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{{Redirect|Taiwan Expedition|the incident known as such in Japan|Japanese invasion of Taiwan (1874)}}
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{{Infobox military conflict
|conflict=Formosa Expedition
|image=Formosa Expedition 1867.jpg
|image_size=300px
|caption=''Attack of United States Marines and Sailors on the pirates of the island of Formosa, East Indies'', [[Harper's Weekly]]
|date=June 1867
|place= [[Hengchun]], [[Taiwan under Qing rule|Taiwan]], [[Qing dynasty|Qing China]]
|result=Paiwan victory
|combatant1=[[Paiwan people|Paiwan]] 
|combatant2={{flagcountry|United States|1865}}<br />
|commander1=Tok-a-Tok
|commander2= {{flagdeco|United States|1865}} [[Henry H. Bell|Henry Bell]]<br />{{flagdeco|United States|1865}} [[Alexander Slidell MacKenzie|Alexander MacKenzie]]{{KIA}}
|strength1=22{{Citation needed|date=March 2022}}
|strength2=181 <br /> 2 sloops-of-war
|casualties1=Minimal, if any
|casualties2=Several
}}
{{Campaignbox 19th-century Formosan conflicts}}

The '''Formosa Expedition''' ({{zh|t=美國福爾摩沙遠征|poj=Bí-kok Hok-nī-mô͘-sa Oán-cheng|p=Měiguó Fú’ěrmóshā Yuǎnzhēng}}),<ref>{{cite web|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1874/08/20/79228253.pdf|title=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.}}</ref><!--please add pinyin--> or the '''Taiwan Expedition of 1867''', was a [[punitive expedition]] launched by the [[United States]] against the [[Paiwan people|Paiwan]], an [[Taiwanese indigenous peoples|indigenous Taiwanese tribe]]. The expedition was undertaken in retaliation for the [[Rover incident|''Rover'' incident]], in which the ''Rover'', an American [[barque|bark]], was wrecked and its crew killed by Paiwan warriors in March 1867. A [[United States Navy]] and [[U.S. Marines|Marine]] [[company (military unit)|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.<ref>http://www.greendragonsociety.com/Military_History/Taiwan_Formosa_page.htm {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161010215955/http://www.greendragonsociety.com/Military_History/Taiwan_Formosa_page.htm |date=10 October 2016 }} http://michaelturton.blogspot.com/2010/12/rover-incident-of-1867.html http://michaelturton.blogspot.com/2010_12_01_archive.html {{cite news |date=August 23, 1867 |title=Search Results THE PIRATES OF FORMOSA. - Official Reports of the Engagement of The United States Naval Forces with the Savages of the Isle. |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1867/08/24/80237849.pdf |newspaper=The New York Times |location=Washington }}{{cite news |date=August 24, 1867 |title=THE PIRATES OF FORMOSA.; Official Reports of the Engagement of the United States Naval Forces with the Savages of the Isle. |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FA0B1EF93E5F137B93C6AB1783D85F438684F9 |newspaper=The New York Times }}{{cite news |date=August 14, 1867 |title=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 |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F60F1EFB3C551A7493C6A81783D85F438684F9 |newspaper=The New York Times }} LONDON, Tuesday, Aug. 13–Evening {{cite news |date=August 24, 1867 |title=NEWS OF THE DAY.; EUROPE. GENERAL. LOCAL. |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F0081EF93E5F137B93C6AB1783D85F438684F9 |newspaper=The New York Times }}{{cite news |date=August 15, 1867 |title=The American Fleet in Chinese Waters--Avenging National Insults. |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F40913FC3558147B93C7A81783D85F438684F9 |newspaper=The New York Times }}</ref>

==Background==
{{main|Rover incident}}
[[File:USS Hartford painting.jpg|200px|left|thumb|An 1864 painting of {{USS|Hartford|1858|2}}.]]
On 12 March 1867, the United States [[cargo ship|merchantman]] ''Rover'' was sailing off [[Cape Eluanbi]], the southernmost point of [[Taiwan]], when she wrecked on an uncharted reef and began drifting out to sea. Her crew of over two dozen safely made it ashore but were attacked and killed by the Paiwan. The [[Royal Navy]] ship {{HMS|Cormorant||6}} reached the "Koalut country" on March 26,{{sfnp|Davidson|1903|p=115}} discovered the fate of the ''Rover'', and informed the American [[East India Squadron|East India Station]]. Squadron commander [[Rear Admiral]] [[Henry H. Bell]] ordered [[Commander]] [[John Carson Febiger|John C. Febiger]] in the newly commissioned [[gunboat]] {{USS|Ashuelot|1865|6}} to proceed from [[Fuzhou]] to the island to investigate the incident.

Upon Febiger's arrival, [[Qing Dynasty|Qing]] authorities assured him that the attack was carried out by warriors of a village that did not respect Qing laws. Febiger returned and notified Rear Admiral Bell of this. The American consul to [[Xiamen]], [[Charles William Le Gendre|C. W. Le Gendre]], had spent April trying to establish communication with the Paiwan, but they remained hostile.{{sfnp|Davidson|1903|p=116}}

At this point, diplomatic pressure proved a failure. After a delay of three months and "a good deal of red tapeism in Washington", a punitive expedition was decided on.{{sfnp|Davidson|1903|p=116}} Bell, with the [[screw sloop|screw]] [[sloop-of-war]] {{USS|Wyoming|1859|2}} and his [[flagship]] {{USS|Hartford|1858|2}}, left [[Shanghai]] in June for southern Taiwan.

==Expedition==
[[File:Henry H Bell.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Rear Admiral Henry H. Bell]]
The passing from Shanghai to Taiwan was uneventful, and the two American warships arriving off the southeastern coast on 13 June 1867. The sloops anchored a half-mile off the shore and made preparations for landing. 181 officers, sailors and Marines landed by boat. They were commanded by Commander [[George Belknap|George E. Belknap]] of ''Hartford'' and seconded by [[Lieutenant Commander]] [[Alexander Slidell MacKenzie]]. When on land the company was broken up into two forces, one commanded by Belknap and the other by Mackenzie. Captain [[James Forney]] directed the Marines, twenty of whom were deployed as skirmishers in the front of the columns. Their objective was to defeat the Paiwan decisively and to capture their village. Taiwan is a [[tropical]] island, hot and humid in the summer, which made the march through the jungle difficult for the Americans, who wore heavy uniforms designed to keep men warm at sea.

After nearly an hour, the Paiwan attacked with [[musket]]s from concealed positions on top of a hill directly in front of the American columns. Though the Americans found it difficult to see them, they later reported that the Paiwan warriors wore colorful [[face paint]] and were armed with spears as well as firearms. MacKenzie's force engaged first by charging the Paiwan ambush but they fled before the Americans had climbed the hill. The expedition continued further and was ambushed again, so once more the Americans charged and captured the position without inflicting losses on the enemy. As the expedition continued on to the village, the Paiwan ambushed the Americans several times but did not kill any of them.

It was not until the last action that the only American casualty was sustained: the Paiwan warriors fired a musket volley and a ball hit Lieutenant Mackenzie, mortally wounding him. After the volley the Paiwan retreated again but the Americans chose not to pursue. By this time, after six hours of marching, several men had either grown delirious or passed out from the heat, so the expedition returned to the ship.

==Aftermath==
When they arrived back at shore, the sailors and Marines boarded their ships and then sailed back to the [[Mainland China|Chinese mainland]], having failed to complete their objectives. Paiwan casualties were minimal, if any; the Americans found no bodies.

Rear Admiral Bell and other American officers stated in their reports that the only way to make the region safe would be to [[Ethnic cleansing|drive out the Paiwan]] and put the area under control of a powerful ally.{{sfnp|Davidson|1903|p=116}} [[Charles Le Gendre|C.W. Le Gendre]] persuaded [[Viceroy of Min-Zhe|the Governor-General of Fujian and Zhejiang]] to send his own expedition to Taiwan (then [[Taiwan Prefecture|a part of Fujian Province]]). He also requested that Rear Admiral Bell send a gunboat to support the operation but this was denied. Le Gendre took command of the Chinese troops and left Fuzhou for southern Taiwan on 25 July 1867. In September, Le Gendre arrived at the prefectural capital Taiwan (now known as [[Tainan]]) to announce the object of his visit and take delivery of the Governor-General's promises of assistance. According to his report,{{sfnp|Davidson|1903|p=117-122|ps=: reproduction of Le Gendre's report}} Le Gendre marched to the Paiwan capital and negotiated a Memorandum of the Understanding <ref name="gpo">{{cite book|title=''Annual Report on the Commercial Relations Between the United States and Foreign Nations: Made by the Secretary of State for the Year Ending September 30, 1869''|chapter=''CHINA-FORMOSA. FORMOSA. Reports of Mr. C. W. Le Gendre''|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1E1TAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA85|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1E1TAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA92|year=1871年|publisher=[[美国政府出版局|Government Printing Office]]|page=92|language=en|access-date=2020-03-19|archive-date=2020-09-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200923004221/https://books.google.com/books?id=1E1TAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA85|url-status=live }}</ref> ([[:zh:南岬之盟|南岬之盟]]) with Chief [[Tok-a-Tok]]<ref>{{cite EB9 |wstitle=Formosa |volume=IX}}</ref> ({{c.|1817}}{{ndash}}1874){{efn|His Paiwan name was written in [[Chinese language|Chinese]] [[Chinese characters|characters]] as {{nowrap|{{lang|zh|{{linktext|卓|杞|篤}}}}}} or {{nowrap|{{lang|zh|{{linktext|卓|其|督}}}}}}, both pronounced ''Tok-ki-tok'' in [[Hokkien language|Hokkien]]. These names were also transcribed into English as Toketok or Tauketok.}}<ref>See also [[:zh:卓杞篤|his article on the Chinese Wikipedia]].</ref> to assure the safe conduct of shipwrecked sailors throughout Paiwan territory.

However, indigenous Taiwanese continued to attack wrecked merchant ships. The [[Mudan Incident of 1871]], where 54 shipwrecked [[Ryukyuan people|Ryūkyūan]] sailors were captured and beheaded at the southeastern tip of Taiwan, resulted in the [[Taiwan Expedition of 1874]] in which the [[Empire of Japan|Japanese]] military campaigned against the Paiwan. The Japanese succeeded in engaging the Paiwan warriors in battle and received compensation from the Qing government for the massacre.

==See also==
* [[Battles for Shimonoseki|Japanese Conflict]]
* [[Japanese invasion of Taiwan (1874)]]
* [[Korean Expedition]]

==Notes==
{{noteslist}}

==References==
===Citations===
{{reflist|30em}}

===Bibliography===
{{refbegin}}
* {{DANFS}}
* {{cite book |last1=Davidson |first1=James W. |author-link=James W. Davidson |title=The Island of Formosa, Past and Present : history, people, resources, and commercial prospects : tea, camphor, sugar, gold, coal, sulphur, economical plants, and other productions |year=1903 |publisher=Macmillan  |url=https://archive.org/details/islandofformosap00davi |location=London and New York |ol=6931635M |oclc=1887893 }}
{{refend}}
{{Armed conflicts involving the United States Armed Forces}}

{{coord missing|Pacific Ocean}}

[[Category:Punitive expeditions of the United States|Formosa]]
[[Category:Taiwan under Qing rule]]
[[Category:United States Marine Corps in the 18th and 19th centuries|Formosa]]
[[Category:1867 in Taiwan]]
[[Category:Battles involving the United States]]
[[Category:Military history of Taiwan]]
[[Category:Conflicts in 1867]]
[[Category:Violence against indigenous peoples]]
[[Category:June 1867 events]]
[[Category:Anti-indigenous racism in Asia]]