Battle of the Bach Dang River

                                           LATE WINTER, 938 AD                               BATTLE OF THE BACH DANG RIVER In 111 BC the powerful Han dynasty of southern China invaded and conquered the region to their south then called Nam Viet (now northern Vietnam).  Hungry for the fertile farmland of Read More

Action at the Pearl River Forts

                                           15-22 NOVEMBER 1856                              ACTION AT THE PEARL RIVER FORTS By the mid-19th century, most western nations had established commercial enterprises in China.  China was, at the time, internally fractionated and militarily weak, and England, in particular, exploited this situation to compel Read More

“Blood is Thicker Than Water”

                                                                                25 JUNE 1859                                “BLOOD IS THICKER THAN WATER” During the first half of the 19th century several Western nations, particularly England and France, opened trade with China.  Several, including the United States, maintained naval forces in the region to protect Read More