ORDER OF BATTLE // September 5, 1861
Battle of Anqing
Estimated force strength by side, with confidence labels per surviving record.
Forces engaged
2 sides catalogued · combined 30,000 estimated
Qing dynasty
10,000
Medium-confidence figure
Taiping Heavenly Kingdom
20,000
Medium-confidence figure
Battle context
The Battle of Anqing was a prolonged siege lasting from September 1860 to September 5, 1861, in which Hunan Army forces loyal to the Qing Dynasty, under Zeng Guoquan, breached the walls of the prefecture-level city of Anqing in Anhui and occupied it. The Qing force of approximately 10,000 overcame a Taiping Heavenly Kingdom garrison backed by a relief force numbering around 20,000, commanded by Chen Yucheng. The fall of Anqing represented a significant reversal for the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, as the city was a strategically positioned prefecture in Anhui that the Taiping had held as part of their broader territorial control. Its capture by imperial forces under the overall direction of Zeng Guofan demonstrated the growing operational effectiveness of the Hunan Army and tightened Qing pressure on the Taiping heartland, contributing to the gradual contraction of Taiping-held territory that would characterize the later phase of the rebellion.
‹ Full battle dossier