Battle of Taku Forts (1859)

Second Battle of Taku Forts
Part of the Second Opium War

The Taku Forts
Date24-26 June 1859
Location
Result Chinese victory
Belligerents
 British Empire
 French Empire
 United States
Qing China
Commanders and leaders
James Hope (WIA)
Josiah Tattnall III
Sengge Rinchen
Strength
Britain:
1,160 (on land)
11 gunboats
4 steam ships
4,000
60 guns
6 forts
Casualties and losses
Britain:
3 gunboats sunk
3 gunboats grounded
81 killed
345 wounded
France:
12 killed
23 wounded
United States:
1 killed
1 wounded
1 launch damaged
32 killed or wounded

The Second Battle of Taku Forts (Chinese: 第二次大沽口之戰) was a failed Anglo-French attempt to seize the Taku Forts along the Hai River in Tianjin, China, in June 1859 during the Second Opium War. A chartered American steamship arrived on scene and assisted the French and British in their attempted suppression of the forts.