Ill-conceived foreign policy by United States leaders and politicians
can never diminish the valor of the soldiers who must enforce that
policy. Politically the Corean expedition of 1871 was a total defeat for
the United States, despite the striking victory by US Navy bluejackets
and Marines at the Citadel. For the Coreans, the valiant stand and fight
to the death of General Uh Je-yeon became a historical even viewed much
like Americans remember the defeat at the Alamo. The Corean defenders
were lost, almost to a man, including the General himself. In one of his
letters to Nannie, Captain Tilton spoke of sending her "the
plume & tassel of peacock feathers & red & yellow hors hair,
which was taken from the cap of the General (Uh Je-yon)" as a
souvenir, along with a yellow piece of cloth from the captured Corean
flag.
Perhaps
the most fortunate of the Coreans were the 20 or so severely wounded
that were taken aboard the American ships for medical treatment. In the
weeks after the invasion of Kanghwa and prior to departing the Corean
waters, Admiral Rogers made repeated efforts to establish a line of
communication with Seoul to obtain the desired treaty. At one point he
tried to use these prisoners as a bargaining tool, offering to release
his recovering prisoners in exchange for a treaty. The Coreans informed
the Admiral that his prisoners had dishonored themselves by allowing
their capture, and should they be released they would be unwelcome home
and would be subject to severe punishment.
Captain Tilton noted: "Our mission to
Corea has been a perfect failure; they won't have anything to do with
us, not even the fisherman. The local authorities refuse to send our
letters to the King, and all are returned to us on the end of a pole
stuck up on the beach, where we send a boat for them."
In all, more than 350 Coreans were killed in the
failed expedition. Losses for the Americans were three killed in action,
a fourth dead of disease, and ten or more wounded. Lieutenant Hugh
McKee's body was placed in a flag-draped coffin for transport to his
hometown of Lexington, Kentucky for burial. The other three dead
Americans: Landsman Seth Allen (USN), Private Denis Hanrahan (USMC), and
Thomas Driver (USN) were buried on Boisee Island (now called Jakyak
Island by the Koreans) just off the coast near Inchon.
The large yellow flag of General Uh Je-yeon was
sent to the United States as a "trophy of war", and placed in
a museum at the United States Naval Academy, where both Lieutenant McKee
and Captain Tilton had trained to become Naval officers.
On February 8, 1872, Marine Private Hugh Purvis
and Corporal Charles Brown (pictured standing in that order in front of
the flag at above with Captain Tilton on the right) were awarded Medals
of Honor for capturing that flag. For his role as color bearer and for
his valor in planting the Stars and Strips on the wall of the Citadel
and then defending it, Navy Ship's Carpenter Cyrus Hayden was also
awarded the Medal of Honor.
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Charles Brown
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Cyrus Hayden
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Hugh Purvis
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In all, fifteen Medals of Honor were awarded for
the weekend war in Corea, (9 Navy and 6 Marines). Eleven of
them were presented on that same day of February 8, 1872, including:
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Alexander McKenzie, Samuel Rogers and William
Troy: Cited for their valor at the side of Lieutenant
McKee. All three Navy bluejackets were wounded in that action.
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Quartermaster Frederick Franklin (USN): Cited
for assuming command of Company D after Lieutenant McKee was wounded
and leading them through the remainder of the battle at the Citadel.
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Marine Private John Coleman: Cited
for saving the life of Alexander McKenzie.
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Marine Private Michael McNamara: Cited
for his one-on-one battle with a Corean soldier that had attempted
to stop his advance with a rifle.
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Marine Privates James Dougherty and
Michael Owens: Both cited for their valor in battle despite
being wounded.
Six months later on July 9, 1872 Ordinary Seaman
John Andrews (USN)' who had so valiantly stayed his post lashed to the
ridgerope of the steam launch from the Benicia to safely navigate the
Salee River when the amphibious landing began, received his own Medal of
Honor.
Navy Landsman William Lukes was hospitalized with 18 sword and spear
wounds and lay unconscious for 39 days in the sick-ay of the USS
Colorado. He then spent many more months recovering from wounds so
severe that they left him an invalid for life. On October 10, 1872, he
had recovered enough to be presented the Medal of Honor. Joining him was
Landsman James Merton (USN) who had also been severely wounded in the
attack on the Citadel.
More than 40 years later on December 4, 1915, a
belated Medal of Honor was presented to Navy Chief Quartermaster Patrick
Henry Grace for his own gallant and meritorious conduct throughout
the attack. As a Naval OFFICER Lieutenant Hugh McKee was ineligible
for award of the Medal of Honor. (Until the revisions of 1917 the Navy
medal was presented only to enlisted sailors or marines. Officers were
generally rewarded for valorous actions with brevet promotions.)
Corea's efforts to isolate itself from the rest of
the world, temporarily preserved by the failed Shinmiyangyo, were all
too brief. Five years later Japan forced Corea to open diplomatic ties
in the Treaty of Kangwha. Subsequently they took over the foreign and
military affairs of Korea through the Protectorate Treaty of 1905.
Five years after that Japan formally annexed
Korea, burning in front of the Korean court the treaty with the United
States that had finally been achieved through diplomatic negotiations in
1882.
Private Hugh Purvis, who had earned the Medal of
Honor for his capture of General Uh's flag, served in the Marine Corps
until retiring in 1884. Thereafter he served 35 years as Armorer for the
U.S. Naval Academy. He was buried there upon his death in 1922.
On December 17, 1944, in the latter days of World
War II, Hugh Purvis' widow christened the U.S. Naval Destroyer DD 709
the USS Hugh Purvis. In 1993 his grandson donated the Medal of Honor
inscribed with the name "Hugh Purvis" to the Naval Academy for
display in a special area of a museum dedicated to the Korean Expedition
of 1871.
USS Hugh Purvis
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Dukjin Fortress (Fort Monocacy) Today
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Today Kanghwa Island is a beautiful gem at the
edge of the Yellow Sea. Separated by a narrow strip of water from the
38th Parallel and Communist North Korea, Kanghwa (sometimes called
Ganghwa) is a popular tourist attraction. Steeped in history, many of
the old forts and temples that adorned the island in years past have
been carefully restored to preserve the proud history of a people who
only wanted to be left alone, but were unable to avoid the technological
advances of other nations that made our world so much smaller.
Perhaps it was Admiral Rogers himself who summed
up the events of the weekend war in Corea in 1871 best when he concluded
his official report with the following:
"It gives
me the greatest satisfaction to say that in this expedition our
officers and men encountered difficulties which were surmounted only
by the most arduous labor, and defeated a determined enemy in a
desperate fight with a patience and courage most admirable. A
victory was won of which the Navy may well feel proud. It now
remains with the Government to determine what further steps, if any,
shall be taken toward requiring from Corea those engagements which it
was our purpose in visiting the coast to obtain if we might."
Originally from Petoskey, MI, since 1989 Mr. Duvernay has been a Professor in the Department of English, Dong Guk University, Kyongju, South Korea.
