Battle of Peking

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Battle of Peking
Part of the Boxer Rebellion
Date June 20 - August 15, 1900 Location Peking, China Result Allied victory
Belligerents
Eight-Nation Alliance	China
Commanders
Alfred Gaselee Nikolai Linevich Adna R. Chaffee General Frey Yamagutchi Motoomi	Jung-Lu
Strength
18,000	80,000
Casualties and losses
?	?

The Battle of Peking (also known as the Relief of Peking) was the weeks long siege of Peking and the final battle that relieved the besieged foreign legations in Peking during the Boxer Rebellion.

[edit] Background

The Boxer Rebellion started on 2 November 1899. From 20 June 1900, Boxer forces and Imperial Chinese troops had besieged foreign diplomats, citizens, and soldiers within the legations in Peking. The legations of Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany, Austria-Hungary, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, and the United States were besieged.

A first attempt to relieve the legations under British Admiral Edward Seymour was turned back on 26 June.

The second relief force, under the leadership of British Lieutenant-General Alfred Gaselee, was composed of troops from eight different nations and was aptly called the Eight-Nation Alliance.

[edit] Battle

Several engagements happened around Peking, involving forces from various foreign nations operating against Chinese and Boxer units in order to relieve Peking. Most of the forces involved were U.S. Marines shipped in from the nearby Philippine Islands. The siege was finally lifted when a large international force was assembled. The army consisted of about 18,000 American infantry, cavalry and artillery, combined with the smaller forces from the other seven nations. The event is known as the China Relief Expedition. The besieged international garrison in Peking held out for weeks under almost constant rebel attack. Each of the "Eight Powers" had a small force of soldiers, sailors, or marines, all of which took up different positions along the city walls during the battle. The American Marines, Japanese, and Germans received most of the enemy contact although other countries had direct influence in the campaign. The famed "International Gun," constructed of many different cannon pieces from the multiple powers, was manned by US forces during the Boxer and Federal assaults. After weeks of siege, the relief expeditionary force arrived, so the Boxers and Chinese troops fled. Chinese casualties are unknown but very high due to the Boxers' lack of modern weapons. However, the Chinese Federal troops were better armed than their rebel allies. Allied casualties were minimal. On August 14, having marched 70 miles from Tianjin, the international force reached Peking. The Russian General, Nikolai Linevich, was the first to enter the city. The legations were relieved on August 15 and the major fighting of the Boxer Rebellion was effectively over. However, sporadic fighting continued until September 7 1901.^[1]

[edit] In popular culture

This battle is famously portrayed in the 1963 film 55 Days at Peking. It presents a dramatic conclusion to the Boxer Rebellion, followed by a scene depicting the final downfall of the Qing Dynasty.

[edit] References