Atlas of Battles

battle, nineteenth century

Capture of the French Folly Fort

Capture of the French Folly Fort was a battle fought on 6 November 1856 at French Folly Fort, in what is now People's Republic of China. It was part of Second Opium War, which ran from 1856 to 1860. The recorded result: British victory. Recorded strength: 2 steamers; 14 small boats 1 against 23 junks.

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Barracouta and Calcutta's pinnace engaging mandarin junks and the French Folly Fort in the Canton River.
Barracouta and Calcutta's pinnace engaging mandarin junks and the French Folly Fort in the Canton River.. Unclear, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought6 November 1856
WhereFrench Folly Fort, People's Republic of China23.113N, 113.281E
OutcomeBritish victory
BelligerentsUnited KingdomagainstQing China
Casualties and losses6 killed; 15 woundedandUnknown; 1 fort captured
Part ofSecond Opium War1856 to 1860

Where it sits in Second Opium War

Battle of Canton, 1856Capture of the French Folly Fort, 1856Battle of the Bogue, 1856Battle of the Pearl River Forts, 1856Battle of Macao Fort, 1857Battle of Escape Creek, 1857Battle of Fatshan Creek, 1857Battle of Canton, 1857Battle of Taku Forts, 1858Battle of Taku Forts, 1859Battle of Taku Forts, 1860Battle of Zhangjiawan, 1860Battle of Palikao, 186018561860Capture of the French Folly Fort, 1856
13 placed engagements of Second Opium War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date6 November 1856
PlaceFrench Folly Fort, People's Republic of China
23.113N, 113.281E
KindBattle, nineteenth century
Strength2 steamers; 14 small boats 123 junks
Casualties and losses6 killed; 15 woundedUnknown; 1 fort captured
Commanders
Capture of the French Folly FortCapture of the French Folly FortBattle of CantonBattle of GuangzhouSecond Battle of GuangzhouBattle of CantonBattle of CantonBattle of CantonShenzhenDongguanZhuhaiMacauQingyuanJiangmenHeyuanHuizhou100 km23.113N, 113.281E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.
Barracouta and Calcutta's pinnace engaging Mandarin junks and the French Folly Fort in the Canton River on 6 November 1846.
Barracouta and Calcutta's pinnace engaging Mandarin junks and the French Folly Fort in the Canton River on 6 November 1846.. Not identified, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 8 times between 1841 and 1929.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1856

Capture of the French Folly Fort is one of 3,507 engagements of the 19th century in the atlas and one of 339 in present-day People's Republic of China.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q27627941, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Capture of the French Folly Fort, revision 1370610020, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.