Formosa Expedition

Formosa Expedition
	; Attack of United States Marines and Sailors on the pirates of the island of Formosa, East Indies, Harper's Weekly
Date	June 1867
Location	Hengchun, Taiwan, Qing China
Result	Paiwan victory
Belligerents
Paiwan	United States;
Commanders and leaders
Tok-a-Tok	Henry Bell; Alexander MacKenzie †
Strength
22[citation needed]	181 ; 2 sloops-of-war
Casualties and losses
Minimal, if any	1 killed

The Formosa Expedition (Chinese: 美國福爾摩沙遠征; pinyin: Měiguó Fú’ěrmóshā Yuǎnzhēng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Bí-kok Hok-nī-mô͘-sa Oán-cheng),^[1] or the Taiwan Expedition of 1867, was a punitive expedition launched by the United States against the Paiwan, an indigenous Taiwanese tribe. The expedition was undertaken in retaliation for the Rover incident, in which the Rover, an American bark, was wrecked and its crew massacred by Paiwan warriors in March 1867. A United States Navy and Marine company landed in southern Taiwan and attempted to advance into the Paiwan village. The Paiwan responded with guerrilla warfare, repeatedly ambushing, skirmishing, disengaging and retreating. Eventually, the Marines' commander was killed and they retreated to their ship due to fatigue and heat exhaustion, and the Paiwan dispersed and retreated into the jungle. The action is regarded as an American failure.^[2]

[1] "WASHINGTON.; AMERICAN OFFICERS IN THE JAPANESE FORMOSA EXPEDITION.REPRESENTATIONS BY THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT COMMUTATION OF DOCKRAY'SSENTENCE IN CUBA. THE DOCKRAY SENTENCE. WORK IN THE NAVY-YARDS. DISTRICT FINANCIAL MATTERS. THE LANCASTER. POSTAL APPOINTMENTS. TREASURY BALANCES. NEW BONDED WAREHOUSE FOR PITTSBURG" (PDF).

[2] ttp://www.greendragonsociety.com/Military_History/Taiwan_Formosa_page.htm Archived 10 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine http://michaelturton.blogspot.com/2010/12/rover-incident-of-1867.html http://michaelturton.blogspot.com/2010_12_01_archive.html "Search Results THE PIRATES OF FORMOSA. - Official Reports of the Engagement of The United States Naval Forces with the Savages of the Isle" (PDF). The New York Times. Washington. 23 August 1867."THE PIRATES OF FORMOSA.; Official Reports of the Engagement of the United States Naval Forces with the Savages of the Isle". The New York Times. 24 August 1867."European Intelligence: Garibaldi at Sienna Preparing to March Upon Rome Rumored Resignation of Omar Pasha as Turkish Commander in Crete Adjustment of the Difficulties Between Prussia and Denmark Bombardment of the Island of Formosa by American Ships of War CHINA Conflict Between United States Ships-of-War and the Pirates of the Island of Formosa Mexican Dollars Coined During the Reigh of Maximilian Uncurrent ITALY Garibaldi at Sienna Preparing for the Attack on Rome PRUSSIA Prebable Settlement of the Difficulties Between Prussia and Denmark CANDIA Rumored Resignation of Omar Pasha as Commander of the Turkish Forces Who Case of the Ship Anna Kimball Satisfactorily Settied IRELAND Sentence of the Fenian Capt. Moriarty Marine Disaster Attitude of the French and Italian Governments Toward the Garibaldians The Mission of Gen. Dumont from a French Point of View The Interference of France in the Affairs of Schleswig JAVA The Terrible Earthquake in the Island The Approaching Visit of Francis Joseph of Austria--Movements of the Emperor Napo". The New York Times. 14 August 1867. LONDON, Tuesday, Aug. 13–Evening "NEWS OF THE DAY.; EUROPE. GENERAL. LOCAL". The New York Times. 24 August 1867."The American Fleet in Chinese Waters--Avenging National Insults". The New York Times. 15 August 1867.

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