Battle of Woosung

Overview

The Battle of Wusong (Woosung) (Chinese: 吳淞戰役) was fought between British and Chinese forces at the entrance of the Wusong River (present-day Huangpu River), Jiangsu province, China, on 16 June 1842, during the First Opium War. The British capture of the towns of Woosung (now Wusong) and Baoshan opened the way to Shanghai, which was captured with little resistance on 19 June.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The Battle of Wusong was fought at the entrance of the Wusong River in Jiangsu province, where British forces under Hugh Gough and William Parker engaged a Qing garrison of 4,000–5,000 troops commanded by Chen Huacheng. The British capture of Woosung and Baoshan was the decisive operational step that opened the Yangtze River approach to Shanghai. With those river mouth positions taken, Shanghai fell three days later with little resistance, giving British forces control of a major commercial and strategic center during the final phase of the First Opium War. The engagement cost the Qing side 198 casualties and effectively collapsed the forward defensive line protecting the lower Yangtze valley, accelerating the broader British advance that would culminate in the treaty negotiations ending the war.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (3)