowcroft marched on, capturing it and dispersing the rebels; he also captured three guns. Lieutenant Pym and Sergeant F Butler were mentioned in dispatches for this action. General Rowcroft with the Pearl's Brigade, Yeomanry, and two Nepalese regiments garrisoned Gorakhpur, whilst the Nepalese continued the operations.

Amorah - Soon after Colonel Rowcroft, with Captain Sotheby, advanced on Amorah, 68 miles to the West of Gorakhpur, and on 4th March took up a position close to the enemy's entrenched camp at Belwa, which was occupied by a large force of rebels. On 5th March the rebels to the number of 14,000 advanced to attack the British camp which was distant about 7 miles. They were resolutely met. The Naval Brigade distinguished itself, and the enemy were driven off, followed by Yeomanry, and retired to their entrenched camp at Belwa. This was known as the Battle of Amorah, and besides Lieutenant Pym, Sergeant Argent (Portsmouth), and Sergeant F. Butler (Woolwich) were mentioned in dispatches. (London Gazette, 2 May and 4 August 1858).

Rowcroft was not strong enough to attack Belwa, but on 17th at the village of Thanrowlee, and on 25th at Puchewas, he again met and defeated them in the plain between the positions. On 28th April Rowcroft captured the Fort at Nugger; Acting Bombardier W Bates (Portsmouth) was mentioned in dispatches. The Brigade remained in the neighbourhood of Amorat; there was an engagement at Ranee's Cote on 9th June and another at Hurreah on 18th June. The Pearl's Brigade was engaged again in September 1858 in the relief of Bhansi; after which they were withdrawn.

But meanwhile large numbers of the Corps were being actively engaged in yet another theatre of war, namely China, where we meet again many of the places made familiar by the war of 1840-3. China War.  In 1858 there was a renewal of the trouble with China; non-observance of the treaty arrangements, interference with merchants, and general difficulties with the Chinese head officials culminated in the seizure of the crew of the British vessel Arrow, for which no redress could be obtained. The C-in-C on the China Station therefore determined to take action against Commissioner Yeh at Canton and the following details are taken from Sir M. Seymour's despatch of 14 November 1856.50 The Admiral moved HMS Calcutta (80 guns), his Flagship, above the Bogue Forts.

Canton - On 23rd October 1856, the force employed consisted of HMS Coromandel, Samneon, Barracouta, small steamers and gunboats with the RM detachments and the boats' crews of the Calcutta., Winchester, and Bittern, and the boats' crews of the Sybille and Encounter (the RM detachments of these ships were protecting the English factory at Canton). The Sampson and part of the force were sent up the Macao Passage to capture Blenheim Fort; the Admiral with the Coromandel and Barracouta went up to the Barrier Forts, below the City, where they anchored, and sent on the boats to capture the Forts; who, having effected their object and having destroyed the guns and ammunition and burnt the buildings, proceeded on to Canton at 2 pm. The Barracouta having joined the Sampson, they occupied Blenheim and Macao Forts armed with 86 guns; 250 Marines were placed in Macao Fort, which they 47 Malleson 48 A full account of the Relief of Bhansi is given by Sergeant Sutler in Britain's Sea Soldiers, Volume II. 49 Authorities: Life of General Hope Grant; Per Mare Per Terram. (:Major Poyntz); Life of Sir H Keppe1;War in China. (Times Correspondent); RMO Records. 50 London Gazette, 8 January 1857. 43 held till the expedition of the following year. The reply of the Chinese was unsatisfactory, so on the 24th the Admiral landed a portion of the Royal Marines to aid the Sybille's and Encounter's Marines in protecting the factory on the West side of the town. Bird's Nest Fort on Honan Island and the Shameen Forts on the West of Canton were occupied without opposition and the guns destroyed.

As still no satisfaction could be obtained from the Chinese the remainder of the Royal Marines and a body of Seamen with field guns were landed near the factory; posts and field guns were established at all available points, and boats kept watch against fire rafts. The work was in charge of Captain W K Hall CB , the Flag Captain. The Royal Marines were under Captain P Penrose (Winchester) "who showed great ability and promptitude". On 25th the Dutch Folly Fort in the river opposite the centre of the town was occupied by the seamen of the Calcutta. At 12.30 pm the Chinese made an attack on the factory; after being warned by the Consul, they were driven back by the Royal Marines under Captain Penrose.

On 27th October, demands for satisfaction were renewed; also for proper treatment of British officials and reception as at other Treaty Ports. As there was no reply, fire was opened by the Encounter with her 10-inch gun, which shelled the Yamun; Gough's Fort on the heights behind the town was shelled by the Barracouta. Eighteen Royal Artillerymen under Captain Rotton joined up and were sent to man the Dutch Folly Fort. On the 28th and 29th fire was kept up by the Dutch Folly Fort with some 32 pdrs from the ships and a breach was made in the City Wall. The landing party landed at 2 pm, the Seamen under Captain Stewart, and the Royal Marines under Captains Penrose and Hoyle. They seized the parapet and diverging left and right, within ten minutes they were in possession of the defences between the two gates. "Captain Penrose on gaining the wall hastened to the gate on the right on which he planted a small flag to show the position to Captain Hall, who then landed the boats' crews of Calcutta and Barracoota and having pushed his way through the streets to the City Gate effected an entrance; the gate was blown to pieces and part of the arch destroyed. There was only scattered desultory fire from the Chinese. Three Privates RM were killed, 11 Seamen and Marines were wounded.51 The Admiral landed and went over to the quarters of the Chinese Comnssioner, and the troops were withdrawn, re-embarking quietly and in good order. At 5 pm a fire broke out in the suburb; the breach was filled up again by the Chinese during the night but was blown down again on 30th and also on 1st November after further repairs.

The Chinese still continued refractory, sending inferior officers to treat and refusing to accede to the British demands. Therefore at 11 am on 3rd November slow fire was opened from the Encounter, Sampson and Dutch Folly Fort, which was continued on the 4th and 5th. On the 5th, the Chinese projected an attack on the factory and ships: as there were 26 war junks anchored off French Folly Fort, Commodore Elliot in the Barracouta, with the Coromandel and a detachment of Royal Marines and ships' boats was sent to disperse them and capture the Fort. At daylight on 6th he proceeded, towing the boats, and engaged the junks, who replied fiercely with 150 guns. After 35 minutes the Barracouta and the boats drove the Chinese out of the junks and turned on the Fort. The guns and ammunition were destroyed; only two junks escaped, one of which was the Admiral's ship. The other were burnt. On 11th November the Bogue Forte were destroyed. The Sampson and Niger were sent to protect the factory; the remainder of the Squadron went down river and attacked the two forts on the Wangtong Islands, which were taken possession of by the boats and the Royal Marines after considerable resistance, 201 guns being captured.

On 13th the Forts on Anunghoy, on the opposite side, were similarly taken without any casualties, and the command of the river was in British hands.

In the London Gazette of 6th January 1857, Captains Penrose and Boyle, with Lieutenants R P Henry, H Smale (wounded), C F Burton, W W Allnutt and Private Lye were mentioned in dispatches. Captains Penrose and Boyle were again mentioned in the London Gazette of 30 January 1857.

On 14th December 1856, the Chinese burnt the British factories at Canton, but the Admiral put the Church and Clubhouse in a state of defence with two Companies of the 59th Regiment, and the RM detachment of the Calcutta (Captain Boyle); the RM detachment of the Sybille garrisoned Dutch Folly Fort, and that of the Nankin 51 Times Correspondent: War in China. 44 Macao Fort. Reprisals continued, parts of the city being burnt, but hostilities ceased for a time.

Escape Creek - On 25th, 26th, and 27th of May 1857, an attack was made on 41 junks lying in Escape Creek, by Commodore Elliot with the Hong Kong and some gunboats; the junks were armed with 24 or 32 pounder guns in the bows and four to six 9 pdrs. There was a brisk action, after which the Chinese crews fled; five junks were brought off, the remainder being destroyed. The Royal Marines were. landed to clear the village and had 9 men wounded. Fatshan Creek - On lst June a large expedition under the Admiral himself destroyed 75 war junks in Fatshan Creek. The Coromandel, flying the flag of Sir M Seymour, towed up the boats with 300 Marines and arrived at Macao Fort on 30th May. Here she joined the gunboats which had been on watch. In Fatshan Creek two miles from the entrance, is Hyacinth Island; there is a steep hill on the left bank opposite the island, crowned by a fort with 19 guns.

Higher up two small creeks go off right and left. Along the creeks and across the Channel above the island were moored 72 junks, their bow guns commanding the two channels. There was also a six-gun battery on the shore opposite to the Fort. The Coromandel went first, towing the Marines under Captain Boyle RM in boats; she was to cover their landing. The gun-boats and boats were to follow her, but to wait till she was well up. At 3 am lst June they started; the Chinese opened fire at dawn from the junks and the Forts. Going up the left hand channel the Coromandel ran aground, on a line of sunken junks, under heavy fire. The boats were cast off and rowed under the land; Captain Keppel coming up in the Hong Kong stood-in between the Coromandel and the bank; the Haughty, towing the boats of the Fury, Inflexible and Cruiser, with other gunboats, came up. Sergeant Christian, RMA was killed here. The Opossum went up the right hand channel. Several gun-boats went ashore, but the boat. continued up the creek. As the tide was rising the Coromandel and gunboats floated off again and the scene was like a regatta52. The Chinese fire now slackened.

The Royal Marines and the boats’ crews had by this time landed and advanced up the precipitous side of the hill on which the fort was situated, where the Chinese had not expected them; the latter threw down 32 pdr shot as they could not depress the guns sufficiently. Led by Commodore Elliot and Captain Boyle, who ran a race up to the embrasures, the fort was captured; Boyle missed a mandarin, but Elliot shot him. The Admiral also climbed the hill. The Chinese resisted bravely and continued firing their guns until the attacking party were within 50 yards. The British turned the forts' guns on the junks, who replied. The Seamen then returned to their boats, followed Captain Keppel in the Haugty and made their way above the island. The Royal Marines descended on the far side of the hill, and wading into the water up to their waists, joined in the attack on the junks.

The gunboats and boats placed themselves alongside the junks, whose crews made off across the paddy fields; the junks were then blown up or set on fire. Commodore Keppel in his galley with some boats' crews, charged among the junks and forced his way about 6 miles up the creek, almost to the town of Fatshan, where the Chinese turned out and stopped him; he then returned with his captures. The British loss was 13 killed and 40 wounded, of which the RM had 3 killed and 6 wounded. In the London Gazette of lst August 1857 the following were mentioned in despatches; Captains R Boyle and T Magin; Lieutenants G L Blake, R P Henry, C W Burton, E Swale, A I Ozzard, A H F Barnes and A H Pascoe; 2nd Lieutenants W Allnutt, E T Cooper and C L Owen. In the meantime, the Government had decided on making the Chinese observe the treaties; reinforcements were being sent from England; Lord Elgin was sent out as a Plenipotentiary to arrange matters. HMS Shannon, Pearl and Sans Pareil were sent from England.

Royal Marine Battalions - Lieutenant Colonel Lemon with Captains Little and Cooke, and Lieutenants Inglis, J Cobb, A L Smith and E A Sparshott and 300 NCOs and Men, were sent from Plymouth for special service on 12th March. But the Indian Mutiny had broken out and they were diverted to Calcutta (q.v.) as were the troops under orders for China and did not reach the squadron off Honan Island till 10th December, where they formed the nucleus of the Provisional Battalion Royal Marines, which was completed by the detachments of the Fleet. It is interesting to note that Colour-Sergeant Prettyjohns VC was Sergeant-Major of the detachment. HMS Shannon, Pearl and Sans Pareil were also sent to India, where we have already seen their doings. A Brigade of Marines was also ordered to be sent from England.

The Admiralty Letter to the C-in-C in China, dated 8th August 1857, said: "In consequence of the troops originally destined for China having been unavoidably diverted for service in India, Their Lordships have determined to strengthen the forces employed 52 Cooke 45 under your orders by the addition of 1,400 RMLI and 100 RMA as stated in detail in margin. They will leave England in less than 10 days from this date.53 They are to be borne on the books of the Flagship as Royal Marines serving in the Fleet, but as far as practicable the Battalions are to be kept distinct for special service. "Captain J. C. Travers, now serving in China, shall act as Brigade Major, and is to be borne specially for that service."

Colonel Holloway was appointed to command, and the detail was: Lt Col Capt. Subs Sgts Cpls. Drs Ptes & Gnrs Artillery Coy - 1 4 5 8 2 80 1st Bn Chatham & Woolwich 1 8 18 34 32 8 600 2nd Bn Portsmouth & Plymouth 1 8 18 34 32 8 600 The Officers were: Lieutenant Colonel Holloway. Brigade Major - Major J O Travers ADC - Lieutenant C J Ellis Artillery: Brevet Major G A Schomberg. Lieutenants C Williams, Footing, Crease, and Crawford. lst Battalion: Lieutenant Colonel A S S Walsh Captains P M Croker, Gritten, Morrison, Masters, E L Pym, S J Tribe, E P Usher, R Parke. Lieutenants H L Evans, J F Hawkey, C F Coppin, E Willis, R J H Douglas, W Portlock-Dadson, C F Short, G O Evans. 2nd Lieutenants H Wolrige, H J Barker, J S Straghan, L Rokeby, A Fonblanque, M Heriot, S T Collins, E P Thomson. Adjutant - Lieutenant J C Travers. Quartermaster - Lieutenant Carrington. Sergeant-Major - J B Woon. 2nd Battalion: Lieutenant Colonel E Hooker. Captains Kinsman, Ward, Jackson, Driver, Fox, Budd, Spratt, J B Prynne. Lieutenants J de C Meade, W Connor, W H Wroot, W G Hale, E Bazalgette, C J W Napier, J D Broughton, F Parry. 2nd Lieutenants W H Smith, J A Godfrey, W Armstrong, J W O'Grady, J W Scott, W H Poyntz, C E Servante, C E W Oliver. Adjutant - Lieutenant J H Maskerry. Quartermaster - Lieutenant Gill. There were three medical officers with each Battalion, the senior being Dr Little. The Artillery, Staff, and Woolwich Companies embarked in the transport Adelaide at Deptford on 15th August 1857 and arrived at Hong Kong on 30th November 1857.

The Chatham and two Portsmouth Companies embarked in the P&O Imperatrix which sailed from Portsmouth on 12th August and arrived at Hong Kong on 5th November. Two Portsmouth Companies and the Plymouth Companies left Plymouth in the P&O Imperader on 13th August, and after a record passage arrived in 80 days at Hong Kong on 28th October. They were at once sent on to Canton and landed their Marines at the Wang-tong Islands below the City. The French contingent was also arriving, as well as the British gunboats.

On 18th November HMS Calcutta (flagship) left Hong Kong for Canton and anchored off Tiger Island where the Adelaide arrived on lst December. On 4th December the Assistance arrived with Colonel Lemon's Battalion from Calcutta. 53 As a matter of fact they left within three days. 46 The Admiral, Sir M Seymour, issued an order against looting, and took the opportunity of thanking the officers and men of the Fleet for their services during the past year. The force now available for the operations against Canton consisted of: Army: RA and RE, 59th Regiment, Madras Native Infantry 800 Royal Marines 2200 Naval Brigade 1500 French Troops and Sailors 900 5700 Major General Van Straubenzee was in command, with Majors Clifford and Crealock as his Staff Officers. Honan Island -

On 15th December 2nd RMLI and 150 French Sailors were landed on the back of Honan Island, an island facing Canton; it is about 11 miles wide and 4 to 5 miles long. They were followed by the lst RMLI and occupied the big warehouses on the shore. Colonel Holloway was in command. In his Report Colonel Holloway mentions the excellent work of Lieutenant Crease RMA, who, with only the artificers of the Brigade, constructed a fine magazine for the safe storage of their large amount of ammunition. Lord Elgin's demands were that Canton should be opened as the other Treaty Forts to commerce; compensation for the damage to British merchants to be paid (the factories had been burnt), and the occupation of Honan to 47 Sybille, Sanspareil, Esk, Highflier, to a strength of about 800 Officers and Men. Lieutenant C W Burton (Calcutta) was appointed Adjutant. The Artillery were under the orders of Colonel Dunlop RA Captain Morrison, lst RMLI, was appointed Provost Marshal. GENERAL ORDER Before Canton 26th December The Naval and Military Commanders-in-Chief of the Allied Forces before Canton have agreed to the following operations against the City. First bombardment to commence at daylight on Monday 23th December. The ships and vessels named in the note under Letter A (viz. Actaeon, Phlegethon, and Gunboats) on signal being given will open fire on South-West angle of the City walls, with a view to breach them and impede the communication of the Chinese troops along the parapets to the Eastward. Ships and vessels in note under Letter B (viz. Mitraille, Fusee, Cruiser, Hornet, Niger, Blanche) and the Dutch Folly Fort with a similar object will breach the City walls opposite the Viceroy's residence; the mortar in Dutch Folly Fort shelling the City and Gough Heights. Ships and vessels in note under Letter C (viz. Nimrod, Surprise, Dragon, Marcia and gunboats), between Dutch Folly Fort and French Folly will open fire on South-East angle of the New and Old City walls and walls forming East side of City. To commence simultaneously when White Ensign is hoisted at fore of Actaeon, and yellow flag from Phlegethon, Hornet and Avalanche will repeat these signals. Bombardment to be in very slow time and continued day and night, not to exceed per each gun 60 rounds during the first 24 hours; C ships to fire 100. Immediately bombardment opens, landing of Allied Troops will take place at the creek in Kupur, where British and French flags will be planted, in following order, commencing at daylight: 1. Sappers and Miners, 59th Regiment, RA Stores and Ammunition, etc. 2. French Naval Brigade, Stores, etc. 3. Naval Brigade under orders of Hon. C. Elliot. 4. Naval Brigade from Canton. 5. Colonel Holloway's Brigade of Royal Marines. etc., etc. . Following will be dispositions after landing: British Naval Brigade on left. Centre Brigade: Lieutenant Colonel Lemon's Provisional Bn RM. 59th Regiment. RA Sappers. French Naval Brigade on left. Colonel Holloway’s Brigade with RMA in reserve. After getting into position, Allied Force will remain in Line of Contiguous Columns of Brigade until further orders for advance, which will be made to a position for the night preparatory to active service in-the morning. M Seymour, Rear-Admiral. Regnault de Guouilly, Rear-Admiral. C V Van Straubenzee, Major General. 48 In the Dutch. Folly Forts platforms had been built for two 13-inch mortars and two 10-inch SS mortars and two 24 pdr rocket tubes. These were under Major Schomberg RMA and played on Magazine Hill, the City Heights and Gough's Fort. The slow bombardment began at daylight and continued all day; the gunboats embarked the troops and went down to Kupur, and the General made a close reconnaissance of Lin Fort whilst the troops were disembarking. The covering force of the 59th was posted to protect the RE and Volunteer Sappers and working parties, whilst constructing piers etc. to land the, guns, and making a road across the marshy paddy fields to the hard ground about 400 yards inland. The tide prevented the disembarkation till 9 am on 28th, but all were landed before nightfall. At 10 am the French force, having landed, moved forward to some rising ground where fire was opened on them, and part of the 59th advanced to the right of the French. The French drove the Chinese from the undulating ground, covered with Chinese graves in front, but it was difficult to cross the paddy fields in front. The French howitzers opened on Fort Lin, and the 59th moved to the Joss House within 300 yards, covered by the fire of the British howitzers. The troops pushed on and kept up a heavy fire on the embrasures until the 9 pdr field guns got into action. The Fort was partially surrounded, the storming parties carried the Fort and the Chinese fled up the hill to Gough's Fort, which our heavy guns could not reach. The British and French flags were hoisted on Fort Lin, where the troops bivouacked for the night. Fires broke out in various parts of the town during the night. On the next morning troops were formed up for the assault, the French Naval Brigade commanding the direct road to the East Gate, the 59th in rear and under cover of Fort Lin; the Provisional Battalion RMLI to the right on a range of hills fronting NNW; and on its right the Naval Brigade as if to advance towards Fort Gough, North of the City on the heights and the feint succeeded. The 3rd Division of the Naval Brigade was placed in rear and to the right of the Joss House, occupied by the Allied Commanders during the night. One Battalion of Colonel Holloway's Brigade was on the left, the other at the landing place protecting stores and keeping open the communications. The Artillery were in position in front of Fort Lin. The guns opened fire on the East Wall to clear off the Chinese; the assault had been timed for 9 am but the French started at 8.40, followed by the 59th, but fortunately Major Schomberg RMA, in the Dutch Folly Fort was able to stop the guns and the French, 59th Regiment, and the RE escaladed the wall about a mile to the North of the East Gate, and turning northward started clearing the walls. At daylight on the 29th the large Joss House had been occupied by parties of the Naval Brigade, supported by the RM Battalion under "that deserving old Officer" Lieutenant Colonel Lemon. The artillery bombardment was to continue till 9 am to give time to bring up the ladders, but this was effected with more despatch owing to the great exertions of all concerned, particularly of the "RA and RMA, whose energy and zeal were worthy of high commendation", by whom two guns were brought close up the ditch. Captain Bate RN was killed reconnoitring for a place to put the scaling ladders; Captains Blake and Cooke, RMLI brought up their two Companies of Royal Marines with scaling ladders and kept up a heavy fire on the embrasures, Blake's company losing one man killed and six wounded. When they had quelled the fire, the scaling ladders were placed, and the Naval Brigade and Lemon's Battalion escaladed the walls at a broken embrasure, 200 yards South of the North-East Gate; turning North, they swept along the Wall to Magazine Hill on the North side of the town. At this time a Chinese Army, now perceiving "we did not intend to attack Fort Gough, descended the hill, and necessitated my sending some companies of Colonel Lemon's RMLI Battalion to protect our right, and afterward to direct Colonel Walsh's Battalion to extend to their right to prevent advance of the enemy which was judiciously executed by all officers concerned, though I regret to say Colonel Holloway and some men were wounded."54 Colonel Holloway's Brigade had been posted to the North-West of Fort Lin to meet such an eventuality. The Tartars came on in skirmishing order but were driven off by the RN and it was difficult to prevent the Marines from charging the enemy; but they drove the Chinese out of a little village and a small wood, and were pressing forward to complete their defeat, when the General recalled the Brigade; there was much discontent among the RM at this order; the men had thrown off their knapsacks in the fight and when recalled Colonel Holloway and a few had to bring them in. 54 GOC’s Dispatch. 49 By 9 am the greater part of the force was on the Walls, the enemy making slight resistance except at the Gateways. The Naval Brigade and Royal Marines proceeding past the five-storied Pagoda and the Magazine, the enemy rallied at the North Gate; part of the Naval Brigade charged down the hill and the enemy were driven back. At this point he showed a bold front. Brigadier Graham with the 59th and the 38th NI took the East Gate and proceeded round the walls nearly to the South Gate of the City. About 2 pm Gough's Fort - above the town - was assaulted and taken. The British remained on the Walls for the next 3 or 4 days; no tents were available and there was heavy rain for 70 hours, during which Colonel Lemon's Battalion was in the open and consequently there was a good deal of sickness. In the London Gazette of 5th March 1858, the following were mentioned: Colonel Holloway ADC, Lieutenant Colonels Walsh, Hocker, and Lemon, Captain and Brevet Major Boyle, J A Morrison, Parke, Jackson, and Foote, Major J O Travers, Brigade Major, "whom from personal observation I recommend as a valued officer", and Captain Ellis. Brevet Major Schomberg, i/c Mortar Battery in Dutch Folly Fort, and that "indefatigable young officer" Lieutenant Festing, RMA were also mentioned. Gough's and Bluejacket's Forts were blown up, but without effect on the Chinese. After a pause to see if the Chinese would surrender, and as no move was made, on 5th January 1858 operations, were resumed and advancing from Magazine Hill, 250 of the French Naval Brigade entered the Yamen and secured the Tartar General where they were joined by the 2nd RMLI and two howitzers; two Companies of the lst RMLI with two howitzers, under Colonel Holloway, forced their way into the Yamen of the Governor of Kwang Tung and made Pek-wai prisoner. The Provisional Battalion with two guns first marched to the Temple, where the Imperial Commissioner Yeh was supposed to be hiding, but failed to find him, and later joined by 200 of lst RMLI - the whole under Captain Parke - they secured the Treasury and a large quantity of silver. Captain Cooper-Key and 100 of the Naval Brigade secured Yeh later in the day. Escorted by Colonel Hocker and two files of Marines, he was brought before the General and the Admiral; as he was still recalcitrant, he was eventually sent to India. In order to control the City, the Governor Pek-wai was reinstated with a council consisting of Colonel Holloway, Captain Martineau (French), and Mr. Parkes the Consul, who governed the City for the next year. Later a Constabulary was raised, to which the RM contributed 3 officers and about 30 men under Captain E L Pym, RM. The casualties had been; RMA, Colonel Holloway, 1 Sergeant and 2 Gunners wounded; Colonel Lemon's Battalion, 10 wounded; 1st RMLI, Lieutenant Portlock-Dadson severely, and 1 Sergeant and 3 Privates wounded. 1858 - The Royal Marines remained in garrison with two Sepoy Regiments. The 2nd RMLI were quartered in the monastery of Celestial Bliss, and one day a priest, waiting till the senior officers were out on a reconnaissance, presented an order from the General to recover his property, and carried off vast quantities of treasure that had been hidden in the idols, the guards being unable to prevent him. As fighting was still going on in India, the Army Staff Officers wished to re-join their regiments, so Major J O Travers became AQMG of the force vice Colonel the Hon. A Clifford, Captain T V Cooke became DAQMG vice Major Crealock and Captain Carrington DAAG. Captain Ellis became Brigade Major of the RM Brigade, Lieutenant J C Travers ADC to Colonel Holloway and Lieutenant J F Hawkey Adjutant of 1st RMLI. White Cloud Mountain - The garrison duty at Canton was varied by one or two expeditions. On 2nd June 1858 General Van Straubenzee made a reconnaissance of the White Cloud Mountain, where Chinese Forces were reported. He discovered an encampment and sent back for reinforcements; by 7 pm 1,400 men had started. Colonel Holloway with about 600 Marines and 100 of the 59th with 4 guns joined the General; the remainder consisting of the Naval Brigade, RA and Sepoys, embarked in gunboats, and went down the river to land next morning. The advance began at daybreak and it was found that only the two RMA rocket tubes could accompany them. At 11 am the enemy camp was sighted, and the Advanced Guard pushed on, 3 officers and 8 men being wounded. Owing to the great heat the troops had to halt until the evening, the Marines carrying a village in which they were able to shelter. At 5 pm the force again advanced and crossed the mountain, 1200 feet high, but found the enemy camp deserted. They returned to Canton on 4th, having burnt three villages. Lieutenant Rokeby and 26 men were wounded, but 50 a lot of men were lost from sunstroke. In the London Gacette of 28th July 1858, the following were mentioned55: Brevet Major R Boyle, Lieutenants G McCallum, W E Clements, E H Norton RMA, H B Savage RMA, 2nd Lieutenants W W Allnutt and H T Cooper. Nantow - In August another expedition was sent to the walled town of Nantow. They proceeded by water in gunboats and landed at 11 am on the 10th, to the South-East of the City, the covering party being provided by the Naval Brigade. This entailed an advance through a populous suburb. The advance was made in two parallel columns; 40 officers and 489 Naval Brigade formed the outer column; 3 officers and 64 men RA, 3 officers and 22 men RE, 5 officers and 104 men the 104th Regiment, 2 officers and 100 men 12th Madras NI, 5 officers and 140 men RMLI forming the inner column. The RMLI under Captain Foote were in reserve. They moved along the canal in great heat under constant fire from the right flank. After reconnaissance, at 1 pm the ladders were placed, and the Naval Brigade stormed the walls, covered by the 59th and 12th NI, whilst the RM covered the right flank. During the escalade of the walls the force under Colonel Graham was attacked by several hundred Braves who were most gallantly repulsed by Brevet Major Foote and the Royal Marines56 though not without loss. The wall was gained, and the enemy fled; the gate was blown in and then after burning the city they returned to Canton the following morning. Unfortunately, three officers were killed by the accidental discharge of the seamen's rifles. The Royal Marines lost 8 wounded, one mortally. On 23rd August Lieutenant Colonel Walsh was invalided, and on 1st October Colonel Lemon assumed command of the 1st RMLI. Provisional Battalion - On 22nd September 1858, a Brigade Order was issued that, as the Provisional Battalion had been so reduced by the re-embarkation of the detachments of which it was composed, the remainder were to be drafted into the 1st and 2nd Battalions, to take effect from lst October. Its strength was then only about 350. The Companies of the 1st and 2nd Battalions were made up to 75 men each, all above this and the NCOs w 51 But failing to make any impression on the Chinese Imperial authorities from Canton, the Allies decided to make an attack in the North, nearer Peking, with a view to getting them to observe the Treaties. In May 1858 the Squadron had attacked and occupied the Taku Forts with a naval landing party, but they had only been held temporarily, and the Chinese were now on their guard. Taku Forts.-.In June 1859, Vice Admiral Sir James Hope (who had succeeded Sir K Seymour) determined to attack the forts with a view to forcing the Chinese to admit the two Residents in accordance with the Tientsin Treaties. Colonel Lemon, with 400 of lst RMLI and a small party of RMA under Lieutenant Williams and Lieutenant Tuson were sent from Hong Kong; about 400 Royal Marines were provided by the Fleet and a half company of RE with 19 gunboats reinforced Sir James Hope, who with other vessels was lying off in the Gulf of Pechili. The Royal Marine were formed into a small Brigade under Colonel Lemon, with Captain Parke in command of 1st RMLI Captain Masters of a 2nd. Battalion formed from the ships' detachments; Captain Croker was Brigade Major, Lieutenant Rokeby ADC, and Lieutenant Evan Adjutant of the 2nd Battalion. The small party of RMA. were under Lieutenant Williams. These operations are worthy of careful study as an example of how not to do it: Colonel Lemon objected strongly to the plans. On 17th June a single vessel with the Admiral on board went to the anchorage off Taku; the rabble prevented any landing, and it was found that the Pei-Ho River was obstructed. On 20th the Residents arrived and told the Admiral to make his own arrangements to open the river. Against the advice of his military advisers in charge of the troops, the Admiral insisted on making a frontal attack on the Forts; on 25th under cover of the gun-boats the Seamen and Marines were landed on the mud flats, through which they had to struggle to attack; 4 gunboats were sunk, including the Admiral's and he himself severely wounded - he was rescued by the US ship. Out of the landing party of 1,100, 434 were killed or wounded and the Royal Marines lost Lieutenants Inglish and Wolrige, with 21 NCOs and Men killed or died of wounds, 15 officers and 142 NCOs and men wounded. The Reports of Colonel Lemon and Captains Parke and master's give an excellent picture of what occurred. Colonel Lemon's report says that the boats with the Royal Marines assembled round the Nimrod on the evening of 25th June and were joined by the RE and the Royal Naval Battalion under Captain Chadwell, RN. They attacked the fort on the right bank of the Pei-Ho River and landed on the mud in front; the 1st RMLI was the first to arrive and advanced in skirmishing order to cover the parties carrying the bridges and ladders; the RE acted as coverers on the left. The ground was tenacious, and the men sank knee deep in the mud, and could only advance slowly. Colonel Lemon says it was impartible and injudicious to adopt a regular formation as they were under heavy fire, and that he led the main body forward until cover could be obtained for forming; that on arriving at a wet ditch the covering party waited for the bridges, but as there were none available they crossed by wading; advancing until they arrived at another deeper and more difficult ditch which they also crossed, and advanced until they got cover from the advanced trench, where they waited for the ladders, and here Colonel Lemon was severely wounded in the head and handed over the command to Captain Parke. Captain Parke's report says that the 1st RMLI embarked in the boats at 5.45 pm and were taken in tow by an American steamer, Taiwan; as there was great difficulty in towing, all the boats except one had to cast off and were taken in tow by the Forrester. On arriving at the Stakes, the boats went alongside the Cormorant (1 Lieutenant and 46 NCOs and Men had been left in the American ship). Here Captain Willis RM ordered them all to follow him and pull ashore. The boats shoved off, the men pulling with all their might to be the first on shore. The Battalion landed without any order and there was great confusion. All efforts to advance in anything like military formation were futile; the men jumped out anyhow, some up to their waists in water. Parke says he tried to extend them, but they rushed on in masses, all arms intermingled, towards the fort under a tremendous fire of guns and gingalls, which told with great effect. The men and officers pushed on gallantly; the ground was tenacious, clayey mud, into which the men fell down and rendered their arms useless; they arrived at the first ditch; they had no ladders, or bridges, but the seamen brought up some ladders; only one was serviceable and they crossed by wading. Those who managed to keep their ammunition dry, kept up a heavy fire to cover the crossing of the rest. After a rest they advanced again and encountered another large ditch; there were then only about 100 men but many officers of the lst RMLI and they succeeded in crossing, but as the ammunition was quite wet their fire slackened. Colonel Lemon being wounded, Captain Parke took command of the Brigade. Night was falling and only one efficient ladder was up; as the British fire lessened the Chinese assembled in large numbers and kept up a heavy 52 enfilade fire. Under these conditions Parke - after consulting with Commanders Commerell and Heath RN, and Major Fisher RE - decided to withdraw; the men were ordered to move off noiselessly in parties of twos and threes; the retreat commenced at 2 am, the enemy firing light balls etc unceasingly. Most strenuous efforts were made to bring off the wounded; all behaved well and although invidious to mention any one, Captain Parke calls attention to acts of gallantry by Lieutenant Wolrige, who was shot dead whilst cheering on his men; by Lieutenant Rokeby who volunteered to advance with only one ladder; by Lieutenants Evans and Straghan in assisting to carry off the wounded under a very severe fire and by Sergeant Major Woon and QMS Halling, whose gallantry was most conspicuous. From Captain Master’s report of 2nd RM we learn that he himself and his party were transferred to the Forrester and proceeded inshore to well within range of the forts who were firing; Captain Willis ordered them to land and the Admiral ordered them to take the fort by assault and to lose no time, as the sun was setting. The first boat contained Lieutenant Williams and a party of RMA; Masters himself was in the next. The boats could not get near the land and they jumped into the water up to their middles under a galling fire of guns and musketry and were ordered to make the best of their way and to form up when they reached firmer ground; on arriving at the Stakes they formed up, some of the 1st and some of the 2nd. They were kneeling in the mud, which was over their ankles. Masters tried to get them to advance, but they were exhausted and could not use their muskets, which were unfit from salt water. Here he himself was wounded and taken off, and the Battalion was brought off by other officers. The Chaplain, the Rev W Huleatt, was severely wounded with the 1st RM After this reverse the 1st RM returned to Canton on 6th August in HMS Magician and the Northern operations were abandoned till the properly organised expedition of the next year. At this date the lst RMLI numbered 696 and the 2nd RMLI 625. Colonel Lemon was invalided to England on 26th July 1859 and in the London Gazette of 16th September 1859 the following were mentioned in dispatches; Colonel Lemon, Brevet Major Parke, Captains W G Masters, P K C Croker, Lieutenants Rokeby, J F Hawkey, H L Evans, J Straghan, Sergeant Major Woon, and QMS Halling. The following Brevets were given for the operations in 1857-59: To be Colonel - Lieutenant Colonel T. Lemon. To be Majors - Captain J C Travers Captain J C Morrison Captain W F Foote Captain G E O Jackson Captain P C Penrose Captain C J Ellis Captain R Boyle Captain R Parke Captain T V Cooke On 26th December 1859, the following Brigade order was issued by Colonel Holloway ADC at Canton. RM Brigade - broken up - "The Board has directed that the Brigade shall be broken up and formed into one Battalion of 8 Companies, each consisting of 1 Captain, 2 Subalterns, 5 Sergeants, 6 Corporals, 1 Drummer, 76 Privates, with the following staff, 2 Lieutenant Colonels, 1 Adjutant, 1 Acting QM, 1 Acting SM, and one Acting QMS." Lieutenant Colonel Hocker CB was appointed to command, but he was invalided on 27th January 1869, and Lieutenant Colonel J O Travers vacated his appointment of AQMG and assumed command. Lieutenant Carrington was appointed Adjutant, Lieutenant Meade QM, Lieutenant Cobb Assistant Adjutant, Sergeant Denslow to be Sergeant Major (died at Tientsin), Sergeant Brown to be QMS. The Medical Officers were Drs Little, Shin and Cope. Mr. Spark, Paymaster. The Company Officers were 1 and 2 Chatham: Captains Evans and Gritton. 3 and 4 Woolwich: Captains Prynne and Usher. 5 and 6 Portsmouth; Captains Symonds and Jackson. 7 and 8 Plymouth; Captains Budd and Spratt. NCOs and Men employed in the Military Train and Constabulary were formed into a Supernumerary Company; the Battalions were at once formed into four companies each of medically fit men; the men of the Bengal Artillery were attached to the RMA Company and 34 Privates were selected to complete the RMA Company proceeding to Macao Fort, and 51 Privates were sent to complete the Fleet; remaining Officers and NCOs to be borne supernumerary as well as the volunteers from the Indian Army. Colonel Holloway and the surplus officers and men returned home on 11th January 1860. A draft from England under Captain Slaughter arrived. 53 General Van Straubenze published the farewell order on 31st December 1850: "My sense of the efficiency, good order and high state of discipline of the Brigade, also much credit upon the Officers of the Battalions; the forbearance of the NCOs and Men of the RM Brigade since the capture of this city and their general very good character during the two years they have been quartered in it are most creditable to them, as soldiers, and to the splendid Corps of which they form part, and merit my highest approbation." As serious prosecution of the war was now inevitable and as the Indian Mutiny had been crushed, troops were now available and were sent from India and from England. Colonel Gaacoigne and Brevet Lieutenant Colonel March with a draft were sent from England to replace Colonels Hocker and Lemon. General Sir Hope Grant of Indian fame was sent to command. The French Commanding Officer was General de Montaubam, afterwards known as Count de Palikao. About 14,000 British and 7,000 French troops concentrated at Hong Kong and proceeded North in March 1860. Shanghai - The 87th Regiment relieved the Marines at Canton and the RM Battalion was the first to move North; the left wing arrived at Shanghai on 6th April under Lieutenant Colonel March, where the Taeping rebels were threatening trouble. Owing to want of accommodation they remained at first in the Assistance; they were accompanied by Lieutenant Williams' Company of RMA. The right wing under Colonel Travers went to Chusan. Lieutenant Colonel Gascoigne joined the left wing on 15th May and took up a defensive line from the Stone Bridge, by the grandstand of the racecourse, to Ning Po Joss House on the North-East extremity round the walls to the City gate. On 16th June General Sir Robert Napier approved of these arrangements. The French - about 200 strong - were on the South side. On 15th June there was considerable anxiety about an advance by the rebels, but it did not materialise then. A state of the Battalion dated 13th June 1860 gives an interesting account of their distribution: Location Officers NCOs & Men On board Transport Octavio at Shanghai 11 214 In Barracks, Shanghai 6 110 Ning-po Joss House 3 79 Souchon Bridge 3 80 Hospital - 6 At Chusan 12 228 On board HMS Encounter 2 58 (on passage) Hong Kong on Staff 2 8 Chinese Coolie Corps 4 33 Hospital Ships - 5 Canton Constabulary 3 132 Supernumerary 14 218 Captain E L P Pym RMA Shanghai 2 87 Macao Fort, Canton 1 9 Coolie Corps - 2 Barrack Sorgeant. at Canton - 1 54 On 21st July, leaving Lieutenant Colonel March as senior officer at Shanghai, with 300 RMA and RMLI and about 600 French, Lieutenant Colonel Gascoigne embarked with Nos 5 and 6 Companies (207 all told) but they did not arrive at the rendezvous till the 29th, too late to be present at the taking of the Taku Forts. Colonel Travers with Nos 1 to 4 Companies were not long at Chusan; leaving there on 11th June they joined the force in the North, where the ultimatum to the Chinese had been sent on 8th March. The British Force was organised into: A Cavalry Brigade – King’s Dragoon Guards, Fane's and Probyn's horse, and Stirling's Battery RHA. 1st Division - General Sir John Michel - Two Brigades. 2nd Division - Maj. General Sir Robert Napier - Two Brigades. Taku Forts - The lst Battalion RMLI was attached to the 4th Brigade, consisting of 67th, 99th and 19th Punjab Native Infantry. About the middle of May the force embarked for the Gulf of Pe-Chi-Li and the British landed at Talienwan and the French at Chefoo, where they formed depots. On 20th July the troops re-embarked, and on 26th anchored off Pei-Tang-Ho. On 30th Sutton's Brigade (2nd), the Rocket Battery, and a 9 pdr with a party of French were towed ashore, landing through the mud, and next day ,found Pei-Tang evacuated.

On 31st a storm prevented disembarkation, but it was continued next day. That night was spent in repairing roads, which occupied the next ten days; the British were kept making roads and building wharfs and so kept out of mischief, but the French went plundering. On 3rd August a reconnaissance was made of the causeway leading to the Taku Forts; and on 9th August it was discovered that the country was traversable by all arms. The RM Battalion under Travers, with Lieutenant G. Mairis as its Adjutant, had now joined the Army. On 12th August the French and the First Division advanced frontally along the causeway, the 2nd Division and the Cavalry Brigade followed the reconnaissance of the 9th instant; with the British were two batteries of the new 12 pdr Armstrong guns. The First Division pushed along the causeway and captured the village of Sinho. About two and a half miles South-East of Sinhoe the Chinese were holding an entrenched position about Tong-Ku to which the causeway led with a wet ditch on either side. On 13th August, General Grant caused the canals to be bridged, refusing to be hurried by the French. He ascertained that the Chinese forces had retired to the South (right bank) of the Pei-Ho end that there were no troops on his side of the river except in Tong-Ku and the Taku Forts to the South-East of him. The First Division advancing on the right and the French on the left, crossed the space between the causeway and the Pei-Ho. The 60th Rifles advanced under cover of the field guns, which silenced the Chines artillery; the 60th entered the works at Tong-Ku and found the Chinese in full retreat; the French further to the left met with some resistance. The Allies then arrived without difficulty within two miles of the Taku Forts. There was a halt of six days whilst ten day's supplies were collected at Sinho, and the heavy guns and ammunition brought up; a bridge of boats was thrown over the Pei-Ho at Tong-Ku and a close reconnaissance made of the forts. On each bank there was a detached fort to westward of the larger and principal fort; on the North bank this detached fort was only two miles from Tong-Ku and could be approached by a detour clear of fire and without cross fire from the Southern bank. If taken it would be possible to enfilade the large fort to the South-Eastward and it also overlooked the detached fort on the Southern bank. General Grant decided to attack this point. General Montauban refused but had to give way. By August 20th all was ready, the road built, and the canals bridged. Batteries were established against the North face of the detached fort; the Admiral had not brought up his gunboats, so the Chinese turned the guns in the cavaliers of the river forts to bear on the attackers. The obstacles to be surmounted were a deep dry ditch, then an open space with abatis, then a wet ditch and a strip of ground 20 feet wide with pointed bamboo stakes, and then another wet ditch and another staked strip; there was also a thick wall of unburnt brick with loopholes. At daybreak on 21st August the batteries opened vigorously, and the Chinese replied; at 6 am the magazine in the 55 forts blew up, and at 6.30 am a shell from a gunboat blew up another magazine. At 7 am every gun in the detached fort was disabled and two batteries of field guns and the storming parties of the 44th and 67th Regiments advanced to the gate; the French on the right approached the Western angle. The wing of the RM Battalion had been detailed to carry pontoons for crossing the ditches but owing to casualties unfortunately blocked the causeway and the stormers had to swim; it was sometime before sufficient troops were assembled; Major Anson - of the Staff - got to the post and hacked down the ropes of the drawbridge and some men got across, whilst Captain Prynne RMLI was the second man over the wall and shot the Head Mandarin with his revolver; Lieutenant Pritchard RE was the first. The garrison resisted bravely, but after three and a half hours the fort was taken. Captains Barker, Carrington, and Straghan RMLI were among the wounded, and were mentioned in dispatches. The heavy guns were brought forward to the attack on the main fort, when the Chinese on the South bank hoisted the white flag. They were told that unless the main fort was surrendered within two hours the Allies would reopen fire, and towards the end of that time the troops advanced; the enemy offering no resistance, they walked in and took possession. The Political Officer forced the Chinese commander to sign a capitulation giving up all the country and strong places on the river as far as Tientsin, including that city. After a day removing obstacles in the river, the Admiral and Mr. Parkes steamed up the river to Tientsin. On the 25th the troops followed, and by 5th September all had followed except the 44th Regiment, which had been sent to Shanghai on account of the Taeping Rebels. A party of Marines and a battery of artillery were left to garrison Tong-Ku. On 7th September the Convention was to have been signed, when it was suddenly realised that the Chinese authorities had not, and could not produce, any authority to treat; on which negotiations were broken off. Peking - Meanwhile Lieutenant Colonel Gascoigne and the two Companies from Shanghai had joined the other half battalion, and Colonel Gascoigne assumed command. On 8th September the First Division and the Cavalry Brigade, with the French, began their march on Tung-Chow, sixty miles up the river and twenty miles below Peking. The RM Battalion was now with the 2nd Brigade. The 2nd Division was left at Tientsin; they marched in small detachments, the siege train and part of the supplies going by water. Major Poyntz says that the regiments will remember how the Royal Marines managed to keep up a supply of bitter draught beer throughout the march, which was much appreciated. Captain C L Barnard with his party of RMA were brought to notice for the manner in which the heavy guns were brought up from Tientsin to Tung-Chow; the labour of pulling the boats over the flats was very great and it was "due to their exertions that the guns were brought up so rapidly and safely."57 On the 13th the troops reached Ho-Si-Wu, where the medical officers of the RM Battalion established a general hospital. On the 17th the Cavalry Brigade and 1st Division left Ho-Si-Wu. Mr. Parkes and other officers and officials had preceded on the 16th to Tung-Chow to make arrangements; but the force had hardly advanced two miles before hostile forces were observed, and whilst waiting for the return of the advance party, suddenly a commotion was observed and Colonel Walker, AQMG, and other officers were seen galloping towards the column, some of them wounded. As there were no signs of Mr. Parkes' party, General Hope Grant advanced in attack formation. Fire was opened by the Chinese, who were holding an entrenchment several miles in length with a battery of 16 guns. After a sharp engagement of two hours (the RM Battalion was in reserve), the enemy gave way and were severely cut up by the cavalry. Captain Usher RM, the Provost Marshal, was nearly cut down by a Tartar, having been unhorsed. Following up the enemy, the 99th and 15th Punjabis entered Ching-Kia-Wang, which was given over to plunder as a reprisal for the capture of Mr. Parkes' party. On 20th September there was a reconnaissance and the enemy were found to be in front of the Yang-Liang Canal, the waterway between the Pei-Ho and Peking, over which were two bridges, one of marble, at Pa-Li-Chao. The other - of wood - was about a mile to the West. The French were directed on Pa-Li–Chao, and the British Infantry on to the wooden bridge, with the cavalry to the left: the cavalry charged and, followed by three batteries of Armstrong guns and two Battalions, inflicted great loss. The pursuit was stopped six miles from Peking. The 2nd Division was hurried forward and by 2nd October the full force had arrived. On 6th October the advance was resumed through a tangle of ruined fortifications, and Tung-Chow was occupied. The Royal Marines and a party of French taking possession of the City, Colonel 57 Letter from General Hope Grant. 56 Travers disarmed and dispersed a lot of Chinese soldiers who were hovering about the suburbs.58 The letters of application show that they served in these actions, by which the Tartar covering army was driven off, and the road to Peking opened, together with occupation of Tung-Chow protecting the convoys of stores and supplies upon which the army before Peking depended. On 7th October the French reached the Summer Palace and started plundering. The prisoners from Mr. Parkes' party were restored on the 8th, but only 10 remained out of 39, the remainder having been tortured or murdered. General Grant threw up breaching batteries to blow down the city, and at noon on the 13th they were ready to open fire, when the Chinese surrendered and agreed to terms. On the 18th and 19th as a punishment for the treatment of our prisoners, the 1st Division burnt the Summer Palace. On the 24th a Convention and ratification of the Treaty of 1858 were at last signed by the Chinese Imperial Authorities. On 8th November the troops began the march back to the transports; on the 12th Desborough's Battery, Probyn's Horse, the RM Battalion and 99th Regiment, the whole under the command of Colonel Gascoigne, marched for Tientsin, where they arrived on the 14th and embarked in HM Troopship Adventure. As the transport was not big enough, 31 officers and 629 men went in Adventure, whilst 4 officers and 240 men went in HMS Sampson, Fury, Inflexible, and Minerva; the RMA went in the Highflier. Memorial - The RMA Battery and the RMLI Brigade erected a memorial to their comrades at Hong Kong. This shows that from 1857-60 the loss in all ranks was: killed or died, 3 officers, 2 staff-sergeants, 13 corporals, 214 gunners and privates; wounded, 27 officers, 16 sergeants, 20 corporals, 4 buglers, 155 gunners and privates. In a Board Letter it was said that, "My Lords observe with pleasure that the Marines, as usual, had conducted themselves with the spirit and gallantry which have always been evinced by that Corps."59 Colonel Holloway, Lieutenant Colonels Lemon, Travers, Hooker and Gascoigne were awarded the CB , and there were many mentions in dispatches and brevet promotions.

London Gazette - 6th November 1860. :Mentioned-in-Dispatches: Lieutenant Colonel J O Travers, Captains C W Carrington, G Mairis, W J Barker, J Straghan., J C Symonds, J C Morrison, J B Prynne; Lieutenant T H Brenan, Sergeants G Tearle, T Knapp, Privates F Kelly, Brady, R Bowerman, for the capture of the North-West fort at Taku, and Sergeant H Trent for ‘deserving all praise for exertions to get the pontoons up although wounded.' 

In the London Gazette of 15th February 1861, the following brevet promotions were awarded: Brevet Colonel Lieutenant Colonel J. H. Gascoigne. Brevet Lieutenant Colonel Captain & Brevet Major J C S Morrison. To be Brevet Majors Captains J C Symonds and J B Prynne. Taeping Rebellion - The RM detachment left at Shanghai was engaged on operations against the Taeping Rebellion from 1860 to 1863. In 1860 a fierce attack on Shanghai was driven off, and in the London Gazette of 14 November 1860, Lieutenant Colonel March, Captain Budd, Lieutenants O'Grady and O L Williams (RMA) were brought to notice; also, Lieutenant F R Phillips who volunteered to carry a flag of truce to the rebel camp, "a service of great danger". In April 1862 troops were sent from Tientsin under General Staveley to keep a radius of 30 miles round the city clear of the rebels. The Shanghai merchants also raised a force under European officers under an American officer named Ward. He was succeeded by an RM officer, Captain Holland, who was however defeated at Taitsan, 22 February 1863. He was replaced by Colonel Charles Gordon RE (Chinese Gordon) who with this force - named the 'Ever-Victorious Army' - eventually stamped out the Rebellion after two years. The RM detachments were engaged in the capture of the Walled Cities of Kah-Ding and Singpoo, and in numerous engagements in neighbourhood of Shanghai. The fact that they were present at these two actions of the 18th and 20th September was the grounds on which they were awarded the clasp for Peking. (W0 Letter, 20th February 1863.) (H. E. Blumberg.  Devonport January 1934.) (sic)

1857. Monday 25th May. The battle of Escape Creek.

1857. Wednesday 27th May. Boats of squadron in Sawshee Channel.

1857. Monday 1st June. The battle of Fatshan Creek.

1857. Monday 18th June. Surrender of Chuenpee Fort.

1857. Friday 26th June., The First Presentation of the Victoria Cross.
Queen Victoria distributed the first Victoria Crosses at Hyde Park. On parade were a large body of troops under Sir Colin Campbell, comprised of Life Guards, Dragoons, Hussars, Royal Engineers, Artillery and Line Regiments, together with a detachment of Bluejackets from the Royal Navy. Just before ten o'clock in the morning, following a royal salute from the artillery, her Majesty, the Prince Consort, the Crown Prince of Prussia, the Prince of Wales and the Queen's son Prince Alfred (Duke of Saxe-Coberg-Gotha) rode into the park and took places near the dais prepared for them. The Victoria Crosses lay upon a small table covered with scarlet cloth. The 62 recipients stood at ease some distance off and came forward one at a time as Lord Panmure, Secretary for War, read their names. Of note is Lieutenant Lucas, R.N. who was the first man to be gazetted for the Victoria Cross. The presentation of the crosses was followed by a military review and the proceedings were finished.
The recipients are listed below in the order in which they received the award from the Queen that day. Note that the Navy and Royal Marines had their awards presented in order of rank, while the Army had their Crosses presented in order of regimental precedence.
Two Royal Marines were presented with the Victoria Cross.
13th to be presented was Lieutenant Dowel, G.D.
14th to be presented was Bombadier T. Wilkinson.(from www.atiquesatoz.com)

As of January 2018, there have been 10 Royal Marines who have been awarded the Victoria Cross.

Corporal John Prettyjohn kM 2nd November 1854 - Crimea Reported for gallantry at the Battle of Inkerman, having led his section to an advanced position, shot four Russian marksmen.

Bombardier Thomas Wilkinson RMA 5th June 1855 - Crimea Specially recommended for gallant conduct in the advanced Batteries in placing sandbags to repair damage to revetments under galling fire during the siege of Sebastopol.

Lieutenant George Dare Dowell RMA 13th July 1855 - Viborg. Baltic Sea An explosion having occurred in one of the rocket-boats of the Arrogant, Lieut. Dowell jumped into a quarter-boat with three volunteers, himself pulling the stroke oar, and proceeded under a heavy fire of grape and musketry, to the assistance of a beleaguered cutter's crew bringing them off safely.

Captain Lewis Stratford Tollemache Halliday RMLI 24th June 1900 - Peking Legations - Boxer Rebellion During a fierce Boxer attack on the west wall of the British Legation in Peking, Capt. Halliday led twenty Marines and engaged the enemy. Before he could use his revolver, however, he was shot through the left shoulder, at point blank range, the bullet fracturing the shoulder and carrying away part of the lung. Notwithstanding the extremely severe nature of his wound, he killed three of his assailants, and told his men 'to carry on and not mind him', while he walked back unaided to the hospital.

Lance-Corporal Walter Richard Parker RMLI 1st May 1915 - Portsmouth Battalion - Gallipoli Whilst in charge of the battalion stretcher bearers he displayed conspicuous gallantry under heavy and accurate enemy fire in leading his men to recover casualties. He reached a forward trench which had to be evacuated and Parker helped to remove and attend the wounded, although he himself was seriously wounded during this operation.

Major Francis John William Harvey RMLI 31st May 1916 - HMS Lion - Battle of Jutland Whilst mortally wounded and almost the only survivor after the explosion of an enemy shell in 'Q' gun house, with great presence of mind and devotion to duty he ordered the magazine to be flooded, thereby saving the ship. He died shortly afterwards.

Major Frederick William Lumsden DSO, RMA April 1917 - Western Front He personally led four artillery teams and a party of infantry through a hostile barrage to recover six enemy guns. By force of example and inspiring energy he succeeded in sending back two teams with guns, going through the barrage with the teams for the third gun. He then returned to await further teams, and with these he succeeded in attaching to two of the three remaining guns, despite rifle fire, which had become intense at short range, and removed the guns to safety. During actions on the Western Front in 1917/18 Lumsden was awarded the CL the 050 and 3 bars, besides his VC. He was killed in action in 1918.

Captain Edward Bamford DSO RMLI 23 April 1918 - 4th Battalion RMLI - Zeebrugge He landed on the mole from Vindictive with numbers 5, 7 and 9 Platoons of the Marine storming force, in the face of great difficulties. When on the mole and under heavy fire, he displayed the greatest initiative in the command of his company, and by his total disregard for danger showed a magnificent example to his men. He first established a strong point and, when satisfied that it was safe, led an assault on a battery to the left with utmost coolness and bravery.

Sergeant Norman Augustus Finch RMA 23rd April 1918 - RMA Detachment - Zeebrugge Sgt Finch was second-in-command of the pompoms and Lewis guns in the foretop of Vindictive. During one period the Vindictive was being hit every few seconds, chiefly in the upper works, from which splinters caused many casualties. It was difficult to locate the guns which were doing most of the damage, but Sgt Finch and Marines in the foretop kept up a continuous fire with pompoms and Lewis guns, changing rapidly from one target to another, and thus keeping the enemy's fire down to some considerable extent. Two heavy shells made direct hits on the foretop and all there were killed or disabled except Sergeant Finch, who was, however, severely wounded; nevertheless, he showed consummate bravery, remaining in his battered and exposed position. He once more got a pompom into action, and kept up a continuous fire, harassing the enemy on the mole. Before the top was destroyed Sergeant Finch had done invaluable work, and by his bravery had undoubtedly saved many lives. Capt. Bamford and Sergeant Finch were selected by the members of the 4th Battalion to receive the Victoria Cross under Rule 13 of the Royal Warrant dated 29th January 1856.

Corporal Thomas Peck Hunter kM 3rd April 1945 - 43 (RM) Commando - Lake Comacchio Whilst advancing across open ground he observed the enemy holding a group of houses. Realising they would cause heavy casualties as soon as they opened fire, Cpl Hunter seized the Bren gun and charged alone across 200 yards of open ground. Three Spandaus from the houses, and at least six from the north bank of the canal, opened fire and at the same time enemy mortars started to fire at his Troop. Cpl Hunter attracted most of the fire, and so determined was his charge and his firing from the hip that the enemy in the houses became demoralised. Showing complete disregard, for the intense enemy fire, he ran through the houses, changing magazines as he ran, and alone cleared the houses. Six Germans surrendered to him and the remainder fled across a footbridge on to the north bank of the canal. The Troop dashing up behind Cpl Hunter now became the target for all the Spandaus on the north of the canal. Again, offering himself as a target, he lay in full view of the enemy on a heap of rubble and fired at the concrete pillboxes on the other side. He again drew most of the fire, but by now the greater part of the Troop had made for the safety of the houses. During this period, he shouted encouragement to the remainder, and called only for more Bren magazines with which he could engage the Spandaus. Firing with great accuracy up to the last, Cpl Hunter was finally hit in the head by a burst of Spandau fire and killed instantly.

1857. August. Marines from Sans Pareil landed at Fort William.

1857. Thursday 13th August. Marines and seamen from Shannon sent up Ganges.

1857. Saturday 12th September. Brigade from Pearl sent up the Ganges.

1857. Monday 16th - 17th November. Relief of Lucknow. Brigade from Shannon.

1857. Tuesday 17th November. The relief of Lucknow.

1857. Monday 28th December. The bombardment of Canton and capture of fort Lin.

1857. Tuesday 29th December. The assault and capture of Canton.

1857 - 1860. This period, which saw large numbers of the Corps employed on active service ashore, was also one of reorganisation; one of the most important events being the formation of the separate Royal Marine Artillery Division in 1859. It is also notables for the presentation of new Colours in 1858, and a great enlargement of all the Barracks. (Sic) (H. E. Blumberg.  Devonport January 1934.)

1857 - 1861. Operations against slave dhows in Persian Gulf.

1858. The numbers 'were reduced to 15,000 in 104 Divisional and 14 Artillery Companies; the officers of the reduced companies were however retained as supernumeraries.
Barracks - The RMA moved out of the Gunwharf Barracks into Fort Cumberland at Portsmouth. In 1867 and 1858 very considerable additions were made to the Barracks at Stonehouse, three passages being added to the main block and a new infirmary. The North Wing was not finished till 1864 and the fine Western Front with vane and clock not till 1867 and the Married Quarters in 1869.
At Chatham the Barracks were enlarged to their present boundaries in 1862; the C, D, E and F Blocks were added in 1864. A and B Blocks and the Paymaster's Offices and Quartermasters' Stores were added in 1866, and in 1867 the single Officers' Quarters and the Field Officers' Houses.
1858. Colours - New Colours were presented to all Divisions 40. These departed from the 1827 design in many particulars and were evolved by the Heralds College according to recent Army regulations. No ceremony was observed in their presentations, which were mostly made at the DAG's Inspections.(Sic) (H. E. Blumberg.  Devonport January 1934.)

1858. Following the outbreak of war in the Crimea in 1854 and the Indian Mutiny of 1857, the British Regular garrison personnel in Canada had been stripped almost bare. The Canadian Militia Act of 1855 made the Dominion Government responsible for the defence of Canada through its Volunteer Rifle, Infantry. Cavalry and Artillery companies and promised that a standing or regular army would be raised some time in the future. The volunteer movement started off at a most successful pace and would continue to do so for many years to come. One area of defence had been overlooked, that of defending the Great Lakes and inland waterways that separated Eastern Canada and the northern United States. With civil war raging to the south of Canada between the United States and the Confederate States, tensions mounted along the border. In the fall of 1861 the US Coast Guard made a grave error in stopping the Royal Mail steam packet Trent on the high seas and removing two Confederate consular officials at gun point. This action almost brought Great Britain into the conflict on the Confederate side. The defence of the Great Lakes now assumed importance and its establishment was necessary in the extreme with the nearest Royal Navy assistance as far, east as Nova Scotia in Halifax.
The Militia Department again turned to its citizen soldiers, sought and received Volunteer Marine and Naval companies to carry out the defence of the Great Lakes and inland waterways. The majority of companies formed for what was termed Marine Militia were originally styled Marine Companies; however most had assumed the title Naval Company by April 1863. These companies were uniformed similar to the Royal Navy, trained in seamanship and naval gunnery where possible, and also trained as infantry. They were issued with short model Snider-Enfield and cutlasses. Between the years 1862 and 1879, eleven Naval Companies and one Naval Brigade were formed. As relations between Great Britain, Canada and the United States returned to normal prior to the close of hostilities between Union and Confederate armies in 1865, the need for the Marine Militia lessened. However, the Fenian forays into Canada from the north eastern United States in 1866 proved their value.
The Naval Companies called out for service during the Fenian raids in Upper Canada (Ontario) were the Port Stanley, Garden Island, Toronto. Dunnville and Hamilton Naval Companies. Their vessels included the Rescue, W T Robb, Magnet and Michigan. A total of fifteen vessels were used, part in patrolling the lakes and others in transporting men, supplies and other items of war stores and equipment. Both the Rescue and the Michigan were armed with two Armstrong guns (both 9 and 12 pounders) and manned by sailors and marines from HMS Aurora, hove to in Quebec. Pending the arrival of seasoned seamen from the Royal Navy, the provincial government chartered tugs and steam vessels, which, manned by Marine Militia, were relieved by Royal Navy sailors who provided the fighting crews while the Canadians provided the navigating crews. On the arrival home of the Marine Militia. General Napier specially thanked members of the Marine Militia for their services and for the creditable manner in which they had done their duty. The Adjutant General of the Canadian Militia dispatched the following letter to Captain McMaster of the Toronto Naval Company:
'1 am directed by General Napier CB, Commanding Her Majesty's Forces and Volunteers, Canada West, to express to you his thanks for the efficient services rendered by the Naval Brigade under your command.(Sic)

1858. January - February. Operations on West Coast of Africa.

1858. Tuesday 5th January. Canton entered and Commissioner Yeh taken.

1858. Wednesday 17th February. The assault of fort at Handipore.

1858. Friday 26th February. The battle of Phoolpore.

1858. Tuesday2nd March. Fort Betwa. Lieutenant Pym and detachment of HMS Pearl.

1858. Thursday 20th May. Taku Forts destroyed by Sir M. Seymour.

1858. Friday 21st May. The capture of the Petho Forts.

1858. Wednesday 2nd June - Thursday 3rd June. The battle at White Cloud Mountain near Canton.

1858. Tuesday 15th June. Massacre at Jeddah.

1858. Friday 18th June. Action at Hurryah in India.

1858. Sunday 25th - 26th July. Bombardment of Jeddah by Commodore Pullen.

1858. Wednesday 4th August. Staunch attacked pirate junks at Taon Pung.

1858. Wednesday 11th August. The taking of Nan-Tow.

1858. Monday 23rd August. Cresswell destroyed or took junks at Sing Ting.

1858. Thursday 26th August - 3rd September. Operations by Magicienne, Inflexible, Plover and Algerine against pirates near Coulan.

1858. Tuesday 14th September. The relief of Bhansl.

1858. November. Nankin bombarded and batteries destroyed.

1858. November. Chinese rebels defeated at Nyan King.

1859. Saturday 25th June. The attack on the Peiho forts.

1859. Saturday 8th January. The capture of Shek-Tseng.

1859. Tuesday 12th April.  An Order-in-Council 39 footing, by forming them into a separate Division to be called the Artillery Division of the Royal Marines with the same staff and advantages as the other Divisional Headquarters”. The officers however still remained on the general list of the Corps, and the men were drawn from the general recruits and were called 'volunteers for the RMA. (Sic)  (H. E. Blumberg.  Devonport January 1934.)

1859. Saturday 25th - 26th June. Attempt to force passage of Peiho. Cormorant, Plover and Lee lost.

1859. June -August. The Royal Marines Light Infantry, (RMLI) and The Taku Forts
Second Opium War (25 June 1859) When the Chinese refused to admit foreign diplomats to Peking (Beijing), British Admiral Sir James Hope attempted to force passage of the Peiho (Han) River with eleven gun boats and a landing force of 1,100 men but met severe resistance. He was himself twice wounded, and two ships were sunk beneath him. Of the eleven gunboats, six were sunk or disabled. The landing force became bogged down in mud and had to retreat. The British lost 89 killed and 345 wounded.
The first China War, 1839-42, had not taught the lessons which it was designed to teach; and within a few years of its conclusion new difficulties began to arise between the British and the local authorities in various parts of the huge invertebrate empire. For a time, these were arranged as they arose, without resort to war; but they were arranged, unfortunately, in a manner which too often allowed the Chinese to remain in the belief that they had won diplomatic triumphs. The result was that both locally and at the capitals, the governing classes became steadily more and more inattentive to British remonstrances concerning acts of aggression, until, in 1856, the affair of the Arrow, and the vigorous action of Rear-Admiral Sir Michael Seymour, Commander-in-Chief in the East Indies, brought about the second China War, which lasted, with intermissions, for nearly four years.
The causes of the fresh outbreak of hostilities are set forth in a dispatch which was sent by Seymour to the Admiralty on November 14th, 1856; and they may be thus summarised (Perhaps the best account of the origin and early part of the Second Chinese War is in G. C. Cooke's 'China', which has been freely made use of).
On October 8th, 1856, the Lorcha Arrow, with a colonial register from the governor of Hong Kong, was boarded, while at anchor at Canton, by a Chinese officer and a party of soldiers, who, notwithstanding the protest of the English master, seized twelve of the crew, bound them, carried them off, and hauled down the British flag. Mr. Parkes, her Majesty's consul, brought the matter before the Imperial High Commissioner, Yeh, and demanded the return of the twelve men by the officer who had abducted them, together with an apology, and an assurance that the flag should be respected in the future. Ultimately the men were sent back, but not in the public manner required; nor was any apology or assurance offered. On October 11th, the matter was reported to Seymour by Sir John Bowring, British Plenipotentiary in China, who suggested that an Imperial junk should be seized by way of reprisals. The making of the seizure was entrusted to Commodore the Hon. Charles Gilbert John Brydone Elliot, C.B., of the Sibylle, 40, senior officer in the Canton river, who was reinforced for the purpose with the Barracouta, 6, paddle, Commander Thomas Dyke Acland Fortescue (Posted, Sept. 7th, 1857.), and the Coromandel, steam tender. A junk was duly captured, but, as it proved to be private property, it had to be presently released. Seymour then (Oct. 18th) sent the Encounter, 14, screw, Captain George William Douglas O'Callaghan, and Samson, 6, paddle, Captain George Sumner Hand, to join the Commodore, hoping that the display of force in the river would bring the High Commissioner to reason. It soon, however, became clear that that official was bent upon resistance.
In the meantime, Mr. Parkes proceeded to consult with Seymour and Bowring at Hong Kong, where it was decided to seize the defences of Canton, it being evident that any more moderate measures would, as usual, be interpreted by the Chinese as symptoms of weakness. Seymour accordingly moved his flagship, the Calcutta, 84, Captain William King Hall, C.B., as high above the Bogue Forts as her draft would permit; and, on the morning of October 23rd, proceeded towards Canton in the Coromandel, accompanied by the Samson and Barracouta, with detachments of Royal Marines, and boats' crews, from the Calcutta, Winchester, 50, Captain Thomas Wilson, and Bittern (she had been condemned, and had been for some time awaiting sale), 12, and with the Commodore and the boats of the Sibylle. On approaching Blenheim reach, the Samson and part of the force diverged up the Macao passage to keep that channel open, and to capture Blenheim fort, while the Rear-Admiral, with the Coromandel and Barracouta, went on, and anchored above the four Barrier Forts, about five miles below the city. The boats, being sent in, took possession of the works, two of which fired ere they were taken, and consequently suffered a slight loss. In the forts " were about 150 guns, from one foot bore (this was a brass gun) to four pounders."
The Barracouta was ordered to follow the Samson; and the Commander-in-Chief, having dismantled and burnt the forts, continued his route to Canton, off which he arrived at 2 P.M., and where he learnt that boats from the Samson and Barracouta had quietly occupied the Blenheim Fort, and also the Macao Fort, a strong island position mounting 86 guns.
Mr. Parkes formally announced Seymour's arrival to the High Commissioner, and explained not only what had been done, but also that further measures of like nature would be adopted unless reparation should be forthcoming. The High Commissioner chose to remain obdurate.
On the morning of October 24th, Sir Michael landed additional Marines to aid detachments which were already ashore in Canton from the Sibylle and Encounter for the protection of the factory and he himself went in the Coromandel to join the Barracouta off Macao Fort. Upon a preconcerted signal, the Bird's Nest Fort mounting 35 guns, and a small fort, which being opposite the city, might have annoyed the factory, were seized without resistance. The Shameen Forts, at the head of the Macao passage were subsequently treated in the same way; and all the guns and ammunition in them were rendered unserviceable or were destroyed.
Detecting no signs whatsoever of submission on the part of the Chinese, but rather a more intractable disposition than ever Seymour landed the rest of his Marines and a body of small-arm men to secure the factory, and stationed boats to guard against the approach of fire rafts, and attacks by water. This necessary work was superintended by Captain William King Hall, and the Marines on shore were placed under Captain Penrose Charles Penrose, R.M., of the Winchester, while Captain Cowper, R.E., who had been sent for the purpose from Hong Kong, advised as to the strengthening of the weak points of the position. For the protection of American interests, officers, seamen, and marines were landed at the same time from the U.S. corvette Portsmouth, Commander Andrew H. Foote, U.S.N.
On October 25th possession was taken of Dutch Folly, a 50-gun fort on a small island opposite Canton; and it was garrisoned by 140 officers and men under Commander William Rue Rolland, of the Calcutta. All the defences of the city were then in British hands; and the Commander-in-Chief desired Mr. Parkes to write to the High Commissioner that operations would cease when his Excellency should be prepared satisfactorily to settle the points in dispute.
His Excellency did not reply as Seymour had anticipated. At 12.30 P.M., a body of Chinese troops, part of a much larger force in its rear, attacked the position at the factory, in spite of Mr. Parkes's warning; but Penrose, with his Marines, drove back the enemy, killing and wounding about 14 of them. On the 26th, it being Sunday, the men were allowed to rest.
Early on the morning of the 27th, Seymour caused a new letter to be written to the High Commissioner, informing him that, since satisfaction had not been offered for the Arrow outrage, operations would be continued. At Bowring's suggestion an additional demand was made to the effect that all foreign representatives should be allowed the same free access to the city, and to the authorities at Canton, as was enjoyed under treaty at the other four ports and denied at Canton only.
No reply being vouchsafed, fire was opened at 1 P.M. on the High Commissioner's compound from the 10-in. pivot gun of the Encounter and kept up at intervals of from five to ten minutes until sunset. At the same time, the Barracouta, from a position which she had taken up at the head of Sulphur Creek, shelled some troops who were on the hills behind Grough's Fort. The High Commissioner retaliated by publicly offering a reward of 30 dollars for the head of every Englishman. A few gunners of the Royal Artillery, who had joined under Captain Guy Rotton, R.A., were that day stationed in the Dutch Folly, where two 32-prs. from the Encounter had been mounted.
On the 28th, these guns opened with the object of clearing a passage to the city wall. In the course of the day, Captain the Hon. Keith Stewart, of the Nankin, 50, joined the Rear-Admiral, with 140 of his men, and a couple of field-pieces; and 65 officers and men from the U.S. corvette Levant reinforced the American guard ashore. During the following night, the enemy apparently mounted guns on the city wall; and, anxious to give them no further opportunity for improving their defences, Seymour reopened fire early on the 29th. In the course of the morning, Commander William Thornton Bate, late of the Bittern, and acting Master Charles George Johnston, at some personal risk, ascertained that the breach was practicable; and a body of Marines and small-arm men, about 300 in number, was told off for the assault, under the command of Commodore Elliot. The Rear-Admiral accompanied the advance from the boats which landed the force, and two field-pieces at 2 P.M. The seamen were led by the Commodore, Captain the Hon. Keith Stewart, and Commanders Bate and Rolland (Posted, Aug. 10th, 1857.); the Marines by Captains Penrose and Robert Boyle, R.M.; and the gun-detachment by Lieutenant James Henry Bushnell and James Stevenson Twysden; Bate gallantly showing the way and carrying an ensign to the summit of the breach, the wall on each side of which was quickly occupied. Penrose moved to the gate next on the right, and, having signalled his presence there, opened it to a further detachment which was instantly landed under Captain William King Hall, Commander Fortescue, and Flag-Lieutenant George Campbell Fowler (Com., Aug. 10th, 1857.). The gate was then blown to pieces (By Capt. Rotton, R.A), and the archway above it partially destroyed. In the meantime, the guns had been placed in the breach, and had opened on some Chinese who began a desultory fire from their gingals, by which three people were killed, and eleven (two mortally) wounded. The latter were sent to Dutch Folly where they were attended to by Surgeon Charles Abercromby Anderson, M.D., and Assistant-Surgeon George Bruce Newton. The Rear-Admiral, with the Commodore and Mr. Parkes, visited the house of the High Commissioner, and, at sunset, re-embarked with all his force, his object being, as he said in his dispatch, to demonstrate his power to enter the city. It is right, however, to add, that in the squadron the retirement was attributed to the impossibility of making a lodgement. At all events, its moral effect was bad; and it is scarcely astonishing that, in the night, the enemy filled up the breach with sandbags and timber. On the 30th and two following mornings it was cleared again by fire from the ships.
Seymour once more wrote to the High Commissioner, sending him indeed two letters, neither of which produced a satisfactory reply. In the interval, in order to protect the factory from the dangers of incendiary fires, the houses between it and the city were pulled down; and copies of the Rear-Admiral's letters, with a précis of the whole affair by Mr. Parkes, were distributed among the people through the medium of the native boatmen, who, in spite of what was going on, continued to furnish supplies to the ships. On the 31st, Captain Thomas Wilson joined, with 90 officers and men from his ship, the Winchester.
On November 3rd, the Encounter, Samson, and Dutch Folly began a slow fire on the government buildings in the Tartar city, and on Gough's Fort, and continued it till 5 P.M. Seymour also addressed yet another letter to the High Commissioner. At night an attempt was made to blow up the English clubhouse, in which were some seamen and Marines; and, in consequence, no native boats were thereafter allowed to approach the sea-wall of the factory.
On the 4th, fire was resumed for four hours, and on the 5th, one of the Samson's 68-prs. in Dutch Folly threw shells into a distant fort on a hill behind the city. That day information was received to the effect that an attack was intended upon the ships and the factory, and that twenty-three war junks were at anchor below Dutch Folly, protected by French Folly Fort, which mounted 26 guns.
Commodore Elliot was ordered to take the Barracouta, Coromandel, and ships' boats, and disperse or capture the junks; and, Commander Bate having buoyed the narrow channel, the force proceeded at daylight on the 6th, and Fortescue presently anchored the Barracouta 800 yards above French Folly, and within 200 yards of the nearest of the hostile vessels, which were all ready for action. The Barracouta, in order to prevent the Chinese from training their guns on her, fired her bow pivot gun as she approached, and so provoked the enemy, who, from more than 150 pieces, retaliated ere she could bring her broadside to bear. In about five-and-thirty minutes, however, her grape and canister, and the approaching boats, under Captain Thomas Wilson, drove the people from their vessels; and the sloop was then able to give her undivided attention to French Folly, which, being soon silenced, was taken possession of by a landing-party under Captain King Hall. Its guns and ammunition were destroyed. Two 32-prs. in Dutch Folly rendered material help during the engagement. The junks, being aground, or sunk, were burnt, with the exception of the admiral's ship, which was brought off, and two more, which escaped for the time, though one of them was afterwards burnt by Captain King Hall. Seymour mentions with praise the conduct of Commander Fortescue, of his senior Lieutenant, William Kemptown Bush, and of Lieutenant Henry Hamilton Beamish, of the Calcutta, who, under a very heavy fire, carried out the anchor by means of which the Barracouta (her hull was pierced by 28 large shot, besides smaller ones) was enabled to spring her broadside. The affair, very bloody to the enemy, cost the British a loss of but 1 killed and 4 wounded.
Canton, May 1841
There was no opposition to the landing, and Gough, without bothering to make a reconnaissance, recklessly advanced on the outlying forts protecting the metropolis, bringing his infantry under cover just out of range, where it waited until the rocket battery and 6 heavy guns could be brought up. By 8 o'clock on the morning of the 25th May the artillery was in place; after an hour's bombardment he sent his infantry charging forward, with bayonets bared. By the end of the day the protecting forts had been subdued and the British were at the city's gates, ready for a frontal assault at first light, but dawn revealed a white flag floating over the ramparts. Under a pouring rain, tents were hurriedly erected between the There was no opposition to the landing, and Gough, without bothering to make a reconnaissance, recklessly advanced on the outlying forts protecting the metropolis, bringing his infantry under cover just out of range, where it waited until the rocket battery and 6 heavy guns could be brought up. By 8 o'clock on the morning of the 25th May the artillery was in place; after an hour's bombardment he sent his infantry charging forward, with bayonets bared. By the end of the day the protecting forts had been subdued and the British were at the city's gates, ready for a frontal assault at first light, but dawn revealed a white flag floating over the ramparts. Under a pouring rain, tents were hurriedly erected between the lines for a parlay, but Gough refused to treat with anyone other than the commanding general. As no Chinese general was willing to appear, the tents were struck and a four pronged attack on the city was prepared. It was never launched, for while Gough laid his plans the Chinese appealed to the plenipotentiary, and Elliot, without consulting either Gough or Senhouse, arranged a deal.
Within the next few days the Chinese paid 5,000,000 of the 6,000,000 dollars demanded and gave security for the remaining million. Holding Canton to ransom gave the expedition something of a buccaneering aspect, as Gough noted, but the old soldier was delighted to be again on campaign, and he wrote exuberantly to his wife Frances of his 'deep unaltered gratitude to that Being who in my old age (62) enables me to serve my country'.
Tinghai September 1841.
From the ransacked Amoy, the expedition moved northward on the 5th September 1841 to attack Tinghai, on the south shore of Chu Shan Island at the mouth of the Yangtze Kiang River. Gough and Admiral Parker worked well together, and the combined sea and land assault on the city walls was a complete success; 100 iron guns, 36 brass cannons, and 540 gingalls (heavy muskets or light guns mounted on swivels) were captured for the loss of two killed and 27 wounded. The expedition then moved on to capture Chinhai, on the left bank of the Ningpo River.
Although in every battle the British were outnumbered by their opponents, they were better armed and, more importantly, better disciplined. Invariably the Tartar and Chinese troops were forced to give way before their resolute assaults.
Honours were not slow in coming to the victorious commanders; Parker was promoted vice-admiral, Gough was given the local rank of lieutenant-general and raised to the dignity of Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath.
The war was not popular in Britain, it seemed unduly protracted. Lord Ellenborough, who had replaced Lord Auckland as governor-general of India, feeling the pressure of opinion at home, rashly promised Queen Victoria that the expeditionary force would be in the Emperor's palace by her next birthday; Gough was then pressed to fulfil his quixotic pledge. Chin-Kiang-Fu, July 1842.
Chin-Kiang-Fu, July 1842.Manchu General. Gough was often accused of being reckless, but never of being dilatory. With Parker, he planned and carried out an expedition further north: a 200 mile advance up the Yangtze Kiang River. After several smaller actions near the river's mouth, the expedition, now heavily reinforced by fresh troops from India (including the 55th), occupied Shanghai. From here, Gough and Parker launched an attack upon Chin-kiang-fu, the fortified town that protected Nanking, 45 miles upriver.
The British force sent by Gough to storm Chin-Kiang-Fu was made up of the 2nd and 3rd Brigades. The 2nd, consisting of the 55th Foot, 2nd and 6th Madras NI and one company of Madras Rifles, was led by Major-General James Schoedde who was to become the Colonel of the 55th fifteen years later. The 3rd Brigade, made up of the 18th Foot, 49th Foot and the 14th Madras NI, was led by Major-General Bartley. Schoedde's brigade was to scale the walls with ladders on the east side and Bartley's to go in by the main gate on the west.
Schoedde's plan was to have the Madras Rifles and 2nd MNI create a diversion along the east wall while the 55th and 6th MNI were to scale the bastion at the north east corner. The grenadiers of the 55th led the attack and were virtually unopposed due to the success of the diversion led by Captain Simpson of the Madras Rifles. The fortress was defended by 2,300 Manchu banner-men, called Tartars by the British, who were garrisoned there with their families. They were at first preoccupied by an exchange of fire with the diversionary group but when the alarm was raised, they hurried towards the north east section where they found two columns of British infantry formed up inside their walls.
The defenders were armed with matchlocks but managed to keep the columns pinned down for a while. The more easterly column which was led by Capt. F A Reid of the 6th MNI proceeded with difficulty to reach the north east gate where there were many Manchus in the guardhouse. When the 6th managed to break in and bayonet the remaining defenders they opened the gate to let in the 2nd MNI. Both regiments then rushed to the west side to catch up with the 55th, who were led by Major C Warren.
Chin Kiang Fu Map.
The grenadiers of the 55th led by Capt. Macleane had had some trouble with determined defenders who were firing at them from a two storey guardhouse on the north wall. They suffered most of their casualties at this point, however they were reinforced by the rest of the regiment and the grenadiers rushed in to take the guardhouse after a fierce hand-to-hand fight, bayonet verses sword. The main gates on the west side was reached after four hours of fighting that had started at 8 am.
Main Gate.
Meanwhile, the 3rd Brigade occupied buildings outside the main gates. Part of the Grand Canal ran the length of the west wall. The 18th, 49th and 14th MNI were on the west bank facing the city on the other side. The gate to the fortress was cleverly constructed for defence purposes. If the outer gate was breached, the attackers had to rush along a 500 yard open space to the inner gate. This space was overlooked by high walls from which the defenders could rain down heavy fire quite comfortably.
The brigade was assisted by a party of Royal Marines and seamen who reached the gate by boat and proceeded to scale the walls while the brigade provided covering fire. Sappers placed 3 powder kegs against the outer gate and blew it open. The high walls were cleared of defenders by the marines and seamen while the brigade stormed through expecting heavy resistance at the inner gate. Instead, the gate was opened and the 55th were lined up to receive them. One final and insane attempt by the Manchu to beat off the foreigners was put down and the two brigades settled down to occupy the city. The soldiers were dismayed to find that many misinformed Manchu families had committed suicide rather than suffer a terrible fate at the hands of foreign 'monsters'.
Chin-kiang-fu was stormed on 21st July 1842. British casualties totalled only 114, of whom the dead numbered 3 officers and 31 other ranks who were either killed in battle, died of their wounds or were felled by the intense heat of that summer in China. Chinese casualties were equally light, but in his dispatch, Gough described the horrors he and his men discovered on entering the town, mute testimony to the terror that the advance of the British barbarians had struck in the hearts of the Chinese, and particularly their Tartar rulers:
'Dead bodies of Tartars in every house we entered, principally women and children thrown into wells or otherwise murdered by their own people. A great number of those who escaped our fire committed suicide after destroying their families; the loss of life has been appalling, and it may be said that the Manchu race in this city is extinct.'
And he wrote home,
'I am sick at heart of war and its fearful consequences'.
In spite of an outbreak of cholera, the British army advanced on the great city of Nanking, second city of the Empire, while Parker's ships disrupted the normally busy river commerce. Gough was preparing to assault the town's walls when the Chinese capitulated. The Treaty of Nanking was signed on board a British warship on 29th August 1842. Under its terms the Chinese agreed to the cession of Canton, Amoy, Fu-Chou, Ningpo and Shanghai, cities that became known as the treaty ports. The treaty made no mention of the opium trade, although 6 million Chinese dollars of the indemnity was given in compensation for the destruction of the opium stores of British merchants at Canton.
With the end of the war in China, Gough returned to India. For once he could find no cause for complaint in the recognition given him for his services. He was rewarded with a baronetcy and given the thanks of both houses of Parliament. The Duke of Wellington himself praised both Gough and Parker in the House of Lords.
Taku is a village near the mouth of the Pei-ho River, which flows between low, muddy banks and runs into the Gulf of Pe-cho-li. Thirty-four miles above the river is Tientsin, constructed at the fork of the Pei-ho with the Grand Canal. Tientsin is the port of Peking and a place of much commerce. Peking is the capital of China and is about eighty miles above Tientsin. In the year 1858, French and British forces had battled their way to Tientsin, passing the Taku Forts at the Pei-ho's mouth with little difficulty, the works were insufficiently armed and held by a weak garrison which put up little defence. When Tientsin was occupied, the Chinese sued for peace, thus the first period of the war ended and a treaty was signed there containing among other stipulations, an agreement that the envoys of British and France were to be received at Peking within a year, and that the treaty was to be ratified there. Now the Chinese, as soon as the allies withdrew from Tientsin, began to regret having consented to allow the foreign ambassadors to enter their capital and attempted to have it arranged so that the treaty would be ratified elsewhere.
The United Kingdom and France insisted on the original agreement and the envoys of the two countries arrived off the mouth of the Pei-ho in June 1859 and announced their intention of proceeding up the river to Peking. A British fleet, under the command of Admiral James Hope, escorted them for protection against the Chinese fortifications. They had learned that they might be opposed, so prepared themselves.
It was found that not only had the forts at the river mouth, which had easily been silenced the year before, been put into a state of repair, also, the river was blocked for stopping anything larger than rowing boats by a series of strong metal barriers. The Admiral was informed that these had been placed on the river to keep out pirates and it was promised by the Chinese government that they would be removed. Despite the promise, the local Mandarins began to start work on strengthening the defences of the river. On June 21, Admiral Hope sent the Quig commander, Hang Foo, a letter warning him that if the obstructions were not cleared out of the channel of the Pei-ho by the evening of the 24, he would remove them by force. Three days of peace passed, and the Chinese failed to remove their defences, so the Anglo-French fleet began to prepare for battle.
The Engineers in the fleet surveyed the defences and watched a junk lowering an iron stake into the river, the base was three spiked legs, on top of the legs was a 25 feet (7.6 m) spike with an angled spiked arm pointing forward. At high water, this spike would be a few feet below water. The spikes were positioned so that they could pierce through the hull of a ship coming up the river at high tide. Beyond the spikes could be seen a barrier of logs fixed together to form cylinders, 24 feet (7.3 m) long, a cable passed through the centre of each cylinder and they were used to float two chains, run from bank to bank, below the water level.
Hope had several powerful ships in his squadron, none of these could take a direct part in the coming fight though. This was due to the entrance of the Pei-ho, which was obstructed by a wide stretch of shallows, the depth of water on the bar being only two feet at low tide, and a little more than eleven at high tide. Because of this, the British could only rely on eleven steam powered gunboats for the actual fight against the Chinese forts. The Royal Navy gunboats were small wooden steamers of light draft built during the Crimean War for service in the shallow waters of the Baltic and Black Seas.
Admiral Hope crossed the bar with his eleven boats and anchored below the forts on the June 23. The gunboats were; HMS Plover, HMS Banterer, HMS Forester, HMS Haughty, HMS Janus, HMS Kestrel, HMS Lee, HMS Opossum and HMS Starling all of four guns apiece. HMS Nimrod and HMS Cormorant, both of six guns, were also present. Each of the gunboats had a crew of around fifty or sixty officers and men, so that the eleven small steamers together brought forty-eight guns and 500 men into the battle. The more heavily armed steamers, outside the sand bar, were to offload another 500 or 600 men, marines and sailors via steam launches, boats and an unknown number of junks. This force was meant to be used as a landing party to attack the forts once they had been silenced.
A French frigate, the Duhalya, was also on the scene but was too large to engage in the battle. Her crew would participate in the final land engagement. None of the Britons expected that the ensuing battle would prove a difficult task. The Taku Forts consisted of many structures, a big Chinese fort on the south side protected the coast, with earthen ramparts stretching nearly half a mile long, and guard towers behind them. At the other end of the complex sat another large fortress on the north bank of the river, many other smaller forts sat in between the two larger forts. Though the British believed that only a small Quig garrison held the defences, this due to a previous bombardment and attack in which the British and French successfully captured the positions. After this engagement it was found that hundreds of artillery pieces protected the forts with hundreds of Qing Army troops.
Battle
Naval engagement
On the evening of June 24, no answer having been received from the Quig commander, Rear Admiral Hope announced that the attack would be made next day and after dark the Admiral sent in one of his officers, Captain George Willes, and a few enlisted men to examine the obstacles in the river and see what he could do to remove them. Three armed launches, filled with explosives, accompanied Captain Willes. Rowing up quietly under cover of the darkness, Willes discovered the row of iron stakes. The first barrier was just opposite the lower side of the big South Fort as it was called. After passing cautiously between two of the spikes, the British sailors rowed up the river for a quarter of a mile when they came to a second barrier. The barrier was a heavy cable of cocao fibre and two chain cables, all strewn across the channel, twelve feet apart and supported at every thirty feet by a floating boom, securely anchored up and down the river's flow. Two of the British boats were left to place a mine under the middle of the second floating barrier. Captain Willes pushed on farther into the darkness, headed for a third obstacle in the Pei-ho of two huge rafts, moored as to leave only a narrow channel in middle of the waterway, this passage was also defended with large iron spikes.
Willes got out on one of the rafts and got on hands and knees and after investigating the situation, Willes decided that mere ramming with a gunboat's prow would not be enough to displace the barricade. As he lay on the raft, he could see the Chinese sentries on the riverbank, but was unseen by them. Returning to his boat, he rode the Pei-ho's current back down to the second barrier. By this time the mine was ready and once the fuse was lit, the Britons pulled down the stream to the main flotilla. The resulting explosion revealed the Briton's presence to a Chinese artillery battery who proceeded with firing a few cannon shots from the South Fort, but the cannon balls missed. The small expedition was regarded as a complete success; despite Willes failure to destroy two of the three barriers. Before the next morning the Chinese had repaired the space blown clear by the mine, thus rendering Willes mission as pointless. On Saturday morning, June 25, reportedly a bright and hot day, the gunboat flotilla cleared for action. Admiral Hope’s orders were that nine of the ships should anchor close to the first barrier and bring their guns to bear on the forts, while the two others break through the barriers and clear the way for a further advance.
High tide came at 11:30 am, and it was intended that all of the gunboats would be in position by that time. However, the difficulty of moving so many ships in a narrow channel no more than 200 yards wide, with a strong current and with mud banks covered by shallow water on each side, moving gunboats through the channel proved to be a great risk and it was not long before Banterer and Starling were aground. During all of the initial manoeuvres, the Chinese forts had not shown any sign of life. Their embrasures were closed; a few black flags flew on the upper works, not a single soldier was seen on the mud ramparts. Plover, with all steam and Admiral Hope aboard, was close to the first barrier of iron spikes with Opossum, now commanded by Captain Willes. The task of Opossum was to destroy the first obstacle. At 2:00 pm upon a signal from the Rear Admiral, Opossum attached a cable, passed it over one of her winches, reversed her engines, and tried rip the spike up and out of the river bottom. It was so well emplaced that it was half an hour of work, to remove two obstacles and place buoys to mark the opening. The British commander in Plover now steamed through the gap opened by Opossum, followed in succession by other gun boats.
A gun battery of the Taku Forts
The two little gun boats approached the floating barrier. It was at this point the Chinese in the South Fort opened fire from a leftmost rampart. Immediately along the walls of all the forts; banners were raised on every flag pole, embrasures were opened, and guns pushed out. From about 600 yards away on the leftmost rampart and from the front of the North Fort, the Chinese artillery rapidly fired amazingly accurate cannon shots, aimed at the leading ships. General Hope Grant's signal came, "Engage the enemy," flew from the masthead of Plover; her four guns opened, three of them on the big fort to the left. Two hundred yards off, the other gun responded to the North Fort. After the other ten gunboats received the signal, they anchored and began to open fire on the Chinese positions. The battle was a close quarters gunnery action, the Chinese fire, instead of slackening from British return fire, seemed to have grown fiercer. The British later reported that when one gun and crew were killed by their fire, another gun and crew would quickly be filling the embrasure. Chinese troops fired so steadily and aimed that for years afterwards many of the British veterans believed that trained European artillerymen were actually firing the Chinese gun batteries. After less than twenty minutes, Plover had thirty-one killed or wounded out of a forty-man crew.
Her commander, Lieutenant Rason, was cut in half by a round shot; James Hope was wounded in the thigh but refused to leave the deck and Captain McKenna, who was attached to his staff, was killed while at Hope's side. Only nine unwounded men were left on board, but they, with the help of some of their fellow wounded crew, kept two of the guns in action. They fought on a deck covered with blood and bits of splintered wood. Around this time the American steamer Toey-Wan of the Pacific Squadron arrived and anchored outside the bar. Commodore Josiah Tattnall of the United States Navy was on board, and he went to Plover, under fire from the Chinese guns, to offer assistance to the British. Commodore Tattnall, a veteran of the War of 1812, put aside his mistrust of the British and justified his presence by stating "blood is thicker than water", a now famous saying. The United States government, as a neutral power, did not order any American vessels to proceed in this attack. Tattnall offered to send in his steam launch to help evacuate the dead and wounded from danger, an offer which was gratefully accepted by the Britons. When Tattnall left Rear Admiral Hope for Powhatan in his launch, he was forced to wait a moment at Plover 's port side for his men who had come aboard with the Commodore. A moment later a few men returned, covered in black powder marks and sweaty from excitement.
The American Commodore asked, "What have you been doing, you rascals?" "Don’t you know we're neutrals" "Beg pardon, sir," said one of the men, "but they were a bit short-handed with the bow-gun, and we thought it no harm to give them a hand while we were waiting." At 3:00 pm, James Hope ordered Plover, now nearly destroyed, to drop down the river to a safer station, and he transferred his flag to Opossum. A few minutes later, a round shot crashed through Opossum s rigging close to the Admiral, knocking him down and breaking three of his ribs; a bandage was fastened around his chest and he was seated on the deck of the gunboat where he still kept his command. Later on, he even insisted on being lifted into its barge in order to visit and encourage the crews of Haughty and Lee. "Opossum, ahoy!" called an officer from Haughty, "Your stern is on fire." "Can't help it", shouted back Opossum 's commander. "Can’t spare men to put it out. Have only enough to keep our guns going." After this Opossum was apparently relieved and gave up the fight for a while to steam down to the first barrier. Lee and Haughty now bore the brunt of the engagement, they suffered severely. Everything on the two gunboat's decks was turned into scraps from Chinese fire and Lee was hit well in several places at and below the water line.
Woods, her boatswain, informed her commander, Lieutenant Jones, that unless holes in his hull could be plugged Lee would sink, as her pumps and engine could not get the water out as fast as it was rushing in. "Well, then, we must sink," said the lieutenant; "you can’t get at the worst of the holes from inside, and I'm not going to order a man to go over the side with the tide running down like this, and our propeller going." Woods replied by promptly volunteering to go over the side and see what he could do. His commander warned him that the screw must be kept going, or the ship would drift out of place. Besides the possibility of drowning, Woods would risk being killed by the propeller blades; but Woods, went over the side anyway, with a line around his waist and with a few plugs and rags in his hands. when Woods dove in, he was almost swept up by the screw several times. Fortunately for him, he was capable of escaping the screw and successfully plugged several shot-holes. All of this became unnecessary though because Lee continued to fill up with river water and had to give up her place in the fight to run aground, preventing her sinking. Cormorant which was now the flagship, replaced the grounded Lee. Plover, after severe damage was sunk just after Admiral Hope transferred to the other gunboat. Hope suffered from fainting at some point, so his doctors persuaded him to send himself to one of the three steamships on the other side of the bar. Captain Shadwell, the next senior officer, then took command of the attacking fleet. At 5:30 pm and after three hours of fighting, Kestrel sank at her anchors. Of the eleven gunboats, six were sunk, disabled or put out of action.
Land engagement
The fire of the Chinese forts was slackening though and at 6:30 pm, after a rushed meeting aboard Cormorant, it was resolved to commence with a land attack of marines and sailors who had been waiting in small boats and inside the bar. Their objective was to capture the South Fort by means of a frontal assault. The time was after 7:00 pm and very little daylight was left for the landing party, when the boats were towed in by Opossum, Toey Wan and one of the armed steamships, being used by the American Commodore.
Captain Shadwell took command of the landing party, which was made up of sailors under Captain Vansittart, and Commanders Heath and Commerell. Sixty French sailors, under a Commander Tricault, of Duhalya accompanied Captain Shadwell. The marines were under Colonel Lemon and a party of engineers and sappers with ladders for scaling walls. As the boats pulled into the shore, the fire from the North Fort had ceased, and only an occasional shot was fired from the long rampart of the South fort. The landing zone area was 500 yards (460 m) in front of the rightmost bastion of the South Fort, below the stakes. The tide had fallen so far that it was not possible to get very near to the actual shore, this made the landing of almost 1,200 men more difficult than it could have been if the tide was still high. The column of land forces had to make its way across 500 yards (460 m) to 600 yards (550 m) of mud, weeds, and small pools of water, the ground was reportedly so soft in places that a man could sink to his waist if they step in the wrong spot. As soon as the men of the first landing boat stepped ashore, the entire front of the South Fort responded with a large salvo of cannon fire. The silence of the Chinese guns was obviously a ruse meant to lure the British and French into making a land attack. The plan of the Chinese worked perfectly. Once hearing the sounds of the South Fort, the gunboats resumed fire until the land force began their advance on the fort.
The Chinese gunners concentrated their cannons, swivel guns and rockets on the landing party. As the Britons and French came within range, Chinese riflemen and archers opened upon them from a crowded crest of the South Fort's rampart. As the Anglo-French shore party struggled onwards, round shot, grape shot and balls from the Chinese swivel guns, muskets, rockets and arrows, fell among the allies in showers according to survivors. It was very hard to return the fire as many rifles were full of mud and their ammunition was wet. Captain Shadwell was one of the first men wounded; Vansittart fell, with one leg wounded by a musket ball. Dozens of dead and wounded lay on the field. The wounded had to be carried back to the boats to save them from sinking in the mud. Three broad ditches lay between the landing zone and the fort. No more than 150 men reached the second of these and only fifty advanced to the third which was just below the Chinese rampart. The British and French ammunition cartridges were nearly all useless from moist terrain and had only one scaling ladder by the time they reached the wall. The ladder was raised against the rampart, and ten men were climbing up it when a volley of small arms fire from above killed three men and wounded five others.
The ladder was then thrown back by the Chinese and broken. The British and French were forced to retreat to their boats after facing firm resistance. At 10:00 pm the wounded were sent back to the boats. The sky was dark but was kept lit by the Chinese who burnt blue lights and launched rockets and fireballs at the retiring French and Britons. After this the battle was over. Sixty-eight men were killed in the land attack and nearly 300 wounded. Twelve of the dead were Frenchmen, along with twenty-three of the wounded, the French commander was also wounded. Eighty-one Britons in total died as result of the fighting with a total of 345 wounded. Sometime during the battle, an American launch, evacuating wounded and with Commodore Josiah Tattnall on board, was attacked by Chinese batteries, one American sailor was killed, and one other was slightly wounded, the Commodore was unharmed. Several of the landing boats had been sunk while waiting on the river bank during the land battle. When the Anglo-French force retreated, many had to wait in the water till they could be extracted. At 1:00 am on June 26, the last men of the landing party re-embarked their ships. The remaining gunboats retreated down to the bar. Another shore party was sent in later that morning, their mission was to blow up or burn the grounded gunboats that could not be freed and were in threat of being captured by the Chinese, whether this mission was completed or not is not known, though two of the grounded gunboats are said to have been re-floated. Chinese strength and casualties are unknown.
Aftermath
The battle on the Pei-ho river ended. The disaster put an end to further attempts to reach Peking.
The course of events was analysed, previous battles against the Chinese had been easily won and this may had led to underestimating the enemy. The stakes and barrier, apart from stopping the gun boats simply sailing past the forts had done little damage. The reduction in fire from the fort leading to the decision to send in the land force was a trick that the Allied force fell for. Making the land assault at low tide, leaving the troops to wallow exhausted in the mud would have been avoided if the attack had been made at high tide, when the small boats could have landed the troops almost under the fort walls.
Within the next year an allied force of British and French troops, under General Sir James Hope Grant and General de Montauban, launched an expedition. This engagement led to the 1860 Third Battle of Taku Forts in which the allies were successful, opening the route to Peking. The Second Opium War ended soon after.
Soon after Canton's capitulation, Gough received the good news that he had at last been appointed colonel of the 87th Foot and that he had also been named commander-in-chief of the Madras army, though he was asked to stay put until the war was over. There were at this time significant changes in the high command in China: Sir Le Fleming Senhouse died on board ship off Hong Kong and was replaced by Rear-Admiral William Parker. To Gough's delight, Captain Elliot was replaced as plenipotentiary by Sir Henry Pottinger. Under the new triumvirate a campaign against the island city of Amoy was undertaken with complete success.
British successes made little impression on the Emperor of China, for he was under the pleasant illusion that his armies were winning the war. Throughout the China campaign Gough exhibited a clear understanding of the rough, unprincipled nature of his soldiery and a fine regard for the lives and property of non-combatants. In general orders he reminded his troops: 'Britain has gained as much by her mercy and forbearance, as by the gallantry of her troops. An enemy in arms is always a legitimate foe, but the unarmed, or the suppliant for mercy, of whatever country or whatever colour, a true British soldier will always spare'. Before the attack on Amoy he warned, 'Private property must be held inviolable; the laws of God and man prohibit plunder; and the individual appropriation of the goods of others, which in England would be called robbery, deserves no better name in China'. His exhortation was unheeded. When his troops entered Amoy, they rampaged through its streets in a frenzy of destruction. In a letter to Frances he wrote,
'The moment a house is broken open... Every article is destroyed. The wanton waste of valuable property is heart-rending and has quite sickened me of war'.  ingeniously presenting defeats as victories in their dispatches kept him pacified. Amoy had fallen because his forces had burned and sunk five of the barbarians' warships and a steamer, they explained. 'The south wind blew the smoke in our soldiers' eyes, and Amoy was lost'.

1859. Saturday 22nd October. By Order-in-Council, a Commandant, Barrack master, Paymaster, Surgeon, Assistant Surgeon, and another Adjutant, Lieutenant and Quartermaster, and one Quartermaster were allowed; the strength of the Artillery Companies being 2,992 as against an Infantry Divisional strength of 3,472 each.
The wording of the Order-in-Council says: ''The Artillery companies have hitherto been attached to the Portsmouth Division; but the present establishment of Artillery Companies being nearly equal to the strength of a Divisional Headquarters, much inconvenience is felt at Portsmouth, in consequence of all arrangements for the accounts of the said Companies having to pass through the Commandant of that Division; and this inconvenience is now greatly increased, as the Artillery Companies are stationed at a considerable distance from the Headquarters of the Division, and on the opposite side of Portsmouth Harbour. It will therefore be desirable, for the benefit of the Corps generally, to place the Artillery Companies on a more efficient 40 to 41. (Sic) (H. E. Blumberg.  Devonport January 1934.)

1859. Saturday 22nd October. The formation of a separate Royal Marine Artillery Division.

1859 – 1872. The Island of San Juan. In 1855 as it seemed impossible for Canada and the United States to settle definitely to which this island belonged, a provisional agreement was made under which it was jointly occupied by a small garrison from each nation. In 1859 however, General Harney the C.O. in Washington Territory largely reinforced the Americans contingent and made an unqualified declaration that the Island belonged to the United States. This brought a British squadron on the scene which, after some negotiation between the British and the United States Government, was withdrawn on the understanding that the joint occupation by small bodies of troops should be continued for the present. General Harning was removed from his commanded in 1860, and for the next twelve years the British government was represented by a detachment of Royal Marines, its first commanding officer being Captain George Bazalgette. The British and the American detachments continued on terms of good fellowship until their two governments decided to have the question of ownership of the Island arbitrated upon by the German Emperor, who on Monday 21st October 1872 decided in favour of the United States. The Royal Marines detachment then commanded by Captain W.A. Delacombe, evacuated the Island on the 22nd of the following month. The old block house erected by the Royal Marines to protect their camp on the shore was still standing in 1905 and was still a source of much interest to tourists. The sites of both the British and the American camps are now marked by marble and granite columns with suitable inscriptions.

1859. The numbers were 16,995, in 112 Divisional and 16 Artillery Companies. - (Order-in-Council Saturday 30 April). A considerable increase in officers was effected41 by placing all the Adjutants, Quartermasters, Gunnery and Musketry Instructors on the Staff, instead of being borne on the strength of the Companies as hitherto.
RMA Division - The great event of the- year was the creation of the separate Artillery Division, but the formation of the RMA as a separate Corps did not take place for another three years. (Sic) (H. E. Blumberg.  Devonport January 1934.)

1859 - 1919. The Marines uniform of the day. (taken from 'Britain's Sea Soldiers: Vol 1 by Cyril Field RMLI).