The Battle of Seonghwan () was the first major land battle of the

First Sino-Japanese War The First Sino-Japanese War (25 July 1894 – 17 April 1895) was a conflict between China and Japan primarily over influence in Korea. After more than six months of unbroken successes by Japanese land and naval forces and the loss of the p ...

. It took place on 29 July 1894 at the hamlet of Seonghwan, outside of

Cheonan Cheonan (; 천안시, ''Cheonan-si''), also spelled Ch'ŏnan, is a city in South Chungcheong, South Korea. Cheonan has a population of 666,417 (2018), making it the most-populous city or county in South Chungcheong, and the third most-populous c ...

Chungcheongnam-do South Chungcheong Province ( ko, 충청남도, ''Chungcheongnam-do''), also known as Chungnam, is a province of South Korea. South Chungcheong has a population of 2,059,871 (2014) and has a geographic area of 8,204 km2 (3,168 sq mi) located ...

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic ...

between the forces of Meiji Japan and

Qing The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

China. It is also referred to as the Battle of Asan (Japanese: 牙山作戦 ).

Background

Following the capture of the Royal Palace at Seoul and disarmament of the Korean troops, the Japanese began preparations for an attack against Chinese forces camped at Asan. On 25 July, charged with implementing the

Imperial Japanese Army The was the official ground-based armed force of the Empire of Japan from 1868 to 1945. It was controlled by the Imperial Japanese Army General Staff Office and the Ministry of the Army, both of which were nominally subordinate to the Emper ...

's commission from new Korean government to expel the Chinese

Beiyang Army The Beiyang Army (), named after the Beiyang region,Hong Zhang (2019)"Yuan Shikai and the Significance of his Troop Training at Xiaozhan, Tianjin, 1895–1899" ''The Chinese Historical Review'' 26(1) was a large, Western-style Imperial Chinese Ar ...

from Korean territory by force, a detachment of the

Japanese First Army The was an army of the Imperial Japanese Army. It was raised and demobilized on three occasions. History The Japanese 1st Army was initially raised during the First Sino-Japanese War from 1 September 1894 – 28 May 1895 under the command ...

consisting of 4,000 men and four artillery pieces under command of Major General

Ōshima Yoshimasa Viscount was a general in the early Imperial Japanese Army during the First Sino-Japanese War and the Russo-Japanese War. His great-great-grandson, Shinzō Abe was Prime Minister of Japan. Biography Ōshima was born as the eldest son to a samur ...

marched south from

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...

towards the major port city of

Asan Asan () is a city in South Chungcheong Province, South Korea. It borders the Seoul Capital Area to the north. Asan has a population of approximately 300,000. Asan is known for its many hot springs and is a city of spas. Asan has grown int ...

. The Chinese forces stationed near Seonghwan numbered about 3,880 men under General Ye Zhichao, and had anticipated the impending arrival of the Japanese by fortifying their position with trenches, earthworks including six

redoubt A redoubt (historically redout) is a fort or fort system usually consisting of an enclosed defensive emplacement outside a larger fort, usually relying on earthworks, although some are constructed of stone or brick. It is meant to protect soldi ...

s protected by

abatis An abatis, abattis, or abbattis is a field fortification consisting of an obstacle formed (in the modern era) of the branches of trees laid in a row, with the sharpened tops directed outwards, towards the enemy. The trees are usually interlaced ...

and by flooding surrounding rice fields. However, expected Chinese reinforcements from

Taku Taku may refer to: Places North America * the Taku River, in Alaska and British Columbia ** Fort Taku, also known as Fort Durham and as Taku, a former fort of the Hudson's Bay Company near the mouth of the Taku River ** the Taku Glacier, in Ala ...

, had been lost in the naval

Battle of Pungdo The Battle of Pungdo or Feng-tao (Japanese: ) was the first naval battle of the First Sino-Japanese War. It took place on 25 July 1894 off Asan, Chungcheongnam-do, Korea, between cruisers of the Imperial Japanese Navy and components of the Chines ...

on 25 July 1894, in which the British-chartered transport ''Kowshing'' had been sunk. Units of the Chinese main force were deployed east and north-east of Asan, near the main road leading to Seoul, the key positions held by the Chinese were the towns of Seonghwan and Cheonan. Approximately 3,000 troops were stationed at Seonghwan, while 1,000 men along with General's headquarters were at the Cheonan. The remaining Chinese troops were garrisoned in Asan itself. The Chinese had been preparing for a pincer movement against the Korean capital by massing troops at

Pyongyang Pyongyang (, , ) is the capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is known as the "Capital of the Revolution". Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. According to the 2008 populat ...

in the north and Asan in the south.

Battle

The Japanese began their attack with a small diversionary force consisting of four companies of

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

and one of

engineers Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the li ...

attacking Chinese positions on the night of 28 July 1894 from the front, while the main force of nine companies of infantry, one of

cavalry Historically, cavalry (from the French word ''cavalerie'', itself derived from "cheval" meaning "horse") are soldiers or warriors who fight mounted on horseback. Cavalry were the most mobile of the combat arms, operating as light cavalry in ...

and a battalion of

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during si ...

successfully outflanked the Chinese defenses by crossing the Ansong River. The battle lasted from about 03:30 to 05:30 in the early morning of 28 July 1894. The defenders, after a sharp engagement, were unable to hold Seonghwan, and fled to Asan, ten miles to the southwest, leaving behind a considerable amount of weapons and stores. The Japanese forces pursued the Chinese to the city of Asan, but the surprise defeat at Seonghwan had a strong impact on Chinese morale, and the Japanese took Asan with relatively little resistance by 15:00 on 29 July 1894. Surviving Chinese forces fled towards

, which it reached after a heavy march of 26 days, detouring to avoid Japanese positions near Seoul. Chinese casualties included 500 killed and wounded against 34 killed and 54 wounded for the Japanese.

Aftermath

The defeat of the Chinese forces at Asan broke the possibility of a Chinese encirclement of the Korean capital of Seoul. On July 30, after the Japanese victory at Seonghwan, General Oshima's troops entered Asan undisturbed, and within the following week cleared the area of the remaining Chinese forces. Consequently, the southern and central parts of Korea came under complete Japanese control. The victorious Japanese army returned to Seoul on 5 August 1894. Clashes between Chinese and Japanese forces at

Pungdo Pung Island ( ko, 풍도, Pungdo) is a small populated island on the Yellow Sea, located in within the municipal borders of Ansan city, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea, about 74 km South West of Seoul, the country's capital town, and 24 km s ...

and Seonghwan caused an irreversible alteration to Sino-Japanese relations and meant that a state of war now existed between the two countries. Following the battle, formal

declarations of war A declaration of war is a formal act by which one state announces existing or impending war activity against another. The declaration is a performative speech act (or the signing of a document) by an authorized party of a national government, in ...

were officially issued by the Chinese government on July 31 and the Japanese government on August 1.

Notes

References

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External links