Expeditionary· Japan Expedition
Commander Biddle's Yedo Bay mission
The first American naval mission to Japan, and an instructive failure.
Commander James Biddle brought the ship-of-the-line USS Columbus and the sloop Vincennes into Yedo Bay in July 1846 to seek the opening of trade, the Marine guards of both ships furnishing the ceremonial honors. The Japanese authorities, holding firmly to their policy of seclusion, refused all overtures and pressed the Americans to depart. The encounter produced one humiliating moment: while attempting to board a Japanese vessel, Biddle was shoved, or struck, by a Japanese guard, an affront he chose to overlook rather than provoke a clash. The mission left without any concession. Yet it set the precedent for the visits that followed, establishing that American warships would return to press the question. No fighting occurred, and the chief lesson, that a stronger and more resolute approach would be needed, was one Perry would take to heart seven years later.
Record no. 358