Atlas of Battles

naval engagement, nineteenth century

Battle of Tamsui

Battle of Tamsui was a naval engagement fought on 8 October 1884 at Tamsui District, in what is now Taiwan. It was part of the Sino-French War, which ran from 1884 to 1885. The recorded result: Chinese victory. Recorded strength: 6 ships; 600 marines against 2,000–4,000; (with artillery batteries).

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French warships bombard the Chinese coastal defences at Tamsui, 2 October 1884; from left to right the gunboat Vipère, the ironclad Triomphante, the cruiser d'Estaing and the ironclad La Galissonnière
French warships bombard the Chinese coastal defences at Tamsui, 2 October 1884; from left to right the gunboat Vipère, the ironclad Triomphante, the cruiser d'Estaing and the ironclad La Galissonnière. Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought8 October 1884
WhereTamsui District, Taiwan25.190N, 121.410E
OutcomeChinese victory
BelligerentsFrench Third RepublicagainstChina
Casualties and losses17 killed; 49 woundedand80 killed; 200 wounded
Part ofSino-French War1884 to 1885

Where it sits in the Sino-French War

Battle of Fuzhou, 1884Battle of Tamsui, 1884Battle of Yu Oc, 1884Siege of Tuyên Quang, 1884Battle of Nui Bop, 1885Battle of Shipu, 1885Battle of Dong Dang, 1885Battle of Zhenhai, 1885Battle of Hòa Mộc, 188518841885Battle of Tamsui, 1884
9 placed engagements of the Sino-French War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date8 October 1884
PlaceTamsui District, Taiwan
25.190N, 121.410E
KindNaval engagement, nineteenth century
Strength6 ships; 600 marines2,000–4,000; (with artillery batteries)
Casualties and losses17 killed; 49 wounded80 killed; 200 wounded
Commanders
  • Sébastien Lespès
  • Sun Kaihua
  • Zhang Gaoyuan
  • Liu Chaoyou
  • Tio Li-xieng
Battle of TamsuiBattle of TamsuiFinal Battle of San SalvadorFirst Battle of San SalvadorBattle of O͘-gû-lânBattle of Dong-YinFinal Battle of San SalvadorBattle of O͘-gû-lânBattle of Dong-YinHsinchuMiaoliYilan100 km25.190N, 121.410E
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 1884

Battle of Tamsui is one of 3,507 engagements of the 19th century in the atlas and one of 42 in present-day Taiwan.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q728355, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Tamsui, revision 1370590487, 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.