Gasalee Expedition
Encyclopedia
The Gaselee Expedition was a successful relief by a multi-national military force to march to Beijing
and protect the diplomatic legations and foreign nationals in the city from attacks in 1900. The expedition was part of the war of the Boxer Rebellion
.
, anti-foreign rural mass movement. Their objective was to rid China of foreign (Western) influence. In May and early June 1900 they advanced on Beijing. The Qing
government of China was equivocal about the Boxers, fearing that they might become anti-Qing. The Boxers were a serious threat to Western and Japanese citizens and Chinese Christians living in Beijing, Tianjin, and other areas of northern China.
The diplomatic Legations (Embassies) in Beijing requested that marines be sent to protect them; more than 400 from eight countries arrived in Beijing on May 31. However, as the threat from the Boxers increased, it become apparent that additional soldiers were needed. On June 9, Sir Claude Maxwell MacDonald
the British Minister cabled Vice Admiral Edward Hobart Seymour
, commander of the British Navy's China fleet, that the situation in Beijing "was hourly becoming more serious" and that "troops should be landed and all arrangements made for an advance to Peking [Beijing] at once."
On receipt of MacDonald's message, Seymour assembled within 24 hours a force of more than 2,000 sailors and marines from from Western and Japanese warships and prepared to embark for Beijing from Tianjin, 75 miles away, by train. His force consisted of 916 British, 455 Germans, 326 Russians, 158 French, 112 Americans, 54 Japanese, 41 Italians, and 26 Austrians. Seymour's Chief of Staff was Captain John Jellicoe
. The Commander of the Americans in the expedition was Captain Bowman H. McCalla
.
The diplomats in Beijing anticipated that Seymour would arrive there on June 11, but he didn't. Shortly thereafter, all communications were cut and the Seymour Expedition disappeared in the interior of China. Acting without the Chinese Imperial court's permission, they had, in effect, launched an invasion. The Chinese response was decisive. Seymour was defeated during the disatrous Seymour Expedition.
was chosen as temporary commander of the expedition.
The Expedition consisted of an unknown amount of Germans, Austrians, Italians, 900 British troops, 1,300 Indians, 200 Chinese collaboraters under direct British command, 2,000 American troops, 1,200 French, 3,000 Russians, 9,000 Japanese. 25,000 Russian and Japanese garrisoned Taku and Tianjin, and so did not participate in the expedition. Most French Infantry were from Indochina
.
120 degrees Fahrenheit temperature and insects plagued the Allies. Soldiers dehydrated, and horses died. Chinese villagers killed Allied troops who searched for wells, and gouged out the eyes and sliced the tongues off Japanese troops, nailing them to village doors.
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
and protect the diplomatic legations and foreign nationals in the city from attacks in 1900. The expedition was part of the war of the Boxer Rebellion
Boxer Rebellion
The Boxer Rebellion, also called the Boxer Uprising by some historians or the Righteous Harmony Society Movement in northern China, was a proto-nationalist movement by the "Righteous Harmony Society" , or "Righteous Fists of Harmony" or "Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists" , in China between...
.
Background
The Boxers were an anti-ChristianChristian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
, anti-foreign rural mass movement. Their objective was to rid China of foreign (Western) influence. In May and early June 1900 they advanced on Beijing. The Qing
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
government of China was equivocal about the Boxers, fearing that they might become anti-Qing. The Boxers were a serious threat to Western and Japanese citizens and Chinese Christians living in Beijing, Tianjin, and other areas of northern China.
The diplomatic Legations (Embassies) in Beijing requested that marines be sent to protect them; more than 400 from eight countries arrived in Beijing on May 31. However, as the threat from the Boxers increased, it become apparent that additional soldiers were needed. On June 9, Sir Claude Maxwell MacDonald
Claude Maxwell MacDonald
Colonel Sir Claude Maxwell MacDonald GCMG GCVO KCB PC was a British diplomat, best known for his service in China and Japan.-Biography:...
the British Minister cabled Vice Admiral Edward Hobart Seymour
Edward Hobart Seymour
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Edward Hobart Seymour, GCB, OM, GCVO , was a Royal Navy officer who became Commander-in-Chief, China Station.- Early life :...
, commander of the British Navy's China fleet, that the situation in Beijing "was hourly becoming more serious" and that "troops should be landed and all arrangements made for an advance to Peking [Beijing] at once."
On receipt of MacDonald's message, Seymour assembled within 24 hours a force of more than 2,000 sailors and marines from from Western and Japanese warships and prepared to embark for Beijing from Tianjin, 75 miles away, by train. His force consisted of 916 British, 455 Germans, 326 Russians, 158 French, 112 Americans, 54 Japanese, 41 Italians, and 26 Austrians. Seymour's Chief of Staff was Captain John Jellicoe
John Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe
Admiral of the Fleet John Rushworth Jellicoe, 1st Earl Jellicoe, GCB, OM, GCVO was a British Royal Navy admiral who commanded the Grand Fleet at the Battle of Jutland in World War I...
. The Commander of the Americans in the expedition was Captain Bowman H. McCalla
Bowman H. McCalla
Rear Admiral Bowman H. McCalla was an officer in the United States Navy, who was noted for his roles in the Spanish-American War and putting down the Boxer Rebellion.-Biography:...
.
The diplomats in Beijing anticipated that Seymour would arrive there on June 11, but he didn't. Shortly thereafter, all communications were cut and the Seymour Expedition disappeared in the interior of China. Acting without the Chinese Imperial court's permission, they had, in effect, launched an invasion. The Chinese response was decisive. Seymour was defeated during the disatrous Seymour Expedition.
The expedition
Allied troops suffered from severe illnesses, unsanitary conditions, diarrhea, flies, and other pests. General Dorwood cautioned advance, urging 60,000 men to be ready before going forward, since he witnessed the Chinese pound the Allied forces with their weaponry at Tianjin. The Chinese destroyed the railroads and junk ships to prevent the allied advance. German Field Marshal Alfred von Waldersee was selected as supreme commander, but he was in Germany with his soldiers. Lieutenant General Sir Alfred GaseleeAlfred Gaselee
Sir Alfred Gaselee, GCB, GCIE, was a soldier who reached the rank of General in the British Indian Army.-Personal life:...
was chosen as temporary commander of the expedition.
The Expedition consisted of an unknown amount of Germans, Austrians, Italians, 900 British troops, 1,300 Indians, 200 Chinese collaboraters under direct British command, 2,000 American troops, 1,200 French, 3,000 Russians, 9,000 Japanese. 25,000 Russian and Japanese garrisoned Taku and Tianjin, and so did not participate in the expedition. Most French Infantry were from Indochina
Indochina
The Indochinese peninsula, is a region in Southeast Asia. It lies roughly southwest of China, and east of India. The name has its origins in the French, Indochine, as a combination of the names of "China" and "India", and was adopted when French colonizers in Vietnam began expanding their territory...
.
120 degrees Fahrenheit temperature and insects plagued the Allies. Soldiers dehydrated, and horses died. Chinese villagers killed Allied troops who searched for wells, and gouged out the eyes and sliced the tongues off Japanese troops, nailing them to village doors.