Combat· Korean Expedition (Shinmiyangyo)
Capture of Fort Choji and Fort Tokchin
The opening phase of the land assault on Ganghwa Island.
On 10 June 1871 the American landing force, about a hundred Marines under Captain Tilton and several hundred sailors, was towed up the Salee River in twenty-two boats and put ashore at the southern end of the island, wading in at low tide through some two hundred feet of knee-deep mud that fouled men and guns alike. The first objective, Fort Choji, had been largely abandoned by its defenders and was taken with little resistance; the force then pushed on and seized the second work, Fort Tokchin, again against slight opposition. Both forts were demolished. No American casualties resulted in this phase; the hard fighting and the losses came the next day at the citadel. The capture of the two lower forts cleared the way for the assault on the main stronghold and showed how lightly the outer works were held compared with the citadel beyond.
Record no. 466