The Fight on the Peiho River

Sherard Osborn- 25th April 1822 - 6th May 1875

London: Blackwood's, 1859.

Osborn's engaging and detailed first-hand account of Britain's Second Opium War with China, part of which was conducted on Beijing's Peiho river. As commander of the 'Furious', the author took a prominent part in the operations of the Second Opium War, and performed a piece of difficult and intricate navigation in taking his ship up the Yangtse to Hankow, in 1858. Osborn returned to England in broken health in 1859, and at the time contributed this article.

What has been called the First Opium War was fought during 1838 and 1842. A treaty was signed but there continued to be an uneasy truce between Britain and China. In 1857 the Chinese harassed the British ships with fire boats, exploded bombs underneath British buildings, offered rewards for the capture of barbarians, executing foreigners who strayed from their quarters or place of business.

The British looked north to the Peiho River, now the Hai River, which accessed the major city of Pekin, now Beijing. Unpenetrable by major ships of the navy, its mouth was protected by sand bars at low tide and a series of forts and battlements then known as the Taku Forts, now the city of Tanggu, situated at its mouth, which stretched for a mile on each side of the river as it closed to a width of a few hundred yards.

Purchased by the Museum of Drugs Paraphernalia and Related Antiquities September 2009

Museum Comment:

The fight on the Peiho River signaled a brief change in fortune for the Chinese. Up until this point, the Chinese had relied on skilled diplomacy and traditional face saving in their attempts to out maneuver the British. Prior battles in the Opium Wars had usually resulted in military victories to the British naval forces which enjoyed considerable supremacy of fire power. A game of cat and mouse would often ensue, with the Chinese offering a degree of concession, which would later be reneged upon. Ultimately the British forces would make small gains, whilst the mounting costs of the war would lead to increased political pressures in Parliament back home in London.

The military successes added to an air of arrogance amongst British commanders and therefore the disastrous 'Fight on the Peiho' would have undoubtedly have led to considerable embarrassment to the Governement, as Osborn's account testifies to in its unashamed attempts to salvage some little glory from the campaign.

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