Bombardment of Upolu
Encyclopedia
The Bombardment of Upolu, in 1841, was the second engagement with islanders of the Pacific Ocean
during the United States
exploring expedition
. Following the murder of an American sailor on the island of Upolu
, Samoa
, two United States Navy
warships were despatched to protect American lives and property. When the ships arrived they found the natives to be hostile so a short bombardment began and afterwards a landing party went ashore to burn a series of undefended Samoan villages.
first arrived off Upolu in October 1839 while conducting surveys of the region. Because United States-flagged merchant ships had traded a lot with the natives in the previous decades, Commander
Charles Wilkes
decided on establishing a treaty, with the seven chiefs on the island, which would govern over future relations. Wilkes then drafted what he called the "commercial regulations" that, among other things, provided that the Samoans hand over any natives found guilty of murdering foreigners. An incident occurred a few years before in which the followers of Chief Oportuno had killed three sailors from an American merchantman so Wilkes wanted a treaty to protect against these types of outrages. All of the stipulations were agreed to so and were officially signed into law on November 5, 1839, that same day James C. William was appointed to be the American consul
to the island. With that accomplished, Commander Wilkes left the Upolu to continue his voyage around the world. Trade with the Samoans went well until about a year later when the natives at Upolu
murdered another American citizen. As part of the commercial regulations, alcohol
was banned on the island and all merchant vessels were to receive a paper upon arrival of the regulations, so any drunken conduct was probably not the cause of the affair.
USS Peacock
and the small two gun schooner
USS Flying Fish
were under the command of Lieutenant
William L. Hudson
, of the Peacock and Commandant
Samuel R. Knox of the Flying Fish. The two vessles arrived off the island of Upolu on February 24, 1841, first the Americans decided to hold a meeting with the principal chief Malietoa
to demand that the murder, or murderers, be handed over. Malietoa refused to surrender the suspects so Lieutenant Hudson decided to land "70 odd men", including a force of no more than twenty marines, and bombard the village of Saulafata. After preparations for battle were completed, the landing party was put into boats and waited off the Peacocks starboard quarter while she and the Flying Fish shelled the Samoans. It was still the morning of February 24 when the American warships opened fire with grape and round shot. The grape had no effect and fell too short of target but the cannon balls worked and they quickly began scoring hits upon the buildings on shore.
The native warriors did not resist the attack in any way and after the first cannon was fired, they retreated from the beach to gather their families and belongings before fleeing into the jungle. After some eighteen shots had been fired, the ships ceased the engagement and the shore party was sent into Saulafata. There the marines and sailors were divided into three units under Lieutenants William M. Walker of the Marine Corps, De Haven and George F. Emmos, as well as a few midshipmen. When on land, two units began burning the forty of fifty huts with torches while the third unit remained at the boats. There was no fighting, none of the Samoans were even seen after the first cannon was fired. With Saulafata destroyed, the Americans returned to their ships but when they got there, Lieutenant Hudson ordered them to return ashore and destroy the villages of Fusi and Sallesesi. So again the party was landed after first receiving "a taste of grog" as a means of encouragement. There were over 100 huts between the two villages and the second was destroyed in the same manner as the first, without any resistance from the natives. The Americans then returned to the beach and destroyed all the canoes they could find before reboarding their ships and sailing away to rejoin Commander Wilkes.
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
during the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
exploring expedition
United States Exploring Expedition
The United States Exploring Expedition was an exploring and surveying expedition of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding lands conducted by the United States from 1838 to 1842. The original appointed commanding officer was Commodore Thomas ap Catesby Jones. The voyage was authorized by Congress in...
. Following the murder of an American sailor on the island of Upolu
Upolu
Upolu is an island in Samoa, formed by a massive basaltic shield volcano which rises from the seafloor of the western Pacific Ocean. The island is long, in area, and is the second largest in geographic area as well as the most populated of the Samoan Islands. Upolu is situated to the east of...
, Samoa
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
, two United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
warships were despatched to protect American lives and property. When the ships arrived they found the natives to be hostile so a short bombardment began and afterwards a landing party went ashore to burn a series of undefended Samoan villages.
Background
The American expedition of discoveryAge of Discovery
The Age of Discovery, also known as the Age of Exploration and the Great Navigations , was a period in history starting in the early 15th century and continuing into the early 17th century during which Europeans engaged in intensive exploration of the world, establishing direct contacts with...
first arrived off Upolu in October 1839 while conducting surveys of the region. Because United States-flagged merchant ships had traded a lot with the natives in the previous decades, Commander
Commander (United States)
In the United States, commander is a military rank that is also sometimes used as a military title, depending on the branch of service. It is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the military, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Naval rank:In the United States...
Charles Wilkes
Charles Wilkes
Charles Wilkes was an American naval officer and explorer. He led the United States Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842 and commanded the ship in the Trent Affair during the American Civil War...
decided on establishing a treaty, with the seven chiefs on the island, which would govern over future relations. Wilkes then drafted what he called the "commercial regulations" that, among other things, provided that the Samoans hand over any natives found guilty of murdering foreigners. An incident occurred a few years before in which the followers of Chief Oportuno had killed three sailors from an American merchantman so Wilkes wanted a treaty to protect against these types of outrages. All of the stipulations were agreed to so and were officially signed into law on November 5, 1839, that same day James C. William was appointed to be the American consul
Consul
Consul was the highest elected office of the Roman Republic and an appointive office under the Empire. The title was also used in other city states and also revived in modern states, notably in the First French Republic...
to the island. With that accomplished, Commander Wilkes left the Upolu to continue his voyage around the world. Trade with the Samoans went well until about a year later when the natives at Upolu
Upolu
Upolu is an island in Samoa, formed by a massive basaltic shield volcano which rises from the seafloor of the western Pacific Ocean. The island is long, in area, and is the second largest in geographic area as well as the most populated of the Samoan Islands. Upolu is situated to the east of...
murdered another American citizen. As part of the commercial regulations, alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
was banned on the island and all merchant vessels were to receive a paper upon arrival of the regulations, so any drunken conduct was probably not the cause of the affair.
Bombardment
When Commander Wilkes learned of the affair, he detached two vessels from his squadron to sail back to Samoa. The twenty-two gun sloop-of-warSloop-of-war
In the 18th and most of the 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. As the rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above, this meant that the term sloop-of-war actually encompassed all the unrated combat vessels including the...
USS Peacock
USS Peacock (1813)
The first USS Peacock was a sloop-of-war in the United States Navy during the War of 1812.Peacock was authorized by Act of Congress 3 March 1813, laid down 9 July 1813 by Adam & Noah Brown at the New York Navy Yard, and launched 19 September 1813. She served in the War of 1812, capturing twenty ships...
and the small two gun schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
USS Flying Fish
USS Flying Fish (1838)
USS Flying Fish , a schooner, was formerly the New York City pilot boat Independence. Purchased by the United States Navy at New York City on 3 August 1838 and upon joining her squadron in Hampton Roads 12 August 1838 was placed under command of Passed Midshipman S. R. Knox.Assigned as a tender in...
were under the command of Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
William L. Hudson
William L. Hudson
Captain William Levereth Hudson, USN was a United States Navy officer in the first half of the 19th century.-Career:Hudson was born 11 May 1794 in Brooklyn...
, of the Peacock and Commandant
Commandant
Commandant is a senior title often given to the officer in charge of a large training establishment or academy. This usage is common in anglophone nations...
Samuel R. Knox of the Flying Fish. The two vessles arrived off the island of Upolu on February 24, 1841, first the Americans decided to hold a meeting with the principal chief Malietoa
King Malietoa Moli
Malietoa Mōli [Semoanaifea] was a Samoan king who died in 1860.-Titular succession: Some speculate that both Mōlī and Malietoa Talavou Tonumaipe'a were both declared Malietoa following Malietoa Tinai "Natuitasina" Taimalelagi’s death; Malietoa Mōli [Semoanaifea] (“Lamp Oil” or “Illumination”) was...
to demand that the murder, or murderers, be handed over. Malietoa refused to surrender the suspects so Lieutenant Hudson decided to land "70 odd men", including a force of no more than twenty marines, and bombard the village of Saulafata. After preparations for battle were completed, the landing party was put into boats and waited off the Peacocks starboard quarter while she and the Flying Fish shelled the Samoans. It was still the morning of February 24 when the American warships opened fire with grape and round shot. The grape had no effect and fell too short of target but the cannon balls worked and they quickly began scoring hits upon the buildings on shore.
The native warriors did not resist the attack in any way and after the first cannon was fired, they retreated from the beach to gather their families and belongings before fleeing into the jungle. After some eighteen shots had been fired, the ships ceased the engagement and the shore party was sent into Saulafata. There the marines and sailors were divided into three units under Lieutenants William M. Walker of the Marine Corps, De Haven and George F. Emmos, as well as a few midshipmen. When on land, two units began burning the forty of fifty huts with torches while the third unit remained at the boats. There was no fighting, none of the Samoans were even seen after the first cannon was fired. With Saulafata destroyed, the Americans returned to their ships but when they got there, Lieutenant Hudson ordered them to return ashore and destroy the villages of Fusi and Sallesesi. So again the party was landed after first receiving "a taste of grog" as a means of encouragement. There were over 100 huts between the two villages and the second was destroyed in the same manner as the first, without any resistance from the natives. The Americans then returned to the beach and destroyed all the canoes they could find before reboarding their ships and sailing away to rejoin Commander Wilkes.
See also
- Punitive expeditionPunitive expeditionA punitive expedition is a military journey undertaken to punish a state or any group of persons outside the borders of the punishing state. It is usually undertaken in response to perceived disobedient or morally wrong behavior, but may be also be a covered revenge...
- First Fiji ExpeditionFirst Fiji ExpeditionThe First Fiji Expedition undertaken by the United States Navy occurred in October 1855 during the civil war on the islands. In response to the alleged arson attacks on the American commercial agent in Lautoka, Viti Levu, the navy sent a warship to demand compensation for the attack from King Seru...
- Second Fiji ExpeditionSecond Fiji ExpeditionThe Second Fiji Expedition was an 1858 United States Navy operation against the native warriors of Seru Epenisa Cakobau on the island of Waya in Fiji...
- First Sumatran Expedition
- Second Sumatran ExpeditionSecond Sumatran ExpeditionThe Second Sumatran Expedition was a punitive expedition by the United States Navy against inhabitants of the island of Sumatra. After Malay warriors or pirates had massacred the crew of the American merchant ship Eclipse, an expedition of two American warships landed a force that defeated the...
- Nukapu ExpeditionNukapu ExpeditionThe Nukapu Expedition occurred between October of 1871 and February of 1872 and was a British punitive operation in response to the murder of Bishop John Coleridge Patteson by the natives of Nukapu...