Sinking of the General Sherman - A US Marine Merchant Ship
Young Kim
Lee Wha Rang - March 19, 2000
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It is not well known that the US-Korea conflicts date back to July 1844 when
the US Congress tabled a motion to trade with Korea - the Hermit Kingdom. In
spite of this, an armed American merchant-marine schooner, the General
Sherman, was dispatched to Korea to "survey" the waters of Korea.
When the Americans refused to leave and continued to sail up the river
toward Pyongyang, the American ship was sunk and all aboard were killed.
This unfortunate incident triggered a series of American attacks on Korea:
- January 1867: The USS Wachusett under Captain Robert W. Schufeldt arrives
to investigate General Sherman's demise. But foul weather turns her back.
- Spring 1868: The USS Shenandoah under Captain John C. Febiger reaches the
Taedong River's mouth and receives an official letter acknowledging the
death of all crewmen of General Sherman.
- June 1870: American forces attack the Yom-ha River forts and kill more
that 250 Korean soldiers.
- June 1871: A U.S. naval force attack and capture five forts to punish
"natives for depredations on Americans", particularly for murdering the crew
of the General Sherman and burning the schooner, and for later firing on
other American "small boats taking soundings up the Salee River".
- June 1888: A naval force is sent ashore to protect American residents in
Seoul.
- July 24, 1894 to April 3, 1896: A guard of marines lands to protect the
American legation and American lives and interests at Seoul during and
following the Sino-Japanese War.
- May 22, 1882: Korea capitulates and signs the Treaty of Chemulpo.
Commodore Robert W. Schufeldt presides over this "surrender".
What happened to the General Sherman?
The following is an abstract from Yi dynasty archives of 1892.
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In the 7th moon of Year Pyeng-in (1866), a black foreign schooner was
sighted on the Tae-tong River. The ship dropped anchor at Keupsa Gate at the
border of Pyung-an and Whang-hae provinces.
Governor Park Kyoo Soo of Pyung-an sent an emissary to investigate the
ship's presence. The emissary was told that the foreigners came to exchange
goods with the Koreans. They came from the land of Mi-guk (the United
States). There were nineteen persons on the ship, including several Oriental
of abort stature and dark complexion. These understood Hanja characters and
so served as interpreters for the Americans.
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NB: An American merchant W. B. Preston arranged with the Meadows & Co., a
British firm in Tientsin, to send the General Sherman to Korea. The crew
members were: Captain Page, Chief Mate Wilson and the owner Preston (all
Americans); George Hogarth (a British); thirteen Chinese and three Malays. A
missionary, Robert Thomas, who had learned some Korean words from the Korean
Catholics at Chefoo, accompanied them as the interpreter.
The ship's cargo consisted mainly of cotton goods, tin sheets, glass, and
other items. The schooner left Tientsin on July 29 and stopped briefly for
water at Chefoo, from where she set sail on August 9 and reached the mouth
of the Taedong River on August 18. She was heavily armed.
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The emissary informed them that Korea did not trade with foreigners and that
only the King could change this law; and that the governor had no authority
to deal with the foreigners. He then offered to provide them with some
provisions. They asked for flour and eggs.
While the emissary left the ship to report to the governor, the foreigners
weighed anchor and sailed up the river as far inland as Mangyung-dae, a hill
some twelve li from Pyongyang. The Crow Rapids stopped them from going any
further.
During the night rain poured down on the mountains and the Tae-dong river
rose rapidly. The day was the 15th of the lunar month and there were also
high tides. These two factors combined swelled the water to a level seldom
seen before. Thus the black ship was able to pass over the Crow Rapids and
sailed further inland.
The foreigners apparently thought that the high water level was normal and
kept on sailing until they reached Yang-jak-do (island). Gov. Park sent Lee
Hyon-ik, the deputy commander of the Pyongyang garrison, to the ship with
four eggs and a message:
"You have reached the walls of our city when asked to stay put at Keupsa
Gate. You insist on trading with us, which is forbidden. Your actions have
created a grave situation so much so that I must inform my King and let him
decide what to do with you people."
This was the second year of the King's reign and Dae Won Kun was the Regent
of Korea. Dae believed that this foreign ship was a vanguard of another
invasion of the Roman Catholic Church and commanded that:
"Tell them to leave at once. If they do not obey, kill them."
The day before Dae's edict arrived, the river's water level dropped and the
ship was hopelessly stranded. The governor ordered his troops to attack the
foreigners. We had wha-jun (fire arrows) which could travel 800 feet and
then explode. Our troops were dressed in dragon cloud armour and marched
past a cheering crowd. We had several cannons rolled out to fight the
invaders.
The Americans saw our troops coming and took hostage of Deputy Commander
Lee, who was onboard the ship for a visit. Gov. Park told his troops to
attack the ship notwithstanding Lee's safety.
The fighting continued for four days amidst a huge crowd of spectators. The
foreigners fired large canon balls that travelled more than 10 li. The
cannons' thunders could be heard as far away as one day's walk. They aimed
at the spectators and showers of deadly steel fragments rained down on them.
Our troops retreated to a safe distance, from where their guns and bows coul
d do little harm to the foreigners.
We then tried a Turtle boat, a boat covered with metal sheets and cow hides.
The bow of this boat had a covered port for the cannon hidden inside. The
Turtle boat approached the ship and fired many shots, but the shots bounced
off the thick skin of the ship. The fight was not going too well for us.
Then drill sergeant Park Choong-wun tied three boats together by the East
Gate and loaded them up with firewood. He then poured sulphur and salt peter
in the wood. Two long ropes were attached to both sides of the boats and the
firewood were lit.
But the fire went out before the boats reached the ship. A second set of
fire-boats was pushed away by the Americans. But the third set reached the
enemy ship and success at last. The enemy ship caught on fire and began to
burn. The crew faced suffocation by the stench and vapor of the burning
sulphur and saltpetre. They tried in vain to put out the flames and as the
smoke grew thicker and thicker they were forced one by one to jump into the
water.
Our troops in boats surrounded the enemy ship and captured the enemy as they
tried to escape. Drill-sergeant Park boarded the ship and rescued Lee. Some
of the invaders waved white flags. Most of them were hacked to pieces before
they reached the shore. Others were dragged ashore alive. These tried
friendly smiles and soft words to win the goodwill of our people - in vain.
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NB: The first Protestant missionary to come to Korea was Robert Thomas. He
was one of the those made to the shore. He knelt down to say his last prayer
and gave his bible to his executioner.
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The remains of the foreigners were trampled on and dragged around. Their
body parts were cut off for medical use and what was left was burned.
The enemy ship was totally burned down and there remained only her iron ribs
that looked like posts driven into the ground. These irons were melted down
and used in various ways. We captured two or three cannons, which are
displayed in the armory of Pyongyang. We also recovered her anchor chains,
which hang from the East Gate Tower.
There was a big celebration over this victory of ours. Gov. Park provided
food and wine. There was much joy and sadness over our losses. Gov. Park
sent a special messenger to the King with the news:
"Drill sergeant Park rescued my deputy commander Lee from the burning enemy
ship. He boarded the ship, took Lee under his arm and leaped with him a
hundred yards across the Taedong river to safety."
When Dae Won Kun read this note, he laughed his heart out and made Park
Chongwun his aide-de-camp in Ahn-ju. Park still lives in Kang-dong, Pyung-an
Province. We lost one soldier and 13 civilians.
Related Webs:
- Instances of Use of United States Forces Abroad, 1798 - 1993 - by Ellen C.
Collier, Specialist in U.S. Foreign Policy, Foreign Affairs and National
Defense Division, Washington DC: Congressional Research Service -- Library
of Congress -- October 7, 1993
- World Mission History - By Sarah Barry
- Korea: Caught in Time by Terry Bennett (Garnet Publishing Ltd., 1997).
- Felice Beato's photos of the Kanghwa invasion
- Web Resources on the 1871 Invasion of Korea by the United States -
Sin-mi-yang-yo
Young Kim
Sent: Sunday, March 19, 2000 5:50 PM
Subject: Re: Sinking of the General Sherman - A US Marine Merchant Ship
Young Kim <y_...@worldnet.att.net> wrote in message
news:8IeB4.10491$mf.8...@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
> Sinking of the General Sherman - A US Marine Merchant Ship
>
>
> Lee Wha Rang - March 19, 2000
>
> <http://www.kimsoft.com/>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
> ----
>
> It is not well known that the US-Korea conflicts date back to July 1844
when
> the US Congress tabled a motion to trade with Korea - the Hermit Kingdom.
In
> spite of this, an armed American merchant-marine schooner, the General
> Sherman, was dispatched to Korea to "survey" the waters of Korea.
Hmmm. Actually, the GS was not 'dispatched' but was there of its own
accord. Although it was an American-owned ship, most of the crew were Asian
and it was leased by the British at the time; of the approximately two-dozen
crew, few were American.
>
> When the Americans refused to leave and continued to sail up the river
> toward Pyongyang, the American ship was sunk and all aboard were killed.
> This unfortunate incident triggered a series of American attacks on Korea:
>
Yes and no. True, it was sunk near PY. It did not, however, trigger a
series of attacks. The American 'expedition' of 1871 was not really related
to the GS at all; it was not mentioned directly in any of the official US
records of that time (although a few personal memoirs talked of it). The
only thing that was somewhat related to it was the US wanted to secure a
treaty with Korea to protect shipwrecked seamen (not really necessary, as
Korea (with the exceptions of the French and GS in 1866 and also one
adventurer) always treated shipwrecked sailors well). The reason for the
action was to secure trade with the one major holdout.
>
> - January 1867: The USS Wachusett under Captain Robert W. Schufeldt
arrives
> to investigate General Sherman's demise. But foul weather turns her back.
>
> - Spring 1868: The USS Shenandoah under Captain John C. Febiger reaches
the
> Taedong River's mouth and receives an official letter acknowledging the
> death of all crewmen of General Sherman.
True.
>
> - June 1870: American forces attack the Yom-ha River forts and kill more
> that 250 Korean soldiers.
False. Never happened. You are probably confusing it with 1871.
>
> - June 1871: A U.S. naval force attack and capture five forts to punish
> "natives for depredations on Americans", particularly for murdering the
crew
> of the General Sherman and burning the schooner, and for later firing on
> other American "small boats taking soundings up the Salee River".
True and false, as mentioned above.
> What happened to the General Sherman?
>
> The following is an abstract from Yi dynasty archives of 1892.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
> ----
>
> In the 7th moon of Year Pyeng-in (1866), a black foreign schooner was
> sighted on the Tae-tong River. The ship dropped anchor at Keupsa Gate at
the
> border of Pyung-an and Whang-hae provinces.
>
> Governor Park Kyoo Soo of Pyung-an sent an emissary to investigate the
> ship's presence. The emissary was told that the foreigners came to
exchange
> goods with the Koreans. They came from the land of Mi-guk (the United
> States). There were nineteen persons on the ship, including several
Oriental
> of abort stature and dark complexion. These understood Hanja characters
and
> so served as interpreters for the Americans.
There were, I believe, about 26 people on the ship.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
> ----
> NB: An American merchant W. B. Preston arranged with the Meadows & Co., a
> British firm in Tientsin, to send the General Sherman to Korea. The crew
> members were: Captain Page, Chief Mate Wilson and the owner Preston (all
> Americans); George Hogarth (a British); thirteen Chinese and three Malays.
A
> missionary, Robert Thomas, who had learned some Korean words from the
Korean
> Catholics at Chefoo, accompanied them as the interpreter.
Except for the numbers, fairly correct.
>
> The ship's cargo consisted mainly of cotton goods, tin sheets, glass, and
> other items. The schooner left Tientsin on July 29 and stopped briefly for
> water at Chefoo, from where she set sail on August 9 and reached the mouth
> of the Taedong River on August 18. She was heavily armed.
Also correct. The ship was, originally, an American Civil War vessel (a
British blockade runner named the Princess Royal).
<events that may possibly be true snipped>
>
> This was the second year of the King's reign and Dae Won Kun was the
Regent
> of Korea. Dae believed that this foreign ship was a vanguard of another
> invasion of the Roman Catholic Church and commanded that:
Dae Won Goon is not a name but a title; he was the father of the underage
king, Kojong.
>
> "Tell them to leave at once. If they do not obey, kill them."
>
> The day before Dae's edict arrived, the river's water level dropped and
the
> ship was hopelessly stranded. The governor ordered his troops to attack
the
> foreigners. We had wha-jun (fire arrows) which could travel 800 feet and
> then explode. Our troops were dressed in dragon cloud armour and marched
> past a cheering crowd. We had several cannons rolled out to fight the
> invaders.
>
<snip>
>
> Then drill sergeant Park Choong-wun tied three boats together by the East
> Gate and loaded them up with firewood. He then poured sulphur and salt
peter
> in the wood. Two long ropes were attached to both sides of the boats and
the
> firewood were lit.
>
> But the fire went out before the boats reached the ship. A second set of
> fire-boats was pushed away by the Americans. But the third set reached the
> enemy ship and success at last. The enemy ship caught on fire and began to
> burn. The crew faced suffocation by the stench and vapor of the burning
> sulphur and saltpetre. They tried in vain to put out the flames and as the
> smoke grew thicker and thicker they were forced one by one to jump into
the
> water.
>
> Our troops in boats surrounded the enemy ship and captured the enemy as
they
> tried to escape. Drill-sergeant Park boarded the ship and rescued Lee.
Some
> of the invaders waved white flags. Most of them were hacked to pieces
before
> they reached the shore. Others were dragged ashore alive. These tried
> friendly smiles and soft words to win the goodwill of our people - in
vain.
I would be very interested to know what your sources for the burning of the
GS are. Most sources I know of recount the small fire-boats, but none of
the rest. Also, all accounts I have seen claim it was the citizenry and not
gov't troops who destroyed the GS. Sincerely, I would be interested to hear
of your sources.
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
> ----
> NB: The first Protestant missionary to come to Korea was Robert Thomas. He
> was one of the those made to the shore. He knelt down to say his last
prayer
> and gave his bible to his executioner.
Also true.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
--
> ----
>
> The remains of the foreigners were trampled on and dragged around. Their
> body parts were cut off for medical use and what was left was burned.
The first part is possibly true; the second sounds pretty far-fetched.
>
> The enemy ship was totally burned down and there remained only her iron
ribs
> that looked like posts driven into the ground. These irons were melted
down
> and used in various ways. We captured two or three cannons, which are
> displayed in the armory of Pyongyang. We also recovered her anchor chains,
> which hang from the East Gate Tower.
>From reports I read, the remains of the GS were floated back down the
Daedong and then taken down the Han, to Seoul. A Korean engineer was
ordered to reproduce the engine and put it in a Korean ship; according to
the reports, it floated a few meters and sank on its maiden 'voyage.'
<snip>
> Related Webs:
>
> - Instances of Use of United States Forces Abroad, 1798 - 1993 - by Ellen
C.
> Collier, Specialist in U.S. Foreign Policy, Foreign Affairs and National
> Defense Division, Washington DC: Congressional Research Service -- Library
> of Congress -- October 7, 1993
>
> - World Mission History - By Sarah Barry
>
> - Korea: Caught in Time by Terry Bennett (Garnet Publishing Ltd., 1997).
>
> - Felice Beato's photos of the Kanghwa invasion
>
> - Web Resources on the 1871 Invasion of Korea by the United States -
> Sin-mi-yang-yo
Could you please be a bit more specific. I'm assuming by 'web resources'
you are specifically referring to my 1871 page
(http://www.ncmc.cc.mi.us/esl/1871/index.html), as there are few other
resources on the web about that event. I am especially interested in
hearing what Korean sources you used for the account of the destruction of
the General Sherman.
Thomas