Atlas of Battles

battle, nineteenth century

Battle of Taku Forts

Battle of Taku Forts was a battle fought on 20 May 1858 at Taku Forts, 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: Anglo-French victory. Recorded strength: British: 1,032; French: 700 (land force) against 1,000.

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Map of the forts on the Peiho River in 1858.
Map of the forts on the Peiho River in 1858.. Knox, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought20 May 1858
WhereTaku Forts, People's Republic of China38.975N, 117.712E
OutcomeAnglo-French victory
BelligerentsUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; Second French EmpireagainstQing China
Casualties and lossesBritish: 5 killed; 16 wounded; French: 6 killed; 61 woundedandUnknown
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, 186018561860Battle of Taku Forts, 1858
13 placed engagements of Second Opium War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date20 May 1858
PlaceTaku Forts, People's Republic of China
38.975N, 117.712E
KindBattle, nineteenth century
StrengthBritish: 1,032; French: 700 (land force)1,000
Casualties and lossesBritish: 5 killed; 16 wounded; French: 6 killed; 61 woundedUnknown
Commanders
Battle of Taku FortsBattle of Taku FortsBattle of Taku FortsBattle of PalikaoBattle of Gaoliang RiverBattle of PekingSiege of ZhongduBattle of Taku FortsBattle of PalikaoBattle of PekingTianjinTangshanQinhuangdaoLangfangCangzhouZhuozhouHangu100 km38.975N, 117.712E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1858

Battle of Taku Forts 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 Q4087331, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Taku Forts (1858), revision 1370590408, 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.