July 21, 1842 · Yangtze River Theater
July 21, 1842
The most bitterly contested battle of the First Opium War. British forces stormed Chinkiang (Zhenjiang), defended by a Manchu garrison that chose mass death over surrender — more than 1,000 Manchu soldiers and family members died in the fighting or took their own lives. The battle severed the Grand Canal at its Yangtze crossing, immediately threatening to cut Beijing's food supply and forcing the Qing court to accept negotiations.
Commanders